Designboom.com Shelter Cart competition … a future must have?

Coming from a well known third world country, and being rather sensitive to these issues as a caring soul, the theory behind the designboom.com Shelter Cart competition struck me as very interesting.

The concept of the competition was to create a shelter cart to benefit those homeless who needed something that could benefit them during their daily lives.

Although this competition is quite old; one design, in particular, has stood out among the rest. Gregor Timlin with the help of Barry Sheehan of Sharc Design came up with this nifty invention that not only houses the homeless but makes their travelling and “collections” that much easier to handle.

It is not that uncommon to see homeless people struggling along, collecting bottles, cardboard and other various knick-knacks to help earn a few cents here and there; particularly here in Africa where millions of people are jobless and without even the basic day to day necessities that we take for granted, such as running water and proper sanitation.

While, Gregor Timlin has categorically stated that “the project is not seen as a solution to the social problem of the homeless but instead as a method of raising awareness about the issue,” one can only hope that such a great idea and concept will be put to good use in the future, perhaps as an advertising tool for companies, and in turn a fabulous way to protect the many homeless who need a place to call home.

Besides, these unsung heroes deserve something special as a thank you for their never-ending work on cleaning, clearing and general recycling in my opinion.

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