News
Ramallah / Florence —September 10th,2026
The School Bag Project to Debut at Palestine Design Week 2026
Modular emergency educational kit for children in conflict and disaster zones selected for EU-funded MISHKAL grant; prototype presented in Ramallah, 15–24 September, 2026
The School Bag Project, a modular emergency educational kit designed for children of Gaza aged 5 to 15 whose schooling has been disrupted by conflict or disaster, will be presented at Palestine Design Week 2026, running 15–24 September in Ramallah under the theme “Without Permission.” The prototype has been selected for the MISHKAL grant, an EU-funded programme managed by the Goethe-Institut and the British Council in Palestine. The School Bag Project was envisioned in 2024 by Palestinian designer Walid Mawed and later became the pilot project of Anniya, an interdisciplinary, non-hierarchical collective bringing together professionals from the field of design, education and engineering. Its coordinating roles are held equally by Tania Biancalani (President), Walid Mawed (Vice President), and Oriana Ferraguzzi (Director of Pedagogic Research), who work together to deliver excellence in emergency design.
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August 2025
We are proud to share that Anniya Collective—the team of designers and educators behind the School Bag Project—has been selected as a recipient for the inaugural PAL Designers Week (formerly Ramallah Design Week), taking place in September 2026 under the theme “Creativity Bridging the Past and the Future.” This new platform, organized by the Goethe-Institut and the British Council in Palestine as part of the EU-funded MISHKAL project, invites designers to reimagine Palestinian identity through contemporary design.
The production grant we received through this opportunity is what has allowed us so far to keep working, improving, and prototyping the School Bag Project. We are honored that our work was chosen for its fresh interpretation of heritage, and we look forward to showcasing the project at the September event. This recognition affirms our commitment to designing with care and connecting heritage to the future.
Press
The School Bag Project was featured in the Italian newspaper Il Biellese on January 13, 2026.