Australian not-for-profit agency Architects Without Frontiers (AWF) has launched a new supporter program to scale the impact of its work in delivering culturally appropriate, cost-effective design proposals to communities in need.
Founded in 1998, AWF has since grown to become Australia’s largest humanitarian design agency, currently working across 24 countries. Their projects include designing masterplans for climate-resilient villages to mitigate rising sea levels in the remote islands of the Pacific, as well as co-designing culturally safe facilities in Australia’s outback with local Indigenous people.
A media communique notes that the work of AWF has endeavoured to ensure that “vulnerable communities have found safety, dignity and employment – through the power of good design, delivered free, to those who need it most.”
The new AWF Friends program calls for support in realising the organisation’s 2030 vision to carry out work, including:
- Mobilising skilled professionals to deliver pro bono design services to vulnerable communities
- Collaborating with Indigenous communities across Australia and the Pacific
- Supporting the design and delivery of critical infrastructure projects, such as health clinics, schools and women’s domestic violence refuges, globally.
Their support to date has enabled women and children access to emergency crisis accommodation in northern Melbourne, and disabled kids in Vietnam access to a purpose-built training and rehabilitation centre in Hoi An.
Information on the AWF Friends program can be found on the AWF website.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
