4. Project Focus Education
Each project in this booklet is performed with thought for
all three pillars of responsible business: People, Planet
and Profit. Sometimes however, a more nuanced focus is
distinguished. This distincton is indicated for each project Health
on the upper left side of the page, using the following
symbols.
People Food & Nutrition
Planet Water
€ Profit Energy
Legend Housing
On the right side of the pages with project summaries, the
specific domain(s) of the project are indicated with use of
icons. On the right side of this page all icons are shown with
the correspding domain in words. This can be used as a
Materials
reference throughout this book, or as a search tool for cases
in a specific domain.
€ Company
Kamworks
Graduation date
December 14, 2007
Mobile Solar Kiosk for
Micro-Entrepeneurs
www.kamworks.com
Connectivity
Miriam Reitenbach
Despite recent progress, the Cambodian economy still technical requirements. application of glass fibre reinforced plastic an attractive and
has to reconstitute from the effects of the civil war. The Interviews with potential customers of the solar products eye-catching form of the carrier could be achieved.
population often lacks education and productive skills, revealed that Cambodians were not yet familiar with solar In the context of a holistic approach this project did not
which leads to a high unemployment rate, especially in energy in general and that the way of communicating and only focus on the design and construction of the kiosk, but
the countryside. About 40% of the population lives below explaining products forms a major criterion for the success also presented recommendations on how to communicate
poverty line and has to live of less than 1$ per day. As of the sales results. to the local customers in an effective and adequate way,
90% of the Cambodian population does not have access The outcomes of this research were translated into a final such as a LED display and posters explaining the benefits
to a secure electricity infrastructure, economic and social concept that was refined by means of iteratively building and and cost savings of solar products. Additionally, a new
Designing & Tools
progress are slowed down as well. testing the prototype to guarantee not only the technical bilingual brand name and logo was created that made it
These circumstances set the framework of Kamworks’ feasibility of the mobile store, but also acceptance among possible to communicate with Khmer customers as well as
business idea: securing sophisticated energy and light the future users - the micro-entrepreneurs. Western stakeholders and contributes to a quality image of
supply and creating new jobs for young Cambodians. As the mobile solar kiosk.
Biking without pedaling
the country receives approximately five full sun hours each
The final design was a three-wheeled electric bicycle that Local Production and maintenance
day, solar energy is one of the promising technologies. The
can be recharged by solar energy. By making use of this When designing the mobile kiosk, only locally available
objective of this graduation project was the design and
renewable energy technology and being remarkably lighter materials and production techniques were considered in
development of a mobile solar kiosk for Cambodian micro-
than existing mobile stores, this vehicle is less polluting than order to generate local income, as local manufacturing was
entrepreneurs, enabling the setup of a self-sustaining
traditional motorised stores and can contribute to promote one of the greatest requirements for the design. These
business by distributing solar products to the rural area of
sustainable energy in an effective way. User tests showed manufacturing experts of the kiosk would also be able to
Cambodia, in continuation of the intensive collaboration
that an electric bike caught the attention of the customer take care of the maintenance and reparations, keeping all
between Kamworks and Delft University of Technology, see
immediately as most rural people never saw someone the work and the money local.
In order to get an understanding on how the anticipated customer reacted page 116 .
€
on the mobile store, the Cambodian translator was asked to drive around driving on a bike without pedalling before.
the rural areas to obtain feedback. In the first place he acted as micro- Extreme road conditions In order to cope with the bad road conditions a new
Entrepreneurship
entrepreneur who sells products, consequently he interviewed the potential Through intense user and context research in Cambodia, suspension system was developed that can damp the
customers.
technical and usability criteria were defined, as well as wheels individually which makes it much easier to drive and
social and cultural influences. These formed the framework steer the vehicle, even on bumpy and unpaved roads.
of this project. The first constraint was the underdeveloped In the front part of this mobile solar kiosk a yellow carrier
road network and the extremely bad road conditions. Also, is mounted that serves not only to transport the solar
with heavy rain seasons from May until October the road
€
products, but also as a store front when the lid is opened.
conditions get even worse which poses a challenge to the Due to the, for the local context, innovative material
The bilingual logo on the side of the glass fibre reinforced carrier.
56 57
4
7. The number of student projects at the Faculty of Industrial
Preface Design Engineering relevant to the Base of the Pyramid
(BoP) has increased enormously since 2002, when the
course “Advanced Products” for Master’s students started
a small experiment with projects focused on developing
countires was started. The increase of projects is due to
several reasons.
Firstly, students of our Faculty have shown great interest
and enthusiasm to design products and services to meet
the needs of the citizens of the BoP. Secondly, the concept
of BoP has attracted the attention of many Dutch and
European entrepreneurs, leading to several assignments for
Base of the Pyramid projects executed all over the world by students from our students, often in collaboration with people living at the
Delft University of Technology, in the time period between 2004 and 2009.
economic BoP. Thirdly, the supervising staff of our Faculty
is equally active in supporting
such initiatives. And lastly, more
and more Non-Governmental
Organizations (NGOs), both in
the Netherlands and in some BoP
countries, have been opening up
their doors to such trials.
But what is this BoP? Base
of the Pyramid (or Bottom of
the Pyramid, as it is sometimes
termed) refers to the 4-billion
plus poor mostly in non-western
countries in Asia, Latin America,
and Africa, living on incomes
less than $32601 per year. Some
parts of these geographical
regions, such as China, India,
Brazil, Russia, have markets
experiencing phenomenal
economic growth not unnoticed
1 Monica Touesnard, http://www.bopnetwork.org/
7
8. by the affluent west. Millennium Development Goals
Preface
Although the BoP strategy to serve the underserved, The extensive response to these ideas is likely due to the
namely the poor in developing countries, has attracted the limited success of developmental assistance to alleviate
attention of scientists and entrepreneurs worldwide, the poverty in the past 50 years. For more than 50 years, the
scientific publications in this area until now are often from World Bank, donor nations, various aid agencies, national
management sciences, often extending the concepts of governments, and civil society organizations have all fought
corporate social responsibility, sustainability, etc. the good fight, but have not been able to eradicate poverty
The uniqueness of our Faculty of Industrial Design yet. The adoption of the Millennium Development Goals
Engineering lies in its human centered approach. Needs are (MDG) by the United Nations only underscores that reality.
the central driving force uniting technology and business. Poverty has remained one of the world’s most daunting
By tradition our Faculty has propagated the practice of problems even as we enter the 21st Century. Prahalad
designing products and services to meet the human needs. advocates an alternative approach to help the poor.
The BoP strategy has stimulated us to look also at the needs
Science Spread over the World
of the underserved, which represent a huge market and
The projects described in this book are a result of several
was hitherto unattended.
students, entrepreneurs and academic staff stimulated by
The foundation for the BoP strategy was laid by Prahalad
this strategy. The BoP concept is spreading to all parts of the
& Hart2, in their publication published in the first quarter
world, both within the rich and in the poor countries. This
of 2002, promising fortune for entrepreneurs and at the
is also reflected by the geographical spread of the projects
same time offering perspectives to the poor world majority
executed at our Faculty, as can be seen in the picture on
to escape from the poverty. This caught public attention
the opposite page.
and unleashed an extensive response from academics,
It can also be observed that the projects cover very
businesses, NGOs and others. Prahalad’s book3 delves in
diverse needs, from Water to Energy, from Healthcare to
depth by proposing a framework for the active engagement
Education, and more. These projects could not have been
of the private sector and suggesting a basis for a profitable
executed without the involvement of students, companies,
win-win engagement. This vision of untapped great wealth
NGOs, and professors. Together they have set up a base
in the world waiting to be explored & exploited by human
to develop a new knowledge domain full of challenges and
ingenuity, by designing products and services to meet the
opportunities. Thank you all!
needs of the world’s poor, and then efficiently manufacturing
& distributing by the capabilities of the modern corporation,
Prahalad contends, needs innovations.
2 The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid, Strategy+business,
Prabhu Kandachar
issue 26, First quarter 2002, p. 1- 14 (Booz Allen Hamiliton)
Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering
3 The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty
Delft University of Technology
Through Profits, ISBN-10: 0-13-146750-6; ISBN-13: 978-0-13-
146750-7 (Published 2004) Pages: 432.
March 2009
8
9. Project Focus 2
Table of Contents Preface 6
Introduction Prabhu Kandachar Challenges for Industrial Designers 10
Student Projects
Inge van de Wouw Dec 8, 08 Lamp with insect repellent 26
Aparna Bhasker 2009 India Moves: Economic Empowerment of Rural Disabled 28
Ambika Samabasivan Oct 30, 08 Global Opportunities in Renewable Lighting 30
Lieke Pijpers Oct 24, 08 PRO-PORTION Affordable milk for kids 32
Sierk Hennes Sep 23, 08 Design a PSS for drinking water 34
Kirsten Rijke Aug 26, 08 Solar shop in rural Cambodia 38
Tom van Diessen Aug 22, 08 Solar Home System for rural Cambodia 40
Linda Schnieders Jul 28, 08 Redesign of a Smoke free Batana Extractor 42
Lumen Jun, 08 LUMEN light solution 44
Judith Goor Apr 04, 08 A battery charging system for youngsters 46
Jan Willem Findlater Feb 8, 08 Culturally appropriate coffins for Botswana 50
Water4Kenya Feb, 08 Water4Kenya 52
Alexander van der Kleij Feb 1, 08 Comparing Contexts; Solar Dew Technology 54
Miriam Reitenbach Dec 14, 07 Mobile Solar Kiosk for Micro-Entrepeneurs 56
Koos Munneke Oct 24, 07 Better Brace Project 58
Bernard Hulshof Oct 19, 07 Affordable Solar Lighting for rural Madagascar 62
Rutger Bonsel Oct 12, 07 Holy Cow or Cash Cow 64
Hoi-Kee Wong Aug 8, 07 Cooking in rural China 66
Fire4India May, 07 Fire4India 68
Yu-Kuan Chang Nov 27, 06 Knowledge Gaps in Product Development 70
Culture & Design Annemiek van Boeijen Design & culture in the BoP Domain 74
Annemarie Mink Nov 10, 06 Reeling Machine for Silk Yarn Producers 78
Marion de Groot Sep 21, 06 Support Tool for the Chinese Village Doctor 80
Cathelijne Huis in ‘t Veld Aug 31, 06 Design of a Malaria Diagnostics Device 82
Roelie Bottema Aug 4, 06 Personal Water Purifier 84
Mijntje de Caluwé Jul 29, 06 Knowledge Framework: Design4Billions 86
9
10. Elselien Epema Jul 7, 06 Product Service System for Plant Oil Stove 90
Table of Contents
GhanaMoves Jul-06 Tricycle for Disabled Entrepreneurs 92
Willem Glasbergen Jun 21, 06 Human Powered Bamboo Splitting Tool 94
Marike Bijtelaar Jun 16, 06 Improving the Climate of Cooking Areas 96
Maria Nguyen Apr 28, 06 Safe Drinking Water 98
Leonie Ideler Apr 4, 06 Adoptable Woodstove 102
Fernando Del Caro Secomandi Apr, 06 Water Supply in Slums:P.I.P.A. System 104
Jon Rodriguez Feb 3, 06 Contextualizing Products 106
Cale Thompson Sep 14, 06 Online Microfinance: into(context) 108
Jonathan Stranders Dec 23, 05 Creating Market Insight for Designers 110
Suzanne Hendrikse Nov 11, 05 Device for Early Oral Cancer Detection 114
Stephen Boom Oct 28, 05 Solar Lighting 116
Roseliek van der Velden Oct 21, 05 Adoptability of the U-Specs 118
Joan Boekhoven Oct 18, 05 Natural Fibres in Doors and Windows 120
H.S. Smallenbroek 2004 Small scale cassava starch processing 122
Epilogue J.C.Diehl The first learning experiences of Design for the BoP 126
Acknowledgements 130
About the Editors 131
Photos
P.I.P.A. system Brazil Fernando Del Caro Secomandi Cover
Rice Fiels near Culik Bali, Indonesia Jimmy Ho 4
Kids swimming and playing Jakarta, Indonesia Ilona de Jongh 24
Girl Java, Indonesia Mirjam Lindgreen 36
Man Fishing on Citarum River Java, Indonesia Kees van Gastel 48
Man and horse at work Java, Indonesia Mirjam Lindgreen 60
Market for Holi Colours India Prabhu Kandachar 72
Boats Cambodia Stephen Boom 76
Girl Getting Water in Favela Rio de Janeiro Ferry 88
Girls in Favelas Rio de Janeiro Linda Schnieders 100
Man at Home Chongming Island Jaap Daalhuizen 112
Toilet in a Rural Village Chongming Island Jaap Daalhuizen 124
10
11. Introduction Challenges for Industrial
Design Engineers
Prabhu Kandachar
About two thirds of the world’s population of 6 billion people
spend their lives searching for food and shelter, fighting for
physical survival, and fearing for the future. These are the
individuals who earn less than three dollars per day: the
people living at the economical Base of the Pyramid (BoP).
This does not go unnoticed. Global poverty, its extent and
distribution, is of daily news screaming for the attention of
all world citizens. The challenge at world level is enormous.
In Africa alone, poverty and hunger, unemployment,
disease, malnutrition, lack of shelter, gender inequity
and environmental deterioration are some of the main
challenges in addressing poverty.
Millennium Development Goals Millennium Development Goals
Eight Millennium Development Goals, to be achieved in 2015. The developments in the last century have attracted the
Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty attention of world leaders. At the Millennium Summit in
and hunger
September 2000 the largest gathering of world leaders in
Goal 2: Achieve universal primary history adopted the UN Millennium Declaration, committing
education
their nations to a new global partnership to reduce extreme
Goal 3: Promote gender equality poverty and set out a series of targets with a deadline
and empower women of 2015, which have become known as the Millennium
Development Goals1. The image on the left shows the eight
Goal 4: Reduce child mortality
goals.
Goal 5: Improve maternal health The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are the world’s
time-bound and quantified targets for addressing extreme
Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria
and other diseases poverty in its many dimensions - income poverty, hunger,
disease, lack of adequate shelter, and exclusion - while
Goal 7: Ensure environmental
sustainability promoting gender equality, education, and environmental
sustainability. Also included are basic human rights - the
Goal 8: Develop a Global
right of each person on the planet to health, shelter, and
Partnership for
Development 1 http://www.undp.org/mdg/basics.shtml
11
12. Introduction
security and there are specific aims at combating child beyond the immediate horizon and opportunities, and for
mortality, AIDS, Malaria and other diseases. having a voice in public decision making. A sustainable
The MDGs are an agreed set of goals that can only be end to world poverty as we know it, as well as the path to
achieved if all actors work together and do their part. Poor peace and security, requires that citizens in every country
countries have pledged to govern better, and invest in their are empowered to make positive choices and provide for
people through health care and education. Rich countries themselves and their families. This can only be achieved
have pledged to support them, through aid, debt relief, and if everyone is given a chance to learn in a high-quality
fairer trade. schooling environment at least through primary school.
As an institution which is an expert in designing products At a country level, education is considered to be an
and services to meet human needs, it could be that some important determinant of economic growth and is frequently
of the needs of the population at the Base of the Pyramid hailed as one of the primary contributing factors to the
are addressable by the expertise available at the Faculty dramatic economic growth in East Asia. Individuals with a
of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of strong educational attainment also have good earnings. A
Technology. Most problems can be grouped in the domains greater access to good quality education is a key poverty-
of education, healthcare, food & nutrition, water, energy, reduction strategy advocated throughout the developing
world.
housing, materials, connectivity, designing & tools, and
More and more children, youth and adults have a
entrepreneurship. Each of these domains will be discussed,
chance to learn and the number of children in school
giving an overview of the needs and problems. The rest
continues to grow. Today 680 million children are enrolled
of the book presents student projects that aim at solving
in primary schools around the world. Yet, a lot more still
problems within one or more of these domains, with
needs to be done. More than 100 million children, over
two different chapters: on page 74, an insight is giving
half of them girls, never get a chance to see the inside
on “design and culture at the BoP”, and the epilogue on
of a classroom. Furthermore, the poor quality of education
page 126 reflects on the student projects and draws some
provided, resulting from irrelevant and obsolete curricula,
preliminary conclusions about the lessons learned.
overcrowded classrooms, untrained teachers, etc., causes
Education high incompletion rates.
An essential ingredient for the full realization of human Literacy empowers and nurtures inclusive societies and
capacity, education is considered to provide everyone the contributes to the fair implementation of human rights. In
opportunity to make a better life for themselves. Education the case of mothers, literacy leads to an enhanced quality
provides the basis for making informed choices, for seeing of life for their families and improved education outcomes
12
13. for their children. Parents’ education, and particularly
mothers’ education, is seen to result in lower fertility, lower
maternal mortality, and better child health and nutrition
status. It is also suggested that individuals with at least
World Income Distribution 2000 some education respond better to HIV/AIDS prevention
messages. Nevertheless literacy remains a low priority for
national governments and the donor community. Worldwide,
781 million adults are illiterate (as of April 2006) and about
100 million children are out of school.
A large number of those who enrol drop out before attaining
literacy skills and some of those who complete primary
education remain illiterate. Literacy is an indispensable means
for effective social and economic participation, contributing
to human development and poverty reduction.
Goal 2 of the Millennium Development Goals has set out
by the year 2015 to ensure that all boys and girls complete a
full course of primary schooling.
The use of information and communication technologies
(ICT) in and for education is rapidly expanding in many
countries, and is now seen worldwide as both a necessity and
an opportunity. In different countries policies and strategies
to integrate information and communication technologies in
education are being developed. While ICT use in education in
developing countries is relatively recent, it has nevertheless
made an impact on the education system. It has generated
a wealth of experience, good practices and lessons for the
benefit of countries where ICT application and integration in
education are being established2.
2 http://portal.unesco.org/en/
Everyone knows the resources in the world are not divided evenly over the
entire population. This inequal distribution of money and power needs action.
13
14. Healthcare the challenge of providing access to sustainable healthcare
Differences in health standards between rich & poor in developing countries. Money is the single biggest barrier
countries are very high. Life expectancy varies between to improving healthcare in the developing world. In many
36 and 85 years. A child born in a rich country receives countries people do not have enough food or access to a
vaccinations, adequate nutrition and good schooling. When clean water supply, no hospital or clinic in which to receive
a girl becomes a mother she will benefit from high-quality treatment and few healthcare professionals to care for them.
maternity care. Growing older, she may eventually develop Often the governments of these countries simply do not
chronic diseases, but excellent treatment and rehabilitation have the resources needed to address the healthcare needs
services will be available. On the other hand, a child born in of their people. The World Bank estimates that an annual
a poor country has little chance of receiving immunizations healthcare expenditure of $14 per person is the minimum
and a high probability of being underweight throughout needed to provide the most fundamental services. Yet the
childhood. She will probably marry early and give birth average expenditure in sub-Saharan Africa, for example, is
to many children without the assistance of a trained birth currently only $63.
attendant. One or more of her babies will die in infancy, and Food and Nutrition
she herself will be at high risk of death during childbirth. Food security and insecurity are terms used to describe
If she survives middle age she, too, will develop chronic people’s access to sufficient quality and quantity of food.
diseases but, without access to adequate treatment, she will They are affected by factors such as poverty, health, food
die prematurely. production, political stability, infrastructure, access to markets,
This illustrates what medicine and public health can and natural hazards. Improved food security is important for
achieve, and shows unmet needs in a world of vast and global reduction of hunger and poverty, and for economic
growing health inequalities. The key task of the global development. One aim of the Millennium Development
health community is therefore to close the gap between Goals (MDG) is to eradicate poverty and hunger, including
such contrasting lives. Real progress in health depends “to reduce by half the proportion of people who suffer from
vitally on stronger health systems based on primary health hunger” between 1990 and 2015. However, by 2003 the
care. Attention is needed across all levels of the health care proportion of world population that was undernourished
system to integrate health promotion and disease prevention had only decreased from 20% to 17% (823 to 820 million
on the one hand and treatment for acute illness and chronic people). It is predicted that many regions will not reach
care on the other. their MDG targets, particularly sub-Saharan Africa where
Experiences from past decades, fighting against diseases a third of the population is food insecure and there is an
across the world, show that there are no easy solutions to 3 The World Health Report 2006, http://www.who.int/
14
15. actual increase (through population growth) in the number
of hungry people. Southern Asia is also not expected to meet
its goal, with increasing numbers of undernourished people
in countries such as Bangladesh and Nepal.
The factors affecting this problem include: (1) availability
of food, or the amount of food that actually exists (local
production and other sources) (2) people’s physical, economic
and social access to food (3) the quality or nutritional
adequacy of that food; and (4) people’s ability to utilize
this food, including the patterns of control over who eats
what and the physical ability to absorb nutrients (affected by
health status factors such as intestinal parasites).
Malnutrition, a widespread problem, is caused by
deficiencies or imbalances in energy, protein and/or other
nutrients. Signs include wasting (thinness), stunting
Shortage of Health Service Providers (shortness), or being underweight (low weight for age due
to wasting/stunting). Protein-energy deficiency is a leading
cause of child death in developing countries. Deficiencies
in micro nutrients (vitamins and minerals) can also affect
mental and physical health.
Micronutrient malnutrition is a major global public health
problem affecting more than a third of the world population.
Consequences of this malnutrition are widespread and severe.
For example iron deficiency anaemia remains a major health
problem and can negatively impact on health, life expectancy,
work productivity and economies. It has been estimated that
iron deficiency impairs the mental development of 40 to 60%
of children in developing countries. Also, vitamin A deficiency
Countries with a critical shortage of health service providers (doctors, nurses
and midwives) are coloured dark. [World Health Organization, Global Atlas of affects 40% of children, and is a factor in 1 million child
the Health Workforcehttp://www.who.int/globalatlas/default.asp] deaths per year. Thirdly, iodine deficiency during pregnancy
15
16. causes mental impairment in 18 million babies born every
Households (%) That Lack
year. Several strategies have been proposed to address
In-House Improved
these problems. They include food fortification, dietary Connection to Drinking Improved
diversification, dietary supplementation, nutrition education, Water Water Sanitation
and public health measures to control intestinal parasites China 41 23 56
and other infectious diseases. Also, when people do have Russia 19 4 13
access to food, more efficient and healthy food preparation Mexico 11 9 23
methods and tools can address the problem of unhealthy Colombia 15 8 14
preparation.
Peru 28 19 28
Water
In China two-fifth of the households lack an in-house connection to water,
The most common substance on earth is water. Ninety- almost a quarter lacks improved drinking water and more than half of all
seven percent of it is seawater, unfit for human use. Of Chinese lack improved sanitation [United Nations Habitat].
the remaining 3%, two-thirds is locked up in glaciers or ice
and snow around the poles. Only 1% of the entire world’s
water is available for human consumption. Even this small
percentage should be enough for all, water being infinitely
renewable. However, water is not distributed evenly. Canada, The Global Water Challenge
Austria and Ireland, have more water than they can possibly
use; Australia, northern China and the Middle East, have too
little. In India and Bangladesh, rainfall is highly seasonal:
almost all the year's supply may arrive within a few months.
Water is also heavy, which makes it costly to transport over
long distances. In many countries, millions of poor people
(usually women) must walk for several hours a day to get
water; or they pay exorbitant prices to private water vendors.
And often water quality is poor. Inadequate sanitation makes
matters worse. As much as 60% of the world's illness is
water-related. Water shortage is expected all over the world
In developing countries, less than 10% of the naturally available water
in the coming 20 years as shown in the figure on the right4. is withdrawn [Adapted from Grey and Sadoff, 2006, The Global Water
4 Water Scenarios in 2025, WBCSD, August 2006, http://www.wbcsd.org/ Challenge].
16
17. One of the millennium targets requires that an additional 1.5
billion people gain access to some form of improved water
supply by 2015, which is 100 million people each year (or
274,000 people each day).
Energy
Energy is required for most of the human activities. In 2003,
no less than 80% of the world's energy consumption came
from fossil fuels. The extensive use of energy technologies,
especially when utilizing fossil energy resources, has also
generated undesirable by-products, wastes and pollution
Worldwide Energy Consumption that threaten human health, climate and ecosystems. The
extraction, conversion to useful energy (such as electricity
for a home or gasoline for a car), and combustion of
fuels like oil, coal, natural gas, etc, releases into the
atmosphere approximately 80% of human-induced (termed
anthropogenic) greenhouse gas emissions. The environmental
consequences are causing concern firstly from the reliance on
natural resources, and secondly from the damage to global,
regional, and local environments from emissions.
The global requirements for energy are increasing rapidly
as the global population increases and the under-developed
nations become more advanced. Nearly two billion people in
our world of rapidly approaching six billion people currently
do not have access to commercial energy services.
Understanding and assisting in putting to use the laws of
nature for the transition towards a sustainable energy system
is the fundamental challenge of today’s and tomorrow’s
scientists & engineers. One of the greatest challenges ahead
Prognosis after 2000 assumes a global economic growth of 3% and a global
population of 9 billion people by 2050 [Deutsche Shell, http://www.spiegel.de/ is to connect the 1.6 billion people in developing countries
international/spiegel/0,1518,grossbild-685811-429968,00.html]. currently without access to modern energy services in an
17
18. environmentally benign manner. Other challenges include the Housing and Urbanization
ongoing urbanization throughout the world creating higher Some 1.2 billion people worldwide live on the equivalent
and higher energy demand densities, increasing demand for of less than one dollar per day. The United Nations Centre
mobility, especially in developing countries, and additional for Human Settlements (UNCHS) has estimated that 1.1
energy needs for new processes such as desalination. billion people are living in inadequate housing conditions in
Clearly, meeting such a challenge requires a proactive & a urban areas alone, and that figure is expected to double by
co-operative contribution from all involved. 2030. UNCHS has also estimated that some approximately
In Africa, for instance, overcoming energy poverty is one of 35 million new housing units are required each year in
the main challenges. The majority of Africans currently have developing countries to accommodate growth in the number
no access to modern energy services and technologies. of households during the period between 2000 and 2010
This has wide-ranging social and environmental period. The bulk of these, some 21 million units, are required
consequences. Lack of access to electricity means no to cater for the needs of the increasing number of households.
refrigeration for medicines or food, limits on what type of The rest is needed to meet the requirements of people who
businesses can be developed, as well as no effective lighting. are currently homeless or living in inadequate housing. In
As a result, children cannot easily study in the evenings. other words, some 95,000 new urban housing units have to
Most Africans, even in urban areas, still use firewood, crop be constructed each day in developing countries to improve
residues or charcoal for cooking and cook on inefficient housing conditions to acceptable levels. Some 14 million
stoves, resulting in a high incidence of respiratory diseases additional units would be required each year for the next
because of smoke. Many women and girls have to spend 20 years if the current housing deficit were to be replaced
hours collecting firewood, and cutting trees contributes to by 2020. Among an estimated 100 million homeless people
deforestation. around the world, available data suggest that increasing
There are also opportunities. A recent study5, by the proportions are women and children.
German Aerospace Center and Ecofys in The Netherlands, But the main event of the demographic change is in the
commissioned by Greenpeace and Europe's Renewable cities of the developing world — and most of it in squatter
Energy Council. claims that half of the world's energy needs cities, the teeming slums of the uninvited. A billion people
in 2050 could be met by renewable energy and by improved live in squatter cities now. Two billion more are expected by
efficiency. According to this study, alternative energy sources, 2050. Squatters are nearly one-sixth of all humans now, one-
such as wind and solar, could provide nearly 70% of the fourth to one-third in the nearby future.
global electricity demand and 65% of global heat demand. Historically, cities have been the driving force in economic
and social development. At present approximately 307 million
5 Report: Energy Revolution, Jan 2007
18
19. Indians (31% of the population) live in nearly 3700 towns
and cities spread across the country. This is in sharp contrast
to only 60 million (15%) who lived in urban areas in 1947
when the country became independent. During the last fifty
years the population of India has grown two and half times,
but Urban India has grown by nearly five times. In numerical
terms, India's urban population is second largest in the world
after China, and is higher than the total urban population of
all countries put together barring China, USA and Russia.
Facilities in houses are also of big challenge. Less than
20% of households in Africa are connected to piped water,
and only 40% have piped water within 200 meters of their
home. In the developing world, 29% of cities have areas
considered as "inaccessible" or "dangerous" to the police. In
Latin America and the Caribbean, this figure is 48%. Less than
35% of cities in the developing world have their wastewater
treated. In countries with economies in transition, 75% of
solid wastes are disposed of in open dumps.
Housing problems have far-reaching consequences. The
high cost of housing leaves low-income families little money
for other basic necessities like food, clothing or health care.
Substandard housing can endanger the health and safety of
its occupants, erode their hope and self-worth, and impair
their children's ability to succeed in school.
Materials and Resources
Developing countries are concerned with promoting
technological advancement as a means of economic
development, which in turn contributes to social development.
Raw materials and local resources provide basic building
blocks for such developments. Developed countries are much
19
20. further in application of material and resources by means contribute significantly to the income and food security
of industrial production wherein energy and raw materials of poor farmers and workers in fibre industries. For some
are fed continuously into the production process, resulting developing countries natural fibres are of major economic
in useful products as well as waste or other by-products. importance, for example, cotton in some West African
Increasing concern worldwide for environmental protection countries, jute in Bangladesh and sisal in Tanzania. In other
and growing economical constraints have led to development cases these fibres are of less significance at the national level
and utilization of new materials based on renewable but are of major local importance, as in the case of jute in
resources such as natural fibres and plant materials, as well West Bengal (India) and sisal in northeast Brazil.
as recycling of industrial by-products. Challenges in this area include attaining economic growth
Developing countries have often abundant local renewable by designing and commercializing products based on such
materials and basic expertise. For instance natural fibres local renewable natural resources without raising the
produced from animals or plants are plentifully available in ecological pressure on the planet.
developing countries. Animal fibres are derived from sources Connectivity
such as sheep, goats and rabbits, and the cocoon of the Communications in the richer part of the world by means
silkworm. Vegetable fibres are derived from the stem, leaf or of newspapers, radio, TV, telephones are self-evident. The
seed of various plants. Close to 30 million tonnes of natural latest technology, mobile phones, has become indispensable
fibres are produced annually in the world, of which cotton is in the rich world. But they are even more useful in the
dominant with 20 million tonnes, wool and jute each around developing world, where the availability of other forms
2 to 3 million tonnes followed by a number of others. of communication—roads, postal systems or fixed-line
Natural fibres form an important component of clothing, phones—is often limited. Even though there is a substantial
upholstery and other textiles for consumers, and many of subscriber growth in much of the developing world, only
them also have industrial uses in packaging, papermaking a small proportion of people (affordability is the “biggest
and in composite materials with many uses, including obstacle” to broader adoption) —around 5% in both India
automobiles. and sub-Saharan Africa—have their own mobile phones.
Apart from their importance to the consumer and in their Using cell phones, fishermen and farmers check prices in
various industrial uses, natural fibres are an important different markets before selling produce. Cell phones also
source of income for the farmers who produce them. In help people to find work, allow quick and easy transfers
some cases they are produced on large farms in developed of funds and boost entrepreneurship. A village can share
countries, but in many developing and least developed phones and prepaid calling plans reduce the need for a bank
countries proceeds from the sale and export of natural fibres account or credit check.
20
21. Grameen Bank, a pioneer in the practice of micro-credit
lending, has created a cell phone company to bring cell
phones into the villages of Bangladesh. The bank gave loans
to the borrowers to buy a cell phone and start selling phone
services. It became a growing business, especially with
women entrepreneurs. They never saw a telephone in their
life before, but they have accepted it as a business idea, and
more than 100,000 telephone ladies all over Bangladesh are
doing good business while connecting Bangladesh with the
rest of the world.
A recent study has shown that, in a typical developing
country, a rise of ten mobile phones per 100 people boosts
GDP growth by 0.6 percentage points. Mobile phones are,
Number of People Without Electricity in short, a classic example of technology that helps people
1979-2030, by region help themselves.
Nevertheless, the absorption of digital technologies
throughout the world has not been uniform, such that the
concept of digital divide has emerged. The digital divide is
the gap between those with regular, effective access to digital
technologies and those who do not have that option. Also,
the divide refers to those who can benefit from those digital
technologies and those who do not. Countries with a wide
availability of internet access can advance the economics of
that country on a local and global scale. In today's society,
internet is becoming increasingly important influencing
jobs and education. In countries where the internet and
other technologies are not accessible, education is getting
affected, and uneducated people cannot compete in our
In the sub-saharian Africa and South Asia, it is projected that people are global economy. The digital divide is also a term used to
increasingly living without electricity [IEA 2002b]. refer to the gap between people who have access to the
21
22. internet (the information haves) and those that do not (the Entrepreneurship
information have-nots). It can also refer to the skills people Entrepreneurs are regarded as bearers of risk, agents that
have – the gap between people who are at ease using digital bring together the factors of production, or organizers of
technology to access and analyse information and those who innovation. Entrepreneurship is essential in developing
are not. countries, as it has played an important role in economic
The digital divide is just as much a gap in understanding as growth, innovation, and competitiveness, and it may also
it is a gap in connectivity. There are often clear fundamental play a role over time in poverty alleviation.
differences between what is proposed by technology Over 400 million individuals in developing countries
visionaries, many of whom have never even seen a village, are owners or managers of new firms. Of these, over 200
and what is actually needed by end-users, many of whom million are found in China and India alone, compared with
just 18 million entrepreneurs in the United States. Yet, in
have never used a telephone or a computer.
one of the best general books on the state of research on
A number of ICT initiatives offer a promise of closing the
entrepreneurship, China is mentioned on two pages and
gap that separates the some four billion people living in rural
India is not mentioned at all6.
communities from a future with greater literacy, productivity,
Entrepreneurs in developing countries face a different
and quality of life. While the end goal is clear – broadband
set of circumstances than their counterparts in developed
connectivity everywhere – many ICT initiatives have faltered
economies. These differences are rooted in the underlying
due to a lack of a well-adapted, step-by-step approach that
economies in which they operate. Emerging markets lack a
considers social factors and the staging of capital investments
stable or mature market and the consistency that such markets
as well as technology.
offer. Consequently, the opportunity for entrepreneurship in
Wireless technology has not only revolutionized the way
emerging markets is pervasive. While Western entrepreneurs
the developed world communicated; it also offers developing
operate at the fringes of the economy, emerging market
countries an opportunity to “leap-frog” over wire line entrepreneurs operate closer to the core – the needs and
infrastructures to the forefront of communications. However, opportunities are more widespread. Another difference lies in
since many different types of wireless technologies exist, it the access to financial resources. Internal finance comprises
is important to choose the technology that best matches the the majority of financing for small and medium enterprises
needs of these new markets. While some wireless techniques in most developing countries. Another major difference lies
have been very successful in urban areas, the rural ICT market in the access to technological advances which are largely
has its own set of unique requirements, including: low-cost, 6 Amar Bhidé, The Origin and Evolution of New Businesses, New York: Oxford
low-power, scalability, robustness, and ease of use. University, 2000, ISBN-13: 978-0195131444
22
23. developed and held by developed countries.
Entrepreneurs are a crucial link in implementing designs
of products and services developed specifically to meet the
needs of the BoP markets. They are the motors of economic
growth and poverty reduction. Small, micro and medium-
sized enterprises (SMMEs) are often the backbone of the
private sector in the developing world, creating jobs and
providing a tax base for local government. And frequently
SMMEs offer the only employment available to millions of
Focus of Base of the Pyramid Research poor people.
Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering
Design and Research
Delft University of Technology
Back in 2002, an experiment was conducted to design a
A model for design processes for the Base of the Pyramid product to serve rural healthcare needs of China, specifically
[Prabhu Kandachar, Jan 2008].
diabetes mellitus. In this project, students
and staff of the Faculty of Industrial
Design Engineering collaborated with
staff from a Multinational Corporation.
Almost at the same time the first paper
expounding the Base of the Pyramid
strategy by Prahalad & Hart appeared,
promising fortune for entrepreneurs and
at the same time offering perspectives
for the poor world7 majority to escape
from poverty.
Needs of human beings are the
central driving force uniting technology
and business, resulting in products
and services. By tradition Delft has
7 Strategy + Business, Issue 26, digitaldividend.org/
pdf/bottompyramid.pdf, first quarter 2002.
23
24. propagated the practise of designing products and services
to meet human needs.
Even though it is set up in an engineering environment,
such an activity needs an integrative approach from several
sciences: technical, social, management sciences, and
working together with entrepreneurs. Although several earlier
activities at Delft had been carried out in poor countries,
they were almost always within the context of developmental
assistance. The Base of the Pyramid strategy has stimulated
this Faculty to look also at the needs of the underserved,
which represent a huge market and was hitherto unattended.
It provides an opportunity to apply the well tried out model
at Delft (see figure at the left) for poor countries, but this
time within the context of alleviating poverty by means of
business endeavours.
24
27. Insect Repellent Lamp
€ Company
Philips Consumer Lifestyle
Graduation date
December 8, 2008
for the Indian Market
Inge van de Wouw
Insect bites are an unpleasant fact of life in most parts of
the world. In addition to severe nuisance, mosquitoes can
also spread diseases such as Malaria, Dengue, Filariasis,
Two user researches in India (48 families in 2.5 months) provided very useful Japanese Encephalitis and Chikungunya. Malaria alone
insights for the improvement and further development of the IRL.
causes an estimated 1.3 million deaths and 400 million
cases worldwide, and around 20,000 deaths and 15 million
cases in India, each year.
Liquid repellent
Philips Research Asia in Bangalore has developed the initial
product idea of an Insect Repellent Lamp (IRL) to provide
insect free environments for families in the Middle & Base
of the Pyramid of both urban and rural India. The proposed
lamp integrates an insect repellent ability with the normal
household light bulb, by using the waste-heat dissipated by
the lighting device to vaporize the liquid based mosquito
repellent. The aim of this project was to assess if, and how,
the idea could really become a successful and profitable
product for Philips.
The project started with a thorough analysis phase in the
Netherlands to explore the mosquito problem, current insect
repellents in India and the target group. Also the working
principle and characteristics of the Insect Repellent Lamp
were investigated and effectiveness tests were done. After
the analysis phase a field test was conducted in India with
the initial Philips prototype and two competitive IRLs. In
India, insights were gained on the magnitude of the insect
problem, current use of insect repellents, expenditure,
preferences regarding the three IRLs, local culture and
traditions, the actual target group and the context of use.
27
28. www.philips.com
CFL & portability
With the obtained information, several suggestions for
improvements were given. First of all, a compact fluorescent
lamp (CFL) should be used as light source instead of a light
bulb. Regarding the repellent, it should be vaporized at the
correct temperature of the wick and bottled liquids should
be used. The lamp itself should provide more flexibility; the
hanging type of lamp should be changed into a portable
lamp. Lastly, instead of only in the evening, people should
also be able to use the repellent at night together with a
night light.
The input from the field test was translated into a redesign
of the IRL. The redesign of the IRL is portable with 3m of
wire, uses a 14W CFL and bottled liquids, has two switches
to use the lamp and repellent separately or together (day,
evening and night mode) and has an additional blue night
light that is lit together with the repellent. A preliminary
cost price estimation showed that a selling price of Rs. 500
Two switches
(€7.50) can be possible. make it possible
to use the lamp
First reactions and repellent
With the manufactured 13 prototypes a second field test separately or
was conducted in India. The response of the target group together (day,
evening and night
on the improved IRL was very positive and it seemed that
mode).The blue
the insect repellent functionalities, the energy saving lamp, night light that
the portability and the two switches (different modes is lit when the
repellent is active.
possible) provided very useful benefits for them.
Currently, different departments of Philips have shown
interest in the IRL and possibilities are explored to bring the
product to the market.
28
29. IndiaMoves; exploratory
€ Company
Movendi Foundation
Graduation date
2009
research study
Aparna Bhaskar
Movendi foundation strives to improve the quality of life for
Cooka et al: A product-service system (PSS), also known as a function-
physically disabled people. The foundation’s primary focus
oriented business model, is a business model, developed in academia,
is on developing countries and communities with a great
that is aimed at providing sustainability of both consumption and
need for expertise in the field of movement technology and
production1.
physical therapy. The goals are achieved through start-ups
1. M.B. Cooka, T.A. Bhamrab and M. Lemonc (2006). “The transfer and and coaching projects using local knowledge and skills to
application of Product Service Systems: from academia to UK manu- arrive at creative solutions for different problems faced by
facturing firms”. Journal of Cleaner Production (Elsevier Ltd) 14 (17): the physically disabled. Movendi is also involved in setting
1455–1465. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2006.01.018. up rehabilitation workshops and training of local therapists
and technicians.
GhanaMoves
Movendi has previously worked in a business development
project for disabled people in Ghana. The project aimed to
improve the lives of the disabled by providing them with a
means to support themselves, see page 92. Four students
investigated the business opportunities for the disabled
and they came up with a hand-driven tricycle with which
the disabled could sell ice-cream on the streets of Madina-
Accra. The tricycles were manufactured at a local workshop,
MAK-D, which profited as well from the business by selling
tricycles, the ice-cream was supplied by Fanmilk, Ghana’s
largest dairy producer and the disabled were able to obtain
a small credit (micro-credit) from a local bank at a very
reasonable interest rate. For more detailed information a
summary of the project is enclosed. Taking GhanaMoves as
a starting point and as an inspiration, seeing the benefits it
Concept areas; a market analysis of these individual concept areas and new generated for disabled persons, Movendi wished to initiate
business opportunities and product service systems for self employment of a similar venture in India. This project is an exploratory first
rural disabled within these areas are part of the results.
step in that direction, identifying strategies and business
29
