Project proposal
Completion Date
6-2014
Advisor(s)
Jane Lehr
Abstract
Our Engineers Without Borders, Malawi Team at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, began cooperation with Kumponda in December 2013. The team found food security to be the greatest challenge faced by the community due to severe droughts. The Human-Powered Maize Mill will address this issue by allowing community members to grind their maize independently rather than depending on the unreliable electric maize mill. This will then reduce the time commitment and expenses currently necessary to grind maize; a staple in their diet. The team began implementation this December collaborating with community members so that they will be able to reproduce a maize mill and perform maintenance when necessary. The community members will then be able to share their knowledge and recreate similar maize mills in surrounding communities. The maize mill built in country differed slightly from the prototype due to constraints in materials and therefore requires improvements in a trip the team plans to take this summer. The team has been prototyping weekly and is confident in the abilities of a new design. We have also kept regular contact with the community in order to maintain a strong relationship and update them on our progress. Once completed the project will have a lasting impact by improving economic opportunities within the community.
URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/bkendowments/20
Copyright
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Comments
Note: Student project team members changed during the duration of this project.