As I begin the journey towards another summer project..
In my project over the past summer, I worked in Kampala, Uganda with Technology for Tomorrow on developing an incinerator designed for disposing of medical waste. Now that the incinerator is accredited and ready for more widespread distribution, the next step is finding ways to get it out in communities, working to properly dispose of medical waste. Over the course of my project, again and again we ran into frustrations with the bureaucracy that is the Ugandan government which is the main source of funding for these incinerators, but on the last week I met with a woman who was using the Mak incinerators as a business, disposing of medical waste for a profit. This concept was very intriguing. Here was a lower-middle class woman with little educational background running a profitable business using the T4T incinerator. I realized that there was so much potential in this idea. Through a project this coming summer I want to keep pursuing this idea. T4T has a goal of getting an incinerator in each district of Kampala, and I think this business model is the way to make this happen. Not only will this help with medical waste disposal issues, but it will provide income for some people in Kampala who desperately need it.
What do I want to get out of this experience?
Last summer my project was very specific and technical. There wasn't much interaction with people, and I didn't enjoy the experimental side of the project. From this coming summer's project I'd like to try my hand at the organizational side. I'll be working on business strategy and interacting with people. I think I'd learn a lot from this kind of experience.
What are my skills?
Through my engineering background, I have the technical knowledge required to understand the technology involved in this project. I also think my organizational skills would be a great asset to T4T in laying down a strategy for marketing the Mak incinerators.
- STOKES
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