Monday, February 08, 2010

Designs tailored to fit the rural poor


Years of working on projects for the rural poor in Kenya led Martin Fisher to recognize the need for sustainability. This led him to establish KickStart, a company that creates technologies for small-scale enterprises.

The most important thing for those experiencing poverty is to equip them with the ability to make a living. Good design for the poor go by three rules: it should increase income, remain affordable and be scaled to fit the size of the project. A great example of these are KickStart's foot-operated irrigation pump (pictured above).

With these guidelines, its encouraging to know that organizations like Fisher's Kickstart recognize the specific needs of the rural poor in Africa to escape the poverty trap.

- Sofia Nazalya

SOURCE: Heifer