Since the onset of the Israel–Gaza conflict, nearly 99% of children in Palestinian territories have been exposed to more violence in their lifetime than any other people, any other children, anywhere in the world. According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, the rate of post-traumatic stress disorder among children in Gaza has doubled since 2012. They’re traumatized by the loss of their family members, by their homes being destroyed, and by their own displacement into shelters filled with strangers.

 

Sadiq (Arabic for "friend"), is a two-way wearable radio designed to provide Palestinian children a sense of safety and comfort in times of violence and forthcoming danger. Whether it means being able to directly communicate with one's family via shortwave radio, send one’s GPS location to the Palestinian Happy Child Centre (a grass roots NGO), or simply listen to the sound of a parent’s voice, Sadiq offers a way to soften the blow of trauma and anxiety within Palestinian children and their families.

 

This was a collaborative project in which my graduate classmates Marina Guthmann, Sandhya Madduri, Zui Chen, and I were prompted to select a developing country unfamiliar to each of us, conduct extensive research on their culture, and design a radio that may positively impact their everyday life.