Appropriate Technologies

This entry is about a month later than I intended. Sorry sorry! Last month another volunteer and I held an appropriate technologies workshop in Kasama for Peace Corps Volunteers and their counterpart from their respective villages. We had 12 people attend (6 PCVs and 6 counterparts).

Appropriate technology is basically using the resources you have available to fulfill your individual or your community's needs. Another goal of the workshop is to improve on already existing technologies. For example, during the workshop we demonstrated many fuel efficient cookstoves (sawdust stoves, pop can stoves, stoves that minimize the amount of wood or charcoal needed). We had several demonstrations throughout the workshop, but each team had to develop their own projects. Teams built ground nut shellers, a hydro powered pounder, solar dryers, soap, and a pedal powered bicycle water pump.

We heard a lot of great feedback from the participants of the workshop, especially from the counterparts, who were really beginning to think outside the box to fix their problems.

Pedal Powered Water Pump

Hydro-powered Pounder

Groundnut Sheller

Village Life Highlights

(Top 10 List)

10. Termites falling from the ceiling on to my head all day

9. Fresh, roasted maize

8. Impashi swarming my yard

7. Teaching numbers to kids

6. Trying to find a cell signal

5. Pooping over a hole (no really…it’s quite comfortable)

4. Not understanding about half of the people I encounter every day

3. Learning how to carry things on my head

2. The connection I have with nature.

And the number one best thing about living in the village is……………………………………..

1.Nshima, nshima, nshima…every day.