Reflection – Journey Mapping

Challenge and selection.

Journey mapping is an awesome tool to use when it comes to design thinking. My

colleagues and I were presented with the task of finding out how best an NGO

institution would be able to aid the street urchins in my locality, as the cases were

increasing day by day. Most of these waifs have found themselves in the streets due to

diverse reasons. Most people site that it is mostly due poor state of families, being

orphaned at a younger age, family conflicts, peer pressure, use of drugs and

substances, among others. Often, this kids are looked down and neglected by the

society, which makes them to develop negative defensive mechanisms in order to be

able to survive a day.

We decided to go with journey mapping tool because it would enable us to be able to  fit into the shoe wearer situation in order to have a clear view of how it all happens

and how it gets to the point of calling the streets “home”.

Application

My team and I found our way to the streets with this children for  couple of days. We accompanied them in  their daily activities and observed their routines from how they started the day, breakfast, lunch, dinner and  how they slept. We also conducted interview with some of them. The revelations were quite emotional and  devastating as well.

We realized that there was more causes and perhaps, that the numbers were going to keep on increasing if  there was no attention paid to most families living in slums and society at large. The families in the slums  needed more sensitization on importance of family, value for human dignity, counselling for conflicting families  as well as mass education as far as street urchins are concerned.

Insight and approach

Street life is sickening. The kids out there are battling to stay alive and to see that they make it through the day.  They are hopeless with this life and their greatest wish is that some day life will take a different turn and smile  on them. Sleeping and waking up on an empty stomach hoping that a new dawn will shine on them is no joke.  Children parenting their siblings is absolutely heart breaking, not to mention the poor state in which they sleep  in and how they cloth.

Definitely, this was an eye opener which enabled our organization to be able to intervein and lender all  possible help it could to some of this children. Indeed, a new dawn had come for them. Being able to shelter,  feed, cloth, educate, love, appreciate this kids among other things has been a priority for us. However, this is  like dropping a drop of ink in the ocean. More organizations and people are called about to lender help as this  kids are our brothers and sisters.

When I used this tool, I never thought so highly of it but now I have a better understanding of how to use it to  illuminate my ideas best for better results.

