| October 2007 – Seven new technologies were demonstrated to villagers on northwest Ambae in Vanuatu over a five day period in October. The demonstrations were held for 3-4 hours each day and attended by villagers from the village of Lovutialao and four nearby villages. The purpose of the demonstrations was to; explain and demonstrate the technologies, field test them, provide the villagers a chance to try them out, and see whether they thought they would be useful to them. A 20 member focus group was formed made up of volunteers and included a father, a mother and two teenage School Leavers, male and female, from each village. The technologies demonstrated and explained were; (i) smokeless wood stove (with food dryer attachment and water distiller), (ii) small, hand-cranked oil press, (iii) small-scale metal casting using coconut oil as the fuel, (iv) coconut oil soap-making, (v) solar battery charging, (vi) portable sawmill, and (vii) a wooden house design. We also discussed the practical problems with latrine designs, small-scale, coconut oil-based village electrification, eco-tourism, and adult literacy education. Many people besides the Focus Group attended the daily demonstrations but on the last day an invitation was made to all the villagers across northwest Ambae to attend an ‘open house’ where they could try out the technologies. Approximately 200 men, women and children attended. Focus group members were on hand to explain and demonstrate each technology. The day ended with a feast provided by the villagers, speeches by village chiefs, and a presentation of mats and flowers by the local women’s group. | |
Watch a video of villagers casting aluminum using the coconut oil fuelled furnace below.
Watch a video of local villagers, and the coconut press below.
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