Alternative Technology Workshop

This week I've been attending an Alternative Technology Workshop in Solvwezi with a counterpart from my village. Total there were ten of us: five volunteers and five counterparts and our two facilitators. Check out the pictures below for a bit on the projects we built, learned about, and will bring ideas of back to the village.

We jump started our brains with a maize stacking challenge. Rules: two pieces of paper, stack as many corn cobs as possible. Our team won with 7 corn cobs. 

Teamwork 

Contemplating

 What is this machine you ask? Why a groundnut sheller. The metal one is from the capital - around 3 million - ie 600 USD. So we made a wooden one in my group - price likely around 20 USD. 

Close up of our groundnut sheller. How's it work? Add groundnuts and pull handle back and forth. The nails on the bottom break groundnuts and they fall through the slots between the wooden dowels. Final step separate shells from nuts. 

 Clay pot inside another clay pot. Sand inbetween you add water to. Damp cloth on top. Cassava or your choice of something kept cold. Yep that's right it's an evaporative cooler. The clay is porous and draws the moisture away from the veg or whatever you add to your pot therefore making it cooler. Store in the shade.

Northwest Province does not have a clay pot market. Instead take a large jerry can and small jerry can, add sand inbetween, dampen a cloth, and cement the inside of the small jerry can. The cement has similar qualities to the interior clay pot. Mission accomplished. 

Another group completed a drip irrigation project. Take two used bicycle tires, attach them together, and then attach that to a jerry can, make small holes at the correct spacing for your garden and then add lollypop sticks to the hole. Drip irrigation at its best. They did another project with bamboo and water bottles inverted in them that accomplished the same idea. 

Hard at work - building a solar dryer frame

You can use a zam-bike and the blue metal machine... creating a cycle powered maize shelling machine

The mesh top of a homemade smoker (used mainly for fish smoking)

And this project wins most creative. What do you think this is? 

(Wait for it... hah.. will tell you at the end of this post)

Everyone loves a bit of pyromania. 

Even better when it's saving the environment. That's right folks. Burning corn cobs in that metal drum. You then crush the carbonated corn cobs and then make them into brickettes using the corn cob ash and a mixture of cassava goo. And cutting down 0 trees in the process. Which is great because Zambia is one of the leading countries in deforestation.  

There were a couple other project we worked on that didn't make it in here - mostly no photos. Will keep you updated on which projects we decide to try in the village. And did you figure out the swinging jerry can contraption? That's right it's a honey press. We didn't have honey comb so couldn't test it's effectiveness - but at least makes a fun game.