Erik Hersman – Page 19

African Children’s Toys: Ingenuity Starts at a Young Age

Most African children are forced to create their own toys from scratch. Below are some samplings of what they make with what’s available. Old tire inner-tubes, soda cans, mud, bailing wire and sticks are just a few of the materials used to create imaginative toys.

In just about every country in Africa you’ll find the boys making cars, motorcycles and airplanes out of tin cans and bailing wire:

In Southern Sudan children use mud to create animals to play with. Below is a picture of a Cape Buffalo:

$100 Bicycle Motor Gets 50 km per Liter

Another great picture and story from Mark Steudal who sends this image and description:

This is a motorized bicycle, made in Kisumu, Kenya and purchased in Kakemega. They hold about 2 liters of petrol and can get theoretically around 50 km a liter. They cost around 7,000 Kenyan shillings. To start the bicycle you start pedaling manually, then you flip a switch on the left handle that starts the engine. Then you have a normal motorcycle throttle control on the right side.

[Note: Send in your pictures and stories showing African ingenuity using our Contact Form.]

Bio Latrines in Kenyan Slums

Marlies sends us a bunch of pictures and an interesting story on how bio gas toilets in Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya are being used:

Just the other day on a visit to Kibera Slum I came across this interesting bio gas latrine which is being set up for Kibera people as a response to lacking community toilets. The sanitation situation in Kibera is really really poor! There are a couple of community toilets which where set up after the shooting of the Constant Gardener but only a few years later these are in bad shape! Again, they cost 3/= per visit which is really above of what a typical Kibera inhabitant can afford. Just sum up what it will cost for 5 visits per day for a family of five! So the bio gas latrine is a really good option, since it will generate a little income to make the toilets free of charge.

Here are some pictures:

IslamOnline.net has a great writeup on how these work.

[NOTE: If you have any images, stories or reports you’d like others to know about, you can contact us through the AfriGadget contact form. – Thanks Marlies!]

New images! (July 17, 2007). Thanks to Christian Rieck and Marlies:

Bio Latrine Tower

Rural Bio Gas Generator in Kenya

Mark Steudal, a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya, sends us this:

This is a picture of a Bio Gas generator. It is basically a 9 foot deep well that is filled with manure and water from the nearby cows. A huge drum is then placed into the well. The drum catches the methane gases that are generated from the manure decomposing, which due to the pressure of the large drum are pumped into the house by a underground hose. This family did most of their cooking on the gas, didn’t need to use firewood or buy charcoal (except when making chapatis of course).

[NOTE: If you have any images, stories or reports you’d like others to know about, you can contact us through the AfriGadget contact form. – Thanks Mark!]

Homemade Windmill in Malawi

A young man has created a windmill out of spare parts in Malawi.

William Kamkwamba says one day while reading he came across two books, Using Energy and How it Works, which are about generation of electricity using a windmill.

On a trial and error basis, he managed to make a small windmill which generated electricity enough to light his dorm. Seeing its success he planned for a bigger one so that his parents could benefit and some well-wishers gave him money to get some of the materials he needed.

In total, he spent a total of 2200 Malawi Kwachas, which is equivalent to $16. William is saving his family money on home lighting expenses, recharges people’s mobile phones and radio batteries, and also charges his own automobile battery for backup power.

Unlike most windmills, where the propellers turn the spindle connected to the turbines directly, William added pulleys to his machine to increase speed thereby generating more energy.

There are three pulleys and the last is connected to a bicycle wheel. When this wheel turns, it spins a dynamo which in turn generates electricity.

Story Link (via Hacktivate)