IDIN – These Hands

These Hands has successfully assisted communities in the Southern African Development Community to develop technological solutions to local development challenges. In 2017, These Hands helped cofound the International Development Innovation Network – Southern African Development Community (IDIN-SADC) in partnership with the Kafue Innovation Center in Zambia and the Twende Social Innovation Center in Tanzania. IDIN-SADC works with local communities to develop technologies that help to address local development challenges. IDIN-SADC achieves this by promoting grassroots innovation, providing training on engineering and design processes, and connecting communities with outside expertise to collaboratively design technology that addresses local developmental and livelihood problems.

IDIN-SADC received funding from the Finland Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Southern Africa Innovation Support Program and the Letshego Group to launch the Recruiting, Retooling, Up-skilling, Profiling, and Connecting Confident Grassroots Innovators in the SADC Region Program. This program aimed to increase the support IDIN-SADC provides to Botswana, Zambia, and Tanzania and to expand services into other SADC countries. The program also aimed to develop at least five technologies that will improve livelihoods and to help commercialize these technologies.

IDIN-SADC managed this project in 2020 and 2021. IDIN-SADC held multiple community engagement and development events to train local communities in the design process and to develop technology. This effort included 51 Built It Training Sessions, 32 Creative Capacity Building Workshops, and 15 Business Workshops. These sessions helped to recruit local innovators, teach the design process, and provide training on how to commercialize the technologies developed and bring them to market. IDIN-SADC also awarded 30 grants to innovators so they can continue refining their technology and develop business plans. Some of these technologies have been brought to market and are now in the early stages of commercialization.

One of the most notable success stories from this project was the Creative Capacity Building workshop held in Moiyabana, Botswana. This workshop was held in September 2020. 20 unemployed youth attended this workshop to develop design skills. The participants of this workshop developed four technology prototypes including a fodder chopper, a brick molder, a charcoal-powered popcorn machine, and a water-efficient garden system. The participants developed business plans for each of these technologies and presented at a business exposition. During the exposition, the participants sold one unit of the water-efficient garden system, two units of the brick molder, and multiple servings of popcorn. Since the exposition concluded, the participants have sold an additional brick molder and have manufactured and sold bricks. In addition, they have developed prototypes for a clothes hanger and a gravesite shade stand. Sales from these technologies have generated about €1,400 in revenue since the exposition. Some of the proceeds will be reinvested to start up a business that manufactures and sells wire fencing.

This project was a resounding success and helped to foster innovation, technology development, and entrepreneurship in numerous communities throughout the SADC region. These Hands will continue to support these entrepreneurs and will build on the successes of this project to expand our services to additional communities.

You can find more information about our work in the IDIN-SADC Final Impact Report

This article originally appeared on IDIN.org and can be found here.

Many developing countries have low levels of internet usage, often times resulting from a lack of internet infrastructure. However, in places where the internet is available it is often prohibitively expensive for the average person to use. Unfortunately, this has created a “digital divide” that has left these developing countries disconnected from the rest of the world. This has been particularly true for rural communities in developing countries who have the lowest rates of internet usage. The digital divide creates many problems for these communities as it keeps them underdeveloped. Many of these communities wish to lead their own development projects. However, their lack of connectivity leaves them unable to engage or continue with development experts to obtain technical and financial assistance for their projects. This lack of connectivity can also thwart attempts at entrepreneurship, which can greatly reduce poverty.

These Hands Global Social and Sustainable Enterprise is a for-profit social enterprise based in Botswana that is set on leading the fight to bridge the digital divide that many rural communities face. These Hands aims to combat the digital divide by creating a social network that will support community-led development in impoverished countries. It will do this by connecting local communities with the resources, business services, and mentors that they need to support their own development initiatives. This social network will also not require internet and can be accessed with a widely available 2G mobile phone, making it accessible to the vast majority of the developing world. This network will allow these communities to overcome the digital divide and take greater ownership of local development.

Having already contributed substantially to development projects in Botswana by hosting the 2015 International Development Design Summit in Botswana and by leading the way to establish the D’Kar Innovation Center, a proposed technology and enterprise development center that will serve the D’Kar community and other San communities. With the release of its social network, These Hands is primed to help start and support numerous development projects around the globe and ensure information access and continuity. The potential social impact of these projects is nearly limitless.

The challenge of ending poverty in the world is daunting. However, the world can confront this problem through a systemic approach that will have the creative industries being the main drivers to coming up with innovative solutions to our daily development challenges.

As we launch our These Hands social network, we invite you to register as member of the network, connect with others, discover and implement sustainable solutions to the world’s problems. Our greatest hope is that this endeavor will pave way to our successful journey towards the sustainable development of Botswana, Africa and the World.

For regular updates, find us on Facebook or visit our website to register for this new service!