tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28621373228494381462024-02-19T03:03:57.071-08:00International Development Design Summit 2009The lush environs of KNUST, Kumasi have replaced the concrete jungle of MIT, Boston and IDDS has arrived in Ghana! Tracking the event from its initial planning stages,through village visits, prototyping and eventual conclusion this blog will provide insights into a conference that challenges convention by creating physical solutions. A team of 90 participants and organizers from around the world will work together to attempt to create, within weeks, technologies that could change lives.Niall Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11952403116518338771noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2862137322849438146.post-61394337432531285822009-09-11T05:27:00.000-07:002009-09-14T06:30:15.571-07:00Lots more to come<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6lG02Zyb0VaPCO-1Dy9TKXGovL7UH3bwAVfJk-D7B6amvwSUJ4p4JgiqjGocPGa7ctp0TOTMNCiue3CMqfoyRmPRduoxuPlhWpsiVs6A_xXGaIobQjLpJkty3HqQfacQwiBaj9OnR50qn/s1600-h/Final+Blog+post.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6lG02Zyb0VaPCO-1Dy9TKXGovL7UH3bwAVfJk-D7B6amvwSUJ4p4JgiqjGocPGa7ctp0TOTMNCiue3CMqfoyRmPRduoxuPlhWpsiVs6A_xXGaIobQjLpJkty3HqQfacQwiBaj9OnR50qn/s400/Final+Blog+post.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381298568658186770" border="0" /></a><br />Hi folks,<br /><br />Many apologies for the complete lack of posts for the last three weeks or so. The final presentations, closing ceremony, Maker Faire Africa and a lengthy trip back home to Ireland(and then to Italy!) restricted my blog postings.<br /><br />IDDS was a fantastic experience for all involved though, and writing this blog has been a really big part of that for me! Thanks so much to you all for checking in now and again with the IDDS world.<br /><br />This is not the end of IDDS however. We are currently updating the website and will be integrating the blog into the homepage of the site www.iddsummit.org and providing you with regular updates as to whats going on in the world of IDDS. Project Grants, their development and dissemination, partnership grants and of course the hotly anticipated IDDS 2010 in Colorado are to come so please stay tuned!<br /><br />Thanks again,<br />NiallNiall Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11952403116518338771noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2862137322849438146.post-60459276463168676632009-08-10T10:48:00.000-07:002009-08-10T12:55:42.436-07:00Project Update 3 - Water, Health and Sanitation<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQV1qhPU97xKf0KHqPgFc_LgLK9RS-d8qGPAV55w-9Rp2YArZ6W-RhwRUSnKv_w_yJ1y5VUg-jrR3raQl1a7x9pekkGZZv1DbuGqajBgQIRXapsnhNULXNIneQ5QlSq3Oi66iR1zJt5CI/s1600-h/20090803_AdumkromArrival_017+%28Medium%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQV1qhPU97xKf0KHqPgFc_LgLK9RS-d8qGPAV55w-9Rp2YArZ6W-RhwRUSnKv_w_yJ1y5VUg-jrR3raQl1a7x9pekkGZZv1DbuGqajBgQIRXapsnhNULXNIneQ5QlSq3Oi66iR1zJt5CI/s400/20090803_AdumkromArrival_017+%28Medium%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368343863980856610" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Water, health and sanitation proved the focus of these four projects, as they sought to tackle a diverse set of problems in these linked areas. Clean water and high levels of hygiene are crucial for both short term and long term health for communities in the developing world and the teams were aware of the gravity of the projects they were working on. Two teams focused on Chlorine, one on production and one on dosing, while another centered on how to make Latrines friendly for all the family. The final project in this area had a much more direct link with health, trying to develop an ICT Enabled system for monitoring the health of low weight babies. Some of the posters below are in Twi, so don't be disheartened if you cannot understand them!</p><p style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Local Chlorine Production Team</span></span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU8DJklGolbWyRqDjliyy66_27GcnxOCGmqFzJWNuYhQxOX942x0uqsj_0Ex2FTmNSKlxJLr3ikZFGv3kN5YOBLPV1S_NBBFhFxWz8RBhPP4UUGOUzUDlD7GsIJr4rm7hbYk7jZ8Tfdfwn/s1600-h/clorine_production_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU8DJklGolbWyRqDjliyy66_27GcnxOCGmqFzJWNuYhQxOX942x0uqsj_0Ex2FTmNSKlxJLr3ikZFGv3kN5YOBLPV1S_NBBFhFxWz8RBhPP4UUGOUzUDlD7GsIJr4rm7hbYk7jZ8Tfdfwn/s400/clorine_production_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368343538163547202" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQPTen_z-cwftKtSBSsGkbGiDmMzejjyUd68KIPxfQbCAhEMgPBmIM6E_KAR6WX0iGLtbC9H6Q4FNiyJFYRE9txZaW3V9LytA1sJW_IZDecNN_dSjrkoqngZuJIddoK9DMNHrrNEhT11OG/s1600-h/clorine_production_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQPTen_z-cwftKtSBSsGkbGiDmMzejjyUd68KIPxfQbCAhEMgPBmIM6E_KAR6WX0iGLtbC9H6Q4FNiyJFYRE9txZaW3V9LytA1sJW_IZDecNN_dSjrkoqngZuJIddoK9DMNHrrNEhT11OG/s400/clorine_production_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368343005859107458" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNA_ULbk0y4cWzULVioF6VkNdSTbevDZvubf3EPVA-Y4PI2N2tcfImHL4yTvjPBRhjOiQDNu6ASQHvXBljHzJ9vY033vYG5_ISI8nsq7etQCplqy4RZI825okI4SytbojMRKDahL2a7IV0/s1600-h/clorine_production_3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNA_ULbk0y4cWzULVioF6VkNdSTbevDZvubf3EPVA-Y4PI2N2tcfImHL4yTvjPBRhjOiQDNu6ASQHvXBljHzJ9vY033vYG5_ISI8nsq7etQCplqy4RZI825okI4SytbojMRKDahL2a7IV0/s400/clorine_production_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368342709199343602" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitOQM7oADsLXXTMGkO72p0mpBFL9DxtBj4t94YII50iWa1OADlpGArF6piZ7cYrNPWuhAzkGL1TAS_4K3uVGcxUcWc4Xp3ONDbrf1CClP2XNLFCOZhV-_htiJVF3s1JzlyEqvsuPNQV90G/s1600-h/clorine_production_twi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitOQM7oADsLXXTMGkO72p0mpBFL9DxtBj4t94YII50iWa1OADlpGArF6piZ7cYrNPWuhAzkGL1TAS_4K3uVGcxUcWc4Xp3ONDbrf1CClP2XNLFCOZhV-_htiJVF3s1JzlyEqvsuPNQV90G/s400/clorine_production_twi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368342236589441330" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Chlorine Dosing Team</span><br /></div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiodUxyg94Rfg6V9FeHzPhPpVUvNrsFVosrcKdpQRWGiL1P-rhd4BFkwAv8CR97VYpCfCDkD-K0c2VqG2xDxeX51CTfbctq3hDF5ak4YEvDjSoKU1j_wJnDMVbe_wzwJ3qXv1wn9gc8gbEr/s1600-h/clorine_dosing_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiodUxyg94Rfg6V9FeHzPhPpVUvNrsFVosrcKdpQRWGiL1P-rhd4BFkwAv8CR97VYpCfCDkD-K0c2VqG2xDxeX51CTfbctq3hDF5ak4YEvDjSoKU1j_wJnDMVbe_wzwJ3qXv1wn9gc8gbEr/s400/clorine_dosing_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368341528953441698" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9sFArUZmZJO_8cypSyFseN2-6RiTZyRTm4kawq98PKSVy-1txjc6lqhI5GweOAgwZwZS4AnF6bWVgWqJ4zpKdWEzRwPqM8cGNeseYcZZkZW8OtxhH9dmmOigUCtZByxP_FTsz_K21xP5/s1600-h/clorine_dosing_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9sFArUZmZJO_8cypSyFseN2-6RiTZyRTm4kawq98PKSVy-1txjc6lqhI5GweOAgwZwZS4AnF6bWVgWqJ4zpKdWEzRwPqM8cGNeseYcZZkZW8OtxhH9dmmOigUCtZByxP_FTsz_K21xP5/s400/clorine_dosing_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368340736387001346" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-UqvY7uuoxO9gnhzoCdF2dpSLUsh6hMn_uCWYWk-FJyb68wODN3afO_vXdk6YC33Eoc8ekK8CkGzzbzINH4OvJAUM6vcr2ubRa5E5G8RW2Nwa8yDdPOzQwk8IIVTNcMU_6rBwvRwcwpC8/s1600-h/clorine_dosing_3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-UqvY7uuoxO9gnhzoCdF2dpSLUsh6hMn_uCWYWk-FJyb68wODN3afO_vXdk6YC33Eoc8ekK8CkGzzbzINH4OvJAUM6vcr2ubRa5E5G8RW2Nwa8yDdPOzQwk8IIVTNcMU_6rBwvRwcwpC8/s400/clorine_dosing_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368340252767314338" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi41ETlIhfHcLmSRVl8tZ0aiWT1VMIHBblQizogXGixtJpKAWt-uigBVm6U8eA0aa-CpW0E61n3MjNC6wNnYxRc4IUiBbmOJ8gLwNWDMh8aHZy_9HO3pVoE2cQTLSok6FBJaC6dz5c_hr6J/s1600-h/clorine_dosing_twi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi41ETlIhfHcLmSRVl8tZ0aiWT1VMIHBblQizogXGixtJpKAWt-uigBVm6U8eA0aa-CpW0E61n3MjNC6wNnYxRc4IUiBbmOJ8gLwNWDMh8aHZy_9HO3pVoE2cQTLSok6FBJaC6dz5c_hr6J/s400/clorine_dosing_twi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368339978534915138" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />ICT Enabled Baby Monitoring Team<br /></span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTRnb4De1gCJcIOgyY0W9CuzZegdOuE_w5fni7IeQuDV1Er4qizAy5r-Iu8QlSmwrzCWwGMOGkV0ztPNhrtDSjYhyphenhyphenNd1byw_Xvm8Iht2TvWOiZmUbVzavSGqGn6-x0sbpuDxCuUq1d0xLu/s1600-h/ICT_baby_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTRnb4De1gCJcIOgyY0W9CuzZegdOuE_w5fni7IeQuDV1Er4qizAy5r-Iu8QlSmwrzCWwGMOGkV0ztPNhrtDSjYhyphenhyphenNd1byw_Xvm8Iht2TvWOiZmUbVzavSGqGn6-x0sbpuDxCuUq1d0xLu/s400/ICT_baby_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368339365069228786" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGX1Z1CH-P3DkFWItEHJiHXjgjwcx10LWsQGJudHgjUu33BQnYECeM7AholfP69WhyvLK8Kkrw4qUgUnVlMyF6v8b5kt2TYwDlwFhzFnuZDU6P0Nb1OBiOCBcgJ0ZoI1wV3tJYPBGwMbpI/s1600-h/ICT_baby_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGX1Z1CH-P3DkFWItEHJiHXjgjwcx10LWsQGJudHgjUu33BQnYECeM7AholfP69WhyvLK8Kkrw4qUgUnVlMyF6v8b5kt2TYwDlwFhzFnuZDU6P0Nb1OBiOCBcgJ0ZoI1wV3tJYPBGwMbpI/s400/ICT_baby_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368336794730204514" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-e2S4hDgBS97vJKh8hyphenhyphendU_7ulh89DNzoohjLy6It7RYPxlyh_VA6lubRjNwuJsABtymemXiDmpDwcdztcTxfWZjfUTav8MAbYdQRSyHL17oON4j4IX23QHg0ZVrOiGV2Rts5Sk22YR1WI/s1600-h/ICT_baby_3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-e2S4hDgBS97vJKh8hyphenhyphendU_7ulh89DNzoohjLy6It7RYPxlyh_VA6lubRjNwuJsABtymemXiDmpDwcdztcTxfWZjfUTav8MAbYdQRSyHL17oON4j4IX23QHg0ZVrOiGV2Rts5Sk22YR1WI/s400/ICT_baby_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368334876305997378" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH26zNqwMeRKOCNljlAELUXpcA6MpPRP5lk7XlqQ_WROjnBES_qY5Cvxlci44d4_wo_l69k_hYcrLK39Z0XVLSJ_3NJLLTbang_oH_fMlfuSq1OyCgGoueyxRDhlo3JsyrSyER5dGH6G8j/s1600-h/ICT_baby_4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH26zNqwMeRKOCNljlAELUXpcA6MpPRP5lk7XlqQ_WROjnBES_qY5Cvxlci44d4_wo_l69k_hYcrLK39Z0XVLSJ_3NJLLTbang_oH_fMlfuSq1OyCgGoueyxRDhlo3JsyrSyER5dGH6G8j/s400/ICT_baby_4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368334257764030242" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Family Friendly Latrine Team<br /><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiCoVApFSWZvq7eS39I3FDrJjL8LOvMB3ZoV9w0kAZQn_FXHYcTkS_YYj9iF-LIk_Sf1zb8qGpnbL6k98OkZn4lIELhL4jS3HmD3LyUA8W2Sd43KgY6x4EnHx6H1u_wrAwfadUvgHUeAsl/s1600-h/Kid_friendly_latrine_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 271px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiCoVApFSWZvq7eS39I3FDrJjL8LOvMB3ZoV9w0kAZQn_FXHYcTkS_YYj9iF-LIk_Sf1zb8qGpnbL6k98OkZn4lIELhL4jS3HmD3LyUA8W2Sd43KgY6x4EnHx6H1u_wrAwfadUvgHUeAsl/s400/Kid_friendly_latrine_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368333581891979154" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABpy2PnHidlrdvOY_saCoPb8PhNedeJ_LjIdEuuLv3p-Pro0UOaOUQU8jo6RAoL3A6v1ABjxEl73GWDikg84PsIKJlLkrJr1H7NLGMZjgKowCPHM7mtdTsBp5roZ1qGnXVN5NP6-YKVRX/s1600-h/kid_friendly_latrine_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABpy2PnHidlrdvOY_saCoPb8PhNedeJ_LjIdEuuLv3p-Pro0UOaOUQU8jo6RAoL3A6v1ABjxEl73GWDikg84PsIKJlLkrJr1H7NLGMZjgKowCPHM7mtdTsBp5roZ1qGnXVN5NP6-YKVRX/s400/kid_friendly_latrine_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368332639334271026" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpYOV-ggbvAEGInrbJ-logbcE6dXh2hhyJWKUhGNf5VxsqAuBN1l96aNOxajiDiaeZM1lzuUP_zNV5OhFoQeYhV93vM5H1DU3M753iTToo8uhUbvyTem-3lXiN6FvIf-cSLUSdYa-sd2Vv/s1600-h/kid_friendly_latrine_3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 274px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpYOV-ggbvAEGInrbJ-logbcE6dXh2hhyJWKUhGNf5VxsqAuBN1l96aNOxajiDiaeZM1lzuUP_zNV5OhFoQeYhV93vM5H1DU3M753iTToo8uhUbvyTem-3lXiN6FvIf-cSLUSdYa-sd2Vv/s400/kid_friendly_latrine_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368330718130071282" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvJhSgA4gqiYKkkBE91_7Aylr2VIp_PpYjVHU49bURjbJnanNdn_OA1Y_YOxWbihcyCxJ1Sh19LEEy4HLBp1BH4jhMZY1VuKvQ-sobT6bO3edJY8WIRJy1fomKVzsY2cO5lTjCvRkTMut/s1600-h/kid_friendly_latrine_4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 271px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvJhSgA4gqiYKkkBE91_7Aylr2VIp_PpYjVHU49bURjbJnanNdn_OA1Y_YOxWbihcyCxJ1Sh19LEEy4HLBp1BH4jhMZY1VuKvQ-sobT6bO3edJY8WIRJy1fomKVzsY2cO5lTjCvRkTMut/s400/kid_friendly_latrine_4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368329461279645122" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1EcECzGlyxHnTjqx0VdUGbdDJxN3NvcoJZK-jWFG-IFhfHpqtit4Wz9zxNZsbm-Zzq_hZRji-2q0ZMLrhRwEFU4Yt8eRTEXfRWvvsl41uiwoTqsAn6CV4yGSD9nov_9cJZgPk-7cDk5xN/s1600-h/Kid_Friendly_twi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 263px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1EcECzGlyxHnTjqx0VdUGbdDJxN3NvcoJZK-jWFG-IFhfHpqtit4Wz9zxNZsbm-Zzq_hZRji-2q0ZMLrhRwEFU4Yt8eRTEXfRWvvsl41uiwoTqsAn6CV4yGSD9nov_9cJZgPk-7cDk5xN/s400/Kid_Friendly_twi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368329089253231074" border="0" /></a>Niall Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11952403116518338771noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2862137322849438146.post-68865767423101154502009-08-09T18:47:00.000-07:002009-08-10T07:44:12.721-07:00Project Update 2 - Energy and the Environment<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxrzgghs6NCxm8N036Besr43KROc54lAkGuXPiGNTrM6jgSoa3ibM3i-zCyVt8VKktFQhuMF022O6cAYmHzobVUiiNfGboH_wIlJfcYHodVD9TY_nI7meMeQvYJ905Jt0m_cTyB9VORCw/s1600-h/IMG_6214+%28Medium%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxrzgghs6NCxm8N036Besr43KROc54lAkGuXPiGNTrM6jgSoa3ibM3i-zCyVt8VKktFQhuMF022O6cAYmHzobVUiiNfGboH_wIlJfcYHodVD9TY_nI7meMeQvYJ905Jt0m_cTyB9VORCw/s400/IMG_6214+%28Medium%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368326995687001298" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />One of the main problems faced by the villagers we encountered was that of energy, and how best it could be created, stored and put to use for them. The levels of interest in these projects was very high in the villages, with both adults and children alike eager to try out the prototypes. The other projects in this area were focused on how to create value out of recycled waste products, and how best to store, transport and cool vegetables without using electricity. </span>Again, some of these posters are in Twi, to enable the visiting villagers to understand how the prototypes were made.<br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br /><br />Playground Power team</span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPrsrjEA5uXriyfB5pFzKaCM6ND4ykgzNHlieGCS0_Bb5N6S54hUQDLuKYaCI89s9CEPOry7sw9gqTk9-oe_k26CgNDvaTsh1V2AHPrVDVCv4uE2d-64JXroilztEHAxCpPdKxq7Y0oW6C/s1600-h/20-30.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPrsrjEA5uXriyfB5pFzKaCM6ND4ykgzNHlieGCS0_Bb5N6S54hUQDLuKYaCI89s9CEPOry7sw9gqTk9-oe_k26CgNDvaTsh1V2AHPrVDVCv4uE2d-64JXroilztEHAxCpPdKxq7Y0oW6C/s400/20-30.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368324256296063058" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgatdJWmknDURRjhBs1ZC_F7DO8_XR5Yt1PxFXM4I1MMVvIZ_rpceiAAMbwZGQrBx_wlGrf07zmTlhPw_iq_OuVleuO8ZebOrtMXxlCdv3ITfbqmHvzER4Dqz7nSGcBzx00Jtjk1ns2ojQh/s1600-h/Poster+Play+Power+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgatdJWmknDURRjhBs1ZC_F7DO8_XR5Yt1PxFXM4I1MMVvIZ_rpceiAAMbwZGQrBx_wlGrf07zmTlhPw_iq_OuVleuO8ZebOrtMXxlCdv3ITfbqmHvzER4Dqz7nSGcBzx00Jtjk1ns2ojQh/s400/Poster+Play+Power+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368321369118375650" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Recycled Plastic Products Team</span></span><br /></div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqIlx5OYju6Xj1on_bwtVa4uapzAFbpg-5ruLtn_2vBRivK6b1OiStIZj5J3KmmezzkOfuU9JPvAf34qlo0ZWpbuK54DsPWNys2P-kPAYTlRAWv6aboWH9uqjPlWG2n7A2b9bLN7t1Z2C/s1600-h/recycled_plastic.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqIlx5OYju6Xj1on_bwtVa4uapzAFbpg-5ruLtn_2vBRivK6b1OiStIZj5J3KmmezzkOfuU9JPvAf34qlo0ZWpbuK54DsPWNys2P-kPAYTlRAWv6aboWH9uqjPlWG2n7A2b9bLN7t1Z2C/s400/recycled_plastic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368317845703971330" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_KAlPT6N0yy2_VV96LNOEkCDN1N22i43bVk_cyTLWA0zHfFx6SaV8cMP1XlR-vadtZEoijfECMzJegY0jR3IvQyyHRmlxCwi4N1ogqZsSu2uYUe0d0FeDXb-uZxfpyvsp0YSh4Jut6HCX/s1600-h/recycled_plastic_twi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_KAlPT6N0yy2_VV96LNOEkCDN1N22i43bVk_cyTLWA0zHfFx6SaV8cMP1XlR-vadtZEoijfECMzJegY0jR3IvQyyHRmlxCwi4N1ogqZsSu2uYUe0d0FeDXb-uZxfpyvsp0YSh4Jut6HCX/s400/recycled_plastic_twi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368317255165530242" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Cool Storage Team<br /></span></div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiScbxdg48O67qf-_cbMjhINJ9uW-Pk267SXxIzoxIsSG3MCZ9cKzgIjDLNv8F78L6xK1fr7SkAhXOFnlVWfByhvPoa6Plfmj8yhWCadZ8NQc0IDQXH1YgKtxuR_UQLGPlQ8HRKTk2cYKnO/s1600-h/cool_storage_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiScbxdg48O67qf-_cbMjhINJ9uW-Pk267SXxIzoxIsSG3MCZ9cKzgIjDLNv8F78L6xK1fr7SkAhXOFnlVWfByhvPoa6Plfmj8yhWCadZ8NQc0IDQXH1YgKtxuR_UQLGPlQ8HRKTk2cYKnO/s400/cool_storage_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368316615618725746" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ck9SVguDJTmtitp4eK2LUnClJ4KAprYU3ru2rK5GoQpSwpzzKg7fh08dh1QnXe4DmPv5EUlw6StOLf0nDM6XIE5SeSTcSglAHc_TAiFPgt8EDa9wa0s4BP9xR5NNs-bWB8AX_qOLPXix/s1600-h/cool_storage_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ck9SVguDJTmtitp4eK2LUnClJ4KAprYU3ru2rK5GoQpSwpzzKg7fh08dh1QnXe4DmPv5EUlw6StOLf0nDM6XIE5SeSTcSglAHc_TAiFPgt8EDa9wa0s4BP9xR5NNs-bWB8AX_qOLPXix/s400/cool_storage_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368316189228963378" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7AMeNY3rnflFy5O06j_3MVLR2Ul4T2rRgY5XeZTWxZIuRUflfomSB44iKf11pyPidpiiuQODWuA07ZFPh9-eY7fCN3D4TIcWODD_s9lKtOgPvTebC2Jt_RdSILZFvho-7lugxHxhnhLq/s1600-h/cool_storage_3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7AMeNY3rnflFy5O06j_3MVLR2Ul4T2rRgY5XeZTWxZIuRUflfomSB44iKf11pyPidpiiuQODWuA07ZFPh9-eY7fCN3D4TIcWODD_s9lKtOgPvTebC2Jt_RdSILZFvho-7lugxHxhnhLq/s400/cool_storage_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368315770767123346" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuedWQrneRuoopm_ONWBOvbTlf09qipmhsnrCIo2-RN-DaoJvOpJnoXiTM8MuqJsDend7dzV6iC-_6c6FfP8uiHOj8wS9Jm1ZrTVP7Mw_oIzIC2Nd04HPtx3UhuAAENv0bhQgLBhw_3aQl/s1600-h/cool_storage_4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuedWQrneRuoopm_ONWBOvbTlf09qipmhsnrCIo2-RN-DaoJvOpJnoXiTM8MuqJsDend7dzV6iC-_6c6FfP8uiHOj8wS9Jm1ZrTVP7Mw_oIzIC2Nd04HPtx3UhuAAENv0bhQgLBhw_3aQl/s400/cool_storage_4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368315339147067746" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8io_DIWQuMyrLksziTIz-67loDR4kI8XXnZZ1b4wuj3Bdj36_Q1C3tuFVWUxVuheTqA3hVutUmNFtE0f2S-on9Lzo4na1zGX3OKo-qMCGHtJy3733uouJ_NYISQrIw8FFbfzkI-MRbKR/s1600-h/cool_storage_5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8io_DIWQuMyrLksziTIz-67loDR4kI8XXnZZ1b4wuj3Bdj36_Q1C3tuFVWUxVuheTqA3hVutUmNFtE0f2S-on9Lzo4na1zGX3OKo-qMCGHtJy3733uouJ_NYISQrIw8FFbfzkI-MRbKR/s400/cool_storage_5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368314955470239970" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Small Scale Energy Storage</span><br /></div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXX81VCokCo9CmCgbtsXhF8jRjDmRIRIgO4lzbGkb6j_R046zwq9uOByV5V-cf1pTzs-YznwbSDyXsEovQciGhZHFmXbLrX9sZ9xcuArJ2YzOqx6lqPuSKGIk8rP8AAJ4xcGnTD_6hg1Jp/s1600-h/small_scale_energy_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXX81VCokCo9CmCgbtsXhF8jRjDmRIRIgO4lzbGkb6j_R046zwq9uOByV5V-cf1pTzs-YznwbSDyXsEovQciGhZHFmXbLrX9sZ9xcuArJ2YzOqx6lqPuSKGIk8rP8AAJ4xcGnTD_6hg1Jp/s400/small_scale_energy_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368314334821659842" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2U666mxWIoK0eXLX0WBOoWQAPxeucqeOMQVGCW609kge8y4YGMXHLgP5tdORALDnEI0tBYgoBJox2js0JGTSVOwUFgxJw3v9NCY0g6qu0HpYNjJ7vPcAGuZrpk0YeBbD2DUWPDCIhEJQO/s1600-h/small_scale_energy_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2U666mxWIoK0eXLX0WBOoWQAPxeucqeOMQVGCW609kge8y4YGMXHLgP5tdORALDnEI0tBYgoBJox2js0JGTSVOwUFgxJw3v9NCY0g6qu0HpYNjJ7vPcAGuZrpk0YeBbD2DUWPDCIhEJQO/s400/small_scale_energy_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368312783371258658" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtadqBU6Y4fv38i-1dQ3JScgM_xgOTMt54VYk0wJIMkMqu5igDMaZx7svMFrzvJe-TJ8bLfclp8rJ54CnzEQTAW12hVxIJ7Rr6RnETCi2jDfRh4OtHRJIkpB1umDpV5ULSKuYUjm5lVB2g/s1600-h/small_scale_energy_3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtadqBU6Y4fv38i-1dQ3JScgM_xgOTMt54VYk0wJIMkMqu5igDMaZx7svMFrzvJe-TJ8bLfclp8rJ54CnzEQTAW12hVxIJ7Rr6RnETCi2jDfRh4OtHRJIkpB1umDpV5ULSKuYUjm5lVB2g/s400/small_scale_energy_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368312149391630130" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRaKmT26MCO3sjqnCE0lrSMr5_olTTCQiezaNJXACcv0SdtV55J8-Zt0su2G3r-L0nlt8xvHRgqh6iYDhr8fxBRBL-Jr7-7tPS8twlND5rydkiLrVcoN2u_F-KHsyaUgwO2bplKfpN1ft8/s1600-h/small_scale_energy_twi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRaKmT26MCO3sjqnCE0lrSMr5_olTTCQiezaNJXACcv0SdtV55J8-Zt0su2G3r-L0nlt8xvHRgqh6iYDhr8fxBRBL-Jr7-7tPS8twlND5rydkiLrVcoN2u_F-KHsyaUgwO2bplKfpN1ft8/s400/small_scale_energy_twi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368311560518132978" border="0" /></a>Niall Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11952403116518338771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2862137322849438146.post-17347902255923871092009-08-09T09:05:00.000-07:002009-08-10T05:21:30.492-07:00Project Update 1 - Agricultral Processes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6BP9BrUSaeIXs4PUIdCr67mMLQwRRt12K0GDUCNS5WfRjXnAPaMAxiH6su-pnZmDGDj6AjpS1VExUPJlT_KhkJknpqZQ9jN3hCZTAWGTSiYwATMwfvg8GH7UjSrpdYLwAGz1DzAxGofRp/s1600-h/Photo+for+Blog.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6BP9BrUSaeIXs4PUIdCr67mMLQwRRt12K0GDUCNS5WfRjXnAPaMAxiH6su-pnZmDGDj6AjpS1VExUPJlT_KhkJknpqZQ9jN3hCZTAWGTSiYwATMwfvg8GH7UjSrpdYLwAGz1DzAxGofRp/s400/Photo+for+Blog.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368309151834010930" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span>In the villages where we work, farming provides the main source of income and subsistence, and as such all of these projects were of direct relevance to our community partners. Seeing them transformed from problems to prototypes has been wonderful to see, and something the villagers could see the direct benefit in! Below I have uploaded snapshots of each of the teams posters, and you can click on each photo to enlarge the text and pictures. If you are having difficulty reading some of the posters, that's because they are written either in Twi or Mo, two languages which are spoken in different regions of the country. These, of course, are so our village partners can read about the prototypes too!<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /><br />Shea Oil Extraction</span></span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Team</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIVt7xqu0XEWXyZK0e6WarVpcWE9PEodTpC1vxbAx5nfPzx7cSzh4gmNyzP-ZGyBy20Uat6UgdwxbqJIqijxEUIAjp1_zUJJ6mHhdHuKa8-zjXXrAHiR1E1TlawqxhtBrzyzcNb6etnqFL/s1600-h/Shea_oil_extraction_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIVt7xqu0XEWXyZK0e6WarVpcWE9PEodTpC1vxbAx5nfPzx7cSzh4gmNyzP-ZGyBy20Uat6UgdwxbqJIqijxEUIAjp1_zUJJ6mHhdHuKa8-zjXXrAHiR1E1TlawqxhtBrzyzcNb6etnqFL/s400/Shea_oil_extraction_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368296081371234546" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZ4iDliEQa2Jdnn97riuQIIIReUWJHXDSKqW-cxp1UeMNz3qkHyDeH5ORglT7QX4ExekiYfUoJhxsIh9z8FkW2RRnIZ428FgKBvXVy_S9RF-6XMXPxlwhLgu0wFSLDUOA6Dvw_CzTggtu/s1600-h/shea_oil_extraction_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZ4iDliEQa2Jdnn97riuQIIIReUWJHXDSKqW-cxp1UeMNz3qkHyDeH5ORglT7QX4ExekiYfUoJhxsIh9z8FkW2RRnIZ428FgKBvXVy_S9RF-6XMXPxlwhLgu0wFSLDUOA6Dvw_CzTggtu/s400/shea_oil_extraction_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368293373778441426" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkEXZkmY9fJ6x2C3OEubK1Tic1WilD75kaqbX1whakA2UUkX_ciCwyZ5CSbfa3m0G3Dt-xtJ8pCK4IulHI_QjABc8sZ_pnUtXb0fen1yYGtovB2Vwbj7QBMKGm4no-zbbrirD284eBgdOz/s1600-h/shea_oil_extraction_3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkEXZkmY9fJ6x2C3OEubK1Tic1WilD75kaqbX1whakA2UUkX_ciCwyZ5CSbfa3m0G3Dt-xtJ8pCK4IulHI_QjABc8sZ_pnUtXb0fen1yYGtovB2Vwbj7QBMKGm4no-zbbrirD284eBgdOz/s400/shea_oil_extraction_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368292169918732402" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh57lFquIBVIHgYA5NDX5JRgJ5f3_YxXMkKWJ98Z-JeFYQ8lxgsiSZrxUDuTnbhTuqkWc8PyHHdEtvat7jtO9_Wsdp2jAnSBoWLrAAO9J0z9OCBqBzOHYU7-NjNB3vapsg8bYpYWmg45Uj3/s1600-h/shea_oil_extraction_twi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh57lFquIBVIHgYA5NDX5JRgJ5f3_YxXMkKWJ98Z-JeFYQ8lxgsiSZrxUDuTnbhTuqkWc8PyHHdEtvat7jtO9_Wsdp2jAnSBoWLrAAO9J0z9OCBqBzOHYU7-NjNB3vapsg8bYpYWmg45Uj3/s400/shea_oil_extraction_twi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368290861796293346" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Rice Threshing</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Team</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWqxE08t4c3_LykG5wz7B8QKMo0niC_f6llenlnJaUMWAJ8tOPJVYKA0e9fTfzZ1WpdPjZKEd1gRQ1HS23H7FWPO6VCtWZbd-xvhD9ZqkXMTLDlqxPo07K_I6Vkp3ITPUTSlyTOnpWVeKk/s1600-h/rice_destoning_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 275px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWqxE08t4c3_LykG5wz7B8QKMo0niC_f6llenlnJaUMWAJ8tOPJVYKA0e9fTfzZ1WpdPjZKEd1gRQ1HS23H7FWPO6VCtWZbd-xvhD9ZqkXMTLDlqxPo07K_I6Vkp3ITPUTSlyTOnpWVeKk/s400/rice_destoning_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368290336149165298" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3ynZioOQCcF0_4bJyNBI2vNlJTM2IDsvy2SiDmf0b8DKYlbwWuNH1IerSBk6sH2ZsZqH9NoUU3rka9iWQeGdPo2K1RgkYcnPDOQp-ibEUUuuRPChLYDuq_ocak7kH9-WhQM1bm1_HRTo/s1600-h/rice_destoning_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 265px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3ynZioOQCcF0_4bJyNBI2vNlJTM2IDsvy2SiDmf0b8DKYlbwWuNH1IerSBk6sH2ZsZqH9NoUU3rka9iWQeGdPo2K1RgkYcnPDOQp-ibEUUuuRPChLYDuq_ocak7kH9-WhQM1bm1_HRTo/s400/rice_destoning_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368284048762394690" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBCNdQxV8VLkSgdO35kE9v7id8EI4fY1uqwvwHC7ugLD04l9NcH2SXKzCy-EdYo6_9mf99yVeLaSO8sHCQifytjek1CHKE4bm8V2BlcwUhUXVU_eonetqplqCq-lTBs-mc_Go5qMJF3YrT/s1600-h/rice_destoning_3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 265px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBCNdQxV8VLkSgdO35kE9v7id8EI4fY1uqwvwHC7ugLD04l9NcH2SXKzCy-EdYo6_9mf99yVeLaSO8sHCQifytjek1CHKE4bm8V2BlcwUhUXVU_eonetqplqCq-lTBs-mc_Go5qMJF3YrT/s400/rice_destoning_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368283601422825714" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Groundnut Threshing Team<br /></span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtCIybyiz5KgtdZ8OVfmbBg7G_IjywMvr88fVNddJmFoQHFQKaTA0aI9aE7DkxBhTjylp_OU87wtgGmOnxt4xquiwi_IxQZg9adLE5Ej4TCrnr5xSRuHXFbECuhuB2FIzn9MCiTMPU_gTC/s1600-h/groundnut_threshing.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 273px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtCIybyiz5KgtdZ8OVfmbBg7G_IjywMvr88fVNddJmFoQHFQKaTA0aI9aE7DkxBhTjylp_OU87wtgGmOnxt4xquiwi_IxQZg9adLE5Ej4TCrnr5xSRuHXFbECuhuB2FIzn9MCiTMPU_gTC/s400/groundnut_threshing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368279853584330818" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgviSGj6YiuMaAYpMDLe5pIFD0GmADezH01arnjiXHjCEx3kAwRRH3fi6q37OlenPNdCoyeDqQnZlSIQiA9ZzPuAWxtOzl-45zBsDsoKYEqJ_izzc5k021J5Gf3S2dPpRXo-_6oEBGG0Mrm/s1600-h/groundnut_threshing_twi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 271px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgviSGj6YiuMaAYpMDLe5pIFD0GmADezH01arnjiXHjCEx3kAwRRH3fi6q37OlenPNdCoyeDqQnZlSIQiA9ZzPuAWxtOzl-45zBsDsoKYEqJ_izzc5k021J5Gf3S2dPpRXo-_6oEBGG0Mrm/s400/groundnut_threshing_twi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368281945631838450" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhupZnG3A7p2DQmD2qOfPmTQFFbanPZ7X6u3Ci37FlZCe3gnsVvitQbhyphenhyphenwd_BwmFSuQUiiHa7_zY8Fjthvkib0Hm5bugtSBj0dgJliAI45yczRI0R836BnmqvznwNQ8YzeRtos-RsVCZcXJ/s1600-h/groundnut_threshing_mo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 269px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhupZnG3A7p2DQmD2qOfPmTQFFbanPZ7X6u3Ci37FlZCe3gnsVvitQbhyphenhyphenwd_BwmFSuQUiiHa7_zY8Fjthvkib0Hm5bugtSBj0dgJliAI45yczRI0R836BnmqvznwNQ8YzeRtos-RsVCZcXJ/s400/groundnut_threshing_mo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368281381025085330" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Cassava Processing Team<br /><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7ZKzYdhGkIQT2l3eN0B8gffAAqniZTSbt0OtlDV3LaomdDZqBqTSzrASiUN8CrduhdPg4Hsys2c4o5cn6e2o7a8EUbNIQmn3Iu9HLfBXyTZm2Ho6XvTnssmST1a476bAv01Pid29eUuq/s1600-h/cassava_processing_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7ZKzYdhGkIQT2l3eN0B8gffAAqniZTSbt0OtlDV3LaomdDZqBqTSzrASiUN8CrduhdPg4Hsys2c4o5cn6e2o7a8EUbNIQmn3Iu9HLfBXyTZm2Ho6XvTnssmST1a476bAv01Pid29eUuq/s400/cassava_processing_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368274719902536754" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Lh0AD7U80roG96ygzYI0f1qgnIGaMjp0lp7qAvySU72Mbh4fJQFNAJMkrxUjLXBAXKZFjzD1fBAFcik7FGCQoxNVdKoKx5E6TEjjTz8Szp9W-AfghjWc4FKZ1KMuKhTkmJUZYntUcXjX/s1600-h/cassava_processing_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Lh0AD7U80roG96ygzYI0f1qgnIGaMjp0lp7qAvySU72Mbh4fJQFNAJMkrxUjLXBAXKZFjzD1fBAFcik7FGCQoxNVdKoKx5E6TEjjTz8Szp9W-AfghjWc4FKZ1KMuKhTkmJUZYntUcXjX/s400/cassava_processing_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368276572715408274" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_YHyL09P05uRFbkN7N1dV4l2RoQcRrVWJAqaGMEZ6tVpYueSt2Z3cF7ox-tqnkKPLkYdaZBhoTX2hdFtYQOM954xAiljpT2O3AtYPIgvdMj3xNbuT5OcRCsQaDkwblAjg161Se_9z6OkF/s1600-h/cassava_processing_3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 269px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_YHyL09P05uRFbkN7N1dV4l2RoQcRrVWJAqaGMEZ6tVpYueSt2Z3cF7ox-tqnkKPLkYdaZBhoTX2hdFtYQOM954xAiljpT2O3AtYPIgvdMj3xNbuT5OcRCsQaDkwblAjg161Se_9z6OkF/s400/cassava_processing_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368278271937570002" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUscBmCP8fQTgeyeCH4Cd_Fzvf9oYmXez7Md1hSDF4SMAMKCt6H2qVqbf7C6aH3HoSMwkRDHfIClPVE8qG9uWaWaHoI2O18zBpadBP8k3E6E7pWeAq8KnwycT3jfngwlqg-IM2TqshVf9V/s1600-h/cassava_processing_twi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 269px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUscBmCP8fQTgeyeCH4Cd_Fzvf9oYmXez7Md1hSDF4SMAMKCt6H2qVqbf7C6aH3HoSMwkRDHfIClPVE8qG9uWaWaHoI2O18zBpadBP8k3E6E7pWeAq8KnwycT3jfngwlqg-IM2TqshVf9V/s400/cassava_processing_twi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368278965656409538" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7ZKzYdhGkIQT2l3eN0B8gffAAqniZTSbt0OtlDV3LaomdDZqBqTSzrASiUN8CrduhdPg4Hsys2c4o5cn6e2o7a8EUbNIQmn3Iu9HLfBXyTZm2Ho6XvTnssmST1a476bAv01Pid29eUuq/s1600-h/cassava_processing_1.jpg"><br /></a>Niall Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11952403116518338771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2862137322849438146.post-73353242009174323982009-08-05T16:48:00.000-07:002009-08-10T12:53:40.834-07:00Village Visit Three - Back to New Longoro<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAPzQHhsU2TU0Il4rnjc_NVT03WDlD96KlqMkB-3bKiM2uRrqsjwSRdkXRBs6R0QWIvDEJHAK0lk4wqQKvhxuPWCfCun3FL0Y0XuNGmlHyDitjfa1hBjz9mGIlmNGZh6IrJ2XH9-7qQVdL/s1600-h/c.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAPzQHhsU2TU0Il4rnjc_NVT03WDlD96KlqMkB-3bKiM2uRrqsjwSRdkXRBs6R0QWIvDEJHAK0lk4wqQKvhxuPWCfCun3FL0Y0XuNGmlHyDitjfa1hBjz9mGIlmNGZh6IrJ2XH9-7qQVdL/s400/c.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366633281731779874" border="0" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">The dust has finally settled on our third and final village visit, so I thought I would fill you in on what we got up to, before following up this evening with some overdue updates on the projects.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">This visit differed in many ways from the previous two, not least because we actually had something physical to show to the villagers. These prototypes are the result of five weeks of collaboration with welders and workshop managers in Suame Magazine, and indeed the villagers themselves. The aim of the visit was not simply to showcase a bunch of cool technologies, however. The teams were desperate to hear the villagers input on the usability and efficiency of the prototypes, with a view to incorporating these suggestions into the prototypes displayed at the final presentations this Monday.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Rather than focusing on one village, participants instead each visited a cluster of three/four villagers, to make sure that the villagers got to see as many of the prototypes as possible, given that we had talked so much about them on the previous two visits. Each village thus got to see four different teams present, and thus you can imagine we caused quite a stir as we loaded off the bus on arrival! I personally had the opportunity to travel back to the cluster including New Longoro, the site of my first village visit over four weeks ago, and it was inspiring to see the sense of ownership the villagers placed in projects that they had helped to transform from problems to prototypes.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Loading the goods into the van was an experience in itself. We had with us the Groundnut Threshing, Chlorine Production, Kid Friendly Latrine and Shea Oil Extraction teams and as such had quite a few bulky prototypes to try and squeeze around the twenty or so bodies also making the trip! However, looking around us to the other buses loading up (including the gargantuan rice thresher and playground carousel) quickly put our troubles in perspective! </p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEQuiTEfTRt8SA2nNjyK58qH13fj1rLZp7lZgJCf82z04Wrw50iN3k3WdOmpy6eCSBD_Q6ZkSvoFN44V5l5jh9_DrQ5Tw_q175ofzfanJeZlNoupvjoSelOnb6g_dOcK-O9jrmG5fejsnN/s1600-h/IMG_6699+%28Medium%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEQuiTEfTRt8SA2nNjyK58qH13fj1rLZp7lZgJCf82z04Wrw50iN3k3WdOmpy6eCSBD_Q6ZkSvoFN44V5l5jh9_DrQ5Tw_q175ofzfanJeZlNoupvjoSelOnb6g_dOcK-O9jrmG5fejsnN/s400/IMG_6699+%28Medium%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368031319774741490" border="0" /></a><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">The electro carousel generator, while irrevocably cool, was a nightmare to transport!</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">We set off in the early morning and thus arrived into New Longoro just in time for lunch at Pastor George’s house. After a healthy serving of Palava Suace and Yam (courtesy of the hospitable Comfort) we made our way across to the Mango Tree, to begin setting up for what would turn out to be a pretty momentous meeting. Quite a few of the teams were actually quite nervous about presenting their prototypes, given how much was riding on the villagers reaction to them. They would not have been assuaged by the huge numbers of children and adults beginning to assemble for the event!</p><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH3sKqS7SE29I2Qlww_Qia6wIAp8tMI4IsKdQzIZnRDZRSz35_unskNVDPtQPHyTZBJE2mG-OVHOgd7h62jO_iNRG4LbYmg0qt5UhGncijaTFH8IQ2qK8uoMyjBDTzYp0Zvqr362UszWkD/s1600-h/An+expectant+crowd.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH3sKqS7SE29I2Qlww_Qia6wIAp8tMI4IsKdQzIZnRDZRSz35_unskNVDPtQPHyTZBJE2mG-OVHOgd7h62jO_iNRG4LbYmg0qt5UhGncijaTFH8IQ2qK8uoMyjBDTzYp0Zvqr362UszWkD/s400/An+expectant+crowd.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367193664323995490" border="0" /><p class="MsoNormal"></p></a><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">An expectant grouping of elders awaits...</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">We are lucky enough to have a direct link to the village committee in New Longoro, due to the fact that the chief of the village, Daniel Kanter, is a participant at this year’s summit! The relationship that has been built up with this community due to D-lab’s continued involvement in it seems an apt example to highlight the importance of strong partnerships in development. Another example of how these ties are constantly being strengthened came with a quick presentation made before the teams introduced their own individual projects.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Amy presented the primary school with some supplies which had been fundraised by a school in her home town of <st1:city st="on">Lexington</st1:city>, <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Boston</st1:place></st1:city>. The villagers were absolutely delighted with the supplies, and we were just about to get underway when Daniel presented Amy with something much more valuable. He told us of how their village had been without a Queen Mother for some time now, and that they had finally decided on who that should be. He duly brought out an elegantly crafted stool that he gave to Amy, making her the Queen Mother of New Longoro. This was not in any way a token gesture. In the chiefdom setup, the Queen Mother is the only one with the power to rebuke the chief in public, as well as choosing the next chief of the village! </p><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH3sKqS7SE29I2Qlww_Qia6wIAp8tMI4IsKdQzIZnRDZRSz35_unskNVDPtQPHyTZBJE2mG-OVHOgd7h62jO_iNRG4LbYmg0qt5UhGncijaTFH8IQ2qK8uoMyjBDTzYp0Zvqr362UszWkD/s1600-h/An+expectant+crowd.JPG"><p class="MsoNormal"></p> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAemr8Z6jOnsomnaOc76Jkz8rHGD_19piY0zFKxiX463C59X3K0Nd4MxK-F96puR5GkXNSZDt2bGFufodGAJBCFUx7HypH-J-r5qhrIiKHnkeVhcjmcUmoypBLe4zBPyAzrjUXBcqfQRKB/s1600-h/Amy+becomes+Queen+Mother+%28Medium%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAemr8Z6jOnsomnaOc76Jkz8rHGD_19piY0zFKxiX463C59X3K0Nd4MxK-F96puR5GkXNSZDt2bGFufodGAJBCFUx7HypH-J-r5qhrIiKHnkeVhcjmcUmoypBLe4zBPyAzrjUXBcqfQRKB/s400/Amy+becomes+Queen+Mother+%28Medium%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367189912054176562" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Amy was absolutely delighted with this warm gesture from the village</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn641XGgbfjO0VHx1V5by4xmxSRqCDaeZVPCHZehFalBxiK62asSfGy63UU9YrV_qFT-ZAClylxsoAvjgwK720SWVP_LeiVHXZKiN7wu_mOK458fQkzMaURFOqxWRkYEd2YmsKopNc2sk4/s1600-h/Amy+in+her+new+role+%28Medium%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn641XGgbfjO0VHx1V5by4xmxSRqCDaeZVPCHZehFalBxiK62asSfGy63UU9YrV_qFT-ZAClylxsoAvjgwK720SWVP_LeiVHXZKiN7wu_mOK458fQkzMaURFOqxWRkYEd2YmsKopNc2sk4/s400/Amy+in+her+new+role+%28Medium%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367190062778085106" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Amy tries out her new seat, and her new position<br /><br /></span><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">Once the formalities were over and done with, it was time for the much anticipated project presentations. The crowd were in raptures as the first the Shea Oil team presented, quickly followed by Chlorine Production and Kid Friendly Latrine. It was the final presentation of the Groundnut Threshers that really provoke the most vociferous reaction from the villagers. The team has developed a number of handheld and mechanized prototypes for threshing groundnuts, a time intensive process. Every member of the team got to demonstrate a particular prototype and each time, they held aloft the threshed plant to raucous cheers from the crowd!</p> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQH6fyXWLL6OHUIFhYYbXUiO7TqpT_sy4pxbhn6A1rIQmy1TcT9giScvyRN72XlQjcyUkdN4aVcCJYazU_2pjA_lic0zmTabV7YZKzecCxPXkMiK-PmFFPM5rKkOmp5uKC1fRp-EHB3QpB/s1600-h/Shea+Old+Production.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQH6fyXWLL6OHUIFhYYbXUiO7TqpT_sy4pxbhn6A1rIQmy1TcT9giScvyRN72XlQjcyUkdN4aVcCJYazU_2pjA_lic0zmTabV7YZKzecCxPXkMiK-PmFFPM5rKkOmp5uKC1fRp-EHB3QpB/s400/Shea+Old+Production.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367196303101684498" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Daniel introduces the Shea Oil project to the group with his teammates</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTwitOX-mUAdc97gUkCMFxHwqb7-3pt_w13P31NPIwxEA7AfjlKBSVF3BSxIVuX6_kw2FdsWrVhfWK5aog4JLBCzvMoENwwvWbkh3NrYT5pvtE9pgj6sSdURVFCtcVh72djcgPXClHqjfX/s1600-h/Timo+Translates.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTwitOX-mUAdc97gUkCMFxHwqb7-3pt_w13P31NPIwxEA7AfjlKBSVF3BSxIVuX6_kw2FdsWrVhfWK5aog4JLBCzvMoENwwvWbkh3NrYT5pvtE9pgj6sSdURVFCtcVh72djcgPXClHqjfX/s400/Timo+Translates.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367196446911497682" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Timo, also native to New Longoro, translates for his Grounnut Threshing team<br /><br /></span><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">The real interaction between the villagers and the teams came outside of the formal presentations, however. Each team set up their prototype and encouraged the villagers to come forward any attempt to use it, and the children present at the meeting certainly didn’t need to be asked twice! A scramble ensued to see who could grab the threshed groundnuts, before the kids made their way over to the Kid Friendly latrine team, to try out their prototype. The adults present were also not slow at providing feedback for the teams, and all seemed genuinely in understanding not only how the project worked, but also how it was <i style="">made</i>, which was a crucial point. </p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">This was hugely useful to the participants in two ways. The feedback they received and the testing questions they were asked served to provide much food for though as regards their final designs, and they are excited to see how these changes could be implemented. More importantly though, it also served to excite the participants about their own projects, when they saw the unbridled enthusiasm that potential end users had for the early stage prototypes. Stephen Gerrard, from the Chlorine Production team, highlighted this mid way through the visit when he spoke to the group about how unsure his team had been about the potential usability of their product among the people who would need it most. “<i style="">There is a huge difference between discussing concepts and actually talking to the people who will be using the product”, </i>he said.<i style=""> “Actually having fifteen or so young men come up to me and ask how they could go about making some Chlorine Production prototypes of their own has had a big impact on how I view the project”.</i></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1gnde2KnJoZuuyFHmG9-NVSYAZ6FPc4JUhjpEmtFiOyM5o-OX8-pWO_TMgnPmzMrg7I75X-Iyryd9JebvUe6NNR_L9XiXszWjG5vtEmiIuO8cMj-1AoZg-pD4yhtLKXymnPgxmsDjYq8/s1600-h/Chlorine+Production+goes+down+a+treat.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1gnde2KnJoZuuyFHmG9-NVSYAZ6FPc4JUhjpEmtFiOyM5o-OX8-pWO_TMgnPmzMrg7I75X-Iyryd9JebvUe6NNR_L9XiXszWjG5vtEmiIuO8cMj-1AoZg-pD4yhtLKXymnPgxmsDjYq8/s400/Chlorine+Production+goes+down+a+treat.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367193842300465170" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;">Stephen's Project was a hit with the villagers<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVDTaZmqa2PaqV4TMj6F2viGKrD1X_Mhz0RRe_Oj2xWFgv7e5ARzTSLeRN1Fy6KZ9ubsXegPpGgdjjuS40gK4Y0ZvWlO3zH3S_7lfnG8fu1U2uFoCLZSZffFrjdEpBifHllVorpdX_bAy5/s1600-h/Wome+interested+in+the+kid+friendly+design.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVDTaZmqa2PaqV4TMj6F2viGKrD1X_Mhz0RRe_Oj2xWFgv7e5ARzTSLeRN1Fy6KZ9ubsXegPpGgdjjuS40gK4Y0ZvWlO3zH3S_7lfnG8fu1U2uFoCLZSZffFrjdEpBifHllVorpdX_bAy5/s400/Wome+interested+in+the+kid+friendly+design.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367196709222831634" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Radikha finds quite a lot of interest in the sketches of her teams Kid Friendly Latrine design</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_SMKqmB6SMH9JHDXKzyYIsxhEqNSWAHGhg71nOKZTRyfpaQqtVulUmbCXT63gQmhZiOU8jzxG0pPaMHkTp3R6zXELac40O0p2yS_ar-Bzoa1285-8czjF9QkZ_dbMj3nQyGtnsgOC6LCt/s1600-h/Unruly+kids+trying+to+get+to+the+top+of+the+line.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_SMKqmB6SMH9JHDXKzyYIsxhEqNSWAHGhg71nOKZTRyfpaQqtVulUmbCXT63gQmhZiOU8jzxG0pPaMHkTp3R6zXELac40O0p2yS_ar-Bzoa1285-8czjF9QkZ_dbMj3nQyGtnsgOC6LCt/s400/Unruly+kids+trying+to+get+to+the+top+of+the+line.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367196567859039698" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Casserdy attempts to control the unruly mob of kids eager to try out his teams hand washing facility!</span> </div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii68FeKZEhFOvJPJb_vnjCBPiCDW7LJX0hzFoewf1GvWnWOdKBc1tO4xFggOMR9yKg0Y94FJIAV6ZqxU9voIEKJUK-BDVMkCH_AZTg3fSMF6eyqviVz2VDsLOPQWRxEUsZ2-IP1xdyyota/s1600-h/Gago+with++toilet+seat.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii68FeKZEhFOvJPJb_vnjCBPiCDW7LJX0hzFoewf1GvWnWOdKBc1tO4xFggOMR9yKg0Y94FJIAV6ZqxU9voIEKJUK-BDVMkCH_AZTg3fSMF6eyqviVz2VDsLOPQWRxEUsZ2-IP1xdyyota/s400/Gago+with++toilet+seat.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367195643570485346" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Gago shows the village women their adjustable seat flap, a central part of their design</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZuX9V79ytLSzfYstYQRHjfFjjA5NNaXJxAb-nZUXbLa0aj9OrDa74soQ3yPqtuCSVN6EytayObdXhyphenhyphenAbzXESRSaBzhs8RMNG87SOVPDdgGOAppv1cw2hdfRA0quZE-X8UZoTMPLEelGy/s1600-h/Gago+teaching+the+kids+to+click.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZuX9V79ytLSzfYstYQRHjfFjjA5NNaXJxAb-nZUXbLa0aj9OrDa74soQ3yPqtuCSVN6EytayObdXhyphenhyphenAbzXESRSaBzhs8RMNG87SOVPDdgGOAppv1cw2hdfRA0quZE-X8UZoTMPLEelGy/s400/Gago+teaching+the+kids+to+click.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367195338920552290" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Gago shares a joke with some of the kids, eager to teach him how to click his fingers!<br /><br /></span><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">After an intense couple of hours, we eventually managed to leave the mango tree meeting, not without half of the children following us back to George’s house though! We were up early the next morning for the next leg of our journey, a trip to the smaller <st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">village</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename st="on">Gomboi</st1:placename></st1:place>, about a thirty minute drive from New Longoro. The presentations here also went off without a hitch, albeit to a much smaller audience given the size of the village. A short walk later found us in Dwere, where the teams would present for the last time. This time we had a fifth presenter, Amy Smith! Having seen on an earlier visit the problems the villagers had in transporting clay, she had come up with a solution, and then worked on creating it in Suame. Needless to say the village women loved it!We also brought with us the tools necessary to make a corn sheller, to teach any of the villagers who had shown an interest when we demonstrated the technology a couple weeks back.<br /></p> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHbsMK-6XYZNj5mj2B4wFoYonMqaryeOxrDOWBDIOCs-tX3HUVcApplMS0Qdd6axMJAF6J6SYpcdRfM13VJUhIFy1kbp6p9Mdyo1i7rRSYUybagIS9I8ynWzrmDueYWtc2ZPdshfWmWaJM/s1600-h/Community+in+Dwere.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHbsMK-6XYZNj5mj2B4wFoYonMqaryeOxrDOWBDIOCs-tX3HUVcApplMS0Qdd6axMJAF6J6SYpcdRfM13VJUhIFy1kbp6p9Mdyo1i7rRSYUybagIS9I8ynWzrmDueYWtc2ZPdshfWmWaJM/s400/Community+in+Dwere.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367194573779287314" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The village elders in Dwere</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1gnde2KnJoZuuyFHmG9-NVSYAZ6FPc4JUhjpEmtFiOyM5o-OX8-pWO_TMgnPmzMrg7I75X-Iyryd9JebvUe6NNR_L9XiXszWjG5vtEmiIuO8cMj-1AoZg-pD4yhtLKXymnPgxmsDjYq8/s1600-h/Chlorine+Production+goes+down+a+treat.JPG"><br /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFKGiDd5ITyHAg6u_6UuLTFCduIUvLh2MAyvSgfRXOhyphenhyphen-Rqn7biM-dqgtBhKjWIP0NfZWzFcT37xaiDv-2dxBU6CX9hDqcCiN-u8aWuVQWP3spznxwPz-zOZqGeSVezFvZJf4WD7UX0xI/s1600-h/Eric+shares+a+joke+with+the+strangelt+dressed+man.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFKGiDd5ITyHAg6u_6UuLTFCduIUvLh2MAyvSgfRXOhyphenhyphen-Rqn7biM-dqgtBhKjWIP0NfZWzFcT37xaiDv-2dxBU6CX9hDqcCiN-u8aWuVQWP3spznxwPz-zOZqGeSVezFvZJf4WD7UX0xI/s400/Eric+shares+a+joke+with+the+strangelt+dressed+man.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367194898340723810" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Eric and one of the Dwere men see the funny side of things</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghW6VFksPcKzsazXT5JiUq4OYSBQqIb7k3JMxsfd68LET-BYa823pzD202AkzvjGxpZ0oizr2DVc9oiamMwEGN7BUOkkv7H0wksSPSiU6cz-JttFW6vJNFs68MFdDV7O5taDD7hgOElQ98/s1600-h/kid+on+the+latrine.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghW6VFksPcKzsazXT5JiUq4OYSBQqIb7k3JMxsfd68LET-BYa823pzD202AkzvjGxpZ0oizr2DVc9oiamMwEGN7BUOkkv7H0wksSPSiU6cz-JttFW6vJNFs68MFdDV7O5taDD7hgOElQ98/s400/kid+on+the+latrine.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367196151311124946" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">A kid tries out the seat during the Kid Friendly Latrine presentation in Dwere</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhEatJuAxhMY7hAVipbmfmip0N-ErrbiASf_bugbQzHET2jurHbKOmbFlYaQC1SHXEorplxTRVubO_Pi0nvR9qg8AV_57ppMNk69QSQ-z_Dmh2bMlLvXOOG26-8yua8EmenxY-YuEQs-B/s1600-h/Amy+with+her+invention.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhEatJuAxhMY7hAVipbmfmip0N-ErrbiASf_bugbQzHET2jurHbKOmbFlYaQC1SHXEorplxTRVubO_Pi0nvR9qg8AV_57ppMNk69QSQ-z_Dmh2bMlLvXOOG26-8yua8EmenxY-YuEQs-B/s400/Amy+with+her+invention.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367192951051886002" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Amy shows off the clay carrier to the villagers</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiyE3E0zfu1Y0Rdnyvvnq9tQk_r3XbiHtg3X9v2YEaOLpkwtQqqNMSS-2T_K94wmbP5_EfSfYJq_tTMDDGMH579K8JT8-FI5aHhnbUJzB9TM6Snab4ZvPXvX510N5Ru-TGI5HBCfBIOLWC/s1600-h/Amys+invention+excites+interest.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiyE3E0zfu1Y0Rdnyvvnq9tQk_r3XbiHtg3X9v2YEaOLpkwtQqqNMSS-2T_K94wmbP5_EfSfYJq_tTMDDGMH579K8JT8-FI5aHhnbUJzB9TM6Snab4ZvPXvX510N5Ru-TGI5HBCfBIOLWC/s400/Amys+invention+excites+interest.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367193286278200098" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The village women showed great interest in Amy's prototype</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLy3bJSQ7WolelQVWRYC7bvWavWoSBiffcz7VjmWPgv1Us1Yj2H5YVEYL09rU9LXV-PtfWhy8_iU6OQDow9GYnNO0yuoKQVEeOqgPesUQtf3OeEIie_XrCb1h16_8EdO2Jc6UbHYIYzw2/s1600-h/IDDS+sets+out+to+rule+the+world.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLy3bJSQ7WolelQVWRYC7bvWavWoSBiffcz7VjmWPgv1Us1Yj2H5YVEYL09rU9LXV-PtfWhy8_iU6OQDow9GYnNO0yuoKQVEeOqgPesUQtf3OeEIie_XrCb1h16_8EdO2Jc6UbHYIYzw2/s400/IDDS+sets+out+to+rule+the+world.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367195991434737298" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">IDDS, making it's presence felt on the world map</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3UW1gsrVeIU8rNfX9hemZNFceI5imF8WlWUpjNVQ0-erEgPsWUVy3Kq5pyW5qGTKEDkTMJOOIgQmVdhWhLIDyFUwXca2pedQH5pOe1iizW9wNP6o7m5zueD22cssQrPz6eCoUxBKu_M_/s1600-h/How+to+make+a+corn+sheller.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3UW1gsrVeIU8rNfX9hemZNFceI5imF8WlWUpjNVQ0-erEgPsWUVy3Kq5pyW5qGTKEDkTMJOOIgQmVdhWhLIDyFUwXca2pedQH5pOe1iizW9wNP6o7m5zueD22cssQrPz6eCoUxBKu_M_/s400/How+to+make+a+corn+sheller.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367195836107340466" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The only tools and materials one requires to make a corn sheller</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWW5nAo6cPvABvz4JtOwm-qMm4OZn8wk1TvLNUWgeTsA54lcn5NkuFgnkznh6jPYz6dQfD3Y6jvqPOSw1x9_oMaOxW878Kh3GrMYRZVnVgvVqBssU2ICJI9t8J4pZkqfF4qqA8NqCL81E/s1600-h/b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWW5nAo6cPvABvz4JtOwm-qMm4OZn8wk1TvLNUWgeTsA54lcn5NkuFgnkznh6jPYz6dQfD3Y6jvqPOSw1x9_oMaOxW878Kh3GrMYRZVnVgvVqBssU2ICJI9t8J4pZkqfF4qqA8NqCL81E/s400/b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366634849707898834" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">A variation on the corn sheller developed by Jessica Huang, an organizer at this year's IDDS<br /><br /></span><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">At this point in our journey, our paths diverged, with some of the teams staying in Gomboi and the others back in New Longoro. The Groundnut Threshing team still had some work to do and as such remained behind in Gomboi with Amy. The rest of us made our way back to the pastor’s house, before deciding on gifts for the villagers who had been so hospitable to us over our three visits. A group of us even managed to get up at 6am for a 22 man game of soccer with some of the kids we got talking to the evening before. After teaching us a couple of lessons in fitness and finishing we decided to give our ball to the kids, who will probably make better use of it than we will!</p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">Throughout these village visits there has been a huge amount of scope for teams to break away from the itinerary of the trip in order to accomplish their own specific goals. The ICT Enabled Baby Monitoring team took full advantage of this on this village visit, completely changing their plans for the weekend. A day into their visit, they realized that they were not yet a stage to present their project to people in the villages, and made their way back to the hostel to keep working on their project. An intense 48 hours later, they made their way to another nearby village, conveniently on baby weighing day, and got some great feedback on their prototype there.</p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZrxxlkxcNK6M4ODbdgSWUWoVcGSoEJb89-kTIYG9Upvw0TCBVWXdVQYurCf0yWm_EujTRUYEGwIH6saYV7YuH-PYq1gyAt4HfbCQjvM3OSkRmgJo1OtU4r9eY-oaOSezNVg74ejami_BA/s1600-h/Evan+arrives.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZrxxlkxcNK6M4ODbdgSWUWoVcGSoEJb89-kTIYG9Upvw0TCBVWXdVQYurCf0yWm_EujTRUYEGwIH6saYV7YuH-PYq1gyAt4HfbCQjvM3OSkRmgJo1OtU4r9eY-oaOSezNVg74ejami_BA/s400/Evan+arrives.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368270039557933346" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Evan and Mensah playing around with their prototype on the way into the village</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbyY4Ms_PkQjoXDkJAqoQo7k-1B_yPODQ-_JHFur8cjI8mYemOEJsP5qrmJrQZ7974ziTa7ABUHtLEO-b7C3d_s_Nn4PTg29QEJZ1N3ZnhN-MJEg7sBsY__1uR5U_ylQ9vn_JCWwg1wATA/s1600-h/Pau.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbyY4Ms_PkQjoXDkJAqoQo7k-1B_yPODQ-_JHFur8cjI8mYemOEJsP5qrmJrQZ7974ziTa7ABUHtLEO-b7C3d_s_Nn4PTg29QEJZ1N3ZnhN-MJEg7sBsY__1uR5U_ylQ9vn_JCWwg1wATA/s400/Pau.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368270669334894322" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Paulina and one of the health workers test out their prototype</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8uUNniBaIlXzXo4hexPqMMTv88h-F8HDvhpjDQdnGqCkdtHGMVtUgi3o6rwxxZMdhLvTd3NfJjor3VCCB-7mqcMTqDTTZMBVBRKC_OSiQ_f3adH19zmooDK_w_Al1aVjc8ENyrwugkDU5/s1600-h/Miguel.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8uUNniBaIlXzXo4hexPqMMTv88h-F8HDvhpjDQdnGqCkdtHGMVtUgi3o6rwxxZMdhLvTd3NfJjor3VCCB-7mqcMTqDTTZMBVBRKC_OSiQ_f3adH19zmooDK_w_Al1aVjc8ENyrwugkDU5/s400/Miguel.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368271431520884402" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Miguel Chaves, also of the ICT team, with some of the village kids</span><br /></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Everyone I spoke to on my return from the villages had a positive experience on this final visit, and the vast majority had also got some great information for their project too. Sometimes incredibly simple things can often be overlooked by teams as they get caught up in the intricacies of their design. The Rice Threshing team ran onto this on their visit, with the standout comment being, “<i style="">how can you make it bigger, and thresh more out of it?</i>”. The rice team had been understandably worried about the size of their rather large machine but when looking at it from a rice farmers perspective, one can easily understand how quantity could be the major issue!<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCfGa6inTUoABLXU6_6QlzTsfXR5dn8UThpK4UYWw_EFdv638IfxBDWfSwGbm1meLIO9J5l1QGdklZW9Khc-FPlkqa0CpmzrKH0VY85XBvnoMM6vKBNG5-Da5CRlJS0xmr1nLXl1Tyfauk/s1600-h/20090802_Imprim_068+%28Medium%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCfGa6inTUoABLXU6_6QlzTsfXR5dn8UThpK4UYWw_EFdv638IfxBDWfSwGbm1meLIO9J5l1QGdklZW9Khc-FPlkqa0CpmzrKH0VY85XBvnoMM6vKBNG5-Da5CRlJS0xmr1nLXl1Tyfauk/s400/20090802_Imprim_068+%28Medium%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368272118771894354" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">One of the village chiefs tries out the Rice Thresher, as Hazwan watches on</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYtSd_F37kDKqpybIzHDU1fQlPXNAxE1AKyRcAsk_9gdOG-VK5yS9axVfCYeTlTIA4xd9cndP5EFq4CkOFCE4MQ9xWMEXMc73VcfyPxCXfG0TBQM_CMh0VDzCSn5_hdgfYgkX40_AN4YQ9/s1600-h/d.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYtSd_F37kDKqpybIzHDU1fQlPXNAxE1AKyRcAsk_9gdOG-VK5yS9axVfCYeTlTIA4xd9cndP5EFq4CkOFCE4MQ9xWMEXMc73VcfyPxCXfG0TBQM_CMh0VDzCSn5_hdgfYgkX40_AN4YQ9/s400/d.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366633495818440162" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Ben presents the village chief in Adumkrom with a football - always a hit in Ghana!</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3fUx0U0TLDoTJ1gJCMzZBjjEHopiMvRZDdFa6sd6EXsRUxHXgZiy4AdlZEXllNy_TlQ7cTyOKtbu5LJetMwNP-0GcdRB0wC1_EaAd7xXtMwXI0SWrXLeZJgTeYu6ZcKW06w73pNufwZAE/s1600-h/b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3fUx0U0TLDoTJ1gJCMzZBjjEHopiMvRZDdFa6sd6EXsRUxHXgZiy4AdlZEXllNy_TlQ7cTyOKtbu5LJetMwNP-0GcdRB0wC1_EaAd7xXtMwXI0SWrXLeZJgTeYu6ZcKW06w73pNufwZAE/s400/b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366633061740412482" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The presentations provided a huge amount of entertainment for the kids!</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_JFKQlsbg21b8q9HFJSr3kHCiXbrz1Qbwzj0aw-Z0Lz4Ih1NkM4xJB_-NpgUp8-xr-zgrjVC5tDrIeM8yH16G7p1QzuuJcQ3Gmd4HPsu1K76pKOVchsdBDyskYHo9TSQUkzNkfzIpKgl0/s1600-h/a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_JFKQlsbg21b8q9HFJSr3kHCiXbrz1Qbwzj0aw-Z0Lz4Ih1NkM4xJB_-NpgUp8-xr-zgrjVC5tDrIeM8yH16G7p1QzuuJcQ3Gmd4HPsu1K76pKOVchsdBDyskYHo9TSQUkzNkfzIpKgl0/s400/a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366632886796116050" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Patricia Tarwaile with one of the village kids</span> </div>Niall Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11952403116518338771noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2862137322849438146.post-71882140413280439522009-08-01T01:58:00.000-07:002009-08-02T01:10:35.243-07:00Off to the villages...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkUhG4klb7WiZAYAoSlVt1abFVsse3XJcj-QHY-Jim4sXQDqQPXPztzbUt9oaPkObp_0Mqr0RK6doTZvonp7tyZtltG8nRE5NbOTm_cGxMAKjWQ0OaNTcZ_4nVha0nlooo25f6d9x10g1l/s1600-h/village+photo.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkUhG4klb7WiZAYAoSlVt1abFVsse3XJcj-QHY-Jim4sXQDqQPXPztzbUt9oaPkObp_0Mqr0RK6doTZvonp7tyZtltG8nRE5NbOTm_cGxMAKjWQ0OaNTcZ_4nVha0nlooo25f6d9x10g1l/s400/village+photo.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365275574333773394" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Hi folks,<br /><br />We’re setting out this morning for our third, and final, village visit. We’re bringing all of our prototypes with us to show the villagers what we’ve been up to and to get feedback and input on their efficiency and usability. Exciting times!<br /><br />Will have individual project updates for you on Tuesday, quickly followed by a debrief from our village visit.<br /><br />Until then, adios!Niall Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11952403116518338771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2862137322849438146.post-55330478901430416272009-07-31T17:45:00.000-07:002009-08-02T02:52:47.036-07:00Theory into Practice<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnb93h3BGKVMfHpOR-jyXyYkA4x1lmZMYjJn_Ijc8PC8TU0lcM-ftIGe81m_lbJRkyYjLgoVl-8DefxRkSDyH8dAmLLvIL7KWLH2xUbT4Wy3hIpF3jqcVWW-qk1Nu1yRNXz6c-wyYgwzLJ/s1600-h/Energy.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnb93h3BGKVMfHpOR-jyXyYkA4x1lmZMYjJn_Ijc8PC8TU0lcM-ftIGe81m_lbJRkyYjLgoVl-8DefxRkSDyH8dAmLLvIL7KWLH2xUbT4Wy3hIpF3jqcVWW-qk1Nu1yRNXz6c-wyYgwzLJ/s400/Energy.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365266189411165874" border="0" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">The last week has been spent in the workshops, as teams finally had the chance to start building their prototypes. There has been some awesome progress made by all of the teams and there are individual project team updates on their way to the blog, very soon. So much has happened this week, and I’ve only got thirty minutes before we depart for the villages so as such this entry will be mainly picture based, but I’ll squeeze in as much description as possible!</p><br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Amy reminded the teams on Monday morning that a change in thought process was needed if they were to meet the deadline of having a first prototype ready for the village visits, due to take place on 3<sup>rd</sup> to 5<sup>th</sup> August. She told them to choose their approach, their workshop and just start building! She set about outlining some case studies which she felt could help the participants in understanding the following six aspects that should inform each of their designs:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal">Design for Affordability</p> <p style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal">Design for Usability</p> <p style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal">Design for Sustainability </p> <p style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal">Design for Manufacturability </p> <p style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal">Design for Re-use</p> <p style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal">Design for Failure</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Amy and Ben went through each of these aspects of appropriate technology design individually and meticulously, but it was the final one, design for failure, that Amy stressed as the most important. She said that understanding that your device will fail is crucial and after that it’s all about trying to figure out when it will fail first, how it will fail, and then figuring out the best and worst failure modes and then trying to plan and design for the former. For example, if a part fails that can only be fixed by a blacksmith, then it becomes difficult for the villagers to service the device themselves, and thus it can become redundant pretty quickly. Despite all of this advice, Amy pressed home the point that there is no fail safe approach in design, “there are no solutions, only trade offs”.</p><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdTKevCmlYACVxrpOhanJXe2z0PcAlQw2626zUiqpCZqWdMpNHVUX94CK8TkmKIWIi50iI28biL-7zPOZ0QpGAe4bcMoEaA0Ojz40Fp2OZvJk4jTokz7fGs90DKS1XYY1zf06auIl2dYQl/s1600-h/Kid+Friendly.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdTKevCmlYACVxrpOhanJXe2z0PcAlQw2626zUiqpCZqWdMpNHVUX94CK8TkmKIWIi50iI28biL-7zPOZ0QpGAe4bcMoEaA0Ojz40Fp2OZvJk4jTokz7fGs90DKS1XYY1zf06auIl2dYQl/s400/Kid+Friendly.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365265412882274114" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Radikha, of the kid Friendly latrine team, gets specific with her measurements</span> </div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuQNqpcQaPrkqfmTATZ1AP-JyqRSf6PN9vvK9gqxGBuo-ZSdPcKhg9F05N2gumEJfn1f1bV5kIaHtnJzs4IYQwjC3oLhrXmx5gY8UohI7AyswxU87HA7KdTMHQEe7UQ2KgWmJseUlHdVLD/s1600-h/IMG_0681+%28Medium%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuQNqpcQaPrkqfmTATZ1AP-JyqRSf6PN9vvK9gqxGBuo-ZSdPcKhg9F05N2gumEJfn1f1bV5kIaHtnJzs4IYQwjC3oLhrXmx5gY8UohI7AyswxU87HA7KdTMHQEe7UQ2KgWmJseUlHdVLD/s400/IMG_0681+%28Medium%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365256467403695154" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Cutting some metal for the Shea Oil team, at Suame magazine</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrDZXuoIzxdwd90Jifvz0N-SogX1WiW0kVt8Q_Vum8RfKcBCGOdagVI0qOUmyb42wVWzcNb1UKvsJdpIXzzL5lEpudS9pFyz3X6KBvZvTbttzMZUpOPAGRqXT2iWTLlEja6zGeJvRo_7kL/s1600-h/shea+oil.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrDZXuoIzxdwd90Jifvz0N-SogX1WiW0kVt8Q_Vum8RfKcBCGOdagVI0qOUmyb42wVWzcNb1UKvsJdpIXzzL5lEpudS9pFyz3X6KBvZvTbttzMZUpOPAGRqXT2iWTLlEja6zGeJvRo_7kL/s400/shea+oil.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365256305003515154" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Shea team discuss the specifications of their design<br /><br /></span><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">Later in the week, Ela Ben-Ur followed on from Amy’s presentation, giving an interactive session on the importance of User Based Design. The session was based on up-skilling the teams in how to get constructive user feedback on their prototypes, ahead of their village visits later in the week. If designs are to be accepted by the customer, it is crucial that they have some input into the design process as nobody knows better than they the nuances behind the everyday problems they face in their lives. Ela experimented with the group in the different ways you can gather feedback (a tech fair, smaller sessions, individual interviews etc) and she could not stress enough how important is the process of setting the stage just right, introducing the project and the idea just enough, and then letting the users come the extra mile themselves, so they really understand it and have a stake in it. Most importantly, “get the prototype out of your own hands!”</p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">This was followed by our final session from Paul Hudnut, as he instructed us to think “Who really wants this?”. Determining just who your final product is aimed at (Nurses, Health Clinic, UN, EHO, villagers etc) is crucial and should constantly inform the design process. Paul told us that it’s all very well inventing things, but if you don’t market it you become a collector, rather than a disseminator. Thinking about scale is another element which needs to be at the forefront of the design process, he said. To help the participants understand where he was coming from, Paul introduced the concept of a proto-venture.The rest of the week was thankfully spent in the workshops, actually building things!<br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigySyqMtFvaQJTjNYCoqt1oEGtjfYPVzX9S63X2_WI7l_AteBlb0YB3Efmy9Z913w11QONafEBMKnaij3YWu81kPFsSwgIlbPlI8lK-sXWdaCae0SJ8llMJfvjZIe9chyphenhyphenYiUjVqrE1QZ_e/s1600-h/Carla+and+Gagos+designs.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigySyqMtFvaQJTjNYCoqt1oEGtjfYPVzX9S63X2_WI7l_AteBlb0YB3Efmy9Z913w11QONafEBMKnaij3YWu81kPFsSwgIlbPlI8lK-sXWdaCae0SJ8llMJfvjZIe9chyphenhyphenYiUjVqrE1QZ_e/s400/Carla+and+Gagos+designs.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365256920174030146" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Gago and Carla's gifts for Amy and IDDS</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkjC6xdZ4mbi7X8m1jKldPkQlcdUJixgk19n1S5mVXh_y-L4tzYyAFbOlNcMZJwqN4-OY_H5Wq_51eZyxI9L0TPJTFwloW9LqJx_TcXGGLlk5H2xq5jmJUv8qpEvX6Hz6qUuyM_MDdFC6n/s1600-h/Groundnut.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkjC6xdZ4mbi7X8m1jKldPkQlcdUJixgk19n1S5mVXh_y-L4tzYyAFbOlNcMZJwqN4-OY_H5Wq_51eZyxI9L0TPJTFwloW9LqJx_TcXGGLlk5H2xq5jmJUv8qpEvX6Hz6qUuyM_MDdFC6n/s400/Groundnut.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365256143166062418" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The groundnut team work on the mechanism for their device</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEXJ1IxgkrHJ7TaSUhpOs1uzsC70DxYMAPhakY_Bf5Hm6vRHxqEFV13OCequvS5IhqyFmmfcuxBM9XlgAb5T_kKGvY5aqYstZ138A4lgtM0REaoIyfxLxVl1iyLFay-_I5HovlUxatUBol/s1600-h/Plastics+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEXJ1IxgkrHJ7TaSUhpOs1uzsC70DxYMAPhakY_Bf5Hm6vRHxqEFV13OCequvS5IhqyFmmfcuxBM9XlgAb5T_kKGvY5aqYstZ138A4lgtM0REaoIyfxLxVl1iyLFay-_I5HovlUxatUBol/s400/Plastics+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365255995767660146" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Rajnish from Recycled Plastic Products with his Plastic heating iron<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigWXVps5IB4TGj-cTcgdgeJhhdcqm-wkqLDIjXs5Ni6HRyTNl-06Nn0N36kR9F7TrDd8UQQyPt-YfzzTpK-NFz9mZ1cjZNz0xgzG9cRUmvxoQr74mCXR_frRPHyP7dGttOmbkJ919XSmW1/s1600-h/plastics.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigWXVps5IB4TGj-cTcgdgeJhhdcqm-wkqLDIjXs5Ni6HRyTNl-06Nn0N36kR9F7TrDd8UQQyPt-YfzzTpK-NFz9mZ1cjZNz0xgzG9cRUmvxoQr74mCXR_frRPHyP7dGttOmbkJ919XSmW1/s400/plastics.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365255862291013138" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Hanging the sachets out to dry....</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1uFxL6ESBaBAKRtDqvBlFkj9WDqt0qrjlT4Enr28cSh8bGGgYYxvQlY-ZJilVZOLJmwXsC47GWhmU5qwBRmB4ehDBoCop94G7JhHzh2lkgvssTE3TyGlIK44-ybbqUuilvDlgwUoIa5J7/s1600-h/water+shortage.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1uFxL6ESBaBAKRtDqvBlFkj9WDqt0qrjlT4Enr28cSh8bGGgYYxvQlY-ZJilVZOLJmwXsC47GWhmU5qwBRmB4ehDBoCop94G7JhHzh2lkgvssTE3TyGlIK44-ybbqUuilvDlgwUoIa5J7/s400/water+shortage.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365257225583369010" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Water shortage!</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1YOHkinTDmX1KtyVI9X9UaSLH8n4AltsTY4VHaLYzP4vngovzaBo_0e4xdTDcE63mMWU44QwIqrBcWhsKw8aRy9bBTFf68HD1RM2zO9fVEbXDTEPRKCXLDz1koNbYnp_Wl5fQ0jov-Uf-/s1600-h/Local+Chlorine+Production.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1YOHkinTDmX1KtyVI9X9UaSLH8n4AltsTY4VHaLYzP4vngovzaBo_0e4xdTDcE63mMWU44QwIqrBcWhsKw8aRy9bBTFf68HD1RM2zO9fVEbXDTEPRKCXLDz1koNbYnp_Wl5fQ0jov-Uf-/s400/Local+Chlorine+Production.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365255678695162738" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Chlorine Production team busy at work in the lab</span> </div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFlyExlacHHODz857tgOdUPb_5zptN4r4JomrAsloVlIcBEXAx5VqQb_XllGJ5dahe6yFqliSy3-ACEoBXMmVkS-2IGrD0Z0a4F2ZpwOLwSrzLBkb-ytAGZatSxJdz9LdwC9wIkPR6iJfS/s1600-h/energy+3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFlyExlacHHODz857tgOdUPb_5zptN4r4JomrAsloVlIcBEXAx5VqQb_XllGJ5dahe6yFqliSy3-ACEoBXMmVkS-2IGrD0Z0a4F2ZpwOLwSrzLBkb-ytAGZatSxJdz9LdwC9wIkPR6iJfS/s400/energy+3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365261248808203330" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;">The Small Scale Energy Storage team doing some experimenting on the 4th floor<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyMRFhZF942N82pIfR9tSbqm_fekDloVmYlg143uWVw6fLbLc8tbdImYvI32FVuMQs0F-4891unP9fr4N29yljO4wLM1MxuD6xMiwBEe0ns76RPQAQ4ld94E2vinwnZECFphVKaMPi3Dl/s1600-h/Spanish+Lessons.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyMRFhZF942N82pIfR9tSbqm_fekDloVmYlg143uWVw6fLbLc8tbdImYvI32FVuMQs0F-4891unP9fr4N29yljO4wLM1MxuD6xMiwBEe0ns76RPQAQ4ld94E2vinwnZECFphVKaMPi3Dl/s400/Spanish+Lessons.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365257095757541234" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">A Guatemalan (Jose) teaches a Tibetan (Gago) how to speak Spanish</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV1HlnVBEpOPCG9fRdJEZ1n3Q0Tjjsn2-L-GSlf9XSCSDSI0Voe6UVAXhnnOBJFTAXBozyJjFoE69-TM6CUFZzEWmbZV2nUKeZRHUuQDMVeANs5n7B4LaUtlo1Gxb_qZuW_6rmi33FSQfJ/s1600-h/Small+Scale+energy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV1HlnVBEpOPCG9fRdJEZ1n3Q0Tjjsn2-L-GSlf9XSCSDSI0Voe6UVAXhnnOBJFTAXBozyJjFoE69-TM6CUFZzEWmbZV2nUKeZRHUuQDMVeANs5n7B4LaUtlo1Gxb_qZuW_6rmi33FSQfJ/s400/Small+Scale+energy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365255328957779250" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Jennifer, from the Small Energy Storage team, busy at work!</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIEuHteOi9e_m2p3wVPtDa1zHd8CapwdyTRmaAgYKxTXjA63YDZYRufHq9WNuudQz66ElzJifzFo1mCfEQn3UtgpSS3GI0X3v80BFOnvNhXu6O9ssvavj2BGm_Rj9-oRpESwN3I2TN4riC/s1600-h/electric+carousel+generator.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIEuHteOi9e_m2p3wVPtDa1zHd8CapwdyTRmaAgYKxTXjA63YDZYRufHq9WNuudQz66ElzJifzFo1mCfEQn3UtgpSS3GI0X3v80BFOnvNhXu6O9ssvavj2BGm_Rj9-oRpESwN3I2TN4riC/s400/electric+carousel+generator.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365254876646282898" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Electric Carousel Generator team, work outside at Suame Magazine</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisM8Scm_SvhX0UFpAAF9As1yhYqPKy3ESfxNpbZ5-CUxbuydS6NOunX7OHbD-YTDy6Asjzbo8_9f4RazJU734bQvj5Pbh0bVegtxw4V_Tjp0H2jCAlR-2HcKpx_-yqSL8kMgfp3dHlMeiO/s1600-h/chlorine+dosing.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisM8Scm_SvhX0UFpAAF9As1yhYqPKy3ESfxNpbZ5-CUxbuydS6NOunX7OHbD-YTDy6Asjzbo8_9f4RazJU734bQvj5Pbh0bVegtxw4V_Tjp0H2jCAlR-2HcKpx_-yqSL8kMgfp3dHlMeiO/s400/chlorine+dosing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365254702486487442" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Suprio and Laura, of the Chlorine Dosing team, discuss one of their prototypes</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc7J2nuzeSbSG93fySLuFZikTgdjSmNAwk9HLclCqmI05T3qQr6zvSgH2z7f8AMhI78tcW6IMx_0txnS-6nNHG1A4ksGD5x2R2JazxTlBtRHSGV4DvAb_SHxLDAVALRwQSZFI8NmSjAx9o/s1600-h/Cassava+team.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc7J2nuzeSbSG93fySLuFZikTgdjSmNAwk9HLclCqmI05T3qQr6zvSgH2z7f8AMhI78tcW6IMx_0txnS-6nNHG1A4ksGD5x2R2JazxTlBtRHSGV4DvAb_SHxLDAVALRwQSZFI8NmSjAx9o/s400/Cassava+team.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365254564893337762" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Joseph leads the Cassava team in a discussion about the usability of their device</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXu6Anfw-p3Q41HdVmTQw78VmW43Uo-GQL1fE4VnbfAkxspJ2I2js7yZjsqGJhoveF7eR_AOLszJDlNdfH_JCNPz05ZwFjDf0eQbTC04uUqsEnXZyqb7iHKcc4w8y17Rn5iLQArWNNKIy/s1600-h/Ag+lab+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXu6Anfw-p3Q41HdVmTQw78VmW43Uo-GQL1fE4VnbfAkxspJ2I2js7yZjsqGJhoveF7eR_AOLszJDlNdfH_JCNPz05ZwFjDf0eQbTC04uUqsEnXZyqb7iHKcc4w8y17Rn5iLQArWNNKIy/s400/Ag+lab+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365254358579191138" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Agricultural machinery workshop men helping to construct the monstrous rice thresher</span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsLgrs79mpW0auovLwCGrY5iBlyKfKLJH0P0CU8_BZg2NuU6_Mj94jfYz-Xb27aE5ZHrLHXcX-IhX5ShkwU_EST5BnjoQef16LwZA2QkrgRwwP4uTXc4PNcMEweTP8KnNs4Yip5-CyxLMt/s1600-h/Ag+lab.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsLgrs79mpW0auovLwCGrY5iBlyKfKLJH0P0CU8_BZg2NuU6_Mj94jfYz-Xb27aE5ZHrLHXcX-IhX5ShkwU_EST5BnjoQef16LwZA2QkrgRwwP4uTXc4PNcMEweTP8KnNs4Yip5-CyxLMt/s400/Ag+lab.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365254152953612450" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;">Welding some of the final parts together<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMOVRoVIYNloYfjqYgV1HuzCzPsJRNhWigSYQCb-1yqKQ3eGtgii2cDmL2pRnDgrZawmurGYXvwLUu0bqwfP9d0urzV4vIKnQxmxUvkkWnA884IC26O6Flh24zeofeEFMTRXwD47Kwhc78/s1600-h/working+together.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMOVRoVIYNloYfjqYgV1HuzCzPsJRNhWigSYQCb-1yqKQ3eGtgii2cDmL2pRnDgrZawmurGYXvwLUu0bqwfP9d0urzV4vIKnQxmxUvkkWnA884IC26O6Flh24zeofeEFMTRXwD47Kwhc78/s400/working+together.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365256663029945858" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Jess, of the Chlorine Production team, and Daniel, of the Shea Oil Extraction group, help each other out in the workshop</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj270xeIPcg5Rq_Z3tek_Uuh6kMMATGQfdWQawByDIvzujcOvTOexkBmdS2pGnugHgoW0FpqSLagD-kTrUnwEQSjuysoGzhaicMCDTuBC3GAd7MIxpHKI0MwlDm_unSlBIwBiI5KKG2DlYz/s1600-h/feeding+the+troops.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj270xeIPcg5Rq_Z3tek_Uuh6kMMATGQfdWQawByDIvzujcOvTOexkBmdS2pGnugHgoW0FpqSLagD-kTrUnwEQSjuysoGzhaicMCDTuBC3GAd7MIxpHKI0MwlDm_unSlBIwBiI5KKG2DlYz/s400/feeding+the+troops.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365257514065096626" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Jess feeds the troops as they attempt to meet their most important deadline yet!</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXiFF0v4j0KxQGUVORYuW28ATET0IGGHkMf1UJi7l6kshk5Ldmx9rOnmKqBo0H_xlOTsur6m9L7CfRZvI5WK7IXvNTpbyFQs5Jg7z817savWD2CzIZdHBgwMUxv8QzzIrHRJYvdHIPyyZg/s1600-h/T+shirts.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXiFF0v4j0KxQGUVORYuW28ATET0IGGHkMf1UJi7l6kshk5Ldmx9rOnmKqBo0H_xlOTsur6m9L7CfRZvI5WK7IXvNTpbyFQs5Jg7z817savWD2CzIZdHBgwMUxv8QzzIrHRJYvdHIPyyZg/s400/T+shirts.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365257370760143058" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Our bright, new, freshly silk screened IDDS t-shirts</span> </div>Niall Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11952403116518338771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2862137322849438146.post-70281988918687765162009-07-27T18:29:00.000-07:002009-08-07T09:14:20.964-07:00Potluck Dinner!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcF7gTVlx2lpZlxVaVz4VLr6voIE5hEnGVmnefXosqWn2jeiUXykPbvQSkhoR-57AfBIDir3w3T4mIlkDfnzg4pMsHfWMZhb0DClvg-v2lGjf8Z3W_9-Ee0cuHsAtaEev-eSwOVugsYaWT/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcF7gTVlx2lpZlxVaVz4VLr6voIE5hEnGVmnefXosqWn2jeiUXykPbvQSkhoR-57AfBIDir3w3T4mIlkDfnzg4pMsHfWMZhb0DClvg-v2lGjf8Z3W_9-Ee0cuHsAtaEev-eSwOVugsYaWT/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364297962950428978" border="0" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">If Sunday was about sharing cool ideas and cool technologies, then today was all about sharing cultures and, most importantly, food! The third annual IDDS Potluck dinner took place this evening, much to the delight of participants and organizers alike. Amy has repeatedly said that IDDS is about ‘creating a family’ and the potluck is one of those events that seems to be bind people together as readily as it satisfies their stomachs! Over the weekend the teams were given the chance to go and source some of the ingredients central to their dish, and this in itself provided quite a few stories. The Indians in particular had quite the adventure. They started by asking questions on the street and were eventually directed to an electronics store run by an Indian man, and he duly sent them on their way to the largest Indian food store in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Kumasi</st1:place></st1:city>! </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">With dishes from over twenty countries to look forward to, the teams worked hard through Monday morning and afternoon, before reconvening at the hostel to begin the preparations. As we began setting up outside in the parking lot, the smells wafting down from the suites set more than a few stomachs rumbling. The camaraderie on show in the kitchens added extra evidence to the philosophy on life that stresses that you don’t really know someone until you’ve cooked with them. Some of the participants have more experience than others in the kitchen but that didn’t dissuade people from getting stuck into the process, learning some new skills along the way. If all else fails, there’s always wash up duty right!? Being from <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region>, with none of my country folk around me, and not being able to cook meant that I was left with very choice for my dish…</p><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjSZnPWez9o-bZvdKieP7sPnOKWQa-CkjGid3oU7nIu8HgZ60o6GNXQ8KAfdrxWWUQJCanuOlRmfC1McN3X9uCHO_1zAodq5qEvN9maJtrEeema90rkaunWuetTMPWYm_maPYNN7jDEKZi/s1600-h/7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjSZnPWez9o-bZvdKieP7sPnOKWQa-CkjGid3oU7nIu8HgZ60o6GNXQ8KAfdrxWWUQJCanuOlRmfC1McN3X9uCHO_1zAodq5qEvN9maJtrEeema90rkaunWuetTMPWYm_maPYNN7jDEKZi/s400/7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364301558172297698" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">My dish was a little less labor intensive than everyone elses</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjSZnPWez9o-bZvdKieP7sPnOKWQa-CkjGid3oU7nIu8HgZ60o6GNXQ8KAfdrxWWUQJCanuOlRmfC1McN3X9uCHO_1zAodq5qEvN9maJtrEeema90rkaunWuetTMPWYm_maPYNN7jDEKZi/s1600-h/7.jpg"><br /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOZ8IsVH3tWYnQkp0vGEx3Hfh2IvTCNsvVXnn6mGdd-CCrjiCWH2dxCN-YKnrQdqRYomggnpwOu5AbiuMz7dUq6INz1gxUDBjisMjzjGELcXfXL7lT3jcvnV50KERzX7dKF3pwE78c8rAR/s1600-h/10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOZ8IsVH3tWYnQkp0vGEx3Hfh2IvTCNsvVXnn6mGdd-CCrjiCWH2dxCN-YKnrQdqRYomggnpwOu5AbiuMz7dUq6INz1gxUDBjisMjzjGELcXfXL7lT3jcvnV50KERzX7dKF3pwE78c8rAR/s400/10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364302151779535826" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Tanzanians work on preparing some Ugali with sauce</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5d-aCOydEhrUdlJvkHGmnQ88pghXHwXWXM_Y7j8qESz0gcYctIdFqJKOKgOStmRDDJ-ChIqzy4QwqEUn05ZHaZemYi0qdxSFssufjrombdB_ApcUVN2sMJTw48wt_SO7S9i0vJFcP5T6/s1600-h/9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5d-aCOydEhrUdlJvkHGmnQ88pghXHwXWXM_Y7j8qESz0gcYctIdFqJKOKgOStmRDDJ-ChIqzy4QwqEUn05ZHaZemYi0qdxSFssufjrombdB_ApcUVN2sMJTw48wt_SO7S9i0vJFcP5T6/s400/9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364301946945363298" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Colombians share a joke during the cooking</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2_407uJjRDVBrUNhqNzOVHseAl4W6pYHz0ZqnDXMdomROUfC2AKesSvHazMZExxyD6Lk6XHIt4gz_akD9hqyDpg1zm_4uKr-uOZwcTMHyNjjLic06UmFyTY4xVSKaXjNCBSiXFyJUHCu/s1600-h/8.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2_407uJjRDVBrUNhqNzOVHseAl4W6pYHz0ZqnDXMdomROUfC2AKesSvHazMZExxyD6Lk6XHIt4gz_akD9hqyDpg1zm_4uKr-uOZwcTMHyNjjLic06UmFyTY4xVSKaXjNCBSiXFyJUHCu/s400/8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364301739111129570" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Eric takes his cooking seriously. Very seriously.</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"></div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">By the time all the participants got their food down to the pot luck <span style=""> </span>My taste buds couldn’t quite believe their luck, as the food source moved from plain bread and baked beans to Indian Buttered Chicken, Guacamole, Buckeye’s, Maccaroni and Cheese, Ugali, Red-Red as well as dishes whose name I can’t remember. Amy kicked the proceedings off with a mini-call to arms and I was delighted to see that there was a scramble for my ‘dish’ first due to its limited supply. The British, not content with the Bangers and Mash which they supplied, had brought hundreds of little British flags and true to their proud nation’s history, attempted to colonize every other dish that had been brought to the table. Thankfully we put together a team of Indian, African and Irish rebels, and we eventually managed to root out even the most subtly hidden flag.<br /></p> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZaN6zRcY3feeFGUZvxb54TF5ytbErsejlryzD-2twAslRjt1wj6kivuZ1nr81kmaXWCC7dBHOv_mvtxNiB9ef0tDJ3_W4uT-8-MVqA9ZidJfQvMq0YUwXuCmtJQ8HJW7hCB4ALfA8V_Q/s1600-h/5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZaN6zRcY3feeFGUZvxb54TF5ytbErsejlryzD-2twAslRjt1wj6kivuZ1nr81kmaXWCC7dBHOv_mvtxNiB9ef0tDJ3_W4uT-8-MVqA9ZidJfQvMq0YUwXuCmtJQ8HJW7hCB4ALfA8V_Q/s400/5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364300906096459378" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">A tasty treat, all the way from Guatemala!</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlIAyykzJW_iLBj4bhDXnhfDemoi6f3urQNP_L_A0PW_QLpZZW0uf5vxVnMg3hZ_zlt8iI2gxJXI7m0b_R3TzhYzypoGzdAvP-gdlDT1P0dhDy6xzXOw4KevW2lNN58ZN7gYD7eyGZyy5G/s1600-h/4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlIAyykzJW_iLBj4bhDXnhfDemoi6f3urQNP_L_A0PW_QLpZZW0uf5vxVnMg3hZ_zlt8iI2gxJXI7m0b_R3TzhYzypoGzdAvP-gdlDT1P0dhDy6xzXOw4KevW2lNN58ZN7gYD7eyGZyy5G/s400/4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364300768678093906" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Patricia from Sierra Leone got into the spirit of the occasion!<br /><br /><br /></span> </div><p class="MsoNormal">Some gorgeous exotic deserts were followed by some American Ice-Cream and chocolate sauce and despite our full stomachs, we finished up the evening by learning some cultural dance moves. Indian, Ghanaian and Brazilian dancing were the order of the day, with a small cameo from Paul from <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sierra Leone</st1:place></st1:country-region> thrown in for good measure. A massive clean up ensued after which we all settled in for the night, getting ready for a day of building and prototyping tomorrow!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1O1RJagogYq5RrKxe25PLPpcb9pzVTgc9uA5ycfKvaYILNzc4imQ3lVZEzE2nvUHUrVFVVr8p39RhIxm_wY8R2tIBpsEjjUQ1va6cRIaec1eeS4lg2_fwmq9j_viX1IZ-DJZuXHrUx1oy/s1600-h/3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1O1RJagogYq5RrKxe25PLPpcb9pzVTgc9uA5ycfKvaYILNzc4imQ3lVZEzE2nvUHUrVFVVr8p39RhIxm_wY8R2tIBpsEjjUQ1va6cRIaec1eeS4lg2_fwmq9j_viX1IZ-DJZuXHrUx1oy/s400/3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364298564274448802" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Laura teaches Andres some moves in front of some avid spectators</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA7QXQhtPyc-sLXxfsenTydAceI1GVSW5YvVf6q_WXAIN8BCVHXSAbVcCR5nFmPfv1wA4Q1VF6EEH9t-tQlEWyxHnZ-BZ3ofo-NNEMVjs-F-L5JmiFGttSDSwp0MUFM1OYqvQCmHfpJtWb/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA7QXQhtPyc-sLXxfsenTydAceI1GVSW5YvVf6q_WXAIN8BCVHXSAbVcCR5nFmPfv1wA4Q1VF6EEH9t-tQlEWyxHnZ-BZ3ofo-NNEMVjs-F-L5JmiFGttSDSwp0MUFM1OYqvQCmHfpJtWb/s400/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364298107086282914" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">The ultra slick Sumit provided the tunes for the occasion</span><br /></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Don't worry, I'll be adding some recipes to the blog once we collect them from the participants at the end of the conference!</p>Niall Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11952403116518338771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2862137322849438146.post-20588702985816438882009-07-26T07:23:00.000-07:002009-08-02T02:56:26.412-07:00Learning 'How To'<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuHxixIWEUaXvSsH57qvscujv1bbKUvmXNdro6G3hEUjmAMpIeHYjUd5L06hAvVMXefHwI7bCr5mguB9r1LnD8Ac6P0ZlRyFVVteu0nOu-75xjqDnWc3LwcTiPGvvbc1UairPPfPohhlqB/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuHxixIWEUaXvSsH57qvscujv1bbKUvmXNdro6G3hEUjmAMpIeHYjUd5L06hAvVMXefHwI7bCr5mguB9r1LnD8Ac6P0ZlRyFVVteu0nOu-75xjqDnWc3LwcTiPGvvbc1UairPPfPohhlqB/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364288272556890738" border="0" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">The teams had Saturday completely free and many of the participants took the opportunity to go down to <st1:placetype st="on">Cape</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype st="on">Coast</st1:placetype> to see the beach and to visit the slave castles that Barack Obama visited on his recent trip to <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Ghana</st1:place></st1:country-region>. From all accounts, it was an eerie experience for all involved. Tombo Banda, an organizer and participant from <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Malawi</st1:place></st1:country-region>, said that seeing the dungeons where they used to keep slaves before sending them off, and the awful conditions that they suffered there, really impacted upon her and made the historical episode much more real. Definitely something I’m planning to check out after the conference is finished.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Sunday was another day off, but this time the focus was on knowledge sharing, an integral part of the IDDS experience. A number of the participants and organizers had agreed to organize ‘how to’ sessions, teaching their fellow participants about their area of expertise and in some cases, actually building some cool technologies! The how to sessions were thought up by Amy at the first IDDS, as she realized that with participants coming from such a huge range of disciplines and backgrounds, they themselves could actually teach each other about cool technologies, rather than simply learning from Amy and the staff. Judging from the enthusiasm that was brought to bear upon the whole event, it seems that everyone is eager to imbibe new skills and methods! </p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Learning ‘how to’ draw like Nathan <o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Nathan, just so you all know, is the awesome photographer who has been taking nearly all the pictures on my blog. He is also a participant and an organizer and somehow manages to find the time to sketch during this manic five weeks we call a conference. He decided to attempt to teach a group of us how to sketch like him, and over twenty of the participants turned up to find out the secret behind his cool drawings. Of course, there was none. <span style=""> </span>He started out by outlining the basic shapes that comprise all objects in the worlds which we draw, and how to draw them. He moved on to the methods of shading and outlining that form a central part of drawing caricature, before finishing on showing how to draw inanimate objects, something that could prove exceptionally useful for the participants sketching out their designs. </p><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiykQbDRTlNw2eIRCA4Z6t4dzJNTMDc4NN3zqLnFlc7cx4UlauMD7rPcwxYkdXQbobjke1-xvAox-QM5438VY9DSILxFtpRcfw35ZRuTVnmFuuak_0x9iSDNyRoyQne61GVz8oBGkqpUTsY/s1600-h/5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiykQbDRTlNw2eIRCA4Z6t4dzJNTMDc4NN3zqLnFlc7cx4UlauMD7rPcwxYkdXQbobjke1-xvAox-QM5438VY9DSILxFtpRcfw35ZRuTVnmFuuak_0x9iSDNyRoyQne61GVz8oBGkqpUTsY/s400/5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364291123107896978" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Nathan instructs his aspiring arttists<br /><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Marketing for BOP Technologies led by Bon Nanes<o:p><br /></o:p></b></p> <p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">Bob Nanes, from International Development Enterprises (IDE) <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Ghana</st1:place></st1:country-region>, has been at IDDS for a week and a half now, providing informal advice to the teams about potential markets for their products. In the spirit of the ‘how to’ sessions, he gave a superb session on the ways in which to approach marketing for the ‘bottom billion’ and I think the two quotes below are the basis of what he was trying to teach:</p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">"You don't sell people a product, you sell them a dream. You may be making a chlorine water purifier, but you are selling them the vision of healthy children."</p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">"Don't reinvent channels. There are hundreds of companies marketing to the BOP: soap, cigarettes, beer, buckets and batteries. NGOs always want to start a new channel, and it is usually a big mistake. Better to piggyback on what is there."</p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">AS these two were going on, there were also som pretty cool demonstrations taking place concurrently, all around the hostel. Miguel presented the idea of the solar water heater, made out of simply 21 empty 2-litre water bottles, PVC pipe and tetra cartons. Using only this cheap material the device can heat the water past 55C, which is pretty cool! Other how-to's included a bamboo bicycle, pedal powered machines, biogas digester and a ceramic water filter. The variety on offer meant that every participant could find at least one session they were interested in and even though the sessions were optional, almost everyone made it to both sessions.<br /></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /><b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsP2u6YfeNo7ca4YmUx8_C7KYVWg0XRJbmedpfQ6A6kc17HAbrUkakh7VEyNXIgl2qsO7s3ZiBqN-vayQfSya9Kc8SQRoxfmQDE0rXr6Dgnb_G_XR2SLhlMea2C6tZXF1eXtqLFPTEN8_e/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsP2u6YfeNo7ca4YmUx8_C7KYVWg0XRJbmedpfQ6A6kc17HAbrUkakh7VEyNXIgl2qsO7s3ZiBqN-vayQfSya9Kc8SQRoxfmQDE0rXr6Dgnb_G_XR2SLhlMea2C6tZXF1eXtqLFPTEN8_e/s400/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364289958200379058" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Miguel explains the Solar Water Heater</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNq57o8Azk2gtwLq8z_zTexUpqatYQyO98SXnSmw3BzMd9JKlf4Go6THdNKRYpNRQA8TOBk0OJsFD1TaA5J_d5akFdI98bgC2gPoSB7Ni4ZNGGufa9jYah8MlKVgs2QX4OW9u7dkgj5K0B/s1600-h/4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNq57o8Azk2gtwLq8z_zTexUpqatYQyO98SXnSmw3BzMd9JKlf4Go6THdNKRYpNRQA8TOBk0OJsFD1TaA5J_d5akFdI98bgC2gPoSB7Ni4ZNGGufa9jYah8MlKVgs2QX4OW9u7dkgj5K0B/s400/4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364290822668827026" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">"Here's one I made earlier..."<br /><br /></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaPz1dYIODfemAEU44OJfQXWCntzvWlUYI-lLbpZDCiUoc0NI-QtzZhdzXlfXBFv7L_KVOhT2koeLigm92Txi-via0O0VWDdcyUghYLkPEkJYqNYtK5Bk9i3mJwj68_XemG35FZ_TLo88J/s1600-h/3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaPz1dYIODfemAEU44OJfQXWCntzvWlUYI-lLbpZDCiUoc0NI-QtzZhdzXlfXBFv7L_KVOhT2koeLigm92Txi-via0O0VWDdcyUghYLkPEkJYqNYtK5Bk9i3mJwj68_XemG35FZ_TLo88J/s400/3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364290301098409682" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Lisa and Jodie with the Bamboo Bicycle </span> </div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Later in the evening a group of the participants set about making one of Carla's cool designs using recycled material. I think the results below speak for themselves!<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-IeXdxH73pVc7fy5atXa9qT0Dl4C5bFeWD-ShQqQbi0gZy2PDrGpICqLK6gtsRMzM3tuh9lRJ4wnISgxywYnwpKOYX8bY48MMC2OAd0Oa7dNX9k5Qhwn_a6zLXxkVengsDMTWREJwcs10/s1600-h/8.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-IeXdxH73pVc7fy5atXa9qT0Dl4C5bFeWD-ShQqQbi0gZy2PDrGpICqLK6gtsRMzM3tuh9lRJ4wnISgxywYnwpKOYX8bY48MMC2OAd0Oa7dNX9k5Qhwn_a6zLXxkVengsDMTWREJwcs10/s400/8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364292449836383746" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Carla's group worked for five and a half hours to construct this!</span> </div>Niall Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11952403116518338771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2862137322849438146.post-82919647856593593302009-07-24T12:59:00.000-07:002009-08-01T19:22:43.537-07:00Suame Design Review<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6gdOlVSHWpo4VBB2JHkxj_sbAk3MO_yg_7SrmthQM-TkgxXanq4OURCQp955e3QQdTEtiIXCHd7JcdG9eWTq8_XKrK45R8w45yAcClDRbv4lvyKagftPavvJ2e6QFXofpJmtBxJ0OtZAn/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6gdOlVSHWpo4VBB2JHkxj_sbAk3MO_yg_7SrmthQM-TkgxXanq4OURCQp955e3QQdTEtiIXCHd7JcdG9eWTq8_XKrK45R8w45yAcClDRbv4lvyKagftPavvJ2e6QFXofpJmtBxJ0OtZAn/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363679202222680866" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Today marked the first official design review of IDDS 2009. Each team was tasked with giving a presentation on their project so far, the sketches of their designs, and what they hope to build over the coming weeks. The purpose of the reviews is to give the teams the chance to get feedback on their current plans, right before they actually begin the building itself. In attendance were some of the workshop managers from Suame and some faculty engineers from the University but it was often the participants themselves who provided the advice and critique needed. Teams will take this information away with them, come up with some modifications on their design, and hopefully be building more efficient and practical prototypes next week.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Nathan Cooke, a participant, organizer and photographer at this year’s conference, remarked that the trips to Suame Magazine are the best for photo opportunities, simply because “everyone has a smile on their face”. The group descended on the ITTU in the late morning, and just about had some time for a serving of Jollof Rice, before getting the design reviews underway. The twelve project teams were split into three groups, and their reviews ran concurrently in three separate rooms. The groups went as follows:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Water, Sanitation and Health<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Chlorine Dosing</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Local Chloring Production</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Kid Friendly Latrine</p> <p class="MsoNormal">ICT Enabled Baby Monitoring</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Energy and Environment <o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Small Scale Energy Storage</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Cool Storage </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Recycled Plastic Products</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Portable Hydro Powered Light</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Agricultural Processes <o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Groundnut Threshing</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Cassava Processing</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Rice Threshing</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Shea Oil Extraction</p> <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_D2ssyoyLqCryv5Tmo0y-HgdX_gho0YljL56jd-metjreQfH0IE9FeCVGnLiB6J5R4xyoSZEvMXy3l28UzEntE3kGrk1Xy-iswPc0vQtl0tK7dYpuvJs8D_LkGQe1qszWsH_dZl4UtLQi/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_D2ssyoyLqCryv5Tmo0y-HgdX_gho0YljL56jd-metjreQfH0IE9FeCVGnLiB6J5R4xyoSZEvMXy3l28UzEntE3kGrk1Xy-iswPc0vQtl0tK7dYpuvJs8D_LkGQe1qszWsH_dZl4UtLQi/s400/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363682071490140898" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Kid Friendly latrine team, looking forward to their trip to Suame</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHLQxA5Cd9LkLG34ApXDiqXiiFKQiA4ly_Kmza0QjAWBMRf_ecftylqVSXMaj2RNL4UIK144X_4AdhMTfRzcCKN3e9__y8mH6DM4y3gllrsCN4YpgAsTYYmgzhz4KWMKklisGD_HN0AmP/s1600-h/3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHLQxA5Cd9LkLG34ApXDiqXiiFKQiA4ly_Kmza0QjAWBMRf_ecftylqVSXMaj2RNL4UIK144X_4AdhMTfRzcCKN3e9__y8mH6DM4y3gllrsCN4YpgAsTYYmgzhz4KWMKklisGD_HN0AmP/s400/3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363681629375602370" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Sean preps himself for the Rice Threshing presentation</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKvgU57kuZlncyaW0xeSVZi_PoIDnh69PMrfWYzWbnBYnbHALu6BgwAqAig-c9d5MORdkcD9pdIb5KVGT9ktJ5ExZLnTs5nR1PZv_nYKxs5Ep39yvXTz3ocRrtmhwtqVG1QArHhTN-E-Wx/s1600-h/4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKvgU57kuZlncyaW0xeSVZi_PoIDnh69PMrfWYzWbnBYnbHALu6BgwAqAig-c9d5MORdkcD9pdIb5KVGT9ktJ5ExZLnTs5nR1PZv_nYKxs5Ep39yvXTz3ocRrtmhwtqVG1QArHhTN-E-Wx/s400/4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363681374736358802" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Evan showcases his very own 'prototype' for the ICT Enabled Baby Monitor team<br /><br /><br /></span><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">I personally sat in on the agricultural design reviews, and these were of great interest to the workshop men at Suame Magazine, as they have been involved in creating machines for increasingly the productivity of agricultural processes for decades. The experience they had to share was clear throughout the review, as they listened intently to what the teams had to say before proffering suggestions of how to improve the design.</p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">The first team up were the groundnut threshing team, working on a mechanism for threshing groundnut’s from the plant speedily and without waste (a task that requires a substantial amount of time). They were quickly followed by the Cassava team, attempting to create a low cost machine to peel and grind Cassava, a crop common to the region. The Rice Threshing tram told the story of how they have changed from their original project of removing small stones from rice, to actually cutting off the stones at source, by coming up with a way to thresh the rice efficiently. Finally, the Shea Oil team gave us a detailed description of the time worn, arduous twelve step process that is currently used by the village women to extract the valuable oil from the nuts, before outlining their alternative, time saving method. Joe, a brilliant mechanic from the ITTU, brought out a prototype mid-presentation that he had made in line with speeding up the process. That should give the team plenty to think about over the next few days!</p> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBhrRPV6J1L0c1RtVoRNlfrbi2aTscxIE5ZEo-zqos79qsBjGP0SJ4qtDxRMiqNIaVob_Yb6jDELqh3bzadp8MbXxQ45rpMasM10bJebDEpt0OajD4o5Tlh8PFF2lRe2LrnrV2Yv8d77kD/s1600-h/5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBhrRPV6J1L0c1RtVoRNlfrbi2aTscxIE5ZEo-zqos79qsBjGP0SJ4qtDxRMiqNIaVob_Yb6jDELqh3bzadp8MbXxQ45rpMasM10bJebDEpt0OajD4o5Tlh8PFF2lRe2LrnrV2Yv8d77kD/s400/5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363681032293576434" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">George Obeng introduces the Groundnut threshing team to the group</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2f9q1Y9akBxpNlOgqeNk1qx7tIghIJYmF8iQ14rSO-jV6pmcXlvQP68pEwXBNF-fTcmG8NMWo36itb-gGMA7AU-6BAHfsgv3R7Cinxn6Y1NsQQmEq4gQltcluzDGSr6uLu5MGAfHNRPm-/s1600-h/6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2f9q1Y9akBxpNlOgqeNk1qx7tIghIJYmF8iQ14rSO-jV6pmcXlvQP68pEwXBNF-fTcmG8NMWo36itb-gGMA7AU-6BAHfsgv3R7Cinxn6Y1NsQQmEq4gQltcluzDGSr6uLu5MGAfHNRPm-/s400/6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363680524701907970" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Daniel Kanter of the Shea Oil team plays around with a previous model </span><br /><br /><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">Later that evening, the teams had a chance to unwind at the Engineering Guest House, and catch up with each other outside of the project/work environment. We are delighted to finally have with us Ariel Phillips from <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Harvard</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">University</st1:placetype></st1:place>, one of the lead organizers of IDDS since its inception. Ariel became quite ill after a trip to <st1:country-region st="on">India</st1:country-region> and it was feared she may not have been able to come to <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Ghana</st1:place></st1:country-region> at any stage, and as such we are delighted she has finally made it here. Ariel specializes in group dynamics, something that will prove to be extremely important over the next few weeks if the teams are to create the prototypes they have put so much effort into designing!</p> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcw9yuRoFlxJobhr3uhfDttGTOXBTT8yDetaFbleqem6jdaMWlDEFpxx9kqlXf6oQMchUpcYLzU6vyrFu5dvmpfCLI1raIe5TvHaMtrnekqABES8XvuVa6Tt4hUyisZyS7_JfE_UAdY9zl/s1600-h/7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcw9yuRoFlxJobhr3uhfDttGTOXBTT8yDetaFbleqem6jdaMWlDEFpxx9kqlXf6oQMchUpcYLzU6vyrFu5dvmpfCLI1raIe5TvHaMtrnekqABES8XvuVa6Tt4hUyisZyS7_JfE_UAdY9zl/s400/7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363679554327197378" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Old friends, Sumit and Ariel, catch up</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqE2_wv2tqfaiuEYVd5bGa1X1X9eN3DvVLgitJXAn6AF-kBfZ55LSQc-LhgeiC9mqyXDNA4BxMX-aNBczb2WXMc3CtXTSVm0SQEuKYTtjgnjgeYm6jZJOmDvdBzCt8Zfsw3GonW8lC05tD/s1600-h/8.jpg"><br /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"></span> </div>Niall Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11952403116518338771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2862137322849438146.post-14371909540311969882009-07-23T12:44:00.000-07:002009-08-01T19:21:11.178-07:00Entrepeneurship hits IDDS<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgksH0thOFtzNGJWZUJgY8H08zos8Tfq8TB0BANI9-ZbfVYG8atUl3iLURjk0Vsp6jP1Npozronm2vGFbmta8TvSk1kRQf8OnXxnxCTtIN2JGJ4MNpbjgZ6MASRoA_MdPRDVxpYtc7kBfG-/s1600-h/7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgksH0thOFtzNGJWZUJgY8H08zos8Tfq8TB0BANI9-ZbfVYG8atUl3iLURjk0Vsp6jP1Npozronm2vGFbmta8TvSk1kRQf8OnXxnxCTtIN2JGJ4MNpbjgZ6MASRoA_MdPRDVxpYtc7kBfG-/s400/7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363678731157540882" border="0" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">There has been a nasty cold running around the IDDS family over the last few days but it has thankfully been replaced with a different kind of fever: Entrepreneurship! At a critical stage in their design process, just before the actual building of the prototypes themselves, IDDS shifts the teams focus to what may happen to their prototype when it is finished, and how they could get it to market. The teams thus learn how to design their product for the market right from the beginning, rather than simply coming up with a prototype and then adapting it to a specific group. This concept of Bopreneurship (entrepreneurship for the Bottom of the Pyramid) is an important focus of IDDS, as we look to ways to continue on the projects created here, once the five weeks of the conference has run it’s course.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Paul Hudnut was our key note speaker for the two days, and he’s a pretty interesting character in his own right. Introducing himself to us as an Entrepreneur, an Unrepentant Optimist and an Educational Arsonist, he began his presentation with a quote which he believed was central to what IDDS is all about. His belief that “Education is not about filling a bucket, but lighting a fire” is one that is shared by our commander in chief, Amy Smith, and it was this which informed the rest of his engaging and thought provoking presentation.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoC1gHMzKbxQ83q1Tp91uvFWrhvSuv6Wm4opcK5kcSngRINBFsq8RgObwpb6Jmh6A89HJAmM8he1-VYV5JeBVjsHu9P80Zv-G9KlAO7wwjom3l20f_goaWmj0dyOlMOxnuKHD6tIqGBECt/s1600-h/3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoC1gHMzKbxQ83q1Tp91uvFWrhvSuv6Wm4opcK5kcSngRINBFsq8RgObwpb6Jmh6A89HJAmM8he1-VYV5JeBVjsHu9P80Zv-G9KlAO7wwjom3l20f_goaWmj0dyOlMOxnuKHD6tIqGBECt/s400/3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363515457376145602" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Paul introduces some new ideas to the group</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Paul's told us that as entrepreneurs, we have to begin by asking ourselves two questions:<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">1.What sucks?</p><p class="MsoNormal">2 What are we going to do about it?</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Once this has been decided,. it was Paul's advice to just start the venture and learn by doing, rather than by just thinking and speculating. The importance of knowing your market, and your potential customers, could not be stressed home enough, and this will surely force participants to think just who will buy their product, and then start designing it to meet their specific needs and wants. Making sure that "your goods are good and that your services serve". Paul then gave an example of a company called Envirofit which he co-founded with other staff and students at the University where he teaches, Colorado State. The company works in tackling indoor and outdoor air pollution by applying innovative technologies to reduce pollution and health improve the health, environment and economy of people in all parts of the world. The company has been a major success in designing, distrubuting and selling both two stroke retro-fit engines and cook stoves in Inida, the Phillipines and Sri Lanka. The main reason for the success, he argued, was alligning an intimate knowledge of the market and their consumers, with innovations on the technolgoy itself. To find out more about the company, visit www.envirofit.org.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The teams had plenty of opportunites over the two days to meet with Paul informally to discuss the direction of their project and their ventures but there were also some interesting team entrepreneurship exercises which Paul intoruced to the group. One of the most interesting of these was the hundred words challenge. The teams had been told about the importance of being able to tell a story about their venture, and in this exercise they had to attmept to distill that story down into a hundred words that packed a punch!<br /></p><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih37zZHRjn6BJluLoWa_kQWIYpQS1K0eI9M9HwJjKVbSKX6HmBdMGkU92lqqrM4je6MZry9r4sreYVq38w-As10EyuoPoz5SSUzLbVEcFnHLzHX22_bU9hacPUqFJuUZvzrnhJ-4FkXId-/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih37zZHRjn6BJluLoWa_kQWIYpQS1K0eI9M9HwJjKVbSKX6HmBdMGkU92lqqrM4je6MZry9r4sreYVq38w-As10EyuoPoz5SSUzLbVEcFnHLzHX22_bU9hacPUqFJuUZvzrnhJ-4FkXId-/s400/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363514705536895186" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbLMRFWhrrExgPq8cADvQC3J37zTWXiPqjaDDRrUjAIIaHrsBI1-dYJE9PBO8rNjlNt0dBh405soRE7CN1NsXHhbn7Kvd0vJuQTbAi84dwIqVObr7s8w2ax6PipGy_qyLTg0wjyMmKAG_/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbLMRFWhrrExgPq8cADvQC3J37zTWXiPqjaDDRrUjAIIaHrsBI1-dYJE9PBO8rNjlNt0dBh405soRE7CN1NsXHhbn7Kvd0vJuQTbAi84dwIqVObr7s8w2ax6PipGy_qyLTg0wjyMmKAG_/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363514013043449858" border="0" /></a><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">The teams try to apply what they have learned to their designs</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">On Thursday evening we were treated to our third round of participant presentations and once again I was amazed at the variety of projects on show. I kicked proceedings off with a presentation of the start up clothing company I am involved in, Acts of Random Kindness Limited. This was quickly followed by Casserdy Magaya, a Zambian participant who presented on the work he does with an NGO in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Zambia</st1:place></st1:country-region>, called Disacare. The company was set up in the early 90’s and ever since has been attempting to provide mobility aids and wheelchairs for physically disabled people in the community, not served by existing ill fitting wheelchair models. Nowadays, Disacare is producing a huge range of products, including adult, basketball and cerebral palsy wheelchairs, as well as bicycle ambulances and tricycles.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh89uu5rUfB53eGsycRJ3OAI8ixE0ZvHDU7v3v-m7YZoh-Ecj4ocIyg0-rXERKpTDJ-URA-nOAjotb-ERreGQJkdWzJxCrqBpDYHPzPrWA8FPZcugHXeavYmSDuEHHf746ME9L3t0Pso9pc/s1600-h/e.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh89uu5rUfB53eGsycRJ3OAI8ixE0ZvHDU7v3v-m7YZoh-Ecj4ocIyg0-rXERKpTDJ-URA-nOAjotb-ERreGQJkdWzJxCrqBpDYHPzPrWA8FPZcugHXeavYmSDuEHHf746ME9L3t0Pso9pc/s400/e.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364716018266639490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">One of the very first users of the mobility aids</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizYLLusu0zx1KMMyu20daw9Q0RKwrashGGdAs4gPP6dhvTIIVFid_c4Pz-YWGY8pn1mBue77vbkwm_bhaeq1jx9XSO-D6N42eeghxO_AtdEfwPSjsotM-w7PACi55IBJ-NozAp6t3mDTN2/s1600-h/k.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizYLLusu0zx1KMMyu20daw9Q0RKwrashGGdAs4gPP6dhvTIIVFid_c4Pz-YWGY8pn1mBue77vbkwm_bhaeq1jx9XSO-D6N42eeghxO_AtdEfwPSjsotM-w7PACi55IBJ-NozAp6t3mDTN2/s400/k.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364722745142423250" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">A bicycle ambulance with cover included for privac</span>y<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj91WhT0tL0YKGm1USg2bSjBrHTMB-SP-L5m31gj2_-eXU6LgUbrrbtdZI5FHd5oXgtjdyQY9lIfAKwuam7KRasQdAgmTgE8sY5iq90oI4ozqnPlVB2Zr5iwRNDtRkhj9tPjbCk-GVZ92UD/s1600-h/l.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj91WhT0tL0YKGm1USg2bSjBrHTMB-SP-L5m31gj2_-eXU6LgUbrrbtdZI5FHd5oXgtjdyQY9lIfAKwuam7KRasQdAgmTgE8sY5iq90oI4ozqnPlVB2Zr5iwRNDtRkhj9tPjbCk-GVZ92UD/s400/l.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364723116263971266" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">A wheelchair designed for those suffering from cerebral palsy<br /><br /></span></div><<p class="MsoNormal">Carla Tennebaum<span style=""> </span>was next in line, showing us about the work she has been doing in creating colourful designs out of industrial waste. Turning a problem into potential is the central tenant of the work that Carla does, and we hope to get the chance to learn from her how to construct one of her art pieces, later in the week. The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, located in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Abu Dhabi</st1:place></st1:city>, was presented to us by Laura Stupin, finishing up the round of presentations. The city of <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Masdar</st1:place></st1:city> is a bold project, aimed at producing the first non-carbon, zero waste city in the world and Laura is currently working with the University there to establish an energy program that will be linked to D-lab in M.I.T. Exciting times!</p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFj21f0yTG2VKYVTtqpXqmhCPtfk5uKtGKXqNwtEwoP2_ByIdp8T-4PPWY5i_DdjqIpDtjLayZaxbbxbC8h2rQ-73J9FQhgkZpG6Y7nSCTKPR4mrhxa-8v_rwQvfd9xSRI1H73hkGGzIp/s1600-h/a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFj21f0yTG2VKYVTtqpXqmhCPtfk5uKtGKXqNwtEwoP2_ByIdp8T-4PPWY5i_DdjqIpDtjLayZaxbbxbC8h2rQ-73J9FQhgkZpG6Y7nSCTKPR4mrhxa-8v_rwQvfd9xSRI1H73hkGGzIp/s400/a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364714390718540546" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh41AMGOfaMcSUG8O7qKXEaINIkKd5srltM25G0hZhNtqBaaNV2CIuC45M5T65wnbDi8CivX2-v5J36W0QWDgR0A76rOwjsP9kOOIz29BVEi4HN7vHmaGDe2qLT8NN9FMboe3YX_wy6Jwtk/s1600-h/d.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh41AMGOfaMcSUG8O7qKXEaINIkKd5srltM25G0hZhNtqBaaNV2CIuC45M5T65wnbDi8CivX2-v5J36W0QWDgR0A76rOwjsP9kOOIz29BVEi4HN7vHmaGDe2qLT8NN9FMboe3YX_wy6Jwtk/s400/d.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364715537464882146" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJtu0bPno4l9PFMbrUCSTmyNtOd5qA_MGvzWdsEqV0-n3QiR-BlXO7jvoJGLq0jVRhBr_bQoXY2oc_-9TlrZs1ysmim72WHpmpXwXPe08KJjoIekWsj1R49c7jw15TWw_24ruaFx7u7z0T/s1600-h/c.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJtu0bPno4l9PFMbrUCSTmyNtOd5qA_MGvzWdsEqV0-n3QiR-BlXO7jvoJGLq0jVRhBr_bQoXY2oc_-9TlrZs1ysmim72WHpmpXwXPe08KJjoIekWsj1R49c7jw15TWw_24ruaFx7u7z0T/s400/c.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364715320031463442" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXzMeEDD7Zj40iinmfH07DcJz2NUtqjAK7ZZlK9ZNkyPdJwwpJ7ZfC_pi55okCQbg19zVBVPwtGLhYj08SiOS69tl7ULSs4IFV1d_gjFI-Xrtkc_JdgDVr-Wr4_uBb1MW0tx5ha2cs__bJ/s1600-h/b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXzMeEDD7Zj40iinmfH07DcJz2NUtqjAK7ZZlK9ZNkyPdJwwpJ7ZfC_pi55okCQbg19zVBVPwtGLhYj08SiOS69tl7ULSs4IFV1d_gjFI-Xrtkc_JdgDVr-Wr4_uBb1MW0tx5ha2cs__bJ/s400/b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364714631120581090" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Some of Carla's work</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9mkFk2jLWSpO78O9rfioaSoR0odFW8Upugdcv4f6L3l2Enh6bdGcLoW5iXO8tj0oYXFFXh58_yHymNhaW_6kg8HDfE5ahyphenhyphenLmWmEjTdpI6351V38iEt5WRBEW8-7LMpGcu-jnvLLqenwyS/s1600-h/f.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9mkFk2jLWSpO78O9rfioaSoR0odFW8Upugdcv4f6L3l2Enh6bdGcLoW5iXO8tj0oYXFFXh58_yHymNhaW_6kg8HDfE5ahyphenhyphenLmWmEjTdpI6351V38iEt5WRBEW8-7LMpGcu-jnvLLqenwyS/s400/f.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364716250840380354" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">An artists representation of the futuristic City of Masdar</span> </div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">I’m going to take this opportunity to shamelessly plug the start up clothing company that I presented on, Acts of Random Kindness Limited. We’re four Irish kids (all under 22) about to embark on a pretty exciting adventure. We’re a clothing company on a mission to spread and inspire kindness globally and have one simple, yet powerful idea. <span style="color:black;">Every time you wear the Λ° logo, you perform one Act of Random Kindness. Surprise your family with their favorite meal, take your best friend on a road trip, or just make a stranger's day by paying for their coffee. Kindness is the simple pursuit, no strings attached.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><br /></span></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9e4j4xRkvokA9Tad4Q7zORITno4S5Aw-Ltnum8H00vwk4-ycmIzNfaAWpLQUOeHQa-Yefo_DoZnasbnJzXDLAYJQqV0AK0L5udPhK2IZ_NuS-8nf3hMgBjCwdH0XgftkZkIkpc_2h2pl3/s1600-h/h.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 83px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9e4j4xRkvokA9Tad4Q7zORITno4S5Aw-Ltnum8H00vwk4-ycmIzNfaAWpLQUOeHQa-Yefo_DoZnasbnJzXDLAYJQqV0AK0L5udPhK2IZ_NuS-8nf3hMgBjCwdH0XgftkZkIkpc_2h2pl3/s400/h.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364717491260665266" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4NVilz4EmikqBysP2pOXv29oFiGVLgUntDqZ-PxxnqjwbLdT9VCoG3z_kVJ7fFtoXXFrJHOM7nvtk0AbYm8ACLBl5zng4drcRN70TG4B1w6nTHYPiKYSoAgGFvt4Iw9EBOXUd0KEZdZah/s1600-h/i.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 167px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4NVilz4EmikqBysP2pOXv29oFiGVLgUntDqZ-PxxnqjwbLdT9VCoG3z_kVJ7fFtoXXFrJHOM7nvtk0AbYm8ACLBl5zng4drcRN70TG4B1w6nTHYPiKYSoAgGFvt4Iw9EBOXUd0KEZdZah/s400/i.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364717597533154402" border="0" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="color:black;">1. What sucked?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="">A lack of human interaction between ordinary people on a daily basis, rampant apathy among young people, and people living only for themselves. Everything in life becoming a transaction!</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><i style=""><o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><o:p> </o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">2. What are we doing about it?<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="">Our company was set up in January of this year by an eighteen year old guy with a vision. We believe that through fashion, and through really cool t-shirts as the ‘hook’, we can help inspire a new generation who live to give. We’ll also be providing a means for people to get involved in larger, more tangible Ark’s that we hope will soon be having a positive impact on people all over the world!</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><i style=""><o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><o:p> </o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">To find out more about the movement visit our temporary website, <a href="http://www.arkchangeyourworld.com/">www.arkchangeyourworld.com</a>, soon to become <a href="http://www.arkhq.com/">www.arkHQ.com</a> in September, when we launch to the world!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Here’s a quote that I think sums up exactly what we’re attempting to do:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><o:p> </o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being</i></p><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="">~<br /></span></i></span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:100%;" >Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrxTcvygTlczZOwP3O6nIPCE9zpfwzTAN9o5hze0sCbi3RVSomPS4ZkW70M19XyN12MALWLTKriFakk0Hlbrc5tnsIezjvK-zKwIcOJMPHNHSVCq4762NzP6OsYVwpQ6m9ccspKkgrKcLI/s1600-h/j.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 303px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrxTcvygTlczZOwP3O6nIPCE9zpfwzTAN9o5hze0sCbi3RVSomPS4ZkW70M19XyN12MALWLTKriFakk0Hlbrc5tnsIezjvK-zKwIcOJMPHNHSVCq4762NzP6OsYVwpQ6m9ccspKkgrKcLI/s400/j.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364751968759345298" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Helping an old farmer cut turf for the weekend in the far West of Ireland</span><br /></div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPnP6KZgf5Yp4JKcUt4prgiSUACAcHvxKFLlSDFZLev_KK7ABwFCxg7Au-cqhH8bbHwjnIoy7JMgKIv31gio1cqm1l8cWGtFZxmPF9q3R79Vxqlsao9-glSbIdpLu0hQ3iHJOe_cROfIzA/s1600-h/j.jpg"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></a></p><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><p class="MsoNormal">Here’s an old Irish proverb that I think encapsulates a lot of what Paul has been preaching over the last few days:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal">You will never plow a field if you only turn it over in your mind.</p>Niall Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11952403116518338771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2862137322849438146.post-61758566583960235452009-07-21T05:35:00.000-07:002009-07-29T18:16:34.035-07:00Village Visit Two - Destination: KyeKyewere<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvong6s5g5IjHn5YUko5eQ7PHBUSTW6z_o4w1nt_d05KS8Rw6Wikrk9Ona4VXi2j73NVzO57cwMhm0g5ZZMC3IJvL5bcnD-h6_z3UFwKAFtpl9P2a7mjX8rYDxklMj7fCA6UVjtR8h1myO/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvong6s5g5IjHn5YUko5eQ7PHBUSTW6z_o4w1nt_d05KS8Rw6Wikrk9Ona4VXi2j73NVzO57cwMhm0g5ZZMC3IJvL5bcnD-h6_z3UFwKAFtpl9P2a7mjX8rYDxklMj7fCA6UVjtR8h1myO/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363940867057179298" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal">The rest of the teams began their respective odysseys this morning, with the earliest risers leaving the hostel at 8am. While the first visit had included some information gathering, a large part of the focus was still on cultural interaction, getting to know the people and learning the dynamics of how to make connections and contacts in the field. In the time between that visit and this, the teams have narrowed down the problems they are attempting to solve and as such, they were much more focused on idea sharing and field research on this village visit. Again, teams split into groups of two or three to help get as wide a spread of information as possible and some even brought some pretty interesting looking foam prototypes, to help explain their ideas!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><o:p> </o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I personally was lucky enough to be traveling with the groups taking the trip to the nearby villages in the Ashanti Region; Adumkrom, Agyereago and Kyekyewere. Packing all our utensils, mosquito nets, food supplies, mattresses and twenty or so bodies into a fairly compact tro tro (the small min-bus which is the most prevalent form of transport here in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Kumasi</st1:place></st1:city>) will definitely be remembered as one of the highlights of my IDDS experience. Throw in a broken door, some rope ties and two unnecessary companions to the driver in the front seat, and you had a right merry party making their way northwards from <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Kumasi</st1:place></st1:city>. At one point, two of our mattresses fell off the roof and we had to rely on some Ghanaian goodwill and a trailing car to catch up with us and give them back!</p><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8ca3b8hzzjXPELZmdNTFconEUw2VffCSylJ3DgwonkxR76idoYYhefbYfKjsWztqNVwI-HI3sQ1L0AYkBt7JgMCxLmV0RL4gLZzvGKeKIhHmx2931mvIaJAT3JJx4DhKPBsPQA_xWsCz/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8ca3b8hzzjXPELZmdNTFconEUw2VffCSylJ3DgwonkxR76idoYYhefbYfKjsWztqNVwI-HI3sQ1L0AYkBt7JgMCxLmV0RL4gLZzvGKeKIhHmx2931mvIaJAT3JJx4DhKPBsPQA_xWsCz/s400/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363507264712318898" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Mangwasi team had to get out and push to get to their village!</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8qZqphGAKPFeYYXd1hWGSIqTjLOIO4zhADHochtCKAJHgDrSmE03Te25vne2YiNW0vIqOZSNj0E4NvUBkREq0yowsZe4tKWCLFcOcaFhUJ9L_z3C57kWnPs6yfDWnI3ZIpQhcLxVboB4E/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8qZqphGAKPFeYYXd1hWGSIqTjLOIO4zhADHochtCKAJHgDrSmE03Te25vne2YiNW0vIqOZSNj0E4NvUBkREq0yowsZe4tKWCLFcOcaFhUJ9L_z3C57kWnPs6yfDWnI3ZIpQhcLxVboB4E/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363146943140943426" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">This helped put our own transport troubles in context</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxPDqwBTqihhBg60Gk_lFGMgd9kjchA6mCX-8RTsKb9XFJUJeHLYpiMnHTPyvuw206x3lp88mL28gfwd29ul7Yp3g5qTDxAwLWAO2fBl7R9NlOUQkK704H0hLyIvbkVmk1W3ZjsyhJE5Ky/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxPDqwBTqihhBg60Gk_lFGMgd9kjchA6mCX-8RTsKb9XFJUJeHLYpiMnHTPyvuw206x3lp88mL28gfwd29ul7Yp3g5qTDxAwLWAO2fBl7R9NlOUQkK704H0hLyIvbkVmk1W3ZjsyhJE5Ky/s400/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363510634882069426" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Northern Region of Ghana</span><br /></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Our first stop was Konongo, the district capital of the region. Each team had a different agenda and the water plant, the hospital clinic, the school and the market were some of the various destinations that comprised the two helter skelter hours we spent here. Casserdy and Amber took a visit to the school to get some ideas from the children as to the problems they currently faced with the latrines in the area while the newly titled Cool Storage Team travelled around the market, finding out information about the vegetables on sale and seeing the speed with which they go to waste. I personally tagged along with the Cool Storage team, and for some reason I couldn’t quite put my finger on, provided a huge amount of amusement for the market women!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">After a brief drop off of the Adumkrom team, we made our way back to Konongo to pick up the ICT group, busy at work in the medical clinic. The ICT team are working on a project to come up with a low cost machine that can weigh and measure babies and then provide an SMS technology attached, that mothers or health workers could then transmit this information by text message to a health clinic that may not be easily accessible. Walking into an open plan room at the back of the clinic, we were met with quite a sight. Evan Wheeler, a UNICEF employee working on the ICT team, squirmed around on the ground, acting the part of unruly child, as two of the nurses attempted to measure him using the team’s rapidly crafted foam prototype! Miguel, a team member studying at the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">University</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename st="on">Sao Paolo</st1:placename></st1:place> was absolutely glowing when I talked to him afterwards, buzzing about his very own first hand experience of co-creation in action.</p><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9hf6x4bBeWzouMKV3km9GzSKJ7bMk0PXUPlnbUYw76dDl1c7Z9t74ZJPTq3eDfJukWAe-k0UTdRAnZ9FGgTC2cLhHYpqPXT2-YDw8nJpL4faaYeL0EqHYh_Hb73BaIwrkgHOkEoeCAYw2/s1600-h/2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9hf6x4bBeWzouMKV3km9GzSKJ7bMk0PXUPlnbUYw76dDl1c7Z9t74ZJPTq3eDfJukWAe-k0UTdRAnZ9FGgTC2cLhHYpqPXT2-YDw8nJpL4faaYeL0EqHYh_Hb73BaIwrkgHOkEoeCAYw2/s400/2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363685694946202866" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">This little girl looked absolutely petrified by the whole situation</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-2EU-r_b0uaZIAifId9BF5LN5Kt5HJj7EPZjoBHsnvVW1g0BZPGHUbCJJ1-Ai0jTH6MMPzVEYL94Z2IIXmhgsdFdSpQCkFTfB7W1_InLO059MMmfYSL6fJ3zzhaCac5G_BlyRLOgI_Bes/s1600-h/1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-2EU-r_b0uaZIAifId9BF5LN5Kt5HJj7EPZjoBHsnvVW1g0BZPGHUbCJJ1-Ai0jTH6MMPzVEYL94Z2IIXmhgsdFdSpQCkFTfB7W1_InLO059MMmfYSL6fJ3zzhaCac5G_BlyRLOgI_Bes/s400/1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363685584806552354" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Evan seemed to be enjoying the process much more!</span><br /></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">There was definitely a major feel good factor in the bus as we made our way to our next port of call, Agyereago. We alighted to about fifty children running forward to grab us and welcome us to their village and an impromptu game of Frisbee quickly ensued. Realizing just how many kids were playing (almost a hundred) and our limited resources (we had one Frisbee) we decided to call the enthusiasm filled but slightly manic game short and we set off exploring around the village. Tombo and I were escorted by some of the kids to look at the crops the villagers farm and just about managed to survive the physical assault as each of the kids tried to grab a hand. We all reconvened for a sumptuous feast prepared by one of the village women, and were just tucking in to some Jollof Rice when we realized that we had managed to lose Jose! A frantic few minutes followed but all was soon resolved – turned out he just wanted to find some corn.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">We were just preparing for the next leg of our journey when we were called to an urgent meeting with the chief of the village. Agyereago has quite a complicated power structure at present, with rival chiefs, a committee, and absentee chiefs all thrown into the mix. During our first village visit here a week and a half ago, as well as our reconnaissance visits before the start of the conference proper, the chief was not present and thus was not informed about the IDDS vision or mission. As a result, when he eventually showed up, he was more than a little perturbed by the large group of foreigners settling in to his village. What followed was one of the tensest meetings I’ve ever sat through, made all the more intimidating by the austere expression on the chief’s face, and the ominous sound of Fu-Fu pounding which formed the backdrop to our conversation. Thankfully it seemed the stern look was just a front, as the translation quickly revealed that he was actually delighted at our presence in the village, and looking forward to working with us in the future!</p><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigsD5l9lYbR9kAXBMsr-37ZQ1uuIe_aKddTb423Vyvy55OLkWUkEE0MQdTQkNmRweHxSEorgigVowmKjcZw0SVHfHvlK6pRW_LpLO0bc5aN4HjI_B-xHq3MSpSsEP3Etd5vZeYS8_MgZ6Y/s1600-h/4.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigsD5l9lYbR9kAXBMsr-37ZQ1uuIe_aKddTb423Vyvy55OLkWUkEE0MQdTQkNmRweHxSEorgigVowmKjcZw0SVHfHvlK6pRW_LpLO0bc5aN4HjI_B-xHq3MSpSsEP3Etd5vZeYS8_MgZ6Y/s400/4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363686055866336866" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Evan and Sam check out Agyereago</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-8DQqDYp5tSlS7gpNBxrPnDqrtlgsdEahAefvx-iyWsLaXvOjPvuhip6M9MgVjfNl1qS_e1bxL1bfuQfVV47TYJPbV5_1UoHMlGJh6iwD4bUyo_SnERZ_4hCuGaaUYnkZIuNXhtM3UjZG/s1600-h/3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-8DQqDYp5tSlS7gpNBxrPnDqrtlgsdEahAefvx-iyWsLaXvOjPvuhip6M9MgVjfNl1qS_e1bxL1bfuQfVV47TYJPbV5_1UoHMlGJh6iwD4bUyo_SnERZ_4hCuGaaUYnkZIuNXhtM3UjZG/s400/3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363685887307631250" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Miguel is mobbed by a group of kids</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqGBmor8BQhK7sOAqnwHeACy69jdEH_PjEhVkuSYF_aP_WHcRh0r7y8sOm0AUqsL6zVAp96NF1-qRU-jvt23ilqLVcPdjq1EXp0tnfRIdkxtNRt8o_FDrv9zpcMGHmGNbxuByZgkp-IaKx/s1600-h/5.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqGBmor8BQhK7sOAqnwHeACy69jdEH_PjEhVkuSYF_aP_WHcRh0r7y8sOm0AUqsL6zVAp96NF1-qRU-jvt23ilqLVcPdjq1EXp0tnfRIdkxtNRt8o_FDrv9zpcMGHmGNbxuByZgkp-IaKx/s400/5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363686197071170290" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Jose, thankfully re-united with the group!</span><br /></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">We eventually left Agyereago, tired and emotional, and less than ten minutes ride along a bumpy road left us in what would be my personal home for the evening, Kyekyewere. We arrived just after dark, which wasn’t ideal as it meant that our meeting with the village chief would have to wait until the morning. Despite our tardiness, we were graciously received by the villagers and served a tasty mix of palava sauce and Yam, accompanied by an almost cloudless sky. Kyekyewere is bereft of electricity but the brilliant thing about this is that after 7pm it is quite simply impossible to get much work done, and thus there is a clear sense of community as the village comes together after a hard day’s work. In our case, we sat around outside our home for a couple of hours, telling stories and learning some softly sung Ghanaian tunes, taught to us by our village liaison, Niimo.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">After this peaceful interlude, it was time to get to work. We rose early in the morning and soon after, the Cool Storage team met with the chiefs in our village to discuss their project. As we were being introduced it became apparent that one of the committee members was the exact type of tomato farmer that the team wanted to talk to, quite a stroke of luck! The team, with their conversation specialist Tombo Banda leading the way, spent the next hour or so quizzing the farmer about his tomato crop, how he brings them to market and the amounts he loses to waste on every trip. They even ended on a quick business proposal, seeing whether he would be willing to pay for their cooling and storage device, and if so how much!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Meanwhile, the ICT team were busy at work over in Agyereago. Another stroke of fortune had fallen their way, it was baby weighing day at the village! As a result they could see the process first hand, rather than simply asking questions about it. Evan even got to weigh and change a baby himself and this obviously provided a steady flow of banter from the nurses and health workers on duty. After quickly taking the van over to Conongo to pick up Jessica and Stephen from the Local Chlorine Production team, we settled in for our second Jollof Rice meal of the trip. In our conversations with the owner of the household, Stephen learned that a water dam had been built by another Englishman from <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Manchester</st1:place></st1:city>, over twenty years ago. He and his teammate spent the rest of the afternoon investigating this, and the nearby water treatment plant, while the rest of us split into two groups to perform the hotly anticipated technology demonstration.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">After our last set of village visits we had talked about the need to have something much more interactive to help transmit our vision to the villagers, and eventually we settled on the demonstration of how to make a corn sheller our of sheet metal, a device developed by Amy herself.<span style=""> </span>Each team had packed their little kit of tools and jigs with them and it was definitely a part of the visit that we had all been looking forward to immensely. In villages around the country, community meeting were being called to notify people about the impending demonstration, and by the time we started, there was a sizeable crowd ready to witness what we had to show. Miguel, Evan, Paulina and I had done a dry run ourselves just before, just to make sure we didn’t make complete asses of ourselves in front of the whole village.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">We brought our finished product (“here’s one we made earlier”) out with us and started by checking in with the villagers about how they currently go about getting the corn off the cob. After this we demonstrated our model and while expressing huge admiration for it, the villagers just wanted us to give them the one we had created. After explaining our tools a little more clearly, we started to show one of the men how to make the design. It quickly became apparent that he was far more skilled with his hands than any of us and within ten minutes, he had another fully working prototype to show the crowd. We made a presentation of some more sheet metal (already cut into the ten inch pieces necessary for the design) and the jigs, and we hope that by the next visit the village will be much more heavily populated with corn shellers. What really grabbed the villagers attention was the elegance of the design and the simplicity with which it could be put together (even an English major could do it!), as well as the huge amount of time it will help shave off the process in the future.</p><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8nwZoEC0tKzUtjh3nfR54hgZG8z6HssxcmqAWKJ01ip0Tdkr6U03t5er-oTzojVRfiJuFg-mCuKKs6KKhJIzrcg3x-TPaNLTXJf5plUsmhpvBWw1dyl57sLWXVR_ijw6pmRozvegSLiN/s1600-h/5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8nwZoEC0tKzUtjh3nfR54hgZG8z6HssxcmqAWKJ01ip0Tdkr6U03t5er-oTzojVRfiJuFg-mCuKKs6KKhJIzrcg3x-TPaNLTXJf5plUsmhpvBWw1dyl57sLWXVR_ijw6pmRozvegSLiN/s400/5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363509444762126386" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Everyone gathering around for the demonstration in Mangwasi</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1yojW2QSTzvNW0O0Wd6-w4s13xxB47f6JdudsXTQ16suloHoEFuq2QAm563Yi8Ay9lWDrVrNVuvUTWDyyPQoufW9bYvfU7VfbsFiauzH4IBA7p6aCtCUFMJMg1-aFo8tGBVKsnsqZqmxr/s1600-h/4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1yojW2QSTzvNW0O0Wd6-w4s13xxB47f6JdudsXTQ16suloHoEFuq2QAm563Yi8Ay9lWDrVrNVuvUTWDyyPQoufW9bYvfU7VfbsFiauzH4IBA7p6aCtCUFMJMg1-aFo8tGBVKsnsqZqmxr/s400/4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363508773083236290" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The chief's own pretty inventive, if a little dangerous, solution to the problem</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZSTnYjS63IqwTHEKyLruSvbM0x5rWfxZpc82HkuSg0-13xfQNsDwBP9PkpigM6TuzB0LDRRJlNdLBX0Bf1fy9YFgQsDFK5YyaGiFjDq-TrqZU_eHvfFkPZYYY96UV5I2h1j7lBZj9WrON/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZSTnYjS63IqwTHEKyLruSvbM0x5rWfxZpc82HkuSg0-13xfQNsDwBP9PkpigM6TuzB0LDRRJlNdLBX0Bf1fy9YFgQsDFK5YyaGiFjDq-TrqZU_eHvfFkPZYYY96UV5I2h1j7lBZj9WrON/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363507678690867442" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Benjamin introduces the Cassava Processing team's idea to the group</span><br /></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Again, the buzz on our return to the hostel was quite infectious, as teams shared information about their projects, and attempted to outdo each other with stories from the past few days. I checked in with the rice de-stoning team and it seems they had the biggest adventure of the whole group. Their trek to the Northern Region took them all the way to the lawless, rough terrained no-man’s land between <st1:country-region st="on">Ghana</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Burkina Faso</st1:place></st1:country-region> and even included an altercation with a crocodile! They came across some great information for their project too though, and they are beginning to narrow their problem down to figuring our a way to thresh rice, rather than focusing on the de-stoning aspect. Their team, and all the others, got to bed pretty early in preparation for a day of Entrepreneurship sessions with the effervescent Paul Hudnut. We were lucky enough to have Paul on our visit to the Ashanti Region, and he’s excited about getting the participants thinking about the how to design their potential prototypes for the market!</p><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgog48FAhvU2iof4ErY-KkH69gNCV8NKrVY7HCL67Xif80i9gwKJrvyt7bSFtr7cHk_WwVI3dVDOzkcJtXBebYWySX9o3bgkNb-83uZr3HGUL7C9DLnrEkMYHtnfzxsWvf6lV_SqzymNuWy/s1600-h/4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgog48FAhvU2iof4ErY-KkH69gNCV8NKrVY7HCL67Xif80i9gwKJrvyt7bSFtr7cHk_WwVI3dVDOzkcJtXBebYWySX9o3bgkNb-83uZr3HGUL7C9DLnrEkMYHtnfzxsWvf6lV_SqzymNuWy/s400/4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363511245280570834" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Hazwan looks like he doesn't quite know who talked him into this...</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjijAqdmy8g9mHrVOStXGkeorImxYrW4QgEHmS45sSkmdYtWBcmY9awn8G1Mul5n9uTIsJdZT18tW4c1NVkidsVsip4uhKYq7EbCP6Q7mYpS3nTYkVBPQWhlyECrFaL4ZSCBWyBXdhX2gpw/s1600-h/3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjijAqdmy8g9mHrVOStXGkeorImxYrW4QgEHmS45sSkmdYtWBcmY9awn8G1Mul5n9uTIsJdZT18tW4c1NVkidsVsip4uhKYq7EbCP6Q7mYpS3nTYkVBPQWhlyECrFaL4ZSCBWyBXdhX2gpw/s400/3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363510996166896290" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Sule and Geoff do some information gathering </span><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAUEoPx40zzash1sylJjPT8ATO_UdxBY0QVKvAw8mbnSHXQMmQaMEaNMDIo0VOqojXrnCciNzRkpIlVLe7LY2Z0nailmL_fC1eKpeMVRbBOM5-FaF813wcC8UcgOHd9xCuh4nNprIpjf-b/s1600-h/6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAUEoPx40zzash1sylJjPT8ATO_UdxBY0QVKvAw8mbnSHXQMmQaMEaNMDIo0VOqojXrnCciNzRkpIlVLe7LY2Z0nailmL_fC1eKpeMVRbBOM5-FaF813wcC8UcgOHd9xCuh4nNprIpjf-b/s400/6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363962037502124274" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Newsflash! - Rice De Stoning team tames crocodile!</span><br /></div>Niall Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11952403116518338771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2862137322849438146.post-355687648458580952009-07-19T05:23:00.000-07:002009-07-29T16:47:20.496-07:00Taking a trip to Suame Magazine<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidByz2DGoBYqd8dvh5_nlA7XuKauk6NuXYzA3fWS-TkOyfe-dYqjEQ7mjJ4-7c2iaVcWjDTV6icuYfZ0rbm7L50BMUztUsptjbEf4TAcP-9tL3Rtg83J0CLc3ptSvsyVgsXdfTPRMlHIk9/s1600-h/12.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidByz2DGoBYqd8dvh5_nlA7XuKauk6NuXYzA3fWS-TkOyfe-dYqjEQ7mjJ4-7c2iaVcWjDTV6icuYfZ0rbm7L50BMUztUsptjbEf4TAcP-9tL3Rtg83J0CLc3ptSvsyVgsXdfTPRMlHIk9/s400/12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361262012990316786" border="0" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">After a week spent mainly in the KCCR Seminar room and the Tek Hostel, it was time to take a trip into the heart of <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Kumasi</st1:place></st1:city>, where the teams will be doing much of their work over the next few weeks. The participants were thrilled to finally get to see the fabled Suame Magazine, of which they have heard so much about over the past ten days. Our destination for the day was the Intermediate Technology Transfer Unit, in the heart of the Magazine. This is the working home of Crossman, and it was clear to see how delighted he was to be showing us around the place he is happiest in, the workshop! </p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2MwLW47JhNkeyh1awdcSt8JgBL_EKS6FwahiMMncj4QDe3YzRW7DbVdxx_uARqdtG1VWLwSDX73lKZ95z9PpR-cnEAeTESZ-hIBnJTFDRomdqFdsxIgwRvJQeQgZD07eZEep_i-hEmjg/s1600-h/11.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2MwLW47JhNkeyh1awdcSt8JgBL_EKS6FwahiMMncj4QDe3YzRW7DbVdxx_uARqdtG1VWLwSDX73lKZ95z9PpR-cnEAeTESZ-hIBnJTFDRomdqFdsxIgwRvJQeQgZD07eZEep_i-hEmjg/s400/11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361261888823486642" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;">Imagine 100,000 men like this, all working within a 20k radius of each other<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25LDs9zTaFP3fzWkWr9UComwMF0CCweFAPm1EXNaxiCUJEoRVDExj3wtxr7aPpaNKag67Obi7NMywiluHoZre0XguP0QtMB2fB11i31sAmbfbQR8fQp0fFhDWDsQWhyWky6LAzkFpAl1W/s1600-h/10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25LDs9zTaFP3fzWkWr9UComwMF0CCweFAPm1EXNaxiCUJEoRVDExj3wtxr7aPpaNKag67Obi7NMywiluHoZre0XguP0QtMB2fB11i31sAmbfbQR8fQp0fFhDWDsQWhyWky6LAzkFpAl1W/s400/10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361261722888919810" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">A typical Suame workshop storeroom</span><br /></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Crossman himself gave us an introduction into the history behind the I.T.T.U. and how the centre came into existence. He told us that we were still “on KNUST soil” and the collaboration between these ingenious artisans from Suame and eager students from the University is perhaps the defining feature of <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Kumasi</st1:place></st1:city>, and a small example of how co-creation can work at a localized level. The I.T.T.U. functions as a go-between in a sense as a means of making sure that technologies and techniques developed at the University make their way into the community. We also had the chance to meet the workshop managers we will be working with in the coming weeks and of course to try out some of the machinery on offer. A quick trip into the centre of the Magazine to ask some questions was to follow before heading into downtown <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Kumasi</st1:place></st1:city> to pick up some materials for the projects, and some basic food supplies for the suites!</p><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3UK6sUTXYgEvFAQGca-LyPIQRgPgx_ZVT26w8zQ8OWERY5xubfOiA6ogbW91IASvdO89jWLI-BnLeDwmGkS0MlZAczMmOoyv7axAerfb6Mte3KjaGz1vlkyuPXhWh9jpSUF_wZi8OnwjC/s1600-h/5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3UK6sUTXYgEvFAQGca-LyPIQRgPgx_ZVT26w8zQ8OWERY5xubfOiA6ogbW91IASvdO89jWLI-BnLeDwmGkS0MlZAczMmOoyv7axAerfb6Mte3KjaGz1vlkyuPXhWh9jpSUF_wZi8OnwjC/s400/5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361260499335889314" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Crossman in full flow</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLe4OnoPTjjg7HeqYT4SCfIfr_QYg-DqIiooCL5xPbmWN1HmQGWZgVgjmGoguuy8cpj65IsyepMMsfyrE0Y5RwDB26Em8mtdQ8gHDeT1wR3c5W-dt7nug6CJUXR9o7enmbl-VX2wM7EiK/s1600-h/9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLe4OnoPTjjg7HeqYT4SCfIfr_QYg-DqIiooCL5xPbmWN1HmQGWZgVgjmGoguuy8cpj65IsyepMMsfyrE0Y5RwDB26Em8mtdQ8gHDeT1wR3c5W-dt7nug6CJUXR9o7enmbl-VX2wM7EiK/s400/9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361261259865194098" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Amy shares a joke with Miniver and Loveness</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho4M2eoFMxSwc_6o6FClWloZtLk-jEOi2_8H31jTH3XYrLzHrabB11yBWxqUOKiRRAyUEasLCaAgx8akC1W_5R6L1QIZDpofwbQ3lNvgPq7g5YOGBEFVVxa9doUScR_-Xk_hgGo3lEBYd5/s1600-h/8.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho4M2eoFMxSwc_6o6FClWloZtLk-jEOi2_8H31jTH3XYrLzHrabB11yBWxqUOKiRRAyUEasLCaAgx8akC1W_5R6L1QIZDpofwbQ3lNvgPq7g5YOGBEFVVxa9doUScR_-Xk_hgGo3lEBYd5/s400/8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361261081367190562" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Grabbing some lunch</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiqC-VdOzVsCC0FgB8CF7_Tkr3u5awD-d8y-oUhUdx0aoww-35ZrA7U3tntrWXgUc4fB93_b1kKDT1JWzlT3eHYpE0PQ8SlhVUJaZifhMowUE5rJiMd1dtG37x9M0_arCCf-g5PwVLb4ew/s1600-h/6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiqC-VdOzVsCC0FgB8CF7_Tkr3u5awD-d8y-oUhUdx0aoww-35ZrA7U3tntrWXgUc4fB93_b1kKDT1JWzlT3eHYpE0PQ8SlhVUJaZifhMowUE5rJiMd1dtG37x9M0_arCCf-g5PwVLb4ew/s400/6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361260797579826898" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">They didn't even pose for this shot, they were just THAT happy to be at Suame</span><br /></div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJezB7gq8b9AEYSExd1ucl7tF-vT9-2o_J94CEN2QGu5avuiugQwJY1DcLxmUBBUigu2FPWvP4DdQxLX8itBKmhbrtSQfra5K6-yhfBlYYO18fvDm5o0CE_uWapNbWgV6gIDcrPcXtrxfT/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJezB7gq8b9AEYSExd1ucl7tF-vT9-2o_J94CEN2QGu5avuiugQwJY1DcLxmUBBUigu2FPWvP4DdQxLX8itBKmhbrtSQfra5K6-yhfBlYYO18fvDm5o0CE_uWapNbWgV6gIDcrPcXtrxfT/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361259781389647266" border="0" /></a><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Downtown traffic</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The participants had the rest of the weekend off to let off some steam get to know both the surrounding area and their fellow participants a little better. The group headed down to the campus pool that evening for some ice cream, music, diving and a new and exciting (if worrying barbarous) game of gutter ball. If anyone is having trouble understanding what this gutter ball consists of, simply try putting water polo and anarchy together and you should have the gist of it pretty quickly.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The next morning, battered and bruised but surprisingly refreshed, the participants had the chance to head on some excursions on Sunday morning. Our trip to the lake was scuppered by the inefficiencies of the Ghanaian transport system but thankfully this didn’t prohibit us from visiting the palace of the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Ashanti</st1:place></st1:country-region> king. Since the late 17<sup>th</sup> Century the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Ashanti</st1:place></st1:country-region> region has had a kingship in place and the system has remained in place, even through colonialism and right up until the present day. The parliament and the kingship each have a share of authority and this system, and the history of the <st1:country-region st="on">Ashanti</st1:country-region> region, is one of the main reasons why <st1:country-region st="on">the region</st1:country-region> is perhaps one of the most stable in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Africa</st1:place></st1:country-region>. When Kwame Kkrumah led the country to independence in the late 1950’s, they had the tools ready at hand for restructuring and rebuilding their country’s political system, something which many previously tribe based countries in Africa simply didn’t have access to.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Some of our teams set off on their second village visits today, to explore further the country we have been learning so much about. One of the teams in particular, the Rice De-Stoning team, are going to get to see more of the country than any others. On their first village visit they realized that none of the villages IDDS has been working with farm rice and as such, the information they needed simply wasn’t available. In typical IDDS fashion they have simply adapted their approach and set off this morning at 8am for the Northern Region, and the border between <st1:country-region st="on">Ghana</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Burkina Faso</st1:place></st1:country-region>! In the villages in the far North of the country rice is one of the most prevalent crops farmed, so hopefully they can return with the information they need, as well as a story or two!</p>Niall Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11952403116518338771noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2862137322849438146.post-29780169760557069472009-07-17T18:48:00.000-07:002009-07-28T18:37:05.150-07:00Problem Framing and Designing for the Other 90%<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3zkNTk4ZD9RYVv9yTnUqdDu4yYy3StYZ4JBwmCVldZY_I8moyh4CzPcQqwSPir7Zw8zVgQDh31oJvX4B3o2tjpinKaXIBJKVU-iE83TVxOvAy_QToSU6y3NU5IeIDXx76_dPBEywcSByH/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3zkNTk4ZD9RYVv9yTnUqdDu4yYy3StYZ4JBwmCVldZY_I8moyh4CzPcQqwSPir7Zw8zVgQDh31oJvX4B3o2tjpinKaXIBJKVU-iE83TVxOvAy_QToSU6y3NU5IeIDXx76_dPBEywcSByH/s400/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361255654516503650" border="0" /></a><br />There was no rest for the participants, fresh from their first village visit, as as they dove straight into the design process the following morning. The week consisted of sessions for the participants to equip themselves with the tools necessary to frame their design challenges into smaller, more manageable problems. Once this has been achieved, it is our hope that the teams can then go on and solve these problems, over the course of the five week summit.<br /><br />After this initial morning session giving an introduction into how to frame their problem, and a quick tour of the campus library, it was time for the annual IDDS photo. We quickly arranged ourselves into an impressive ‘IDDS 2009’ formation on the campus lawn and were put through our spatially related paces by Crossman, directing operations from the fifth floor of the library terrace. All set to go, we almost forgot that the man himself had to be in the picture! After this jolly interlude, it was time for a quick bite to eat, before hearing from Paul Polak, the key note speaker for the afternoon.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGNxw2dSFbbccLz_hwZI3KeCG3-Z0vftYNyALZzqKTgS6ZO7M2iFdKXiyPIDRv9bS5Adc2lOsTumZG1QkfOE2vEtJGGuwP2joQh1GxuOo_D1Gii6qrl0-qMQklLLkM0MGdevsxYLwkP0qy/s1600-h/3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGNxw2dSFbbccLz_hwZI3KeCG3-Z0vftYNyALZzqKTgS6ZO7M2iFdKXiyPIDRv9bS5Adc2lOsTumZG1QkfOE2vEtJGGuwP2joQh1GxuOo_D1Gii6qrl0-qMQklLLkM0MGdevsxYLwkP0qy/s400/3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361255473220601666" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Prasanta, of Small Scale Energy Storage, gives his point of view</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihzyCDkM9l7jVak9E3oM1NLW5AsK7RpCZ5iNyt9DVYR_Q9wlJ9buMdJdVab74B-_tz-KzkPqgZAmDdFLfml7aXkM5atLDG5ms_SwQfDqOhY2dtEVRoQxRu_CcwIcBjrA66AQX6vfswjWfQ/s1600-h/20090714_LibraryTour_056.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihzyCDkM9l7jVak9E3oM1NLW5AsK7RpCZ5iNyt9DVYR_Q9wlJ9buMdJdVab74B-_tz-KzkPqgZAmDdFLfml7aXkM5atLDG5ms_SwQfDqOhY2dtEVRoQxRu_CcwIcBjrA66AQX6vfswjWfQ/s400/20090714_LibraryTour_056.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360368815397746178" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Meg peruses some of the library's extensive reading materials</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUgFDswqGK-lbeAebyZdZ_tLEHO4BDqrGt2kzmXoDafMFxgcOaAdjCCST4YUeShzaOrRZ4KU6FGoUU36eAc6Q-2PsL0km9dRVnb6eyj8arQ-DnSZvDgQLTkv1mBZu-oCCUPdx3PpCCB45N/s1600-h/pic+outside+library.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUgFDswqGK-lbeAebyZdZ_tLEHO4BDqrGt2kzmXoDafMFxgcOaAdjCCST4YUeShzaOrRZ4KU6FGoUU36eAc6Q-2PsL0km9dRVnb6eyj8arQ-DnSZvDgQLTkv1mBZu-oCCUPdx3PpCCB45N/s400/pic+outside+library.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360366687982016914" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The group together outside the library</span><br /></div><br />Paul was the founder of International Development Enterprises (IDE) and is also the author of “Out of Poverty”, a book each participant received in their welcome packet to IDDS. He has been involved in the summit since it’s inception in 2007 and his input is always helpful in providing a clear cut example of a sustainable business model for Designing for the Other 90%. He spoke on his experience with introducing treadle pumps to India, and the ways in which IDE employed the user based design model to make the product affordable and applicable in the local context. His mantra, that one needs to ‘talk to at least 50 villagers’ before even thinking about designing a physical product, seems to hold even more resonance this year, given that our participants have just returned from doing just that this weekend.<br /><br />In the afternoon the teams split into their individual groups to attempt to begin to apply what they had learned to their specific design challenge. The talk on problem framing was particularly relevant for some teams, such as Small Scale Energy Storage, as they really need to do a lot of work in narrowing down the focus of their quite open ended design challenge. Working towards completing the problem framing presentations which they would present to the group on Wednesday evening, the teams started to narrow down their projects, with the hope of identifying one particular challenge that was more pressing than the others.<br /><br />The first batch of participant presentations was to follow, and the first to step up to the plate were Brian Wilson, Prasanta Biswal and Rajnish Jain. Brian gave a hugely interesting talk on the low cost stove that his company, Envirofit, have been working on before Prasanta gave us some insights into the work he does at SELCO. Rajnish had the tough task of following these two but his start up enterprise in the Himalayas, AVANI, provided more than worthy subject matter. The grassroots development organization, established by he and his wife over twenty years ago, focuses on developing and implementing a wide range of appropriate technologies into the local rural communities. Technologies like solar and biomass energy, water harvesting and recycling, cultivation and processing of silk have now been taken on by the youth in these communities as a source of future livelihood.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicRr6kmIi0iSb6yvwsZ5JoTLiwZX7Z8tzlMlWl8Uu2zCyR_MX6bkMGQnIaXoz38sKQPmW3vpK0_oyagpesQ8NpgXykpq9wS_evsyiiNcN-kw1jK4BhiYl-ruLe3B_yoD1V1kv-6eCQkS_C/s1600-h/4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicRr6kmIi0iSb6yvwsZ5JoTLiwZX7Z8tzlMlWl8Uu2zCyR_MX6bkMGQnIaXoz38sKQPmW3vpK0_oyagpesQ8NpgXykpq9wS_evsyiiNcN-kw1jK4BhiYl-ruLe3B_yoD1V1kv-6eCQkS_C/s400/4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361255092176662354" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Radikha, of the Kid Friendly Latrine team, talks design with Paul Polak</span><br /></div><br />The hostel parking lot then played host to the annual IDDS Charcoal Demonstration, performed by our very own self confessed pyromaniac, Amy Smith. The process for this demonstration began weeks ago with Amy, Ela and Laura collecting used corn cobs from the side of the road, and to see these waste items eventually transformed into usable charcoal briquettes seemed a perfect example of just how much sense appropriate technology makes. The biomass process involves using heat to carbonize dried corn cobs and bamboo and Amy was hopeful the results would leave ample charcoal with which to fuel our barbeque on Wednesday evening. All the while, Brian Wilson had been demonstrating the Envirofit cook stove across the yard, which resulted in quite the spectacle outside the Tek Credit Union Hostel!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIvRmhrqNSGJgxRHl7MScpb3xcQRHv-rusmcZCSPtceOSPiWyMH2YXYUUGHIgD8x5y-J2xfDDt4qBWN-m0y4llmm1nsTlfPI5fILtzrKX4ac3z3o_7gZzxfS1_nN29yaUCrRQzU6tyK8BR/s1600-h/20090714_CharPrep_035.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIvRmhrqNSGJgxRHl7MScpb3xcQRHv-rusmcZCSPtceOSPiWyMH2YXYUUGHIgD8x5y-J2xfDDt4qBWN-m0y4llmm1nsTlfPI5fILtzrKX4ac3z3o_7gZzxfS1_nN29yaUCrRQzU6tyK8BR/s400/20090714_CharPrep_035.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360368377919965890" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Amy and Kofi fan the flames</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLzsWp3Lehfz239tdKdZlOXcK3MZUqWke5F3WNc87HDo_moUJ6lvjmbie8gu9WRYqWG1MVO1WfKdipV0xw_cV3qfQN8KcHWL2tWa8Ydk9sQ32eMhz8yKN9yMw7ShAvPqeLSia4ljLx9aEk/s1600-h/20090714_CharPrep_017.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLzsWp3Lehfz239tdKdZlOXcK3MZUqWke5F3WNc87HDo_moUJ6lvjmbie8gu9WRYqWG1MVO1WfKdipV0xw_cV3qfQN8KcHWL2tWa8Ydk9sQ32eMhz8yKN9yMw7ShAvPqeLSia4ljLx9aEk/s400/20090714_CharPrep_017.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360369619641457922" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The flames lick the underside of our homemade biogas digester</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht2jygG6MWy3oKF41MfLiNyEmLxZwlsmiBI7mbp5RVcHmMh5OV-SvEMHABLV_5q79pNTJIH2_3wzjvfEzo433nibhIF69RX9RTTmDfWuokGp69ejBlwVy-EISUCbXnv4ziUAyre1aiYD9F/s1600-h/20090714_CharcoalDemo_088.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht2jygG6MWy3oKF41MfLiNyEmLxZwlsmiBI7mbp5RVcHmMh5OV-SvEMHABLV_5q79pNTJIH2_3wzjvfEzo433nibhIF69RX9RTTmDfWuokGp69ejBlwVy-EISUCbXnv4ziUAyre1aiYD9F/s400/20090714_CharcoalDemo_088.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360368584121874642" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Brian Wilson's Envirofit Stove</span><br /></div><br />The following day culminated in the Problem Framing presentations, given by each of the teams on their progress so far, and the problems they believe they are facing. After a healthy dose of lectures from Ben and Harald about the virtues of Brainstorming, Idea Generation and the merits behind these approaches the teams were introduced to the concept of Gallery Sketches, presenting their problems through sketches, to help facilitate feedback on their design. In our morning session there was even the chance to indulge in a wacky group brainstorming exercise, attempting to determine how goats could improve the transport of their good to market! It certainly elicited quite a diverse range of responses from the participants but the concept that it was attempting to teach was the importance of respecting all ideas that are thrown out into the mix.<br /><br />The presentations themselves took place on the 4th floor in the evening and served two main purposes for all of those involved. It firstly helped teams to clarify in their own heads where their project was heading, and what they needed to take as their next steps and also helped to facilitate an environment for constructive feedback from the other teams and the mentors. The ever mischievous Ben Linder informed us that he was testing out a ‘love letter’ template which he felt would be the perfect vehicle for the participants to express their concerns or proffer their suggestions to the individual teams. Of course it was up to the participants themselves whether or not they wanted to remain discrete or not…<br /><br />While definitely giving everyone a better idea of where the individual projects were at, these presentations also highlighted just how much work these teams will have to do before the end of the conference if they are to turn these pretty fluid problem frames into prototypes. I think at this point it is important the highlight the crucial role that the IDDS mentors play in helping the teams bring their projects from one extreme to the other. The wealth of experience on the mentor team is pretty astounding and so for the teams to have that as a resource to draw on will surely prove invaluable over the course of the next few weeks.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKEgRN3q3WTCmEwYhkqTTWm9m5NmOH0SCj6Utb1gtmrN8Tk0DGYyCP4kSZaWHCNYRw41As_3Czhk2s9D5Tsl68VjXkO2rmYUffm2mCXGQiA2DRlhivn3VX38N0DQA_b0p2WBZIYdZe8ESB/s1600-h/20090715_GalleryPres_074.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKEgRN3q3WTCmEwYhkqTTWm9m5NmOH0SCj6Utb1gtmrN8Tk0DGYyCP4kSZaWHCNYRw41As_3Czhk2s9D5Tsl68VjXkO2rmYUffm2mCXGQiA2DRlhivn3VX38N0DQA_b0p2WBZIYdZe8ESB/s400/20090715_GalleryPres_074.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360367710621502914" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Jessica presents the local chlorine production problem frame</span><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_yrAO1CKJJhb-1SASaHuskAKMrQSdhZebI2DlAPQMl8Sj9OH9pgGit3c-huLjolJXM0-kJpnbe8cFTVJ_oLlk8vUbVMExpDkRZ1f0DFmGLXFkKrNgPq4s8fBgekPipH8ZCJBf90Dk83A0/s1600-h/20090715_GalleryPres_059.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_yrAO1CKJJhb-1SASaHuskAKMrQSdhZebI2DlAPQMl8Sj9OH9pgGit3c-huLjolJXM0-kJpnbe8cFTVJ_oLlk8vUbVMExpDkRZ1f0DFmGLXFkKrNgPq4s8fBgekPipH8ZCJBf90Dk83A0/s400/20090715_GalleryPres_059.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360364242335062498" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The group soak up another presentation</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxF_I8-goCZDgmiOF2DYl7aIBGq21IaoRtcevCTYUAbRGq4KMdLsRix5wGddun3nIpwTy3dHwpnwqn0ZwvlCtm09XCuRsNEzS9uWPS-WrjUPUIKJoA81JKmUsyEYIWQYpu9gFj-p8_TGRY/s1600-h/20090715_GalleryPres_046.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxF_I8-goCZDgmiOF2DYl7aIBGq21IaoRtcevCTYUAbRGq4KMdLsRix5wGddun3nIpwTy3dHwpnwqn0ZwvlCtm09XCuRsNEzS9uWPS-WrjUPUIKJoA81JKmUsyEYIWQYpu9gFj-p8_TGRY/s400/20090715_GalleryPres_046.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360362295269869842" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Amy and Meg find humour in some of the team sketches</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNDYIBXPAdfln8q7gnuLL8Yntp_9tMMbhx5wOM4iIlMgPfWqgG2ZTUzj-HX5NYEWORPgcFcRh2fZrJepmHEUxg45PJOIjC-Q1cTRWl4IEcrDV5kMdQUkBQYvVT4BH5ANJ8DwVKX1lKjwbc/s1600-h/20090715_GalleryPres_064.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNDYIBXPAdfln8q7gnuLL8Yntp_9tMMbhx5wOM4iIlMgPfWqgG2ZTUzj-HX5NYEWORPgcFcRh2fZrJepmHEUxg45PJOIjC-Q1cTRWl4IEcrDV5kMdQUkBQYvVT4BH5ANJ8DwVKX1lKjwbc/s400/20090715_GalleryPres_064.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360361940269819410" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The groundnut shelling team present their case to the group</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWqytIUeN9nxHPxzKuBzajX5GHiD3KFx_KA26j2aTj_dKeB-ZPrsZGqb22pqDMl83alD6-moB8_alRLureT4zpDb9zzrggSyU4Qk4cEd3iut4QpZXkChcrkuvSacHK_6Af7fiIFT7CwN09/s1600-h/20090715_GalleryPres_070.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWqytIUeN9nxHPxzKuBzajX5GHiD3KFx_KA26j2aTj_dKeB-ZPrsZGqb22pqDMl83alD6-moB8_alRLureT4zpDb9zzrggSyU4Qk4cEd3iut4QpZXkChcrkuvSacHK_6Af7fiIFT7CwN09/s400/20090715_GalleryPres_070.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360361731017935314" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Amber presents the Kid Friendly Latrine idea to the group</span><br /></div><br />After their first experience of presenting in front of a large audience, the participants had the chance to let off some steam at the BBQ that evening. A range of beef, pork and veggie food was accompanied by an American led game of Frisbee and an Indian led (Sumit in particular to be fair) game of cricket! With such an action packed schedule, it was nice to see the participants with a few hours to themselves, getting to know one another outside of the work atmosphere.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijHuKFxrVnNnPbePjhUGZiD0gEYX05xgp6A63aN8BjuMuP3VyA8EKAgKMURljHNzZQGd4jGcwU-kXyWwTKdYLjPlhNu1HZL-EdeYjLEUYYNyq_yr3n6lK-bQUd5KD5XPltnTbn17wdxiCi/s1600-h/20090716_bbq_046.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijHuKFxrVnNnPbePjhUGZiD0gEYX05xgp6A63aN8BjuMuP3VyA8EKAgKMURljHNzZQGd4jGcwU-kXyWwTKdYLjPlhNu1HZL-EdeYjLEUYYNyq_yr3n6lK-bQUd5KD5XPltnTbn17wdxiCi/s400/20090716_bbq_046.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360361079347912802" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Jess and the Tanzanians showcase their own original form of light</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGqGpBky65ysaIjThPoT7frX-G_6Ww4FQNYy96A5u0g3bsqojKdZidTfV6ECGcvIHSM60jpVwz4q6hZ4G6RXHdIqu1P3NKVvSGR_-TSgMYRmykiEItiNiTklVwOkd9ca70f-awn_pQruW3/s1600-h/20090716_bbq_092.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGqGpBky65ysaIjThPoT7frX-G_6Ww4FQNYy96A5u0g3bsqojKdZidTfV6ECGcvIHSM60jpVwz4q6hZ4G6RXHdIqu1P3NKVvSGR_-TSgMYRmykiEItiNiTklVwOkd9ca70f-awn_pQruW3/s400/20090716_bbq_092.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360360892631056258" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Sean getting acquainted with some water-melon</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggASHx13ZUzRAZt6gKp-7lwjoNWKDXL1JOEVfEkkxfBVzup_0rDHH9PAtloYZWC2HgDg3T8HaoY5wI8SYlxbppEaDCM7LOSWOzy6wEJLmYmoPXLnQiTWyGuum3cdi0_OcBkTdQjzGKDbkU/s1600-h/20090716_bbq_027.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggASHx13ZUzRAZt6gKp-7lwjoNWKDXL1JOEVfEkkxfBVzup_0rDHH9PAtloYZWC2HgDg3T8HaoY5wI8SYlxbppEaDCM7LOSWOzy6wEJLmYmoPXLnQiTWyGuum3cdi0_OcBkTdQjzGKDbkU/s400/20090716_bbq_027.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360360491097380626" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Jose and Gwyn, deep in conversation</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7b7OQU_PSe-bHZQJXwZxw-ns-zc0Jt1ei32_ZqbXSjS_ZMRUHBoHtVCJu7u0pTUe3WvQn4T8lXO-ZtTnDBGfl1MNRNoArMKKHk7qyCwfhX43gx1uvnhRDsPK8lXe2TS2TQWTnEwmb2CxR/s1600-h/20090716_bbq_089.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7b7OQU_PSe-bHZQJXwZxw-ns-zc0Jt1ei32_ZqbXSjS_ZMRUHBoHtVCJu7u0pTUe3WvQn4T8lXO-ZtTnDBGfl1MNRNoArMKKHk7qyCwfhX43gx1uvnhRDsPK8lXe2TS2TQWTnEwmb2CxR/s400/20090716_bbq_089.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360359979221201746" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Sharing a joke at the BBQ</span><br /></div><br />The next day two days continued in the vein of lecture and team meeting alternation and the participants were up-skilled in the design tools provided them by our design guru’s at this conference, Ben and Harald, as well as Amy herself. Working through idea generation, concept selection, system design, sketch models and leading up to a feasibility experiment session the IDDS participants immersed themselves in the sustainable design approach, all the while focusing on the problem they had attempted to frame a couple of days earlier. Throughout the history of IDDS Amy has repeatedly said that IDDS is more than simply a technology workshop and this week has been central to teaching the creative process behind what we do here.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7yqa_dlEcfK96yNUWhpsDXJ6z4UJoWOLXYHnfn0dSOGd9-jW_bNPNHd4UYsYgT2_3p2CPwqR19BGD0a21SpyN66rfsbklNrp6VE9hm6fUDzZr3nLVBLSCA3OhDyq-T52NnxxGVyZ0IDE2/s1600-h/20090716_PolakMeeting_004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7yqa_dlEcfK96yNUWhpsDXJ6z4UJoWOLXYHnfn0dSOGd9-jW_bNPNHd4UYsYgT2_3p2CPwqR19BGD0a21SpyN66rfsbklNrp6VE9hm6fUDzZr3nLVBLSCA3OhDyq-T52NnxxGVyZ0IDE2/s400/20090716_PolakMeeting_004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360367260230608930" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Harald gets us up to speed with some concept selection</span><br /></div><br />We finished up the week with another batch of fascinating participant presentations, from a wide variety of different fields. Jodie and Lisa, two 4th year Mechanical Engineering students at MIT started the ball rolling with an introduction into their new start up company, Global Cycle Solutions. The company came out of a D-lab project the pair were involved in with a bicycle workshop in Tanzania and showed just another example of the potential spin offs that courses aimed at designing for the ‘other 90%’ have on both students and their work lives. The enterprise focuses on empowering rural villagers through bicycle attachments that create income-generating opportunities.<br /><br />Fabio Fajardo, a professor from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, was next in line. He spoke about the new course for developing low cost technologies that he had begun teaching in his University over the last two semesters and the range of projects they have already been involved in would give hope to any department hoping to set up a similar program from scratch in their University. The eternal IDDS flag bearer, Bernard Kiwia, then gave us a photo and technology laden presentation about the work he has been doing with Global Alliance since the close of IDDS 2008. As always with Bernard, there were a few gasps of disbelief/murmurs of approval as he showcased his inventions (the mirror made out of a bike wheel in particular seemed a favorite with the masses).<br /><br />Harald wrapped up proceedings with a bi-lingual ( Spanish/English for the benefit of our Spanish speaking participants) explanation of the process by which he and Ben first built the solar lantern, which has now become a regular feature on the IDDS ‘Build it’ roster. As always, hearing the work that participants are doing behind the IDDS scenes in their own county’s highlights just how many amazing projects there are going on in the world that we simply don’t know about. Hopefully the participants can return to their home countries at the end of this five week conference and become ambassadors for these new ideas, ventures and technologies, sparking the revolution in design that quite simply, needs to happen.<br /><br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Niall Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11952403116518338771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2862137322849438146.post-28436101975783633492009-07-13T04:02:00.000-07:002009-08-07T09:31:38.101-07:00Village Visit 1- Destination: New Longoro<a style="font-family: georgia;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijk9BjWoaKZ4FmtECo_wcqRN-UGz5GAiyifTvmlpaF0NWzj2ibmbuWuKQJAxMOsX6Izyu3Vf6J0uEJR_3ougw3g3xY6fTMbzyPJ5D7Ab-jw2HE-Bb7N-ZI63iEndNsPNDZXnaWHV07-Jn8/s1600-h/Woman+carrying+stuff+on+her+head.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijk9BjWoaKZ4FmtECo_wcqRN-UGz5GAiyifTvmlpaF0NWzj2ibmbuWuKQJAxMOsX6Izyu3Vf6J0uEJR_3ougw3g3xY6fTMbzyPJ5D7Ab-jw2HE-Bb7N-ZI63iEndNsPNDZXnaWHV07-Jn8/s400/Woman+carrying+stuff+on+her+head.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359383457922841778" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: georgia;">So we finally feel like we’re in Africa. Away from the comfortable environment of KNUST we spent the last few days in rural villages around the country, both in the Bromg-Ahafo region and in the Ashanti region. The general buzz around the Tek Hostel on our return would suggest that overall our first experience of village life was a positive one. The welcome and hospitality we received from the villagers was something I will never forget, and hopefully this weekend will mark the start of a fruitful relationship between IDDS and our rural community partners in Ghana.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: georgia;">In total, IDDS visited ten different villages around Ghana this weekend and each of those visits comprised members from a variety of project groups. The logic behind this was pretty simple. Each village we visited face very different challenges and living conditions and as such the teams split up to help cast their fact finding net as widely as possible. I personally travelled North with the teams travelling to Dwere, Gomboi and New Longoro and we set off for our destination at 3pm in the afternoon.<br /></p><a style="font-family: georgia;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_auXkp7uy2Nx__m1G2XYHz50oNR2iPwI4l4NQ7rSD85BQiRpRrgCTfc10BeG3cuEUFifK_0KIyGO-MGMQSxF7Niu0ainqkJHsm1u9eRR8dY4-sLaSN1v0YFUiB682fT-TD2YhKWChP1kG/s1600-h/sign+on+road.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_auXkp7uy2Nx__m1G2XYHz50oNR2iPwI4l4NQ7rSD85BQiRpRrgCTfc10BeG3cuEUFifK_0KIyGO-MGMQSxF7Niu0ainqkJHsm1u9eRR8dY4-sLaSN1v0YFUiB682fT-TD2YhKWChP1kG/s400/sign+on+road.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360346043037673554" border="0" /></a><p style="text-align: center;font-family:georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Finally nearing our destination</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;">On our way we dropped into a large scale Cassava Processing Plant to help get the Cassava Processing team up to speed on how the process differs at opposite ends of production scale. After a couple more hours on the road we eventually arrived at New Longoro, where all the teams would be spending the first night. We were lucky enough to be staying in Pastor George’s house, just outside the centre of the village. The great man himself was working with one of the other teams in another village and so couldn’t be with us but the spirit of hospitality with which we were greeted definitely had his indelible imprint. The aptly named Comfort was our host for the weekend and duly provided a robust serving of Jollof Rice to help settle us in.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></p> <p face="georgia" class="MsoNormal">Just before we ate, Amy relayed a pretty amazing story to us. Pastor George has been working with D-Lab, a class run by Amy in MIT, for over three years now and each fall students come out to New Longoro to work on different appropriate technologies and designs to help improve the quality of life in the community. The students gain a huge amount from this experience and a large part of this is down to the incredible bond that exists between the students that travel to Ghana, and the community partners themselves such as the Pastor himself.</p><p face="georgia" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p face="georgia" class="MsoNormal"><span style="">Over the years, </span>D-lab students had been finding it difficult to work after 7pm, due to the lack of available lighting. This had never been raised by the group as an issue but one year they arrived to work on a project, and found that George had helped build a large outhouse specifically for D-lab to use after hours, equipped with lighting and mosquito wire. Sitting inside, Amy told us that as a result, this house would always hold a special place in her heart and for me, this seems a perfect example of the Bao Me Na Me Mmoa Wo (Help me and let me help you) philosophy by which IDDS strives to live by.</p><br /><br /><a style="font-family: georgia;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP1c8xVUfCODLIbkhKFYDzUOWVKX1m4X6jXzZOO6I5SqrDJNyiZZNsJMHbYqn4nxPke5l1sKnu6jr4JjuwR-PmKoNDC-5X-zsXSTWHluFsuYMWNkVuhD0zEEvzep4FVKDmo3lkVOQrgS4O/s1600-h/church+with+teak+trees.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP1c8xVUfCODLIbkhKFYDzUOWVKX1m4X6jXzZOO6I5SqrDJNyiZZNsJMHbYqn4nxPke5l1sKnu6jr4JjuwR-PmKoNDC-5X-zsXSTWHluFsuYMWNkVuhD0zEEvzep4FVKDmo3lkVOQrgS4O/s400/church+with+teak+trees.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360315073946458178" border="0" /></a><p style="text-align: center;font-family:georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Church in New Longoro</span><br /></p><p face="georgia" class="MsoNormal">After our meal we split up to find our various sleeping arrangements in the village. Comfort found room for nearly all of us in the house but myself and Amy travelled into the village to stay there. Amazingly, I found myself sharing a room with two seventeen year old twins, Job and Jacob, who are as obsessed about football as I am. Both have had trials with big teams in the country and on seeing the ball I had brought, they promised me a game in the morning to prove just how good they were. It was a slightly surreal experience staying with them though, as they had a massive sound system beating out Rhianna and 50 cent as I snuggled in under my mosquito net and tried to catch some sleep. I guess we are just hosted by the families in the village who are most well off, which makes sense.</p><p face="georgia" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p face="georgia" class="MsoNormal">We got up bright and early the next morning to accompany Amy to the river, as she attempted to do her washing there without attracting any notice. This turned out to be pretty difficult given the means of transport for which she had provided for her clothes! The small trye-esque contraption was dragged behind her as if it was a pet and the villagers really didn’t know what to make of it. On the plus side, I got to try out a water pump on our way – really highlighted my lack of upper body strength when compared to the village women themselves though. The Hydro Powered Light team and the Chlorine Dosing team were particularly interested to see the river, as this would provide one of their main sources of information for their projects. One thing they discovered was that the villagers actually preferred the contaminated river water to the clean water accessible through Boer Holes, as a result in a taste difference and a lack of knowledge as to the real effects of drinking dirty water.</p><p face="georgia" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p face="georgia" class="MsoNormal">Amy and her groups travelled to Gomboi and Dwere soon after and we in New Longoro, after a quick breakfast, met to discuss our plans for the day. With completely different projects to think of, our participants had completely different ideas about who they wanted to talk to, and what they needed to find out. As such it made sense for everyone to split up separately and attempt to use the local contacts we had in New Longoro to help speed up the process. One of these in particular, a Peace Corp volunteer by the name of Ashley, was to prove invaluable for a number of the teams. This wasn’t to stop Kofi giving him a hard time though, joking that it meant free meals for him when IDDS came to town!</p><p face="georgia" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p face="georgia" class="MsoNormal">Our main goal for the trip was to attend a committee meeting at 2pm so the teams hadn’t too long to find out the information they needed. Vaibhav and Mustafa, of ICT Baby Monitor and Cool Medicine Storage respectively, got lucky by having their point of contact, a local health worked named Mr. Adams, <span style=""> </span>brought to them <span style=""> </span>by Ashley. Delia from Groundnut Threshing went looking for some Groundnut farms and Lisa went to search out women who attempt to make oil from Shea nuts. All the groups had been drilled to attempt to interact with the villagers as real people, rather than as sources of information, as this would help them wrap their heads around the scale of the problems facing the community on a daily basis.<br /></p><p face="georgia" class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2NJql9MYx7a0ine5WtHu6uUD7I0gD5kzOIF7wMgwMgpSIZ84BNuQLdPUdgoY0TcTNqqF1tP9XHTKEoOI7DfuuvLDpg7UdPqCQ_GlNRq8-NzL4w2iQD9v7Mg3pxWSESJbjaqUbbbF0Hw03/s1600-h/groundnut+farm+with+handmade+ridges.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2NJql9MYx7a0ine5WtHu6uUD7I0gD5kzOIF7wMgwMgpSIZ84BNuQLdPUdgoY0TcTNqqF1tP9XHTKEoOI7DfuuvLDpg7UdPqCQ_GlNRq8-NzL4w2iQD9v7Mg3pxWSESJbjaqUbbbF0Hw03/s400/groundnut+farm+with+handmade+ridges.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360316395924154514" border="0" /></a></p> <p style="text-align: center;font-family:georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Kofi checking out some groundnut farms</span><br /></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">At 2pm we made our way to our intended meeting place, directly under the mango tree. In traditional Ghanaian fashion we arrived at the arranged time, fully expecting the meeting to start much closer to 3pm! The caller had only gone through the town announcing the meeting an hour or two earlier but we still got a turnout of about 50 to 100 villagers at the meeting which looked a positive sign as Kofi prepared to present our mission to the committee and the elders. This would not have been in any way possible without the wonderful translating abilities of Timo, a participant at this year’s summit who is also a native of New Longoro. <span style=""><br /></span></p><a style="font-family: georgia;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwTBo8BD55xnvSv4NtvNxli20bdwfqpeE0KLbTT282bYAW8wEl8u7D2g9_dXb1tTFzXL4dARRocRl9PtcDZmut30VsOtQNWCgEyjaDIKZ1BykMkvm90dq9eexF4f8qhrKW0O3RSkEuYVpT/s1600-h/newlongoro+meeting1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwTBo8BD55xnvSv4NtvNxli20bdwfqpeE0KLbTT282bYAW8wEl8u7D2g9_dXb1tTFzXL4dARRocRl9PtcDZmut30VsOtQNWCgEyjaDIKZ1BykMkvm90dq9eexF4f8qhrKW0O3RSkEuYVpT/s400/newlongoro+meeting1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360316792278605298" border="0" /></a><p style="text-align: center;font-family:georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Timo and Kofi work together to explain the IDDS vision</span><br /></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">Once Kofi had presented the IDDS vision, the individual projects and our hopes for working with New Longoro, the floor was opened up and a lively debate duly ensued. The villagers discussed the merits of the twelve projects and attempted to come to a consensus about which of the two projects they thought were most applicable to their village. We were delighted to hear such a debate, even if we couldn’t understand a word of it, as it meant that the villagers were genuinely interested in working with IDDS over the next couple of weeks. The villagers expressed particular interest in Shea Oil Extraction, the ICT Baby Monitor and the Kid Friendly Latrine projects, much to the chagrin of Mustafa, who expected his Cool Medicine project to be top of the list!</p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">Watching the committee meeting enfold, and taking particular interest in the part that Timo had to play in it’s successful outcome, I was struck by just how sustainable a model for development IDDS 2009 really is. We are going into these villages, not as surveyors, voyeurs, or even purveyors, but rather simply as equals. We have project concepts outlined in our heads but it is up to the villagers we are working with to help turn those concepts into creations and that sense of ownership came across strikingly in the attitudes on show during the meeting.</p> <div style="text-align: center; font-family: georgia;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtISsUtYAan2BhIv4u1HoucSJq685pddmFYOd6qK5sECAgNvel4vw-84xxGR6FAWsq8zgWqajHY-aMZ6v6Gc1yu1-HAWjnsB17CufarftmC32TxrzB1zc7ngloaYGCeefmR0nktv-pcWsB/s1600-h/newlongoro+meeting4.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtISsUtYAan2BhIv4u1HoucSJq685pddmFYOd6qK5sECAgNvel4vw-84xxGR6FAWsq8zgWqajHY-aMZ6v6Gc1yu1-HAWjnsB17CufarftmC32TxrzB1zc7ngloaYGCeefmR0nktv-pcWsB/s400/newlongoro+meeting4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360317597572651394" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Elders converse among each other about the projects</span><br /></div><br /><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">After the meeting, contact details were exchanged between the relative parties and the teams were free to get back to their job of finding out as much information as possible about their relative projects. I accompanied Vaibhav and Mustafa on their trip to the local health clinic to see if I could learn any more about the processes by which they were redefining their projects. Vaibhav met with a local woman to discuss how babies are currently measured in the village and was shocked to find out that out of the nine children she had given birth to, five had died within a couple of days of birth. The instant interest in the project expressed by the village women at the meeting suddenly made a lot more sense.</p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">Mustafa was busy finding out how local medicines are stored in the village here, and while being impressed with the setup on show, he was becoming increasingly disillusioned that the availability of electricity in the village would eliminate the need for any sort of medicine water cooler system. However, on our walk back to Pastor George’s house we unexpectedly landed upon some information that will probably change the direction of the project in a major way. We stopped a man on the street to see if we could ask him some questions and he very kindly brought us into his nearby house and made us feel very welcome, again a wonderful example of the natural instinct towards hospitality that exists here in New Longoro.</p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">It eventually transpired that what he really needed was a device to help preserve the Cassava which he was forced to travel a long distance to the farm every day to collect, as it becomes stale after less than a day. Mustafa quickly proposed an altered prototype which would achieve just that function. He inquired to see how much such a machine would be worth to the farmer, and was delighted to hear it was a figure in the ballpark of about 50 Cedi’s! Walking back to the Pastor’s house for dinner, Mustafa remarked that he is worried he might be catching the IDDS bug that Suprio spoke so eloquently about.</p><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: georgia;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJm0NoBx_m3MxHmYmgoVcktVSYjbISxL0G1dahOEoZlbKTamqlY2LqzOkItI7Gydng9vsT_SLtJQexPL0jl5wdO9fnztL8f_lxSq-5OhLDR0uqTv1Oz_Ob5ncwQHPLFWsV8edBKg0El-oB/s1600-h/Suprio+and+little+kid.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJm0NoBx_m3MxHmYmgoVcktVSYjbISxL0G1dahOEoZlbKTamqlY2LqzOkItI7Gydng9vsT_SLtJQexPL0jl5wdO9fnztL8f_lxSq-5OhLDR0uqTv1Oz_Ob5ncwQHPLFWsV8edBKg0El-oB/s400/Suprio+and+little+kid.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359383336752714274" border="0" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;font-family:georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Suprio finds a friend in Adumkrom</span><br /></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">The general consensus among the teams seemed to be that our first taste of village life was a hugely positive one. All the participants seemed to have found out information that was useful<span style=""> </span>for their projects, and had plans to use the following morning to find out the remainder of what they needed to know.</p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">The next morning I got up at 530am to get in a quick game of football with my two football crazy new friends and after a quick breakfast it was time to get back to work. Mustafa and Vaibhav again visited the hospital, Rajnish and Mark (from the Plastic Product Recycling team) went to the local market and Lisa tried to find out some more information on the Shea Oil Extraction Process. It made sense for some of the teams to examine the other nearby villages as the New Longoro was not particularly suited to their projects. Both the Hydro Powered Light team and the Cool Medicine team were interested in exploring a village that was completely without electricity and as such spent the rest of their morning in Gomboi. The remaining IDDSters took a trip to the local Junior High School to meet with some of the students there and tell them our background and the reasons why it was important to study hard if one wanted to be an engineer, or even a lowly journalist!</p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">Just before we left the village we played a highly competitive 11 a side game of football with the Gomboi and IDDS participants on the one team, and a New Longoro select eleven on the other. After a disappointing 4-3 defeat we piled into our mini bus, sweaty and out of breath and settled in for the long ride home. </p><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: georgia;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiS3XibJGgKYj9aVJ0MkQHswxkKVhandFYeRpeAudLY2GlC8xJFzFWsNJPGAmN76nS0vd6oS2RDUfg4wyLfJjf6rgveLo0GyQX5avYhkg1Cg5TdFyudlhmLj3l5aktXTEf57hkpABXG6yL/s1600-h/wenchi+bolts.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiS3XibJGgKYj9aVJ0MkQHswxkKVhandFYeRpeAudLY2GlC8xJFzFWsNJPGAmN76nS0vd6oS2RDUfg4wyLfJjf6rgveLo0GyQX5avYhkg1Cg5TdFyudlhmLj3l5aktXTEf57hkpABXG6yL/s400/wenchi+bolts.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360352019138601906" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Some tools available locally</span><br /></div><br /><a style="font-family: georgia;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs8hFDobZMTeme22GAFMfuUXI-Br6fL31pFFCIuPdL0PtYKChSSIk9jbQr6Z08GHSw3_IhoKINhbXKXaHbgLb2JfHV5kvhj6xXPswQltfXiZA-cZQhPLhtxQLFKU1KMP3uTt83divQDv3U/s1600-h/Monkey+bicylce.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs8hFDobZMTeme22GAFMfuUXI-Br6fL31pFFCIuPdL0PtYKChSSIk9jbQr6Z08GHSw3_IhoKINhbXKXaHbgLb2JfHV5kvhj6xXPswQltfXiZA-cZQhPLhtxQLFKU1KMP3uTt83divQDv3U/s400/Monkey+bicylce.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359383220731453138" border="0" /></a><p style="text-align: center;font-family:georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">I don't think a caption would shed any more light on this picture</span><br /></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">The hostel was absolutely buzzing on our return. Everyone had plenty of stories to share from each of the villages and the teams had plenty to catch up on after they had been re-united. Stephen had us all in stitches as he explained how they had almost been accosted by a snake during their first village committee meeting. Thankfully the villagers had their clubs at the ready!<span style=""> </span>We finished off the exhausting weekend by making some easels for the teams gallery sketches later in the week. Looking forward to seeing the teams develop their project ideas over the next few days!</p><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: georgia;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVb8H9hXE3S9GwYiBGC7Fz_nLgfuPtexUhAKjRhN4d_-nJ9pV2rMpNoacgCruNUeFvDzBPkRamtuUsgEehe3vrcZYbDrwrxvqUSAutDAZUro4_50H_0X5gLved8nVFYErh8KOmNKJqksBK/s1600-h/20090713_easles_014.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVb8H9hXE3S9GwYiBGC7Fz_nLgfuPtexUhAKjRhN4d_-nJ9pV2rMpNoacgCruNUeFvDzBPkRamtuUsgEehe3vrcZYbDrwrxvqUSAutDAZUro4_50H_0X5gLved8nVFYErh8KOmNKJqksBK/s400/20090713_easles_014.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360383126893355218" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Our easels in pretty good shape after our quick fire set up</span><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" ></span><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div style="font-family: georgia;" id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div style="font-family: georgia;" id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div style="font-family: georgia;" id="refHTML"></div>Niall Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11952403116518338771noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2862137322849438146.post-78302126452612897212009-07-10T17:15:00.000-07:002009-07-21T18:25:45.009-07:00Day 3- Getting into project teams<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUjaENTp59AcOfF_VjjXbXBQo9Eku9iS5MyqARpSErZwsMp0f2jrHFh_0jmnqZKxDizq07u95edGMGxDI5XcYaS9VIK_UY8FjJJFLdky662IGYLzJ-7oZUPvYH8VDl9YIfziGp5QhEpAlz/s1600-h/Prateek+and+Meg+taking+a+break+from+the+sessions.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUjaENTp59AcOfF_VjjXbXBQo9Eku9iS5MyqARpSErZwsMp0f2jrHFh_0jmnqZKxDizq07u95edGMGxDI5XcYaS9VIK_UY8FjJJFLdky662IGYLzJ-7oZUPvYH8VDl9YIfziGp5QhEpAlz/s400/Prateek+and+Meg+taking+a+break+from+the+sessions.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359221501700915538" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br />A group of us began our morning with a game of 730am football at a nearby field. No better way to kick start the day so long may it continue! The teams were anxious to get some more detailed descriptions of the potential design challenges on offer, so Amy, Ben and Harald wasted no time in getting to work. These projects will help define the next five weeks of the IDDS experience so as such there were plenty of questions and comments from the crowd, as the participants sought to clarify the projects in their own minds. </p><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq5Q_KTa6B-tt8r_7IMwcdZQUMDIQecziDFC8v7Xlq72ctbN6ebMHr5Qpkv76jgJq7uTB82blT5wGHTcSFvp_rZbXEDKA1INMeLuSdEGQTkAQOFafgackCImT3aD6_d35jFUPBp6cjVR3G/s1600-h/Nadia+translates+for+Issatou.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq5Q_KTa6B-tt8r_7IMwcdZQUMDIQecziDFC8v7Xlq72ctbN6ebMHr5Qpkv76jgJq7uTB82blT5wGHTcSFvp_rZbXEDKA1INMeLuSdEGQTkAQOFafgackCImT3aD6_d35jFUPBp6cjVR3G/s400/Nadia+translates+for+Issatou.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359221988645722258" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Nadia translates for one of our participants from Guinea, Issatou</span><br /></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Each participant filled out a card with their project preferences before splitting into groups of three to embark on the latest wacky activity we had planned for them. Each group were given a task which they had to complete at Tech Junction, the local market just outside campus. The aim of this activity was to get participants used to interacting with the local people, ahead of our frighteningly soon village visits, tomorrow afternoon! All the while, Amy, Ben and Harald feverishly worked through their lunches in order to have the teams ready to announce by 4pm, just four hours after receiving the votes. This is an extraordinarily quick turnaround time given the huge variety of factors that need to be taken into account when creating successful team dynamics, while also making sure everyone is suited to the project they are working on.</p><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharBZCjOocbvexn_W9TkQ8GUeGdC0H7afeelCMRVj8L-SkUslZDc1Tv1xvuuFCGeyjABrulf35zL5nIBsiELqvUWjTekLkhw_2kfeN_eX2_aQJn62UAuR_VHyZ23acJvY_8mN8siTkfVKs/s1600-h/Food!.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharBZCjOocbvexn_W9TkQ8GUeGdC0H7afeelCMRVj8L-SkUslZDc1Tv1xvuuFCGeyjABrulf35zL5nIBsiELqvUWjTekLkhw_2kfeN_eX2_aQJn62UAuR_VHyZ23acJvY_8mN8siTkfVKs/s400/Food!.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359224416853370466" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Our delicious lunctime meal of Palava sauce, fried plantain and rice...</span><br /></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Participants were made to wait in suspense just a little longer though. Professor Jonas Barnie, a lecturer in sociology at KNUST, gave a talk about the customs of <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Ghana</st1:place></st1:country-region> projections of how we could interact with the villagers over the next few days. The talk oscillated between the practical, such as which hand to greet the chief with, and the more general, the religious make up of the regions we would be visiting. Some of the participants were not in agreement with Professor Barnie about some of the traditional views he expressed regarding the villagers but the lively debate that followed was to prove almost as informative as the talk that preceded it.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">After a quick break it was time for the teams to finally hear their project groups and the excitement in the room was tangible. You'll be hearing a lot more about these names over the next few weeks..<br /></p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfei0wo05c_-Jb79HFpZZgXP-oq1ST21c8QrQbaxSwJN00LSPshzZjvqI699SGizje0YfcozchnWSY0mieVmVEFYxDjM28SlR0l52Gzrxljd-5w5X4xvfMzhbwsX9FPd7Ubu3HolrTuCZo/s1600-h/Ppt0000003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfei0wo05c_-Jb79HFpZZgXP-oq1ST21c8QrQbaxSwJN00LSPshzZjvqI699SGizje0YfcozchnWSY0mieVmVEFYxDjM28SlR0l52Gzrxljd-5w5X4xvfMzhbwsX9FPd7Ubu3HolrTuCZo/s400/Ppt0000003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359847860757545762" border="0" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">This was followed by a team building activity which turned out to be a lot more entertaining than we imagined when we were devising it. Each team had to perform a two-minute skit (comedy sketch) about what might happen if a famous person turned up at IDDS. The teams really stepped up to the plate and came up with some pretty hilarious sketches out of categories such as “Musician”, “Politician” and “Actor” which we had given them. A lot of teams really went out of their way to make sure that there were plenty of languages used in their sketch, and one team even got the audience to translate parts of their sketch for them! It was amazing how many replications there were among who figured in the sketches though – globalization anyone? The most common figures represented on stage were Gandhi, David Beckham, Obama, Michael Jackson, The Terminator, Amy Smith and of course a certain Irish organizer who seems to lend<span style=""> </span>readily to caricature on the stage!<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The teams were each given a reward of some Ghana Cedis to go and buy some dinner and get to know each others, while the organizer’s set about finalizing the finer details of our trips to the villages. It’s an incredibly exciting time for both IDDS and the participants but at the same time it’s a logistical nightmare! Kudos has to be given here to the village visits committee, who have been working flat out over the last few days to get everything ready. I myself am accompanying the team that is heading up to Pastor George’s village, New Longoro, and cannot wait to get going! </p><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbGMmuJDimJsB1hyIfVQzJuCI3fxVr8UvzkGsK1-W7OCXKsWy-IgPOkEqoHBbGOmdduPkls0A9UrQn5bajpxLIVwHCdbwJWGQBqDNZWoN7KobKJ5FAGnrrDJGwtlA8BOaH6hHwk4Zn6Hv/s1600-h/Obama+I+think+this+was.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbGMmuJDimJsB1hyIfVQzJuCI3fxVr8UvzkGsK1-W7OCXKsWy-IgPOkEqoHBbGOmdduPkls0A9UrQn5bajpxLIVwHCdbwJWGQBqDNZWoN7KobKJ5FAGnrrDJGwtlA8BOaH6hHwk4Zn6Hv/s400/Obama+I+think+this+was.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359222799984953250" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Jake effortlessly morphs into Barack Obama</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3-5VhkNEuxVG2WT3_goxcpyvxnh26uhzpU9sC24C9WDS2rGmgFuvLHtLCMR4NWPBkL8sf2CpyOzvo1Cm63UolZfo2EohTpcujsQIwmHRezqsu-I8b1D4LaLMV1Ise1wqsAqXtVIm9j4Jf/s1600-h/Terminator.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3-5VhkNEuxVG2WT3_goxcpyvxnh26uhzpU9sC24C9WDS2rGmgFuvLHtLCMR4NWPBkL8sf2CpyOzvo1Cm63UolZfo2EohTpcujsQIwmHRezqsu-I8b1D4LaLMV1Ise1wqsAqXtVIm9j4Jf/s400/Terminator.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359222431512704658" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"> Tonight Ladies and Gentlemen, Joe Agoada will be performing as...Can you guess?</span><br /></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Just before bed I took on a group of the Indian participants in a quick game of hallway cricket and somehow managed to come out on top, making very few friends in the process! Have a feeling they are not going to go so easy on me next time…</p><br /><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style>Niall Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11952403116518338771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2862137322849438146.post-80335008472789734642009-07-09T08:14:00.000-07:002009-07-21T18:16:12.875-07:00Day 2 - Hands on "Build It" Modules<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihIO2nIe1xeVaf00h8qP8bzsUMXgumUwvBKXN4wPvaGJjeIWsYPRhsNl-ASuO2HWf-hDaV74y8-DCUTLxTMqxsyvTqbE7V0SRuug4qGZvIJ4i7mCzqf7WCNYfGdu_VLa_biR6FXAfV61py/s1600-h/Bernard+welding.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihIO2nIe1xeVaf00h8qP8bzsUMXgumUwvBKXN4wPvaGJjeIWsYPRhsNl-ASuO2HWf-hDaV74y8-DCUTLxTMqxsyvTqbE7V0SRuug4qGZvIJ4i7mCzqf7WCNYfGdu_VLa_biR6FXAfV61py/s400/Bernard+welding.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359106261463927090" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">After a day spent in the sanitized environment of the KCCR and the Credit Union Hostel, participants today had the chance to do what they came here to do – get their hands dirty! Yesterday evening they had the chance to pick one of six possible “build-it” modules that would be taking place concurrently throughout the course of the day. The options included a Solar Lantern, a Humdinger wind energy machine, a water pump, a hacksaw made from bicycle parts and a corn cob sheller. Some of these took place in workshops on campus, some in the hostel itself and the last two, of which I was a part, boarded a bus to Suame Magazine.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRAootHg6i5VJ83V_v5FwaKB3oo9HtuRg02yaRQ7vESP1QLLpoguZvoQVEPY21iW0hQ0pBp5QwCAmWawqU2N4cHSzt83IGnfU5VvDFUX5oQEZruZj-EO9brZh_l12qxr5LgWwty470d6Li/s1600-h/Model+for+the+buils+it+day.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRAootHg6i5VJ83V_v5FwaKB3oo9HtuRg02yaRQ7vESP1QLLpoguZvoQVEPY21iW0hQ0pBp5QwCAmWawqU2N4cHSzt83IGnfU5VvDFUX5oQEZruZj-EO9brZh_l12qxr5LgWwty470d6Li/s400/Model+for+the+buils+it+day.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359378026076381298" border="0" /></a><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Our mission for the day...</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">This was my first time both in the centre of <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Kumasi</st1:city></st1:place> but the Magazine itself is what leaves an indelible impression on your mind, rather than the city. It is in many respects a mechanical engineer’s paradise, with a cacophony of sounds greeting you as you make your way into the sprawling collection of workshops that help make up this gigantic construction hub. The constant din of hammering, welding, sawing and drilling had many of the engineers I was with in raptures but even an English student can appreciate the atmosphere of hard work and invention that dominates the place.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqU4hD1_4LnrGfYcq6-_pCK7D5PGGRzBizCH5cU23y5eY_kqYDicX6Z67C7y7X_zpDbpuFouK7NCt4DlZ-85Rf-GAFmDZgaDkZTOg9lMSz2wRG4g9PWoDYy4S7yNmVHgtl_40AHa9-zlD5/s1600-h/Joseph+cutting+aluminum.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqU4hD1_4LnrGfYcq6-_pCK7D5PGGRzBizCH5cU23y5eY_kqYDicX6Z67C7y7X_zpDbpuFouK7NCt4DlZ-85Rf-GAFmDZgaDkZTOg9lMSz2wRG4g9PWoDYy4S7yNmVHgtl_40AHa9-zlD5/s400/Joseph+cutting+aluminum.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359379096456776866" border="0" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Joseph hammering some aluminum to pieces</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The speech that John Powell had given yesterday morning was instantly contextualized, as we saw first hand the effect that this grassroots movement had on the local economy. The Suame Model seems an exceptionally sustainable one, and even more than that, an intrinsically practical one too. All of the items that we saw being made and sold are things that are physically applicable in the daily context of Ghanaian life and thus, it is understandable why there is such a market for them.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">After a quick stop off at the Information Technology Transfer Unit (I.T.T.U) workshop we finally had the chance to meet one of the workshop masters, a legend by the name of Stone. He runs a foundry a couple of minutes walk into the hub of the Magazine and we spent the day with him and his team of apprentices, learning how to make corn Sheller’s from heated aluminum moulds. We first set prepared the mould, heated the aluminum in the furnace, before pouring it into our moulds to cool into the shape we had set. After pouring the aluminum (I did the honors for my team) we decided to go back to the I.T.T.U. for the next phase of our build it, all the while secretly hoping we hadn’t messed up our aluminum casting!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx_3ICm45kYZnIrura6VwClCnUmeJD7e4IT-X_3-Ju9CTqQrNMFTPQqeZEHyEQ4gVONcljqTxdSDU0o_FMiCwEcZlLM7V__JAwF9ebvGcI6BWSSJ4BfnZO2wFII0uI2AQy6GthUj3G1v6y/s1600-h/Sean+puring+aluminum.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx_3ICm45kYZnIrura6VwClCnUmeJD7e4IT-X_3-Ju9CTqQrNMFTPQqeZEHyEQ4gVONcljqTxdSDU0o_FMiCwEcZlLM7V__JAwF9ebvGcI6BWSSJ4BfnZO2wFII0uI2AQy6GthUj3G1v6y/s400/Sean+puring+aluminum.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359374462282269394" border="0" /></a><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Sean is given the crucial task of pouring the aluminum - no pressure!</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMYqbsTPOpb8vOXAOLC749e6hESkPMH0uX3vFq9LANuJnXor1f9XO2EGLnkRZDed3vM5o_hbhktTJrKGzYBjI25SdbRdb4VRpLhwY2E8We4RlqbVo7IvBo7kbn88mF38hixlbMCi2udKKY/s1600-h/Examining+the+mould.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMYqbsTPOpb8vOXAOLC749e6hESkPMH0uX3vFq9LANuJnXor1f9XO2EGLnkRZDed3vM5o_hbhktTJrKGzYBjI25SdbRdb4VRpLhwY2E8We4RlqbVo7IvBo7kbn88mF38hixlbMCi2udKKY/s400/Examining+the+mould.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359375250634070514" border="0" /></a><p style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal">David and Joseph, enthralled by the mould they have just made<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWSF83ss504hca3NhOEChNad1P-7_QjbTFJrzpWl4aSUMOtA_XLsgHP-EysNrz8aPV4DL2OANYk5dg2zfjOb78BfjspRFKS_rDTnR_3PC2SpEQX7krhth7sfee8ye4Q2aXL1x6agNnTHy/s1600-h/The+legend+himself.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWSF83ss504hca3NhOEChNad1P-7_QjbTFJrzpWl4aSUMOtA_XLsgHP-EysNrz8aPV4DL2OANYk5dg2zfjOb78BfjspRFKS_rDTnR_3PC2SpEQX7krhth7sfee8ye4Q2aXL1x6agNnTHy/s400/The+legend+himself.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359375714131604994" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Stone - The great man himself!</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">On the way back I had a very interesting chat with Radikha Bhalla, a Masters student in the Art College of Design in <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Passadena</st1:city>, <st1:state st="on">California</st1:state></st1:place>, about the need to create whole development programs for rural communities, rather than simply introducing them to time saving technologies. I mean, Corn Sheller’s may speed up the process for the villagers but at the end of the day, there may often be constraints about the amount of corn they can actually grow in the first place. Radikha is actually doing part of her Masters research on this project and we concluded that user centered design has to be the focal point in terms of seeing exactly what the villagers can do to make the best use of this increased time. One thing that Amy always remarks upon when she meets local men and women from the rural villagers, is the strength of their hands, and indeed, she believes that if we can help those hands with even a little of their work, we can be happy with our effort.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNdEy7-qMtPr6kwK52O5hL3Wke640wVmxCdtBB-Id3luqCrL4qDe5Mc24x1dekKbw0GB3rPqiCttS3F2pgMwoUFazbVqkGgmobAJCHjJ5UvQK5gp8TBxRoFr8FIWk_FGSd6XVOlWC0dweM/s1600-h/Radikha++in+the+wokrshop.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNdEy7-qMtPr6kwK52O5hL3Wke640wVmxCdtBB-Id3luqCrL4qDe5Mc24x1dekKbw0GB3rPqiCttS3F2pgMwoUFazbVqkGgmobAJCHjJ5UvQK5gp8TBxRoFr8FIWk_FGSd6XVOlWC0dweM/s400/Radikha++in+the+wokrshop.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359377506036538994" border="0" /></a><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Radikha adds some final touches to our mould</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">We arrived back at the I.T.T.U. at about 2pm, ready to grab a quick bite to eat, before learning how one can make a corn sheller through simple sheet metal. We spent the next hours cutting, bending, fastening and in some cases welding, before eventually having some prototypes to show for our hard work. Not before the Engineers had some fun with their token English student though.<span style=""> </span>Gwyn Jones, one of this year’s trip leaders, is never one to pass by an opportunity for mirth and as I looked quizzically at the hole puncher for the sheet metal he quipped “Just imagine it’s an A4 sheet of paper and you’ll be fine”. The unsettling thing about it was that his advice actually worked</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqDNwI6k7XDRDpbbf4BF691-Q4YlvkHAFssYQczkxtZo5Xc5byBOITB5RuaPAeQPwGFB9I2uH-wNXVFBz19fvMNJZZvFoJDHLqmyE1i_WH8DSHrj-9qyweThUc-qztdgSsx0U3v7WiApMw/s1600-h/Grabbibng+some+lunch+in+between+sessions.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqDNwI6k7XDRDpbbf4BF691-Q4YlvkHAFssYQczkxtZo5Xc5byBOITB5RuaPAeQPwGFB9I2uH-wNXVFBz19fvMNJZZvFoJDHLqmyE1i_WH8DSHrj-9qyweThUc-qztdgSsx0U3v7WiApMw/s400/Grabbibng+some+lunch+in+between+sessions.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358755522030762322" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Taking a bite to eat between sessions</span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">On our return to the Foundry some of us were horrified to see that our moulds had not quite formed in exactly the manner we had planned them. Due to the moist nature of the cast sand and mould our aluminum had not quite reached all the way around. As such we had something which much more closely resembled a horseshoe! Our names that we had carved into the underside of the mould were still just about readable so that provided at least some consolation. Overall though, we followed the Confucius wisdom mentioned earlier in the blog, and learned by doing, rather than simply observing. </p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggIUisSaImY05Ir4O2-sIUJcliCNABAwinLSUzznbu_0YdHGZRz8u9SSnA6YKStjxNMQzOXBbx8NLYHDSsscG8IUXjrnwF4cS12YSxSWbKiDA_qQZtfV7WtxyPr1sZtllWk0_lug0NMiRS/s1600-h/Nadia+and+one+of+the+workshop+guys.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggIUisSaImY05Ir4O2-sIUJcliCNABAwinLSUzznbu_0YdHGZRz8u9SSnA6YKStjxNMQzOXBbx8NLYHDSsscG8IUXjrnwF4cS12YSxSWbKiDA_qQZtfV7WtxyPr1sZtllWk0_lug0NMiRS/s400/Nadia+and+one+of+the+workshop+guys.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358755258393095890" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Nadia shares a joke with one of the workshop managers</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7EFWfirit1XObvXzgSEHP6jpD4lzcKRXLelj8jG_qhpYQr7MQum7OCBpFe8XJojrG0sLpcsHOzak4apcFvQEx-IzKk6AnKOjo8bF54kOo6u6kIUfkiqO8K7w9VCu7n9_1DmJ9NfB93OQb/s1600-h/A+close+up+of+one+of+the+machine%27s+in+the+I.T.T.U..jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7EFWfirit1XObvXzgSEHP6jpD4lzcKRXLelj8jG_qhpYQr7MQum7OCBpFe8XJojrG0sLpcsHOzak4apcFvQEx-IzKk6AnKOjo8bF54kOo6u6kIUfkiqO8K7w9VCu7n9_1DmJ9NfB93OQb/s400/A+close+up+of+one+of+the+machine%27s+in+the+I.T.T.U..jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358713911213318082" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Up close and personal with one of the machines at the I.T.T.U.</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyyR4tDGfeGmPcsOYoESGr-Ta95qAxdmRuMN54kyQFpl3sAkUpM465JCPDk0vzjxwtweqe-cJYTciX3slxtXcBgvv6GwRwXrthIJ4gT2_Fdke5XjZCwauQPrPQOc1ql7YXIotVvHqrQous/s1600-h/Patricia+and+Benjamin+cutting+metal.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyyR4tDGfeGmPcsOYoESGr-Ta95qAxdmRuMN54kyQFpl3sAkUpM465JCPDk0vzjxwtweqe-cJYTciX3slxtXcBgvv6GwRwXrthIJ4gT2_Fdke5XjZCwauQPrPQOc1ql7YXIotVvHqrQous/s400/Patricia+and+Benjamin+cutting+metal.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358711952031494098" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">A farmer from Ghana and a teacher from Sierra Leone work together to cut some metal</span> </div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggB8SZjZnwnbcOJP5RM-21s2tZMfjzhvEPo_SfBAxz9PoP5EpEpK_HenHcHZlRN7yEcVxSl7jp5r-O_q1Zha3sWeilPOCrWPrW_YyyDHgMtosSBl1bqQt9I0vbT3BWmf57uVYDKY4K6Zc9/s1600-h/Lisa+Welding.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggB8SZjZnwnbcOJP5RM-21s2tZMfjzhvEPo_SfBAxz9PoP5EpEpK_HenHcHZlRN7yEcVxSl7jp5r-O_q1Zha3sWeilPOCrWPrW_YyyDHgMtosSBl1bqQt9I0vbT3BWmf57uVYDKY4K6Zc9/s400/Lisa+Welding.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358708447792762914" border="0" /></a><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Lisa, one of this year's MIT students, completely at home in the workshop</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">On our return we proudly (some more than others) showed off our new creations and it was interesting to see the range of work that people had done during the day. Patricia, in particular, was delighted with the Solar Lantern she had created as it meant that she would be now able to have light in her house in the evenings, and thus hold lessons for the girls at a more convenient time. She also already has quite a new range of skills available to teach them!<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">We reconvened in the KCCR Seminar Room to hear from some of the past participants about their experience post IDDS. Hayley started the ball rolling with a presentation on the impact that her experience in IDDS 2008 had on her personally and professionally, stating that the combination of practical prototypes and inspiring inventors is what makes IDDS so unique. Our second English past participant, Stephen, duly followed with a superb presentation on the work he and h<br />is Breast Milk team have been doing since the end of the conference. During the summit his team was working on a project to help reduce the transmission of HIV from mothers to their children during breastfeeding. Working in conjunction with a medical team from <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Boston</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">University</st1:placetype></st1:place>, his team devised a nipple shield device that they believed was the beginning of a solution to this problem. Since then, the project has been featured on the BBC and Stephen has been awarded $100,000 from <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Cambridge</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">University</st1:placetype></st1:place> to fund his PHD on the project, as well as receiving an additional $100,000 from the Gates Foundation. Stephen even got the chance to sit down one on one with Bill Gates himself, to discuss the potential of the project. Here’s hoping he can achieve some concrete results over the next few years!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The tough task of following Stephen’s presentation fell on the more than able shoulders of Suprio Das, a past participant from Kolkata in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Suprio presented, along with former team mate Jessica Huang, the work that his project team has been doing since the close of IDDS 2008. The two worked together on the Power Pump project, and developed a mechanism for generating electricity from the use of a treadle pump. Their team has been numerous grants since the inception of the project and the project stands alone as something which could have a direct impact on people’s lives. While this follow up project work was interesting, and a perfect model of the potential for continuation of projects outside of IDDS, it was Suprio himself who captured the hearts and minds of all in the KCCR Seminar room.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">He spoke to his fellow participants about the imminent danger they were in from a new sort of virus, one he claimed was even worse than malaria. The “IDDS fever” certainly took hold of Suprio during the course of last year’s summit, and has had a firm hold on him ever since. Within Suprio himself though, exists the ability to inspire and infect those listening to him with a passion for, and belief in, the power of technology and invention to significantly change people’s lives for the better. He told us that his wife had begun to despair that his whole house was turning into a laboratory and he gave us some interesting examples of some of the water testing and purification work he and Jessica have been doing over the past couple of months.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioVrBEDAwg6vDXVR-8z0bZEWT5Cwx5CO1KlqW3TKBDuxWCkAof-thtqYJn5ASFRqahyzze4wRJ3AyNYQJ7eLi-oalMjR9SkQEv9ajg1FqcA6vpzr3bTTdjbkZ0pJyhx6Lnfqcasz3256bO/s1600-h/Power+Gen.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioVrBEDAwg6vDXVR-8z0bZEWT5Cwx5CO1KlqW3TKBDuxWCkAof-thtqYJn5ASFRqahyzze4wRJ3AyNYQJ7eLi-oalMjR9SkQEv9ajg1FqcA6vpzr3bTTdjbkZ0pJyhx6Lnfqcasz3256bO/s400/Power+Gen.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359112931587753970" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The IDDS 2008 Power Generation Team</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOefghmGxr3w5l7imnd4Nuji4lkHSAkYUE_aY8ctU8q9PWCIwEsi9zyHp9psOqA2lU2AlI-QgPHpXUGOluk3lkfx-sU3thYu2Z5IhtMZUJAAYT5knEGIPorxDgydAQxk9QEsjcbrEkYveQ/s1600-h/Jess+and+Suprio+present.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOefghmGxr3w5l7imnd4Nuji4lkHSAkYUE_aY8ctU8q9PWCIwEsi9zyHp9psOqA2lU2AlI-QgPHpXUGOluk3lkfx-sU3thYu2Z5IhtMZUJAAYT5knEGIPorxDgydAQxk9QEsjcbrEkYveQ/s400/Jess+and+Suprio+present.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358706418132181954" border="0" /></a><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Jess and Suprio present their experiences to the group</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">He also told us one story which I feel somehow represents a perfect example of how valuable inventors and appropriate technology are to the world. On the verge of finishing up their latest prototype for the power pump, Suprio and Jess heard about a cyclone that had ripped through a nearby delta of islands and left thousands of people with severely damaged homes and without electricity.<span style=""> </span>The two abandoned the work they were doing and instead began to adapt a hand pump that could help charge mobile phones, the only form of communication the communities had with the outside world and particularly important during time of crisis. They travelled up to the region with their prototype and soon found plenty of enthusiasm to encourage them that they had made the right choice in coming. Each of the villagers wanted to try the machine themselves, and were amazed by the practical solution to one of their very real problems.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTmsJCSIiT2sh8Kj0I2_0k7RyoGV8CE4Wem-sV12dn1R2tafxFu3yCL_X2jvH0IYRyZ2YLLxJUkZhfLwyYk3Hr3gvws6iPa4Wqmc_BPer3EOt04jblc-gkYVCGIY49VcOdl2CP5Zp80O7R/s1600-h/Picture1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTmsJCSIiT2sh8Kj0I2_0k7RyoGV8CE4Wem-sV12dn1R2tafxFu3yCL_X2jvH0IYRyZ2YLLxJUkZhfLwyYk3Hr3gvws6iPa4Wqmc_BPer3EOt04jblc-gkYVCGIY49VcOdl2CP5Zp80O7R/s400/Picture1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359109532218101282" border="0" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">The region, devestated by flooding</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0lUrurod47NwLybAK6EDkkQiUK5uxJVEwMSbgm8mthv5pD6mBbD2CKXjy9fwQhM9UjelbYjVJ2OhmKnUWitJSytt3fQcIsiMmMUYZE-xO2AMlEaaGM75f2KBJ_OI5JcZcweAXaggnf1P_/s1600-h/Picture2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0lUrurod47NwLybAK6EDkkQiUK5uxJVEwMSbgm8mthv5pD6mBbD2CKXjy9fwQhM9UjelbYjVJ2OhmKnUWitJSytt3fQcIsiMmMUYZE-xO2AMlEaaGM75f2KBJ_OI5JcZcweAXaggnf1P_/s400/Picture2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359110468508531586" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The villagers crowd forward to see the new machine</span><br /></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_cmvo5X7SV-cm1oWqHODTC_CX1lTp8ZjdLHu4owwknZsXkcDQL-GZ6AoDVQhRFTP1m9nBM4Aia3m3zGO8RRj6tC6c0E-NmRuIXk03bh7Xt_Hml3_dto3LZ2zYHSwJ6KC9ttg5tOmxQCUb/s1600-h/Picture3.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_cmvo5X7SV-cm1oWqHODTC_CX1lTp8ZjdLHu4owwknZsXkcDQL-GZ6AoDVQhRFTP1m9nBM4Aia3m3zGO8RRj6tC6c0E-NmRuIXk03bh7Xt_Hml3_dto3LZ2zYHSwJ6KC9ttg5tOmxQCUb/s400/Picture3.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359111364808603442" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The phone charging mechanism in action</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">This highlights just how much of a change inventors can make in the world. The lack of bureaucracy associated with Suprio’s solution was inspiring. He simply saw a need, developed a solution, and delivered on that solution. At the close of his presentation he invited us out to try one of his latest inventions which is explained through pictures below. Apologies for the lack of video content in this blog – the internet connection over here simply doesn’t allow for it!</p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh55pUTxNXhDfL7p_zoanl43a5-8QDQgX6xE-W5_Sz77ZC_5caXTRTCxNmabf5SfUNkusNZSNEIgvNlyxpVi0_z0iV9dex8r-mdXKxsJOpYmmve3lF1J7fICyZ-lOB54MhZCa5v6kTisIIL/s1600-h/Picture4.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 317px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh55pUTxNXhDfL7p_zoanl43a5-8QDQgX6xE-W5_Sz77ZC_5caXTRTCxNmabf5SfUNkusNZSNEIgvNlyxpVi0_z0iV9dex8r-mdXKxsJOpYmmve3lF1J7fICyZ-lOB54MhZCa5v6kTisIIL/s400/Picture4.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359111893740845314" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFb-LWfxVeLG48LtpCUHrdcLpfN_LS2I-wTvUlICr6amLbnCbEhgaw7S9nLlK7wZBEYEh22KnGiGBAfyxkFs8fSnM4pUkzrOp7suhEbV0ioJW7UnRrbMeamDl5q0h64ZpHIGLd5Y3jEiFS/s1600-h/Picture5.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFb-LWfxVeLG48LtpCUHrdcLpfN_LS2I-wTvUlICr6amLbnCbEhgaw7S9nLlK7wZBEYEh22KnGiGBAfyxkFs8fSnM4pUkzrOp7suhEbV0ioJW7UnRrbMeamDl5q0h64ZpHIGLd5Y3jEiFS/s400/Picture5.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359112562076490898" border="0" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">A trip to a local restaurant was to follow and the Jofel experience provided a lot more amusement than one might have imagined. Given that they had to cater for almost 100 people, the staff moved us upstairs to a huge open area floor, before setting up the table and chairs for the event. Unfortunately, they hadn’t factored in the thunderstorm that ensued and we were thus treated to the hilarious sight of about twenty IDDSters moving 100 chairs, 20 tables and 20 trays of food across a massive open plan hall, with rain streaming in from either side! In the end, it all worked out and was another great chance to talk further with some of this year’s wonderful participants. They are all excited about finding out their teams and design challenges tomorrow!</p> <br /><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style>Niall Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11952403116518338771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2862137322849438146.post-34839894835701128242009-07-08T23:35:00.000-07:002009-07-21T18:09:32.899-07:00Day 1- IDDS 2009 is officially underway!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_HTPD_pSvjfpBX5lJlr80wB4s38WZr8intvoYimdwpuemUIM_3ye3aMC1EtB3P3yNOjYMySGPI7wHT3ZsG1lzdxthQ4wB5s6Sx6kr3q80rW3S7IIPgMzj5QDflgu0oDI8W_Kzr_-pRH0/s1600-h/amy+preparing+for+the+day+just+after+the+great+hall+session+before+others+arive+at+KCCR.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_HTPD_pSvjfpBX5lJlr80wB4s38WZr8intvoYimdwpuemUIM_3ye3aMC1EtB3P3yNOjYMySGPI7wHT3ZsG1lzdxthQ4wB5s6Sx6kr3q80rW3S7IIPgMzj5QDflgu0oDI8W_Kzr_-pRH0/s400/amy+preparing+for+the+day+just+after+the+great+hall+session+before+others+arive+at+KCCR.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358580306538465554" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Almost eleven months after the Closing Ceremony of IDDS 08’ in MIT, <st1:city st="on">Boston</st1:city> it is finally time for the summit to reconvene in KNUST, <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Kumasi</st1:city></st1:place>. With the wealth of participants that we have among us this year, the exciting design challenges that are there to be solved , and the altered landscape we are operating in, IDDS 09’ has potential in abundance. It also offers some fresh challenges, both to the participants and organizers, and one of these is certainly the level of expectation that has accompanied our relocation to KNUST. </p><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWTkBiBxLNpqk4fdcrdzqoebeAjmsHFCsyjTRWVZFuIcXbDneU_outHDXKPKROFj3jqQgwgn9Ue9LyPhDbcdjLKtsGBzSsjqMFxjpqcUVf7rKqyCnvO18InhtCq65kXieaSaBwz2TlWDUR/s1600-h/Breakfast!.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWTkBiBxLNpqk4fdcrdzqoebeAjmsHFCsyjTRWVZFuIcXbDneU_outHDXKPKROFj3jqQgwgn9Ue9LyPhDbcdjLKtsGBzSsjqMFxjpqcUVf7rKqyCnvO18InhtCq65kXieaSaBwz2TlWDUR/s400/Breakfast!.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358581317593047586" border="0" /></a><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Breakfast!</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">After a quick breakfast and registration, the participants listened as the Vice Chancellor of the University urged them to help write a “new and exciting chapter” in the history of KNUST. His welcome to the participants took place in the Great Hall, and was preceded by some comments from the Chairperson of the Opening Ceremony. She sensed there was “creativity in the air” and while acknowledging the potential difficulties involved in summit, she invoked the soon to be visiting Obama by pronouncing “Yes We Can”. As she handed over to Amy to make her presentation she introduced her to us as the “Development Queen”, a title that Amy said was definitely a first for her!<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Our commander in chief introduced the concept of co-creation behind IDDS to the crowd, before giving some concrete examples of how IDDS has changed the lives of its participants, and the people around them. She relayed to us the story of Bernard Kiwia, a bike mechanic from Tanzania, and Carlos <strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Enrique Marroquin Machan</span></strong>, a Guatemalan working with pedal powered machines, that somehow seems to encapsulate all that IDDS attempts to be. The two met at IDDS in 2007 and were heavily influenced by each other’s work, exchanging ideas and techniques in the space outside specific project work that IDDS provides. Bernard then went back to his work at Global Alliance in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Tanzania</st1:place></st1:country-region> a transformed inventor: “I used to teach people how to fix bicycles. Now I teach them how to create things”.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Amy then handed proceedings over to John Powell, our keynote speaker for the very formal opening ceremony. Dr. Powell was director of the Technology Consultancy Centre( T.C.C.) in the 1970’s and helped transform Suame Magazine, the informal collection of artisans and mechanics in the centre of <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Kumasi</st1:city></st1:place>. Dr. Powell stated that if you ask an old man to speak “you should get ready for some ancient history” and he treated us to a hugely informative lecture on the growth of Suame, and the reasons behind the sustainability of that growth. In the 1970’s there were 5,000 artisans in total but over the course of a couple of decades that number has grown to almost 100,000. The reason behind this, Dr. Powell argued, was as a result of abandoning the ‘trickle down’ approach of industrialization and adopting a grass roots or ‘springing up’ approach. By focusing on the growth of small and medium scale enterprises in the Magazine, the benefit that accrued to the local economy was clear from the very beginning.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Crossman closed the ceremony with a prayer of thanks and the participants had a chance to get to know one another before retreating to the more intimate location of the KCCR, where most of today’s sessions took place. Away from the slightly intimidating and formal atmosphere of the Great Hall, participants were tasked with introducing themselves and their backgrounds, often complete with a funny anecdote or two! Amy gave a more detailed description of the IDDS vision, focusing on the three related movements of Appropriate Technology, Participatory Development and Co-Creation. The last of these is the central driving force behind the work that we are attempting to do here in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Kumasi</st1:place></st1:city>. By working with community partners in designing and prototyping solutions to their problems, IDDS attempts to create active creators of technology, rather than merely passive recipients and users.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The next activity of the day, the hotly anticipated design activity, certainly required participants to get into the spirit of co-creation as they literally had to co-create a solution to the mini-design problem posed by Ben Linder and his intrepid team of designers. Amy prides herself on the fact that IDDS creates physical prototypes rather than paper proceedings and as such she was delighted to segway from the bureaucracy filled morning to the hands on afternoon sessions. <span style=""> </span>We divided teams up for lunch and they each went about getting to know each other, as well as coming up with what would prove to be some pretty interesting dance moves with which to close off their teams attempts at the solution.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The top floor of the Credit Union Hostel was the venue for this auspicious event and after hearing Ben give them their list of materials and design and time constraints, they set to work. The task itself was pretty simple. Participants had to figure out a launching mechanism for a seed (materials ranging from corn cobs to paper pieces) that could clear the wall in the centre of the fourth floor and drop down to the central area on the bottom floor. Perhaps these pictures will help explain better than I can in text…</p><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpImpCS1i3Iich-NZI5mqM1zZTUg6751Wd-ZVIyMip111BkKKwo8B2NF97zwdS680eoc1JBG2rwsEqtwP2dx7L9rzXKlvEdQXgI86DgbQqaPhTvCl4cFIkOcX5NB78KO5Zf84_jUSw9YPb/s1600-h/IMG_1745+%5B800x600%5D.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpImpCS1i3Iich-NZI5mqM1zZTUg6751Wd-ZVIyMip111BkKKwo8B2NF97zwdS680eoc1JBG2rwsEqtwP2dx7L9rzXKlvEdQXgI86DgbQqaPhTvCl4cFIkOcX5NB78KO5Zf84_jUSw9YPb/s400/IMG_1745+%5B800x600%5D.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358579408942643346" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The red dot represented the holy grail for the participants</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEzerC-utEWKkZ3hJHnI3fUlg4ou2Sh5Ts06CXw_hoR0RdQvvb5DVZ_XO1d8yqJgbDX-1A87NUbvAHHVnlQV4urUQCWtFmuAPVQ3JN2BKK8HxgOTGDU503xHZEGZCsqGGCNqNUcuyBEKMP/s1600-h/IMG_1440+%5B800x600%5D.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEzerC-utEWKkZ3hJHnI3fUlg4ou2Sh5Ts06CXw_hoR0RdQvvb5DVZ_XO1d8yqJgbDX-1A87NUbvAHHVnlQV4urUQCWtFmuAPVQ3JN2BKK8HxgOTGDU503xHZEGZCsqGGCNqNUcuyBEKMP/s400/IMG_1440+%5B800x600%5D.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358579121975360354" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Materials for the deisgn activity</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28sEk6oJUtsomACEmWURi6te5ttb1NfaapR75zxZ-zpDrN4Y9-5RaTfNrwDZtl75dGBCrPxP8NNlFXADP9ZIib1_nu6pOkrLmzlzHcrcQvCQsGX272gQapC-nSWkmvpI0sRefhOiG5gek/s1600-h/contemplating+the+chasm.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28sEk6oJUtsomACEmWURi6te5ttb1NfaapR75zxZ-zpDrN4Y9-5RaTfNrwDZtl75dGBCrPxP8NNlFXADP9ZIib1_nu6pOkrLmzlzHcrcQvCQsGX272gQapC-nSWkmvpI0sRefhOiG5gek/s400/contemplating+the+chasm.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358578796952958514" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Contemplating the chasm</span><br /></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">The design activity is an apt first activity for the participants because in many ways it offers a microcosm of the whole IDDS conference. The participants must first learn to work within a team of individuals plucked from all corners of the globe before working through the different steps in solving the design challenge. They first frame the problem, draw some quick sketches, build their initial prototype and spend the rest of the time tinkering with what they have made before presenting it all in front of the whole group. There are a lot of similar lessons to be learned from the activity that will apply to the conference as a whole though, such as making sure that all the relevant information has been gathered and that the height of the ceiling on the third floor is the same of that on the fourth (Stephen’s team should be able to relate to this!).</p><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvdNcTX052YkMLN5_gRnEK6bOsk9B8tVypZi6EJq0C6lkVEhb1e8eTf7xd85iivTuJ6iBadtqgGd8kCewVz6UTlXO0Mr4vMIEEJ8-aE2b3xmaqsZCxaOoIkF7RZDD_QmipqWtAQq21UAWw/s1600-h/IMG_1596+%5B800x600%5D.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvdNcTX052YkMLN5_gRnEK6bOsk9B8tVypZi6EJq0C6lkVEhb1e8eTf7xd85iivTuJ6iBadtqgGd8kCewVz6UTlXO0Mr4vMIEEJ8-aE2b3xmaqsZCxaOoIkF7RZDD_QmipqWtAQq21UAWw/s400/IMG_1596+%5B800x600%5D.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358578310137648594" border="0" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Practice run attempt almost makes it</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Having said all that, it also represents the perfect way for engineers to get to know one another! The difference between observing the participants conversing among one another outside the lecture over coffee and tea, and watching them interact with their teams in the design activity, was monumental. Some of the 6-person teams represented as many as four continents but this wasn’t to prevent heated discussions and hilarious antics breaking out as they went about building their mechanisms. Language barriers weren’t a problem as people used their hands to convey their messages, rather than their mouths. Once the physical outline of the structure was in place, words quickly became redundant, as teams feverishly worked to have their solution ready for the final showdown!</p><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlXx7IOywXd-cPszEpARHRpbXpm4_uvoQ36XTk2BU83UcZjgWgdAAsxQyaKDvVo4FoXKkImuFQUo2tzZ1NocDmrBJdkfsiw5_GS4lDcpeqGc1z6TwEFRrubjMwvnvFrVzvULqQSt-D1YI/s1600-h/IMG_1586+%5B800x600%5D.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlXx7IOywXd-cPszEpARHRpbXpm4_uvoQ36XTk2BU83UcZjgWgdAAsxQyaKDvVo4FoXKkImuFQUo2tzZ1NocDmrBJdkfsiw5_GS4lDcpeqGc1z6TwEFRrubjMwvnvFrVzvULqQSt-D1YI/s400/IMG_1586+%5B800x600%5D.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358578084996435138" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Sue leads the discussion around altering their prototype</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4sBSteYKKvpqKTU0CgtAGf-ZbbBjVZTtO6Vl8MnDhWmoISrDKfGjNQgm9ULgwFC3CbkqPMUuL5S-jHBrPExr4lMRBD9OoyvLENSvzEHGq_BucbHpeVzHPQ25B5JqeEQkcsbT8d6zb3uX/s1600-h/IMG_1454+%5B800x600%5D.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4sBSteYKKvpqKTU0CgtAGf-ZbbBjVZTtO6Vl8MnDhWmoISrDKfGjNQgm9ULgwFC3CbkqPMUuL5S-jHBrPExr4lMRBD9OoyvLENSvzEHGq_BucbHpeVzHPQ25B5JqeEQkcsbT8d6zb3uX/s400/IMG_1454+%5B800x600%5D.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358577899564123346" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">I don't think any caption could shed any light on this...</span><br /></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">As the teams gathered together on the fourth floor to prepare to do battle it was fascinating to see the different designs that each had come up with. There were practically no replications of design, as each team took a different approach to solving the problem. I feel this highlights just why IDDS attempts to bring people from so many countries and professions together and in particular, why we have re-located to <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Ghana</st1:place></st1:country-region> this year. In the intersection of disciplines there thrives a huge amount of innovation and if that can be seen in something as small and specific as this design activity, I can only imagine just how fruitful this approach may have proved at the end of the five weeks spent working with local workshop managers and rural farmers and villagers. </p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkj8ednwHKjoGouji52ZcVZKf1PXuU6nnSq3udkUVZ8Oc2IB1rKp0SGn_E8fcFWEnOhgAeThxFhum6C_C-6Q0zSHy1X3A7AuxqW5cLrZ3b5u4S9PWFX5ju0Kh-jFkL45pOu16PRxuoHWo/s1600-h/IMG_1724+%5B800x600%5D.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkj8ednwHKjoGouji52ZcVZKf1PXuU6nnSq3udkUVZ8Oc2IB1rKp0SGn_E8fcFWEnOhgAeThxFhum6C_C-6Q0zSHy1X3A7AuxqW5cLrZ3b5u4S9PWFX5ju0Kh-jFkL45pOu16PRxuoHWo/s400/IMG_1724+%5B800x600%5D.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358577598928046034" border="0" /></a><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">This team really got into the design activity!</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">After a glitzy awards ceremony (Lisa and Andres’s team won the prestigious Golden Pineapple award) Amy took centre stage once again. She introduced the R&D processes behind two of her main projects over the past few years, the Corn Cob Sheller and the Charcoal Press. Over time, both of these processes have been improved, made cheaper and more efficient. Watching Amy give the enthusiasm laden lecture it’s easy to see how she has inspired so many people to join the co-creation movement she is helping spearhead. The simplicity that she brings to the process and the clear sense these technologies make, even has the ability to draw in an English student into thinking about appropriate technologies!</p><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0K2UVkyAwXb9swn3Ryw3EDhJEfsXXNmBYFPWD7yWdg53AFLTx4WOvKxzNSxQ3-ZGH97SmwjKNqkkjuLu4CosIt_VeSIjivx7Zp5SwBlIlGBZCS9yPyjInj1EF3PqGZcMDnNIdQUVjWAEn/s1600-h/IMG_1773+%5B800x600%5D.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0K2UVkyAwXb9swn3Ryw3EDhJEfsXXNmBYFPWD7yWdg53AFLTx4WOvKxzNSxQ3-ZGH97SmwjKNqkkjuLu4CosIt_VeSIjivx7Zp5SwBlIlGBZCS9yPyjInj1EF3PqGZcMDnNIdQUVjWAEn/s400/IMG_1773+%5B800x600%5D.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358576850692691378" border="0" /></a><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">"We really weren't expecting this...</span>"<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">A quick Corn Cob Shelling contest was to follow (Ruben Sanchez Fernandez, a return participant from <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Guatemala</st1:place></st1:country-region>, won this round) and after this the participants were free to get ready for dinner in the Engineering Guest House. The restaurant put on a wonderful spread for us and the meal represented a great chance for everyone to get to know each other a little bit better, away from the work atmosphere. I got talking to Patricia Zainab Tarwallie, a participant from <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sierra Leone</st1:place></st1:country-region> who works with educating young girls in her home country who have not had opportunities through the formal education system. She lived through her country’s brutal Civil War in the 1980’s and the work she does helps many young girls who have been born into broken families, still recovering from that period in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sierra Leone</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s history. Everyone at IDDS seems to have a story to tell, and it’s up to all of us to make sure we have our eyes and ears open to try and capture all the new ideas and experiences we are being exposed to on a daily basis.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Just when we thought the evening was drawing to a close, a small speaker in the corner of the room started to tentatively emit some Ghanaian dance tunes. Within moments, the chairs and tables were swept away and the restaurant was converted into a fully fledged dance floor. It’s important to remember that the participants have known each other for little over twelve hours but it seemed that when the music came on, it was impossible to resist! A special mention has to be given here to Vaibhav Uppal, an Indian mechanical engineering student, and Carla Tennenbaum, an artist from <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Brazil</st1:place></st1:country-region>. They really made the rest of us look like the amateurs we were when the going got tough on the dance floor! This brief glimpse into the group dynamic definitely bodes well for the remainder of the conference, and the creation of a new branch in the IDDS family.</p><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiSuoX4Wx5NA9Ot_kQcuk7ulXtLDsosTzG90uYttZFSGnvt8M_XtuppusO-djFJ9Li3C8x8Ah095WEAvNpYrEyldvVSqrr-_w2VqR1Dm4lX4jK4rQvlZgwNy2VMgr21bbCRQcewkM-8PWB/s1600-h/IMG_1837+%5B800x600%5D.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiSuoX4Wx5NA9Ot_kQcuk7ulXtLDsosTzG90uYttZFSGnvt8M_XtuppusO-djFJ9Li3C8x8Ah095WEAvNpYrEyldvVSqrr-_w2VqR1Dm4lX4jK4rQvlZgwNy2VMgr21bbCRQcewkM-8PWB/s400/IMG_1837+%5B800x600%5D.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358576418354002642" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTeXP7B6NdbLfl0BVRe5sRlm1GmrEbEaqkCgAbOiqCThPjqKU-LRyS15KHq3NmD4DPZeeuP4VaZPF3r_cUWZMOh3GTbLNcRdkdhtsmBXpw_CEzRs-IzQ7bmN3x7aaTjdoRs9zxeFUNYmfu/s1600-h/swing+your+partner+2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTeXP7B6NdbLfl0BVRe5sRlm1GmrEbEaqkCgAbOiqCThPjqKU-LRyS15KHq3NmD4DPZeeuP4VaZPF3r_cUWZMOh3GTbLNcRdkdhtsmBXpw_CEzRs-IzQ7bmN3x7aaTjdoRs9zxeFUNYmfu/s400/swing+your+partner+2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358576144623666674" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Getting into the swing of it</span><br /></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">As we arrived back at the hostel we had a quick check in meeting for the organizers to see if there were any lessons that could be learned from the first day. A few small concerns aside, it seems that everyone was pretty chuffed with how the conference had begun, and long may that continue! There is a worrying theme developing of late night meetings for the organizers though,,,</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Twi phrase of the day:</p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mepε se me - </span><span style="font-style: italic;">I want to</span><br /><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:1; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 0 0 0 0 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style>Niall Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11952403116518338771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2862137322849438146.post-88986511089183283812009-07-07T18:05:00.000-07:002009-07-21T18:00:30.425-07:00D Day (-1) - Akwaaba Participants!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvpWhqoe60evkHq2rsvzBpxh476MYzEvq92tSZjq46cC5LEywAAdRKqVBpwptpEwg_UHovz-wCF1uJPRarTywd7T1V68deBQAudMLebnkNHxuV4lLcGx7FV0cKefcU4C5qf0SXE5c9ywWq/s1600-h/Getting+off+the+bus.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvpWhqoe60evkHq2rsvzBpxh476MYzEvq92tSZjq46cC5LEywAAdRKqVBpwptpEwg_UHovz-wCF1uJPRarTywd7T1V68deBQAudMLebnkNHxuV4lLcGx7FV0cKefcU4C5qf0SXE5c9ywWq/s400/Getting+off+the+bus.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358569785252281362" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal">The last day of planning before any conference begins is always a frenzied one and IDDS 2009 was no exception in this regard. We had to make sure that the participants who had already arrived were settled in well, without forgetting that we have an international development summit beginning tomorrow at 9am! We had a trial run of registration with the few new participants this morning and this happily went off without a hitch <span style=""> </span>A couple of us organized a quick soccer game while Hayley and Jess took them on a tour of the campus and gave them a brief introduction to the local markets, Tech Junction and the Commercial Centre.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMXYImTiP1CmUhaaExHiFNKVYs7_uvPQt4gyNqOr-Fcj1J_PQ4ldygNF8OKBhMFqHOKIS5OrzKVfoErTOyvZw_8LMbQbiC_KKy2a7ZcDPXMQ7KcSntEFkHuSJF3cQ9PnLK5PXrDCrGOiy/s1600-h/Some+of+the+Indian+participants+take+a+moment+to+let+it+sink+in.jpg"><span style="display: block;" id="formatbar_Buttons"><span class="on" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_Add_Image" title="Add Image" onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="addImage();" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);;ButtonMouseDown(this);"><img src="http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" alt="Add Image" class="gl_photo" border="0" /></span></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7LWKw21VSLaM46XscrAjbdxTMUaekl87OEukCTKX7fI6b0av7A9MNDZzMpPD9GRjezIBNyZvytLfA32hJvRQUHSmCnQTLcckazYT3xXZ8F8-LFCEThOPZqJOULy99nNcup0vOtIzHko8E/s1600-h/Rajnish+and+Chanchal+chat+during+registration.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7LWKw21VSLaM46XscrAjbdxTMUaekl87OEukCTKX7fI6b0av7A9MNDZzMpPD9GRjezIBNyZvytLfA32hJvRQUHSmCnQTLcckazYT3xXZ8F8-LFCEThOPZqJOULy99nNcup0vOtIzHko8E/s400/Rajnish+and+Chanchal+chat+during+registration.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358482402979047554" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Rajnish and Chanchal take some time out during registration</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMXYImTiP1CmUhaaExHiFNKVYs7_uvPQt4gyNqOr-Fcj1J_PQ4ldygNF8OKBhMFqHOKIS5OrzKVfoErTOyvZw_8LMbQbiC_KKy2a7ZcDPXMQ7KcSntEFkHuSJF3cQ9PnLK5PXrDCrGOiy/s1600-h/Some+of+the+Indian+participants+take+a+moment+to+let+it+sink+in.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMXYImTiP1CmUhaaExHiFNKVYs7_uvPQt4gyNqOr-Fcj1J_PQ4ldygNF8OKBhMFqHOKIS5OrzKVfoErTOyvZw_8LMbQbiC_KKy2a7ZcDPXMQ7KcSntEFkHuSJF3cQ9PnLK5PXrDCrGOiy/s400/Some+of+the+Indian+participants+take+a+moment+to+let+it+sink+in.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355943949077805666" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Some of the Indian participants take in the hectic atmosphere of Tech Junction</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOAUlOn0r8AchIsFST27_yekXG7yT24KTZqXTac1tkFF_6h7zt0fkEB8wmeWA5EoY-gDv8oxtlkaQnkS3hJcYKEWdClAGScMKAS_M-grRnbHoX0RnqIzDVj8gAR7je2WGbcC7D_23pOVpw/s1600-h/Shaibu+at+the+commercial+centre.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOAUlOn0r8AchIsFST27_yekXG7yT24KTZqXTac1tkFF_6h7zt0fkEB8wmeWA5EoY-gDv8oxtlkaQnkS3hJcYKEWdClAGScMKAS_M-grRnbHoX0RnqIzDVj8gAR7je2WGbcC7D_23pOVpw/s400/Shaibu+at+the+commercial+centre.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358482202541859330" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Shaibu at the commercial centre</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwmUmGQjRkizoOsYb03tcWtN1HSprr1QQNAlXieUrkk3IsSz76ovzOk3efOPZmn_x-zgV9vNnVnwPiZoy1bdU5Jw1t99KyTpxaP4Vgpp4V1jS4V8NdmWDm8vN4vEd0X9hUX7TxtGDRi6AV/s1600-h/Our+second+game+of+soccer.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwmUmGQjRkizoOsYb03tcWtN1HSprr1QQNAlXieUrkk3IsSz76ovzOk3efOPZmn_x-zgV9vNnVnwPiZoy1bdU5Jw1t99KyTpxaP4Vgpp4V1jS4V8NdmWDm8vN4vEd0X9hUX7TxtGDRi6AV/s400/Our+second+game+of+soccer.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358481389952508834" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Eyes on the prize...</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Mid-afternoon we had the arrival of some of our Ghanaian participants. I am fortunate enough to be rooming with Benjamin, a farmer who lives in New Longoro, the village where George Fuachie also comes from. The pastor himself is also in my suite and it was great to see an old friend again. Last summer in MIT we took a walk into town to source a football that George could buy for his son and as soon as he arrived in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Kumasi</st1:place></st1:city> he informed me that his son had been playing “every day since”. George’s project from last year, the Educational TV-Computer, has also had some significant developments since we last crossed paths. His team has set up a website, <a href="http://www.playpower.org/">www.playpower.org</a> , and George is also trying out a number of the computers with children from the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">village</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename st="on">New Longoro</st1:placename></st1:place>. The rest of the Ghanaian arrivals got in a couple of hours later and we made sure they felt welcome by providing some of their favorites, Palava sauce and Jollof Rice! Meanwhile, in <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Accra</st1:city></st1:place>, Miguel and Joe lay in wait for our participants at the arrivals lounge…</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVdo9XwwyzUQ5_xLJtItDbV02H8FErZaAWTcCF1WMzkXCd66bhYEjiUEbiW4erXCF9U6241o1KrM_aed-GVdQMmPEp1ONXeulxzrkxy453VMXfGOxPDFCQQ3WH5kNvtcV7lBxP48rM2vt/s1600-h/Akwaaba!.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVdo9XwwyzUQ5_xLJtItDbV02H8FErZaAWTcCF1WMzkXCd66bhYEjiUEbiW4erXCF9U6241o1KrM_aed-GVdQMmPEp1ONXeulxzrkxy453VMXfGOxPDFCQQ3WH5kNvtcV7lBxP48rM2vt/s400/Akwaaba!.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358483968096797826" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">A welcome sight for participants after a long plane journey</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">After a brief check in meeting in the early evening it was time to prepare for the absolute bedlam that would be forty or so participants arriving on the same bus load from <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Accra</st1:place></st1:city>. We decided to go for an airport feel welcome and we each had a sign with three or four people on it, which we duly held above our heads with pride. As the bus pulled up and they were greeted by about twenty strangers shouting and waving signs over their heads, I’m sure a couple of the participants were having second thoughts about this IDDS business that they had gotten themselves involved in! Once everyone got off the bus though, we were free to bring our ‘buddies’ up to their rooms and show them around the hostel.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1tbEbp4_IBqof-aZ0DK108CbpBAOMJd4tEnvbPBG36qZhev8sQtJ71BdG5U7ylw0wAqSwzj1vDoZy4xJNmFOJ6HgrrR06oz4FAY6n1mkadaW1vWW2vD7DDkgZj1qgEuj3Al3watZMEOT6/s1600-h/Airport+style+welcome.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1tbEbp4_IBqof-aZ0DK108CbpBAOMJd4tEnvbPBG36qZhev8sQtJ71BdG5U7ylw0wAqSwzj1vDoZy4xJNmFOJ6HgrrR06oz4FAY6n1mkadaW1vWW2vD7DDkgZj1qgEuj3Al3watZMEOT6/s400/Airport+style+welcome.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358484237405283730" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">This may have been a little bit overwhelming!</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">We then set about cooking a meal together, which was a good way to get to know each other. Prince Hormenoo and Joseph Kisyoky soon learned that it would be wise to consign me to simply chopping up vegetables and Prince then set about making some Ghanaian fried rice. Have to hand it to him, he knows his way around the kitchen! I shouldn’t be surprised really, given that he is Crossman’s son, himself a master at preparing Red-Red. Crossman has been involved heavily in IDDS since the very first summit and as such it’s great to see that the wider Hormernoo family are jumping aboard the IDDS bandwagon. The suite I was cooking with also had students from <st1:country-region st="on">Brazil</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region st="on">Canada</st1:country-region> and even a Malaysian studying in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region>. It seems Prince’s rice is universally accepted though, as everyone made short work of what had been cooked. Joseph has promised us all that tomorrow we’ll see a real meal, some Tanzanian rice!<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Twi phrase of the day:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Wofiri he? – </b><i style="">Where do you come from?<o:p></o:p></i></p> <div></div><br /><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style>Niall Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11952403116518338771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2862137322849438146.post-46126349239517849102009-07-06T17:45:00.000-07:002009-07-21T17:50:41.024-07:00D Day (-2) - The (relative) calm before the storm<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihIrm4PJrYSGIBGBesmJ6RsiYL0ZCvDrtqGhHe4jIfne6oGneAcnOD2dLKthd3IUR_1brT8AG1Zg2maJU-J5EzFqa8bBDjsW6-sSQ0qd1T2399lgv-rjFpFvfwNS2aEOXL1CEezmHONTDP/s1600-h/Laura+at+participant+arrival.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355885380708663666" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 400px; height: 266px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihIrm4PJrYSGIBGBesmJ6RsiYL0ZCvDrtqGhHe4jIfne6oGneAcnOD2dLKthd3IUR_1brT8AG1Zg2maJU-J5EzFqa8bBDjsW6-sSQ0qd1T2399lgv-rjFpFvfwNS2aEOXL1CEezmHONTDP/s400/Laura+at+participant+arrival.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />We spent the vast majority of the morning getting ourselves ready for the arrival of our first batch of participants, and we certainly had plenty to keep us busy, both individually and collectively! While Stephen and Jess began to lose sleep at the thought of rewiring microwave plugs, Sumit and Laura were run off their feet preparing the all important participant packet our newest arrivals would receive on their arrival in the dorms. Hayley managed to rope a group of volunteers to function as guinea pigs for a practice run of the Design Activity, a fun team building exercise that will be the central focus of what looks set to be a jam packed first 24 hours for all involved! Giving nothing away, the organizing team are pretty excited about the fun people are going to have with this activity and it will be interesting to see just how the groups respond to their first mini design challenge of the summit.<br><br><br /><span align="center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEMqABOgok5RQAYLPLrRZD4hZpJLLaqMAqNODQJ2BdbA_QyRpZpqP6RTbdAK80Dfp5nSytt4lFEkuTwteuP11j61D7580Qtz74RnwARfcGWLbgEoeonl_-G7RaeDvRs7jcl2NbMcXxjl6F/s1600-h/getting+tables+made+for++our+workshops+.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEMqABOgok5RQAYLPLrRZD4hZpJLLaqMAqNODQJ2BdbA_QyRpZpqP6RTbdAK80Dfp5nSytt4lFEkuTwteuP11j61D7580Qtz74RnwARfcGWLbgEoeonl_-G7RaeDvRs7jcl2NbMcXxjl6F/s400/getting+tables+made+for++our+workshops+.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355941737995543762" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span align=center>Getting in some tables for our new fourth floor workshop</span></span><br><br>We checked in for a quick meeting at 5pm before deciding on a potluck dinner as the ideal method of greeting for our fledgling participants. We each decided on a dish which we thought would be most welcome to folks fresh from a long plane/bus journey and I think it’s fair to say that some of us have a more natural ability for food preparation than others. Among our new arrivals were participants from <st1:country-region st="on">Tanzania</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region st="on">India</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region st="on">Sierra Leone</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region st="on">U.S.A.</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Uganda</st1:place></st1:country-region> the U.K so as such we had to try and cater for a wide array of taste buds. As we ate together on the fourth floor it came as little surprise that my combo of bread, jam, beans and pineapple was the first to disappear – more appealing than it sounds folks!<br /><align style="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIB-n_FVHzucvKoG4ugXG2Oq3Hagp6vMV3cQV31Zi1nuK36iCi_ZRaH06HZDk7lV4ASE2aUyBIOszIxP8ts79bqzb2Elug3mBOJSBYsbn0WqnkfhASuBox_MH60xGUbSlrhrL49TgkFITO/s1600-h/Sumit+making+some+last+minute+preparations.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355887253769741218" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 266px; height: 400px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIB-n_FVHzucvKoG4ugXG2Oq3Hagp6vMV3cQV31Zi1nuK36iCi_ZRaH06HZDk7lV4ASE2aUyBIOszIxP8ts79bqzb2Elug3mBOJSBYsbn0WqnkfhASuBox_MH60xGUbSlrhrL49TgkFITO/s400/Sumit+making+some+last+minute+preparations.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic; align: center;">Sumit gets to work on his world renowned rice</span></span><br /><br><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2IhmuhBMuefhLFUQxnPlUdW4ACU1fQNqk9RQbQbPCoVoGQhL26ih28YOZhzaXFVEK2vG43vtojDs5KIUS45PfnQeW4P3aRdpQVezhZ4xDa7TcOyXysAGzujdOHQG7mYE8RgG0wqGTQYpP/s1600-h/Sharing+a+joke+at+the+first+meal.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355886326709179890" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 400px; height: 266px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2IhmuhBMuefhLFUQxnPlUdW4ACU1fQNqk9RQbQbPCoVoGQhL26ih28YOZhzaXFVEK2vG43vtojDs5KIUS45PfnQeW4P3aRdpQVezhZ4xDa7TcOyXysAGzujdOHQG7mYE8RgG0wqGTQYpP/s400/Sharing+a+joke+at+the+first+meal.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;text-align: center;">Jake, Tombo and Joseph share a joke with their meal</span><br><br />It was great to finally put faces to the names we have been seeing only in print for the last couple of weeks and, of course, wonderful to catch up with some old friends. Both Shaibu Laizer and Bernard Kiwia, bike mechanics with Global Alliance in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Tanzania</st1:place></st1:country-region>, were participants at IDDS 2008 in MIT and are both visibly delighted to be back among the IDDS family. Some of the fresh faces include: John Baptist(JB), a recently qualified doctor from <st1:country-region st="on">Uganda</st1:country-region>; Jacob, a mechanical engineering student from the <st1:country-region st="on">US</st1:country-region>; and Patricia, a teacher from <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sierra Leone</st1:place></st1:country-region>. We just about managed to squeeze in everyone to the 4<sup>th</sup> floor for the potluck but I can only imagine how completely nuts it’s going to be when the next batch of fifty or so arrive tomorrow evening. However, if this briefest of glimpses into some of our participants’ personalities is anything to go by, it’s going to be a pretty exciting five weeks!<br><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGlpcCGXQ95Ti29CDP1U0-bjM18MNr8wtxGtTPeJPf9sbJ656ADpK8opqlD19aIzy1yWmuKlrInmiU8W-pD5m1tiqajgmH62-9P4ECEpjzGQC6m3eMetBe-chCFSFip4D763zAgwH83JRF/s1600-h/Quick+chair+grab+system%21.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355885662117693634" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 266px; height: 400px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGlpcCGXQ95Ti29CDP1U0-bjM18MNr8wtxGtTPeJPf9sbJ656ADpK8opqlD19aIzy1yWmuKlrInmiU8W-pD5m1tiqajgmH62-9P4ECEpjzGQC6m3eMetBe-chCFSFip4D763zAgwH83JRF/s400/Quick+chair+grab+system%21.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;">Our chair transferring system worked a treat<br /></span><br />Twi phrase of the day:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">aane</span> -<span style="font-style: italic;"> yes</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">daabi</span> - <span style="font-style: italic;">no</span>Niall Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11952403116518338771noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2862137322849438146.post-84263851810479639312009-07-05T17:33:00.000-07:002009-07-21T17:20:09.151-07:00D Day (-3) - Crazy Minds and Able Hands<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5AVzbaEHils4Nkh86xLK0thFVhkoQCaIvJlSpFCa3K89AXc8385wq3Szxf34wzHAuR4vYd0_K8FwaEruAqgL21zq1ImQZOmAXccyuMqnTzQ6cVF-A0t9goC-qnMhgKUk2pqO6UAXom8lr/s1600-h/_MG_4346.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5AVzbaEHils4Nkh86xLK0thFVhkoQCaIvJlSpFCa3K89AXc8385wq3Szxf34wzHAuR4vYd0_K8FwaEruAqgL21zq1ImQZOmAXccyuMqnTzQ6cVF-A0t9goC-qnMhgKUk2pqO6UAXom8lr/s400/_MG_4346.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355938092168142050" border="0" /></a><br />When working on the thousand little things that need to be done for a conference of IDDS’ magnitude it can often be easy to forget the overall vision and aim of the endeavor. This evening, after our 7pm meeting, Amy reminded us in timely fashion just how much of a groundbreaking venture this year’s IDDS in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Ghana</st1:place></st1:country-region> really is. The conference has no equivalent anywhere in the world and Amy told us that this is simply because nobody in their right mind would attempt to pull off something this ridiculous. We are bringing together ninety or so people together from over twent y countries for a five week technology conference in which we are not even sure of the projects yet. The conference will include thirty separate overnight trips to local rural villages and many of the participants do not even speak a common tongue, let alone the language of the villagers themselves!<br /><br><br><br />IDDS 09’ will have an increase in participants of 25% and there will be twelve projects, two more than last year. All of this, it must be remembered, is taking place in a foreign country away administrative home of the summit, MIT, is over 8,000 kilometers away! Amy told us that this would not be possible if there were not so many people in the room, and in the world, who share and understand the vision of IDDS. Amy believes that the central components that all IDDS participants/organizers/mentors/ must have are “able hands and crazy minds”. There are certainly quite a few people on the team this year who I feel are perfect examples of this!<br /><br><br><br /><span align=center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KkGi6DGy3h7a4n4S49reWjM6_0v_SbDsV0z-6NbAIqx0dw4NN2YmkYtESzL_wV6_CjnLLKb39lsZsjvmCXAieIWVNoz_aDRrpUOwnPT1t5L8WHbvD5n7cxMSsoBLbOLspijHyc6ks10W/s1600-h/The+woman+behind+it+all+looks+on...jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355882907426532754" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 400px; height: 266px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KkGi6DGy3h7a4n4S49reWjM6_0v_SbDsV0z-6NbAIqx0dw4NN2YmkYtESzL_wV6_CjnLLKb39lsZsjvmCXAieIWVNoz_aDRrpUOwnPT1t5L8WHbvD5n7cxMSsoBLbOLspijHyc6ks10W/s400/The+woman+behind+it+all+looks+on...jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The woman behind it all looks on...</span><br /></span><br /><br><br><br />One final feature we all share is a firm, unerring belief that we can somehow pull it all off. As such, we go into the final few days of pre-conference preparation with our heads and hopes held high.<br><br><br /><br><br>Twi phrase for the day:<br><br><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Meh paa cho, te so</span> = <span style="font-style: italic;">Please, reduce it</span>Niall Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11952403116518338771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2862137322849438146.post-31458205285418539772009-07-04T17:20:00.000-07:002009-07-17T04:23:46.666-07:00D Day (-4) - Bargaining and Birthdays<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355942693207828306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCGrW6nimOF-eg_mF0bNi6srHhe35QqR4_-P-8M1Tb1Ll2K2nhtOG2_Fy2lO5nppgSaEe53jsPRSopaNzlfyfU9gzHdsCYK17hIIuISlJLMAVIyx3U3RMmaivDpkJY_YZzZLaCiAk3KOII/s400/dizzying+array+as+we+got+rice+for+the+village+visits.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br />We had a pretty uneventful day today. Most people were focused on their individual tasks and as a result there wasn't too much interaction between us. Some of the IDDS organizers trekked into town to buy supplies for Build it modules and the Design Activity but the vast majority stayed behind in the hostel to concentrate on the more mundane aspects of the participants arrival in a day or two. From what I hear, Kumasi sounds like a pretty hectic place. Three of our organizers have travelled down to Accra this afternon by bus to collect the participants from the airport and I can only imagine how crazy Accra is going to be when we showcase our prototypes at the Maker Faire Africa in mid-August<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355878591086814514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ0qg1T1_bhid11-cLUZYdnmGrMNzel1Uxinoy17O9vMq2MoRPco4IVEidhEymtjHTtKkQF6zvNvz8UNxrCrrYbcDM6kIpgfdzCT1jKBly58erWw-2Tv8_4vKwSAGGBx9oIcSzKNtN3Mr0/s400/Amit+unaware+of+whats+about+to+befall+him.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div align="center"><em>Amit was not impressed with Miguel's attempts to wish him Happy Birthday</em></div><div align="center"><em></em></div><div align="center"><em></em></div><div align="center"><em></em><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355943046005742994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9prR76ijxFrSt-mQTVE9b5rZHaVMBRmLKVFq400WYmXstwSt399jkNVPK8t7I8mWTI8EI6mx8M8I4lnLpkAzBGShRJNiZkcFnWvsy4wlZAm9FjdS7XTbR0ICDgevp1VbcbKOnB2zkIUme/s400/getting+a+printer+cable.JPG" border="0" /><br /><em>Looking for an ethernet wire? One second...</em><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyAO5PsJVCXRLucFufWmNQqEQbL5L9gzfWaih2RZONPj-WEiWsLVaGuqVMo98lgyvw5WLCab4p6H2TYoLx04XTEgdJhaxWfql7uuQQN0IGRLQCKcrnAJPsf2CV7d_Kx3ccoNI6z1GZxSBO/s1600-h/Downtown+market+stalls.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355879663398921730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyAO5PsJVCXRLucFufWmNQqEQbL5L9gzfWaih2RZONPj-WEiWsLVaGuqVMo98lgyvw5WLCab4p6H2TYoLx04XTEgdJhaxWfql7uuQQN0IGRLQCKcrnAJPsf2CV7d_Kx3ccoNI6z1GZxSBO/s400/Downtown+market+stalls.jpg" border="0" /></a><em>Traders sell their wares at small stalls throughout the city</em><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHfSPLlzId4npLrTFBX3JkpoeHdEVvtvzVEzAPyyNFJxxxO67wJxc9VnIxqMPcvGzjabNGUlpy3C5nKjWFvXLm86dvCPqtkMbv9ZEYx8ZzMlrrNHX_AiHxdmgpOUCeUw6-OjfVix3Azte3/s1600-h/Downtown+Kumasi.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355878303536541970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHfSPLlzId4npLrTFBX3JkpoeHdEVvtvzVEzAPyyNFJxxxO67wJxc9VnIxqMPcvGzjabNGUlpy3C5nKjWFvXLm86dvCPqtkMbv9ZEYx8ZzMlrrNHX_AiHxdmgpOUCeUw6-OjfVix3Azte3/s400/Downtown+Kumasi.jpg" border="0" /></a><em>The hustle and bustle of Kumasi</em></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><em></em><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355879979126356226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2IXyB219i0ZfP6BHqxNDhsovklLstupDbAAvUeYoaecMfrn_hHSM91_W8w4llfGDMYpmpC9AmhgQr5KQCNFPi9dHoryjyXxkkCVja7dBJWCPgAlz1FHMlbrdBWDybJ6wkKsLRoRCWAplb/s400/Where+we%27ll+be+getting+our+food+for+the+next+five+weeks.jpg" border="0" /><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">The pantry - our main source of sustenance over the next few weeks</span><br /></div><div><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355878993345243906" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLv946ftj8wWzTZBn79xDH5wKgXjkjodnmKt_nhfrSGvmats0UwpShBqx0X8Nxzbz9W77vZQFuJ66sTaXrefiydyeAkWrv4hvDRz4LdmM-ahR37um4Qhjf4GOl1J3DsMQ-uR2J0z_WDu9/s400/Just+outside+our+back+door.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div style="FONT-STYLE: italic; TEXT-ALIGN: center">Darkness sets on KNUST<br /></div><br /><div></div><div align="left">Twi phrase of the day:</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><strong>Baaku</strong> - <em>One</em></div><div align="left"><strong>Mie Nu</strong> - <em>Two</em></div><div align="left"><strong>Mie Sa</strong> - <em>Three</em></div><div align="left"><strong>Anan </strong>- <em>Four</em></div><div align="left"><strong>Anum</strong> - <em>Five</em></div><div align="left"><strong>Nsia </strong>- <em>Six</em></div><div align="left"><strong>Nson</strong> - <em>Seven</em></div><div align="left"><strong>Awotwe</strong> - <em>Eight</em></div><div align="left"><strong>Akron</strong> - <em>Nine</em></div><div align="left"><strong>Du</strong> - <em>Ten</em></div><div align="left"></div></div></div>Niall Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11952403116518338771noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2862137322849438146.post-13152736220627395592009-07-03T15:22:00.000-07:002009-07-17T04:23:17.175-07:00D Day (-5) - Sourcing some raw materials<div align="center"><br /><br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355107994942996562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWk-eHS8mXnbu7bjUUDQeMEdy-Qh5OHKTxyb07sm7hzIRsjQ8gvYTzfbmMJjUYOBFxyFd-KUe_8tIwYQpx0tRfODFcZ1I6Q0q7BkeocWQQnMFfH256tvmNgJjy7PMmhvVHIpAcwVlo6Hfp/s400/amy+spontaneously+picks+up+natural+materials+for+design+activity.JPG" border="0" /> </div><div align="left"><br />As the rest of us languished in Kumasi, readying ourselves for the participants' arrival on Monday, the trio of Amy, Laura and Ela headed north to the villages of Offuma, Manguasi and Asampu. The purpose of this three day trip was mainly to finalize preparations for our first round of village visits, but also to source some crucial raw materials for some of the wacky IDDS antics that will take place at KNUST over the next couple of days. The group set off in the late afternoon and they were not too long on the road before Laura spotted a goldmine – people using a diesel powered corn sheller, the perfect source for cobs for our carbonized coal press! Not too much further along the road Amy spied<i> </i><span style="font-family:';">a woman carrying palm fronds on the back of her bike and after much discussion arranged to purchase some as natural, local materials to use in the Design Activity on the first day of the summit. It’s exactly this opportunism and spur of the moment improvisation that has helped IDDS to become such a success!</span></div><div align="left"><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355109150346660290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOE-Rp89F-TrYzrWme9MfyH-1tPxBwoFXL28VPta6PxHk61rPp-MeV5b-HzgxzzfqztTpZtyJpcO4X71aq8XKLo05TJrkUkjiiWhYb9RSKKCbZcrBOhXBs8ZOPh-90FmhxuI40oVXtwg3Q/s400/the+team+scoping+potential+cobs+on+main+road.JPG" border="0" /> <div align="left"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="left"><?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></p><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="left"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: left" align="center"><em>The team sourcing corn cobs</em></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: left" align="left"><span style="font-family:';">The group had dinner in Techima and here picked up past participant and longtime friend, Pastor George. The softly spoken Ghanaian is a pastor in a village in the Bromg-Ohafo region and is a vital contact and liaison for the Northern Villages that IDDS will be visiting in just over a week. At IDDS 2008 in MIT the Pastor worked on a super low cost 10$ computer, <a href="http://www.playpower.org/">http://www.playpower.org/</a>, that could be used as an educational tool in the rural context. Unsurprisingly, given the nature of the man, he already has some working prototypes in use teaching the local children in the surrounding villages! </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="font-family:';"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355400618271140546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlme9r7T97PqFH-57wzcb8vsz2yMdRo-6OCbRQNTt_iX6WJjmj_TV-lSkrplfU5JBz8xkLqqux_t5v46J-OFmI92yebQoKHbBtxyFSU0P24McReeEmYurl-9-lUvEtqww7qNGNKNPx4y6M/s400/picking+up+pastor+george.JPG" border="0" /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: left" align="right"><span style="font-family:';"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: left" align="center"><span style="font-family:';">The team spent the night in the home of Mr. Ahima, a successful farmer and local contact, and woke to an early planning meeting for their impending village visits. Each village had been notified of their coming and in each case, were very enthusiastic about collaborating, hosting our participants for three visits, and coming to Kumasi to learn about all the projects at the final presentations. Before the group left the boys at Mr. Ahima’s farm showed Ela how to make one of the regional staples, fufu (yam pounded into gelatinous balls and eaten with stew</span>). <span style="font-family:';">We hope to have added a whole new array of exciting Ghanaian dishes to our cooking repertoire so we can impress our families on on our return home!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="font-family:';"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355107075274880338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKOvFCirub9MzIRJKl_aSNKcBfN7R9Q5HNj2nYAnPtarLli64BoYTra0jkXL0aktq5UBCd-GWhNqASNDADxq_RApE2AVZXzMaLlgD74TUAyYlBswPWyiSuhBuqPPHwE8M25BMP21PsG-80/s400/ela+pounds+fufu+at+Mr.+Ahima%27s+farm.JPG" border="0" /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: left" align="center"><span style="font-family:';"><o:p><em>Ela pounds fufu at Mr. Ahima's farm</em><br /></p></o:p></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: left" align="center"><span style="font-family:';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="font-family:';"><o:p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355108730764543618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM3YZGYcmPFsNEOUVRsM41nFW1g2G9Q-BlZWRgMlavB_v8sRBo5-GuOL9DFYlvW8RDD7gLPjliOBTnQZZTbBbmeVnzRXUzWK70ZOqbkUnBkqVdK-7bFWjQ7H3uy3pu0HHhd9Uc_iAgf_nv/s400/laura+pumping+water+at+Manguasi.JPG" border="0" /></o:p></span></p><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><o:p></o:p></p><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><o:p></o:p></p><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: left" align="center"><span style="font-size:0;">Laura pumping water at Manguasi </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="font-family:';">Meanwhile, in KNUST, preparations are heating up for the arrival of participants in a couple of days time. We managed to take some time out of our busy schedule for a quick game of football and just about managed to squeeze a vital(for everyone else's sake) shower before our meeting at 5pm. Due to my performance on the pitch I was subjected to Steven mouthing and gesturing "zero" throughout the entire meeting, not entirely conducive to taking good notes! It seems that everyone is nicely ticking over on their individual sub committee's but we sure have a busy weekend ahead of us.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: left" align="left"><span style="font-family:';"><em></em><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355934995283054754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpTQqWmIw_2DY0FPR3v_dagr4PKiSSRKyGJFlP9r_hR54AILJ3VxI_qoDSTOFF3OyaAomDoCykpvO6MGgiaXvzIayxRc3orqhTBSf4WcnYKsV6kpGJqvbkemXWxRLHOkyqiCY6i4h2PpKc/s400/Miguel+and+Asante+gracefully+do+battle.jpg" border="0" /><o:p></o:p></span></p><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355936471763043266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Zqk3kbZXFjp4DN-ygyrzYxrVX9zn0J1h9vek9P0GSHhh4CuVVGtRq_i5vuoPKNkB59UVwh0JWWcSwfl9LBGRoQMw6yTbunm91BhH3mozoFuSxezuH0CYw1O9_ipQY0Pfu4YNq5OUkCVA/s400/We+find+the+obliteration+hard+to+take....jpg" border="0" /></div><br /><p align="center"><em>Our complete obliteration is hard to take...</em></p><p></p><p>Twi phrase for the day:</p><p><strong>Wei ye sen</strong> - <em>How much is this?</em></p>Niall Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11952403116518338771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2862137322849438146.post-55522803530052700452009-07-02T10:10:00.000-07:002009-07-17T04:22:43.619-07:00D Day (-6) - The pursuit of internet/design challenges<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354654020573125042" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRxFDhK01tbmVwkm_xXQ-aDdefmJTAscyVExFbT843wahORED1-RDZ7-mj0k7-FIhqIi5UP-H5cQ0xpxUNkjlEXlPAqVumFx9uebtMHa3R82H4zWq-qJeHMDj5oxYRio8KY2QQOGwEvm6b/s400/Ben_Linder_in_the_middle_of_an_epic_design_challenge_meeting.jpg" border="0" /><br />After a day spent in the villages it was back to sorting out our old nemesis, the internet. Stephen has been working on fixing the internet cafe in the hostel over the last couple of days but it looks as if will be Saturday at the earliest before that’s up and running again so we had to determine another source in the meantime. On the tour the morning previosuly Asante had shown us a separate internet café nearby on campus that had a decent connection so that was our first port of call. Jess and I couldn’t believe our luck when we arrived and everything was working perfectly and it seemed that we had solved our problem. Alas, we had not factored in Stephen’s arrival. On an incredible run of bad luck, Stephen arrived at the café and within about thirty seconds the café lost internet completely, much to his chagrin!<br /><br /><br /><p>Our next best bet was to attempt to find some internet cards to correspond with the campus wireless networks available in our hostel. KNUST’s campus has a number of different residence halls which are currently dormant due to the fact that the Unviersity is out of term but on the tour yesterday, Asante gave me some interesting info about the different halls and their traditions. If you come from Katanga Hall you are known as a fellow, a Mongol if from Republic, a Spartan if from Independence, Unity and a Royal if from Elizabeth Hall. An inexplicably intense rivalry exists between Katanga and Unity Hall and Asante went on to tell me that some of their procession days can get quite ugly and territorial, but on every other day of the year it is not strange to see a Fellow and a walking as friends.<br /></p><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354654031892162690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_G8UT6jj1ldkRUsx_PmKyLYtFgMX1RuOtN0wLC15g9rKOdyP2PWKAsL_Ar0nRQp8nboXNTcJEO9FWJy832zeGc4NolriY9kZBgfSgGpPVApJMkjXShq3Zq13Yz9dRm6lHCJVmzyL8cZP5/s400/Miguel_recalls_what_it_was_like_to_be_on_the_internet.jpg" border="0" /><em>Our group exchange stories about the morning search </em></p><em></em><p><br />We spent the morning going from hall to hall looking for the cards and eventually, in Republic Hall, we stumbled upon an office that sold ‘e-campus’ cards. Our elation was to prove short lived though as it turns out it’s a network that is practically non existent in our dorms! A plethora of fruitless calls to local card dealers was to follow before I decided to cut out the middle. I took out one of the IDDS bikes (Crossman picked four of them up yesterday afternoon) and set out for Aydeuase, a local town not too far outside campus, and getting out of the campus and into the surrounding area was probably the best decision I could have made! I eventually found an FnF internet café, bought as many cards as I could afford and realized just how important learning the local language can be and how useful were the few words of twi I had already picked up. The vast majority of Ghanaian’s I have met so far speak very good English but they really appreciate when you make an effort to converse in the local language, even if it is often just a tokenistic gesture.<br /></p><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354654033489606962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2l8txOQE54Wa3vzicMudiAPTcMTHlzC5YvVsLc_8jemkX2PMdIk6nlBhgJfP91tFw9Kbh-Uy9VkAg-ibr8Y8jQlzB2aEfwQXaqeGt0PBjfU5rfSnuJfH1FMCna9wzW71FIIxwobE4EDNB/s400/Niall_goes_nutty_from_searching_for_internet.jpg" border="0" /><em>E-campus codes - Close, but no cigar</em> </p><p align="left"><br />This afternoon Amy left to visit the villages in the Northern Region and Benjamin Linder duly took charge of the design challenges meeting later that evening. Ben arrived yesterday evening and is a faculty member in Design and Mechanical Engineering in Olin College in Boston and has been a key player in IDDS since its inception in 2007. In the meeting Ben filled us in on the potential design challenges and projects that could feature at IDDS 09’. There was a real sense of excitement and energy in the room as Ben listed off the projects and tried to give some description as to what they might entail. Talking about the projects for the first time really made it hit home that the participants will be splitting up into teams and heading out to villages in little over a week!<br /></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354654039490595010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSkov-rVVtaZgDabicojxqPX65HHi7H0IaSoiSV1ZPvRthuCg_kjSVFjY2SOmPUOBKFdqECW7m0UrL1gtWWGrgXgnl500WWnXeW0pZA4WmwiZplUaevMmRFv6zxycP9lAtT5CA7F7-JPV8/s400/Tombo_contemplates_naming_the_design_challenges.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"><em>Tombo in pensive mood at the design challenge meeting</em><em></em></p><p><br />It was extremely helpful to have input at the meeting from Killian, Asante and Amin, three of our Ghanaian participants, as they explained the local context behind a number of the problems the projects concern themselves with. In particular I don’t think we could have grasped so fully the technique of Yam Mounding, a common practice in villages across the country, had we not had their expertise to draw on. This is all so different from MIT last year where we often bemoaned the distance between our committee room and the real life context in which people daily faced the problems we were attempting to solve. The anticipation is building for IDDS, Ghana 09’ …<br /></p><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354654025825865250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqglbcLEzj3UNYndX1wwEFSLf_gMhmXhQbYN7g7JY4WXUQ9Os9kCHRMhp0otGeieBj9wNJNcafErMPmeg2EPRN14Z9weo-Nr6X7IRafnbASvc8OV4ZoLmT0B8lA64rBmpDuQO8dqmLhax/s400/Killian_comes_up_with_a_brilliant_insight_about_the_design_challenges.jpg" border="0" /><em>Killian provides some critical background into yam mounding</em></p><em></em><p><br /><strong>Here’s a list of the tentative projects for this year:<br /></strong><br /><br />1.Bamboo Matchstick Making<br />2.Forest Health Monitoring<br />3.Groundnut Threshing<br />4.Cassava Processing<br />5.Yam Earth Mounder<br />6.Destoning Rice<br />7.Shelf Life Extension of Fresh Foods<br />8.Shea oil extraction<br />9.Kid friendly latrine’s<br />10.latrine emptying<br />11.Cool Medicine Storage<br />12.ICT Enabled Baby Monitoring<br />13.Clorine dosing<br />14.Super Cap Chlorinator<br />15.Small Scale Energy Storage<br />16.Portable Hydro Power Light<br />17.Recycled Plastic Products<br />18.Transporting Heavy Clay Loads<br /></p><p><br />Twi phrase of the day:<br /><strong>Me ho ye</strong> – <em>I’m fine</em></p><div align="center"><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><em><br /></em>Niall Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11952403116518338771noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2862137322849438146.post-9850286817719913892009-07-01T09:55:00.000-07:002009-07-17T04:22:06.860-07:00D Day (-7) - Village Visit Groundwork<div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="left"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354651354068313362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja-mX4IDjIpib6qfRYk6gatS7D_qNBnfzY283Zr0ygbvPQPGZb7YgYhCKPooCSIu3y8ewpJcDwjv7Gp8yQ7cSrlddz5ZGRPzQMAVIEPeMITFerMO3nnyXkcUNX9OGlIm2xWDlqB7l_BVGT/s400/landscape+First+village.jpg" border="0" /><br />Having sat at a laptop working on publicity and other logistical issues over the last few days I finally had a chance to visit a couple of villages our participants will be working in and it was easily the most revealing few hours I have spent in Kumasi to date. In total IDDS will be working in ten villages throughout the Bromg - Ahafo and Ashanti regions and teams will visit the same village three times during the course of the summit. As such, it is critical that we get these villages fully on board and that they understand completely the mission and vision of IDDS. Participants will also be spending one or two nights in these villages during their visits so there are a number of logistical issues that need to be worked out between the IDDS organizers and the village elders and chiefs.<br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355373095746084898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN-5N258TcOJeQMBXtUM4MbkrRs6B4P1M_-5ZAKHtyUyGinepGTbDtX9-2oluDpoMS0b62Cd9z6NOUV9h179MVhBrM8wDfGxAd2_hK5w1W36ylVwLTIimLLq4h5GNIhzfkXUE1xZ8s88AZ/s400/asanti+leads+campus+tour.JPG" border="0" /><br /><p align="center"><em>Asante leads us on a tour of the KNUST Campus</em><br /></p><br /><div align="left"><br />After a quick 8am trial run tour of the campus with Asante, one of the Ghanaian organizers, I was free to get my stuff together for the visit to the villages. Three of the Ghanaian organizers, George, Killian and Amin were to accompany us on the trip and Jessica Huang, Kofi Taha and his son made up the rest of our party. We set out at 1030am for the office of the Municipal Director of the region, to make sure that he approved of our desire to work with the villages in his area and understood our message. George Obeng spoke mainly on our behalf and I was hugely impressed with his exceptional communication and diplomacy skills and it soon became clear that the Municipal Director felt the same, fully understood our goals and was fully behind what we hoped to achieve.We were only out of the office about two minutes before Isa had found a group of local kids to play football with! We had a quick kick about before moving on to meet some of George’s local contact’s that would prove instrumental during the visits later that day.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><p align="left"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354651380383848834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPIi3C9_ttqXVIX1kWlzDo3V4iA1ihdqZmuZboeEI5cS0M12VlH2vgGJgtzsCQkFTibxcyz-mBNdQ3bUKc5SulcmMO584R9zgVmBU0T_n3z9k4h4KA6gnPBrq8w4Mgh_nSIozKPtxo1Ewz/s400/Isa+gets+to+know+some+local+kids.jpg" border="0" /></p><p align="center">Isa gets to know some local kids through the universal language of football<br /></p><br /><div align="left"><br />As we sat down for a quick meal and a glass of coke George’s friends began to introduce themselves to our group. Samuel and Nimo first told us their names before Jerry Ziggy, a former radio station presenter, took the floor. He gave a brief description of the work he has done in the past and the contacts that he has in the villages and it was easy to turn back the clock and imagine his animated voice booming out of a speaker station. After this, George explained in Twi the aims of IDDS to the other Ghanaian’s and what approach we needed to take when visiting the villages for the first time. It was interesting being on the wrong side of a language barrier for once and definitely made me more conscious of the fact that I only have about four Twi phrases to my name so far.<br /><br />Jerry and the others grasped the concept that George was explaining to them pretty quickly and we soon moved into a broader discussion in English on what we would try to explain to the chief on our arrival. Interestingly, I saw a Confucius saying posted on the wall of the Municipal Director’s Office stating “What you hear, you forget. What you see, you remember. What you do, you know” and I feel that these few words encapsulate better than I could the way in which we would like participants to experience village life. Kofi explained this to George, Jerry and the others and we soon reached a consensus on who should speak and represent IDDS in which village.<br /><br />We set out for Adumkrom, the first of our village stop offs about a forty minute drive from KNUST. On arrival, we were greeted by elder members of the community and they quickly brought us into the palace, a sturdy room at the back of the village. The village itself was pretty small, about 500 people, and as you can imagine our arrival caused quite a stir. We all sat down with the chief and after some formalities Jerry stood up to make our case for IDDS. Again, his media personality shone through and even though he was speaking in Twi and I had no idea what he was talking about I still would have signed up for what he was selling!<br /></div><br /><div align="left"><br /><br /></div><br /><p align="left"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354651368885991106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp6rUZ3_VUM7_uj2ACAQW97g56Idu7vpF4TCzwP9h6Wdf9asshggw1CcP_WHcmyyxd4fXPLCIxcAnLoqBf8tietLUrANp6KTbEe0sxwV1YpsDv0yeVGRNJPQujc3PwF4BFHnFbR3uW0FeU/s400/Jerry+Zigga+makes+our+case+to+the+chief.jpg" border="0" /></p><p align="center">Jerry Ziggy explains our mission to the chief<br /></p><br /><div align="left"><br />The chief initially looked quite intimidating but it soon became clear that he was very excited that IDDS was coming to his village, and he really seemed to grasp the central idea that we were trying to get across. He also cracked a joke or two that left us English- only speakers behind the rest of the room as we had to wait for George or Jerry to translate them for us. We eventually realized that he was suggesting that when the participants brought the prototype to the village for the third and final visit, they would have difficulty taking it back with them! He said it was a great honor for him to be the chief of the village at this time and to have this chance to work with us at IDDS. The crowd gathered around us also seemed excited about the prospect of working with a team from around the world to develop relevant technologies that could be used in the context of their community.<br /></div><br /><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354650440462921298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-HjBrT6zC65a-mhDxqBBbaQrYMhtkiA79WX-5P919TgvndBfyJ8BfEfgsp9DL_1xZKswImhMeWDB35XqfE3d551H23zKSXxK0vRYoghQ6RiBSJjDRubtoYpcRjaaMdRpJbbvFFCv6i8-t/s400/The+chief+of+the+first+village.jpg" border="0" /><br />The indominatable chief himself</p><div align="left"><br />Agyaerago, the second village we visited was almost completely different from the first and I felt that a lesson in itself could be drawn from this. There is no single formula for working in the field, the specific local focus is always different and needs to be taken into account if any sort of development is to be sustainable. The people in Agyaerago were far more outgoing than those in the first village and I think this could be attributed to the fact that this village was much closer to the town than the others, and thus more used to visitors. There was also a power sharing committee in this village as there has been some dispute in the past about chiefdom here. </div><div align="left"> </div><br /><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354651365152619202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh421tYXvhJdtDwtFgA6nm9EKR4D5-U_Zag2QVYVCYdLuVigw5N5A7wObWHfhEXWcMGmaUmsNr0mGpQrXut3TII7obv1_8wM43B12zXPLw-O5rfTwyMZygaMlB0KOkoJrOajkNmaQ-ZeGlj/s400/Jess+and+the+village+women+share+a+joke.jpg" border="0" /> <em>Jess shares a joke with some of the village women</em></p><em></em><p align="left"><br />Before we had the chance to go and meet the committee, Isa already had his football out and had challenged some of the local kids to a game, which duly began in earnest. Samuel kept an eye on him as we got our meeting started and Nimo this time was chosen to present our vision to the group. Again, the reaction was wholly positive and we soon exchanged contacts and arranged some quick logistics about food and accommodation. During the meeting Kofi saw a woman carrying maize on her head and asked if he could buy some pieces from here. He wanted ten but she initially only had five pieces and she left to return just at the end of the meeting to give another five and refused to accept payment for them. I think this example exemplified the positive attitude towards our presence that existed throughout our stay here. We’ll have to make sure the team knows to bring a corresponding food gift though, for their first visit!<br /></p><p align="left"><br /></p><br /><div align="left"><br /></div><p align="left"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354652147295193762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPAWVSHKd5-2LWy2u-RwF1DDuhySlxueFd-QNsB3_n5_q_SHBa5RfxsfRVlNZXFH3ohJx0fagWex0uiuewXEwACl6tTva3JRwPMtVGjC9VJccPRVNV08OFQ8W5loxMxsalezXWthNBxMuU/s400/Football!!.jpg" border="0" /></p><p align="center">Mad for Football!<br /></p><div align="left"> </div><br /><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354652134845055442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWqKDtxI4snpV9xi3W83kpda480B8SlEDA-PSv7HZW-4WdKyAkCYr5rMvFJzBhHbaP7FW4-LELh41rBoCOxjJQSZreQIWvCteRgTFbcS8BAPSYU5zLluOKeN4KqPxF-viw1EC31kTa3XSq/s400/Committee+in+Agyarego+listen+intently+to+the+IDDS+mission.jpg" border="0" /> The floor is open for questions in Agyaergo<br /></p><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354651358553505346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqJMtI0YQ3mImkPMj5aHCInLXAlsz058fBCIF0UpTOwFWHCMjbSuTB6_tzwZPei7fSmYWo0uA_Wu3ZsAGkWT4Y0-WeaUAPJV97gtiZ-xzFJ8Eb_N3QvLt4-LJp29b-5GYFOS_Lm-Ko_cWJ/s400/Kids+taki.jpg" border="0" />Some of the kids, not quite sure what to make of us<br /></p><p align="left">On a tight schedule, we knew we could only afford thirty minutes in our last village so we had to make sure that we struck a delicate balance between staying longer than needed and rushing the visit. Kyekyewere is only a short distance from Agyaergo but the bumpy and uneven road between the two means it takes a little longer by car. Again, in structure, this village looks, and feels, completely different to the other two. We had a meeting with the chief in a more open palace area and there were also a number of other representatives present from the community. There were plenty of good natured jokes made at our expense in Twi but the chief and the villagers all seemed excited about the prospect of IDDS and welcomed the participants to Kyekyewere with open arms.<br /></p><br /><div align="left"><br /></div><br /><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354650444285844722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheNF0vJa2BeJlDEVlI-gRGyE-avGGaOMvHtR92omDiBOpkM6Xi8TdK0GZbSEkw1hQMY1uqCyLBTndO7aMZSqUcHmePhlfSwR3ZnoxGROZ12WIZniypLq4rHda2Fn1a7MYsb8he6iWBi7P1/s400/Latrines+in+village+3.jpg" border="0" /></p><p align="center">Kyekyewere is equipped with latrines<br /></p><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354650435719026882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2T3xwDG7hB5rStniaNwrwdN9_8quY2Mu03Xz755GNPBJn9PQwnZzmXPpIFmvA2e_ZXjIyUQt7kODAvb-e6Asg_uysIU4EdXFAiCkPIJLzcv80iyCy9n42CyFkWExPtJFxTycqpvWusQR/s400/The+villagers.jpg" border="0" /></p><p align="center">The chief in Kyekyewere listens intently to the IDDS message<br /></p><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354650431347105010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsLr8jMv9jv8YclVDzafma9Ey9C3o2LEW_YrWBqzryKnugZJ7D78AS2AgUyXif3yUUSrvKalWZR0cLgTyUZ0XVJWNmzQS5WZJ36EjTns8-S61B8qyz8b0d2A1OQSzdeErfx1hpKCL0NMxm/s400/Water+pump+in+village+3.jpg" border="0" />A water pump in Kyekeywere</p><div align="left"><br />Reflecting on the bus home I realized that the villages were not quite what I was expecting but were still a million miles away from home, and even from KNUST. All in all though, a successful trip which bodes well for the later participant visits. We made it back just in time for our 8pm meeting and thankfully a group had cooked some potluck food for everyone, a god send at the end of such a long day! As we ate we checked off items on the agenda and started planning our next couple of days of preparation. Amy is heading off to the villages in the Bromg - Ahafo Region tomorrow afternoon so we’ve a lot of work before she gets back on Saturday... </div><div align="left"> </div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355402097310303410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiANq0LwHWIAbDKiPl_wD6Qcic-jmFuPiUAgi-pPEYTg92ztJcy1XOyBhI9xThlQCjD-vSapgwV8z5FdzhwSZEuc9PmDmHvt2i80fKXF-2XUrgMLLXReyp3_OadgKj3o3rwpr0p8PN-QQhX/s400/IMG_0984+(2)+%5B800x600%5D.JPG" border="0" /> <p align="center"><em>Meeting time at the hostel</em></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354650445756842178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcopQiFU8fyMthL11zjrkFK-5VehMBy04RE9KVu857XvJkh5C-yICA3P_BKrYnYwGBWvUtE9wqyDHRSzTCrM4mJuIYcrYRFmZJDmN1pO8Q5LycWnfLmi7Blpvl2kVqVy2dtKcXInMKWPKq/s400/Potluck_at_the_organizer_meeting_we_are_not_always_serious.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div align="center">Thank god for potluck dinners!</div><span style="font-size:0;"><br /><br /></span><br /><div align="left">Twi phrase for the day:<br /><strong>Ete-sen</strong> – <em>How are you?</em></div>Niall Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11952403116518338771noreply@blogger.com1