Handwashing with Ananse
Handwashing with Ananse is a modular storybook game that teaches Ghanaian children why, how and when to handwash with soap. It's based on traditional Ghanaian storytelling techniques (including song and dance) and the plot centers around Ananse, a character in Ghanaian folklore. Data is being collected from communities using different parts of the program and "tippy tap" handwashing stations; sensors embedded in the soap send data to us via satellite and the collected information will be used to modify the next iteration of this project. As of 2016, the Handwashing with Ananse book is being used in every Ghanaian elementary school, nation-wide. My role in this project was as illustrator for the storybook and to oversee interns' layouts for game instruction manuals and printed materials.
UpRiver
UpRiver is an analog game that teaches players the principles of flood prediction so that they can make better decisions based on regional and seasonal forecasts. Every year, people die in completely predictable floods. Severe rain overflows the banks of the Zambezi river, and water flows downstream, hitting each population in order from the source of the flood to the sea, where the river empties. I worked with our team and the Red Cross to create a game that could be printed inexpensively and the pieces of which could be made from discarded materials commonly found in Zambia.
