On the Road to Tanzania
Sprott BIB Student Jessica is back from her year abroad in Austria and is already embarking on her next adventure! She’s headed to Tanzania with BUSI 3117: Developing Creative Thinking this winter and is taking us along with her. Read her first blog post below.
What is “From Buckets to Rain Barrels”?
The “From Buckets to Rain Barrels” initiative is a collaborative project between Carleton University’s students in Systems and Computer Engineering, Environmental Engineering and the Sprott School of Business. The aim of the project is to design innovative and economically viable water harvesting, conservation and sanitation technologies that will allow easier access to clean water for the people of Longido, Tanzania. Access to water and water shortages are chronic issues in the Longido district.
The goal of “From Buckets to Rain Barrels” is for the students to present their solution concepts and prototypes to the stakeholders in Longido with the hopes of it being accepted, based on factors such as cultural acceptability, affordability and sustainability.
What do we do?
During the Fall semester, the engineers are developing prototypes in class that will be brought to Tanzania during the Christmas break. Meanwhile, the business students are fundraising to be able to implement the project, which is managed on our FutureFunder page and promoted on our Facebook page. This means that the business students won’t be taking their corresponding class (BUSI 3117) until the Winter term, but all of this preparation feels like taking a course, minus the reports. This can be difficult because everyone is trying to get work done for classes in the Fall term, as well as finding a meeting time that works for most BUSI 3117 students, which will allow them to plan events, learn about the developing prototypes, and fundraise. It can be stressful at times, but I feel that the entire team has been doing a great job at working together and I’ve really enjoyed being a part of this project.
Currently, we’ve planned a variety of fundraising events ranging from a pancake breakfast to a pub night and have been selling bags of popcorn to raise money for the project. This takes a lot of planning and requires a dedicated team to pull them all off. The team has been going to local businesses to ask for monetary donations and prize donations that we will use to raffle or auction off at our events during this semester. Once we return from Longido, we will need to continue to fundraise.
What will we do in Longido, Tanzania?
The team will be departing on December 27, 2016 and returning January 10, 2017. During this time we will be meeting with members of “From Buckets to Rain Barrels” that are stationed in Longido to discuss what has been attempted in the past and which of the options that we brought with us will be the best option. During this time, we will also be meeting with members of the community to talk with them about what their preferences for the size and shape of the prototypes. This is key feedback, as we want to know which prototype will be the most beneficial to their specific needs.
We’re all very excited to see this project through and to see how our efforts positively affect the community in Longido!