Archive: August, 2009
Encounters with HIV/AIDS
HIV is one of those things I’ve read about and seen on the news, but haven’t put a face to. After today, that’s no longer true. While the debate rages on whether Africa should receive money for treatment (high cost, save a few lives) or prevention (low cost, save many future lives), actually meeting AIDS victims makes it all very real.
Jemima is one of the first people in the area to publicly announce her positive status, reducing the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS. These days, more people talk about AIDS openly through euphemisms like “He’s positive” or “I know my status.” Jemima now runs a women’s group of positive widows who have not been taken in by their husbands’ relatives, as tradition generally requires. The women engage in various farming and other income-generating activities. They appear extremely content with their lives and are thankful for the support and livelihood provided by the group. They are a testament to the power of living with a positive outlook.
Nakumatt Mega City!
After visiting a wide scope of rural markets, it’s always jarring to enter a Nakumatt. Nakumatt is an Indian-run chain of supermarkets that give Walmart a run for its money. Kisumu is lucky enough to be home to the biggest Nakumatt in the country, the mega city!
In a city where a skyscraper is two stories and all restaurants specialize in tilapia and ugali (cornmeal), the Nakumatt (with its own furniture floor!) really does feel like a city of its own.
Akala
As I have explained, rural areas have different types of markets, ranging from small and daily to huge and monthly. Akala Market is the largest in the region and occurs every Wednesday. ACESS is scoping it out as a potential location for its first business outlet.
Akala Market comprises many permanent shops, temporary stands, and merchants with mats.
Prototypes
One of the main goals on the ground was to test or prototypes for farming and water tools to solicit feedback from farmers. We met with groups of various sizes, from one to a hundred and received huge applause, as well as insightful suggestions.
Dave Hamilton’s stone mill prototype for grinding amaranth. It works very well and amazed the farmers with its simplicity. Some suggested improvements were a built-in silo, a center-mounted hand crank, and more comfortable handle.
Analogue Digital explores how human systems interact with digital ones: how interfaces affect our relationship with the world, how craft culture and modern technology are colliding in unprecedented ways, and how to reach those who have yet to cross the digital divide.
I'm Steve Daniels. I study the transformative impact of technology on individuals and societies. I am the founder of the Better World by Design conference at Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design and a founding partner of Revolution x Design, a Providence-based research center that uses design to address meaningful, real-world problems. Currently, I work at IBM Research, where I study mobile social computing in emerging markets.
I am particularly interested in how people create, adapt, and use technology in resource-constrained environments, which I have written about in my book Making Do: Innovation in Kenya's Informal Economy, which you can read here.
I also design and develop websites. Here's my portfolio.
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