Kari Santos, ICTD alumna and member of the Laboratory for Playful Computation, lends a hand as Letang Sefako (left) and Ketletseeng Sedumago (middle) drill holes to add a hinged door to the peanut roaster they built in Kaputura, Botswana in August 2018.Ā The peanut roasting business was one of eightĀ enterprises that were developed during IDDS Botswana 2018.
During the project, KariĀ worked with four residentsĀ from D'Kar and Kaputura villagesĀ to design and build a portable wood-burning peanut roaster.Ā Kari's team built the roaster, experimented with roasting and flavoring techniques, conducted tasteĀ tests in Kapatura and developed a business plan for the peanut business, including marketing, supply chainsĀ and distribution.Ā
"The IDDS summit taught me how to work with an incredibly diverse group of individualsĀ and how to quickly iterate through the design cycle and create a business that can continue past the summit," Kari says.Ā
Kari also worked with aĀ local teacher, mentoring him in computer science teaching methods that engageĀ and interest childrenĀ agesĀ 8 to 14. As part of the collaboration, she taughtĀ a group of his students how to use micro:bits, fully programmable computers that areĀ roughly half the size of a credit card.
IDDS's theme,Ā āimproving rural community livelihoods in Botswana,ā focuses on co-creating grassroots technologies and innovations, while supporting business models that will be adopted by the rural community members to enhance and sustain their livelihoods.Ā
