Designing for People Living on A Dollar A Day | Debbie Aung Din | TEDxInyaLake

A person living on a dollar a day enjoys design as much as anyone else, says Debbie Aung Din, the founder of Proximity Designs, a non-profit provider of farm technology for the rural poor in Myanmar. Creating products that make a difference in the lives of rural communities challenges one to think outside the box, but Debbie reminds us that it is just as important to remember the ultimate consumers are people with hopes and dreams just like us. Watch her showcase a product that has been designed with this ethic and remind us how good design can indeed fulfill the dreams of people who need it most. Debbie Aung Din is co-founder of Proximity Designs, a non-profit social enterprise providing farm technology, financial services and advisory services for Myanmar's rural sector since 2004. A native of Myanmar, Aung Din has been engaged in policy dialogue and research on Myanmar’s rural economy since 1995. She has focused much of her career on poverty alleviation and development efforts in difficult places. She has lived in Mississippi, Cambodia and Indonesia, and has worked for NGOs, USAID, the UN and the World Bank. Aung Din holds an MA from Harvard University in public policy and development economics. In 2012, she received awards from the Schwab Foundation (World Economic Forum) and Skoll World Forum for Social Entrepreneurship. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx