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Items by Juliana Rotich

• July 29, 2009
• 16:41

  Retrofit Turns a bicycle to an ‘Ambulance’

   » ‎ AfriGadget

  Tags:  AfriGadget  

  Zambikes is a project that retrofits bicycles by adding a trailer. This is especially useful in rural Zambia (and other parts of Africa) where there aren’t many cars to get the sick to hospital, much less an ambulance.

  Watch how the ‘Zambulance’ retrofit is made…

  The ‘ZamCart’
  A multipurpose trailer

  

  Interestingly, the Zambike project sells and outfits bikes under the local brand name of ‘Amaka Sana’, the Bemba word for ‘very strong’ .

  To learn more: Zambikes.org and follow @ACIRFA_Zambikes on twitter

  via Timbuktu Chronicles

• March 25, 2009
• 20:58

  Repurpose: Converted Shipping Containers

   » ‎ AfriGadget

  Tags:  AfriGadget  

  Spotted in Nandihills, Kenya January 2009.
  I saw one just like this in Bungoma, but was not quick enough with the camera to get a good shot. Turns out Zain, a major mobile phone service operator is using these as pre-fab offices in rural areas.

  

  Spotted in Nairobi, January 2008
  At Lagoon, a bar/nyama choma (roast meat) joint.

  

  Got more in your archives? If so, please comment.

• February 23, 2009
• 11:42

  Toy Tractor from Recycled Plastic

   » ‎ AfriGadget

  Tags:  AfriGadget  

  Taken in the Rift Valley province of Kenya, this picture shows two young boys with their toy tractor. Notice the use of discarded plastic and a few nails. Simply ingenious, simply Afrigadget!

  

  This picture was submitted by Bankelele, one of Kenya’s top bloggers. Thank you very much Bankelele.

  If you would like to submit images, please tag them with ‘afrigadget’ in flickr.

• May 28, 2008
• 1:05

  Building The Sun - A Kenyan Videographer’s DIY project

   » ‎ AfriGadget

  Tags:  Gadgets  

  Jim is a musician, videographer and member of the Kenyan animation trio Just-A-Band. He needed a consistent light source for his video shoots, and as he puts it…
  1. the sun is REALLY powerful
  2. but very unpredictable

  So he decided to create his own lighting equipment from easily available components that included:

  1. 2 cardboard boxes (20/-)
  2. 15 bulb holders (approx. 150/- each)
  3. energy saving bulbs (the 23-watt ‘cool daylight’ types - 450/- each. Ouch.)
  4. a roll of aluminium foil (approx. 200/-)
  5. lots of cellotape/masking tape

  With the help of his friend Kevin who is an electrician, he went from this
  

  and
  

  To

  

  Contrast his total cost of approximately 7000 Kenya shillings (about $113) with Tungsten lights being sold in Nairobi, Kenya for 20,000 Ksh (about $320), this is a neat DIY project that not only saved him some money, but also shows the African Ingenuity we are always excited about.

  Check out more pics and the rest of his post on his blog.

• March 13, 2008
• 21:17

  African Toys - A Pictorial

   » ‎ AfriGadget

  Tags:  Gadgets  

  We hope you enjoy these pictures of toys from Kenya and Ghana. They are a sampling of the pictures on the AfriGadget flickr group. The materials used to make these toys are scrap metal, tins, wire, and pieces of leather.

  Wire Bikes

  Ghana
  Colorful bikes

  

  Spray can wheels

  

  Red Dynamo

  

  Wire Motor Bike from Kenya

  

  Cars and Tractor

  Tin Cars from Ghana

  

  From Kenya:
  Wire Landrover

  

  Wire Tractor

  

• March 03, 2008
• 7:48

  Affordable solar charger for Mobile Phones

   » ‎ AfriGadget

  Tags:  Gadgets  

  Our friend Ken Banks of Kiwanja.net and NGOMobile wrote about the challenge of mobile phone charging in off grid Africa; noting that this solar powered charger could be one of the solutions.

  I quite agree; two years ago i bought a similar solar powered charger that cost $99. The charger pictured above is made by G24 innovations, and costs $20. This is just the kind of technology that AfriGadget likes, because it is not only quite handy to have, but it is empowering and well suited for off-grid rural areas in Africa,  California or anywhere with sunlight for that matter. Ken explains it best…

  In some rural areas, where the lack of reliable mains power might be the difference between making it worth owning a mobile or not, a small solar panel such as this could be a deal clincher. Of course, solar energy has been touted as a solution for charging mobile devices for years now, but what’s interesting about this is the cost. Suddenly, it actually seems possible. And by possible, what I really mean is affordable.

  Read more about the device.

• February 11, 2008
• 16:47

  Simpsons Carvings from Kenya

   » ‎ AfriGadget

  Enclosure: [download]

  Tags:  Materials  

  This one is not exactly AfriGadget, more like an AfriToy, but we love the story nonetheless. The video reporter Ruud Elmendorp visited the small village of Tabaaka, near Kakamega, in western province Kenya. Below is a video showing the master carvers at work, creating soapstone figures of The Simpsons characters. The carvings are available for online purchase through the CraftVillage website. Please click on the image below to view the video.

  

  Al-Jazeera also covered the story last year, focusing on the economic boost of the Simpsons movie on the village, as it saw an increase in the number of orders for the carvings. It is the confluence of popular culture and African handicraft that we particularly enjoyed when it came to this story. If we had our way we would have soapstone carvings of Strongbad! One day.

  PS: AfriGadget will have a monthly feature on The World Technology Podcast, which you can subscribe to here. The first issue is now posted. Many thanks to Clark Boyd, the AfriGadget team is quite excited about this.

• December 21, 2007
• 9:38

  Africa’s Modular machines Continued: Saws

   » ‎ AfriGadget

  Tags:  AfriGadget  

  This is a continuation of Erik’s post on African Modular machines.

  The video below shows how the machines are used in wood workshops to make design cutouts, carve out pieces for furniture and to split planks of wood. It is essentially the same machine pieces, motor, pulleys and frame, just customized for different uses. The customization is done in a small industry locally known as Jua Kali or Gikomba, where entrepreneurs like Mr. John Chege purchase them for use in small workshops like this.

  When playing the video, please mute it, there is lots of noise from the machines.

  (more…)

• December 06, 2007
• 0:04

  More Wind Powered Cell Phone Base Stations in Africa

   » ‎ AfriGadget

  Tags:  energy  

  Motorola plans to expand its business in rural areas of Africa. How? Using wind and solar powered base stations. Afrigadget previously wrote about this technology being implemented in Kenya, below is a short video showing that it is also in use in Namibia.
  
  

  Via ApproVideo

• October 08, 2007
• 20:59

  HAPV - Human and Animal Powered Vehicle in South Africa

   » ‎ AfriGadget

  Tags:  Ingenuity  

  The HAPV (Advertised as HAPPY) is a twist on the ‘horse and buggy’ mode of transportation, making this a donkey, cart, solar panel on a canopy FUV (Farm Utility Vehicle) that is quite ingenious and absolutely AfriGadget. A donkey drawn carriage is commonplace in many countries in Africa, and this retrofit by the organization Water and Wheel adds more functionality and utility especially suited for rural Africa.

  

  Fitted with a solar panel that charges a 12 volt battery under the driver’s seat, the “HAPPY” becomes an independent, sustainable source of energy that powers cell phone connectivity, front and rear emergency lights and a small neon tube at night. Add a water filtration system, and the “HAPPY” doubles as a multi functional mobile business unit, that can empower an entrepreneurial owner, to generate income from it as a fresh water outlet, a mobile phone kiosk or a spaza shop – even after dark.

  Read more about it here.

  (Hat tip Mweshi)

  Note: Erik Hersman (White African) was interviewed a few minutes ago on BBC, a podcast will be available in a day or two and we will be sure to share it here (link).