What Ania Has Accomplished in 2018
2018 was a breakout year for Ania Design Lab. In just one year, these are all the things that we were able to accomplish:
Secured our first round of funding and support from TUKLAS Innovation Labs
To develop our pilot project, the Disaster Preparedness Simulator (DPS), the team needed a partner that can support the tasks that needed to be accomplished. After weeks of deliberation, on February 12, 2018, Ania Design Lab was selected by TUKLAS Innovation Labs to be part of their pilot program. TUKLAS pledged to support our project financially by providing PHP 1 million, to be spent on designing, developing, and delivering the Disaster Preparedness Simulator to various communities all over the Philippines.
Designed the Disaster Preparedness Simulator with Community Partners
The design process of Ania Design Lab involves having our community partners involved with how the Disaster Preparedness Simulator is developed. The team wanted to know how disaster readiness and risk management (DRRM) classes were taught in their communities, taking note of the strengths and opportunities for improvement that allowed Ania Design Lab to design the DPS to capitalize on the opportunities. The co-designing process allowed the team to create a learning experience that maximized the learning opportunities for DRRM. We were able to visit multiple community partners, all of which had different insights regarding DRRM education. We also onboarded Anthony Abustan, a DRRM consultant that helped us design the learning experience of the DPS.
Developing and Delivering the Disaster Preparedness Simulator to Communities
Once everything was in place, all that we needed to do was to develop the system. Since development was our forte, the Disaster Preparedness Simulator was finished in 10 weeks, with revisions being made constantly up to posting this article. We have shown our prototypes with various communities all over the Philippines, travelling as far as Siruma, Camarines Sur. Everyone was so excited to use the Disaster Preparedness Simulator, and everyone was asking if they could have the application installed on their phone. We will be launching the final application soon, so stay tuned!
Total Impact in 2018
In one year, we were able to raise PHP 1 million in capital, allowing us to develop the Disaster Preparedness Simulator. With this amount, we were able to secure partnerships with different communities all over the Philippines. In one year, we were able to develop three different disaster scenarios, all of which was co-designed with insights from the communities we talked to. We were also able to have more than 500 participants in all of our activities, most of which came from testing sessions, showing the Filipino people what the possibilities of innovation in education can bring.
I believe that the biggest impact that we made in 2018 is giving people an opportunity to be part of the change that they want to see. As much as we would like to claim that the Disaster Preparedness Simulator project is ours, it isn’t — it was made with our community partners, and this project is theirs as much as it is ours. We would like to thank everyone who has been part of our 2018, and we look forward to seeing you in 2019!
What’s Next?
2019 will be as exciting as 2018, if not more. We have activities lined up that we cannot announce yet, and we are building partnerships with the biggest organizations in the Philippines to bring the Disaster Preparedness Simulator to as many schools as possible. We will be posting updates on our Facebook page on when and where you can see us, so stay tuned!
