Design for our Lives

Uganda X Tanzania X MIT D-LabOct 3, 2025

A man in an orange long-sleeve shirt concentrates while repairing electrical wiring on a motorcycle. Several young men stand closely behind him, watching intently, with one holding a mango and another leaning on the motorcycle’s handlebars. The group is gathered outdoors under a tree, with sunlight filtering through the leaves.

About

Directed by Lulu Tian '22 and produced by D-Lab's Heewon Lee, the documentary film Design for Our Lives: Uganda × Tanzania × MIT D-Lab invites you into the story of local innovators turning challenges into opportunity. This 45-minute documentary follows collaborations between MIT D-Lab students and D-Lab community partners in East Africa as they design solutions that transform their communities.

Watch the trailer

This new documentary features four stories of East African innovators and the way they have used MIT D-Lab's Creative Capacity Building trainings to shape the future of their communities.

Featuring special guest Johnson Jacka, Founder and Managing Director at Greenfoot Africa (Tanzania), the following activities will be available to attendees before and after the screening and panel:

  • Prototype exhibits from East African innovators featured in the film
  • VR experiences powered by Samsung smartphones, transporting you to Tanzania and Uganda
  • Interactive AI + Arduino coding station

Panel Speakers

  • Johnson Jacka

    Founder and Managing Director, Greenfoot Africa.
    Will join via Zoom.

  • Aditya Mehrotra

    MIT PhD Candidate (Mechanical Engineering); former D-Lab student; former co-instructor for D-Lab's Hardware Design for International Development class mentor for Greenfoot Africa.

  • Sanjna Ravichandar

    MIT SM '24: former D-Lab student: former ICT instructor for Design for Second Life Innovations.

  • Amy Smith

    MIT D-Lab Founding Director

  • Lulu Tian

    MIT ’22: Filmmaker and Director, Design for Our Lives.

  • Libby McDonald (moderator)

    MIT D-Lab Lecturer and Associate Director for Practice.

Partners

Produced by MIT D-Lab and supported by Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Samsung Electronics, the Council for the Arts at MIT, and the Morningside Academy for Design (MAD).

With thanks to: Kulika Uganda, Twende, and the Youth Social Advocacy Team. Supported by: Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Samsung Electronics, Council for the Arts at MIT, and the MIT Morningside Academy for Deisgn (MAD).

Accessibility

Our events are enriched by your presence and we are committed to making them accessible to everyone.

Please email us at [email protected] to request accommodations.