Walk 4 Water

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  Our project logo

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  Render of Assets

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  Prototyping/Sketching Artifacts (photos from: https://www.osiligi.org/clean-water-africa/)

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  View of Unity Scene From Above (Pre adding the water)

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  View of Unity Scene From Above (Pre adding the water)

Inspiration

Utilizing the immersive capabilities of virtual reality (VR), we crafted an interactive narrative game centered around Naisiae, a young Kenyan girl tasked with fetching water for her family. This innovative approach allows players to step directly into Naisiae's shoes, experiencing her daily experiences firsthand. Research reveals that of children tasked with collecting water in sub-Saharan Africa, 62% of are girls, often at the expense of their education and opportunities. Through VR gameplay, we aim to foster empathy and understanding towards the women and children worldwide burdened by similar tasks, limiting their potential for education and economic advancement. In VR, players physically engage with Naisiae's journey, feeling the weight of her 40-pound water container and navigating the challenges of her environment. This immersive experience transcends traditional storytelling methods, offering a visceral understanding daily life in water-scarce regions. By leveraging the unique capabilities of VR for storytelling, our project not only raises awareness about gender inequalities but also inspires action to support the empowerment of women. By immersing participants in Naisiae's world, we can ignite meaningful conversations and drive positive change towards a more equitable future.

What it does

Enter Naisiae's world and immerse yourself in her daily life as she embarks on her journey to collect water for her family. Amidst the captivating Kenya Highlands landscape, surrounded by authentic sounds, you'll navigate the 300-meter journey by using your hands to teleport to over 30 hotspots within the virtual environment. But first, you must pick up the empty jerry can you will use to transport water, but make sure you don’t accidentally drop it along the way!

Some hotspots will include an engaging UI pop-up, utilizing type-writing text to describe an encounter typical of a journey to water. At certain points, you will confront an overflowing river blocking the path, dangerous wildlife, or unique features of the Kenyan landscape.

Upon reaching the water pump, the true test begins: carrying up to 40 pounds of water back home. Feel the weight of her responsibilities as you navigate through the physically demanding task, gaining a firsthand understanding of the hardships endured by women like Naisiae.

The experience concludes with a final scene expressing gratitude for joining Naisiae and a call to action to learn more about supporting water access worldwide.

How we built it

Unity! We relied on each other, Meta’s interaction SDK, and C# scripts to get this project working.

Challenges we ran into

One of our biggest technical challenges was trying to use Unity and Github. There were too many merge conflicts and confusing package discrepancies between our 4 computers.

Additionally, while the challenges of a long, daily journey to water are well reported, our team was surprised to find how little information could be found on the women and children who take on this task. For example, we found almost no direct quotes or names. When telling other’s stories, it's important to understand their perspectives by speaking directly with them. It was difficult to accurately share stories with so little information available!

Accomplishments that we're proud of

🏔 The crazy cool modeled environment, inspired by Kenyan Highland landscapes 🎶 The immersive and spatial sounds accurate to Kenyan wildlife 💬 The interactive UI that lets users physically travel through Naisiae’s narrative

What we learned

Don’t use github for Unity (haha jk but it takes a while to set up 👀)

What's next for Walk 4 Water

Walk 4 Water is a great example of how VR can enhance empathy through embodied experiences. Our team would like to add even more interaction to Walk 4 Water and explore other important narratives that could be empowered through VR!

Sources

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/07/07/484793736/millions-of-women-take-a-long-walk-with-a-40-pound-water-can https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photo-of-the-day/media-spotlight/kenya-water-women-gabra

Built With

• c#
• unity