This past summer, I was honored with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join SMU Lyle School of Engineering, SMU SDP: Sustainability + Development and Kijiji Innovative Sustainable Solutions on a transformative research trip to Eastern Tanzania. It has provided me with the invaluable experience of collaborating with some of the brightest minds on groundbreaking projects that will not only drive progress in rural areas, but also significantly contribute to #climate action.
During this journey, I had the privilege of leading two impactful projects:
1) Introducing Minerva Internet in a Box to the Secondary School of Kasisa Village: Created by Wilkie Stevenson to bridge the digital divide, Minerva is an off-grid, offline network that functions as a comprehensive computer lab, offering thousands of curated online educational resources. Alongside learning scientist Maximilian Sherard, teachers, and eager students, we conducted a series of exercises to evaluate Minerva’s potential. This collaborative effort aims to revolutionize the educational landscape of the village, providing students with unprecedented access to knowledge and learning tools.
2) Leveraging Geographic Information Systems and other spatial data technologies, I led a comprehensive initiative to collect and document land data from the #Kasisa villagers. While doing this, I collaborated with Dr. Thomas Osang, a distinguished economist, John Paul, a seasoned statistician and census expert, and Jackson Tarimo, an expert architectural technologist. This critical data-gathering initiative will supply the essential metrics to evaluate the long-term impact of the #Kijiji project.
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In the meantime, my colleagues focused on other groundbreaking sustainable solutions—such as sustainable earth blocks for buildings Oscar P. Mlay, access to clean water Palmer Hurd, portable sustainable toilets Ravi Teja Nerellapally, and eco-friendly tiles Grace Hiestand and Hadija Mkumbo—I am incredibly proud of what we achieved together as a team. We ventured beyond our comfort zone, and confronted and overcame challenges by adapting swiftly. Our collective efforts led to the successful execution of many deliverables, as we shared countless moments of joy and camaraderie along the way.
A heartfelt shoutout to everyone who supported and made this experience possible; Dr Jessie Marshall Zarazaga, RIBA LeedAP, Clara Ford, Martin Rulegura, Zacharia Bithulo, Buberwa Tibesigwa, Michael Katembo, and all the Kasisa Villagers!
Let’s continue to push the boundaries of what is achievable and work together to make a lasting, positive impact on our people and our planet! ??
SMU Hunter & Stephanie Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity
Ardhi University (ARU)
University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM)
Mbeya University of Science and Technology - Students' Organization
