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Welcome to the Biotopia in Africa group. I created this group to enable myself and others interested in similar goals to collaborate on the biotopia project with the specific goal of starting in Africa.
http://www.changemakers.com/en-us/node/20727
The link above goes to my idea, which was entered in the Education for Africa competition. Being as the idea is meant to be accesible from anywhere through the internet it doesn't matter where it starts. In talking to people during the competition I came to the conclusion that this project would be of more benefit in Africa, to start with. With some minor adjustments to the goals it looks more like this.
It starts in remote orphanages, in Africa, that have near access to water be it poluted water or not. From there we set up wind turbines or perhaps a water wheel if there is running water. One way or another, depending on the local resources, a source of alternate energy is established. It could be as simple as a bike powered generator. All it has to do is provide power for computers and lights. A sattelite dish provides an internet connection, and a local server broadcasts a wireless signal. Students near the server could visit the Biotopia cyber campus which would exist on the local server. This server would be updated, via the sattelite from another server where the actual code is written and tested.
At the orphanage I would want to set up inexpensive greehouses out of tube frame and greenhouse film. These would be set up to grow things hydroponically. Hydroponics is more efficient with water and produces more yield per square food than dirt farming. This greenhouse would be on web cams, just like the enclosed biotopes for scientific study. This enclosure will demonstrate how to grow food hydroponically. In the end, the curriculum has students, the students have food, and there is education going on.
There are many facets involved with this project, and I am really hoping to find people who want to be involved. The first steps will involve finding an orphanage that meets the criteria. There must be at least some water to begin with, there must also be a place for the greenhouse/houses. It would be a major advantage to have a running river or an area that gets wind. Alternatively, there could be a pedal powered generator station that could be manually charged.
At any rate, welcome to all comers, please do comment, ask questions pull the idea apart. Talk is cheaper than nails.
Wayne
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We’re thrilled to have you translate your Champions of Quality Education in Africa competition entry into a thriving Group community. Let’s get started!
It seems you’ve already been introduced to (and assisted by) our online community. To help continue this dialogue, you may find it helpful to reach out to Rural Education Alive, another group dedicated to improving the quality of education in rural communities. Or perhaps the Ashoka Tech Group can provide some inspiration and potential leads.
Be sure to browse through our Issues and Stories related to Education and Education Reform to discover the work of Ashoka Fellows and everyday change makers just like you.
Also, don’t forget to join the Changemakers Support and Resources Group. There you will find tips on how to expand your new Group's membership and make the most of our online global community of action.
It is great to find a place to collaborate and talk where people have a common goal. I have been looking for such a thing for a while. I tried to get a fellowship though Ashoka several years, or a couple, back but was turned down because I am favoring a business structure that has an S-corp working in symbiosis with a public benefit corporation. I started Biotopia as the Non prof, and the S-corp is Newby Enterprises. I would have to do some work with an accountant to bring them both current, and I would also have to apply for 501c3 status which requires a board for the non prof. I intend to own the curriculum with the S-corp and purchase stuff, say, consultancy or something, from Biotopia in order to fund their projects. This will ensure that Biotopia does not have to go out begging for money in order to maintain. Newby enterprises will be a publishing house that will produce written text and DVDs to support the curriculum. These DVDs could be used for furthuring scientific knowledge of little known species. Africa, coincidentally, has scads upon scads of scientifically significant species. One of my favorite side interestes are poison arrow frogs. I have a home made jungle that houses a species from peru. I am building another jungle that is far huger. This one will be a sample of the ones I want to make for schools. (my brother is a carpenter, and I am a plumber) The toxins of poison arrow frogs are very significant to medical science. Just having toxic frogs for scientists to test would be a huge boon to researchers.
I have recently applied for the fellowship again, sort of, I sent an email to Ashoka requesting another reveiw, given the Africa/hydroponic greenhouse/orphanage thing. I have also been in contact with the secretary at the agency that handles Bob Geldof. I want to see if he will promote the thing. There are other options, and if he wants to make a huge wad of cash to promote, we will use other ones.
I have not been to rural education alive, but I am already a member of the Ashoka tech group. Also the Films for social Change, ah.. check my profile, they are listed there, I went to a couple of places.
I tried out the twitter and facebook publicizing thing for the competition. I was able to generate pretty many reads, but relatively few comments. I am a yahoo grouper and had to horsewhip some fellow groupers in to commenting. I told them my alter ego knew a vodoo priestess who would hex them into stepping in dog poop,
What I learned is that you have to want to communicate, and I really really do. But it will not work without interchange. You have been the first official interchanger on this group. Congratulations!! I am hoping for many more. Specifically Africans. I need to know what sort of natural resources they have so I can scheme up some devices to collect them.
Wayne, who is sorry for babbling.
;)
Come on people, don't be shy. I can see that your looking. Why not say a word or two? I know, it is a pain, initially, but you can do it.
Rather than sit and stare at the counter I've decided to add more content, a broader slice of the picture. Since the education is key to the solution I will describe my vision of the machine. This is only my current vision, the very second that I hear something more workable I will change my vision.
Imagine you are a student who speaks a language but can not read or write it. This limits the amount of information that you can have. You can't remember everything and you can't store info in a book because you can't read the book. You can't even make notes for yourself properly. This is where we all start. We learn to speak, and are taught the rest. The big question is what language.
First, the bones of the machine. There are hubs, which contain servers. I am proposing orphanages. At each orphanage there will be a predominant language spoken. That will be the one that the students learn to read and write in first. English will be the second language they learn, and it will be as an option. If every hub has its own language and english then the students who choose to learn english will have their own language and one that will allow them to communicate with any other student who has chosen to learn english. From each other they can learn their original languages at which point they will be tri-lingual. Language barrier conquered.
The inner beauty of this is that the curriculum for learning these languages will be archived for anyone in the world to learn. They will be created by multi-lingual teachers who live at the hub.
Once a student has the reading and writing down they can proceed to the other lessons. I believe that math should come in, and art for those who want it. The student would take a test that asseses their level of understanding. They will have entered their age when creating an account for themselves. The computer software will determine what they should learn by comparing their age to the standards of the country that the hub is in.
Once the areas of need are established the student is guided through a cyber campus, much like the one created called "Second life." Each building is a place where students can access the archives of the particular study. The computer will know at what level of study the student need start, and can present the teachers who have curriculum at that level. It is based on a role playing video game where you must learn skills in order to progress. In the game it was blacksmithing. In this world, it will be math, or science...
The student will be able to learn from any teacher who speaks their language. The teachers will be gathered through contests, I think, and volunteers who enjoy teaching but are retired. Good teachers love teaching. I am not worried about finding them. They will find me. Once they do, they can record their method of teaching a subject in as many languages as they speak, and it will be provided for the students in the building on the cyber campus to which it belongs.
This cyber campus will be available for free at any public place, and for ten dollars per month residentially. This is to provide income for the expansion of the project, to create more hubs, or fund more contests....
Well, that is about enough, I have more, ask questions. Dont be shy.
Wayne
Hi Wayne. Your passion and compassion is commendable and I hope I can be encouraging as well as enlightening.
I presume you live in the West as not so much the concept but the detail and technology you mention will be challenging in Africa. Finding $10 in Africa is hard never mind $10 per month. It would be the same as asking in the west for a python or warthog, per month.
Hydroponics requires equipment and chemicals. It reminds me of a milk powder company that to increase sales in Africa gave new mothers free powdered milk for their babies. By using this, their own mothers milk dried up and they could no afford to by milk powder when the milk powder ran out. There is lots of soil for growing food and soils can be improved through local organics. Water in the right place is more of a challenge but don't suggest motorised pump unless you can cheaply provide Photovoltaic panels and even then the technology is at risk of fault and your system fails.
It is a great idea trying to help orphaned children in Africa gain an education. This should include fundamental life skills, local social and survival skills. Orphans have lost the generation who would normally provide this. They have also lost their history and often their identity. Please don't have an age test. It stinks in the west and has no place in Africa. Some may not even know their age and who's judgement determines learning age levels. There are better ways to stimulate learning, in fact in Africa little stimulation is needed just a little guidance, love and care.
It may have changed but the life expectancy in Zimbabwe is about 36 years not 70 or 80 and the average age is well under 20 years.
My sister in law has spent 30 years in a rural orphanage in Zimbabwe. Some who are now married with families of their own come 'home' to spend time with the only mother they have ever known, who taught them how to cook and care for their families.
Like you I do ponder how to help and you may pick up some of my frustration from the above. 'Computer based learning' e-learning offers a great way for people throughout the world to learn anything in any language. Although most people in Africa know more than one language.
I am disappointed how little progress has been made with learning methods. I was involved in Plato learning systems in the 80's in Africa. Imagine if we had online learning of the class of World of Warcraft. Cloud based systems and cheap notebooks may help as well as simpler technologies like books. Fewer people are needed on site if local people are trained to help others learn.
If you want to help and are looking for a place to start I can help. You could be paid in eggs but $'s will be another problem.
Please continue your creative and compassionate thinking. You will find a breakthrough and can make a huge difference. It will take a Champion and there are many some already doing a great work.
Kind regards Dutch
You are the first person from changemakers to respond after more than a year. I first posted this project in a competition. Since then I have made a group for it. "Biotopia in Africa." I have not received comment or gotten any new people on board. Just knowing that someone else is interested warms my heart. I have been trying to make this project go for over ten years. I have changed my life so that I can pursue its birth. I feel that it is the reason I was born.
The only interest I have in money is making it so that I can use it on the project. All the money it makes will go towards making it better. I am a writer of novels and screenplays. All I need is an agent to publish my works. I have screenplays written that are based on my novels to sell after that. With the right connections I can make the money and this will happen.
The ten dollars per month is not for people who don't have it. This education curriculum will be available for free in public places, all public places, schools included. This is not an attempt to replace normal school, it is an attempt to make normal school have a further reach and allow students with faster minds to proceed more quickly. It has no age things, only knowledge is measured. It will be administered by the people who use it, local people who know what people of the individual cultures require. The goal is to make this world wide so that students from different countries can talk. In this way the lies of the media can be overcome.
Much of the problem in understanding the problem comes from media lies. We in the US are led to believe that Africa is some back in time continent where there are people dying of disease and starvation. Well, people die from disease and starvation the world over, here included. That is no sort of way to portray a country. The orphanages would be hubs for this curriculum. People in the US would pay ten dollars a month to talk with Africans. Your culture is fascinating to many of us. The creatures that live on your wonderful continent are exotic and beautiful. The things you take for granted as normal are strange and wonderful to us, and you all grew up with them. You know more about them than scientists who go there to study them... Your people have much to share in this department. People from the US have much to share in the money department.
Enough of that, let us talk plants and food. Hydroponics are good, but they are not the answer they consume too much water. Aeroponics are what is needed. Aeroponic propagation takes place when plants are suspended above a nutrient solution. The solution is nebulized into very small particles with sprayers, or an ultrasonic mist maker. The roots of the plants hang in air and are allowed more oxygen which produces more growth. The nutrient solution can be organic, but not if you use sprayers as the nozzles will clog. In organics, ultrasonic nebulizer should be used. This method produces plants a third faster than hydroponics and with less water. Africa has good sun, you don't really need light, but it is equatorial which means that your are 12 hours of day to 12 hours of dark year round. It would be beneficial to have light longer than that for many good vegetables.
The answer is LED lighting. This new technology is producing lamps that consume one watt and produce over 200 lumens. For your vegetables, you will need three thousand, or so, lumens per square foot of garden, so, fifteen watts per square foot. This lighting can be produced in the exact wavelength that plants require. Photosynthesis occurs in very specific bands of light, the range from 420-460 nanometers and from 620 to 680 nanometers. It stands to reason that you should only use light in this range. Why use electricity providing a spectrum that is merely reflected? Furthermore, you would only have to provide this light for maybe six hours in order to keep your vegetables in vegetative stage. When you want them to make fruit, you simply turn off the lights and let your natural photo-period take over. In this way you could have crops that would not usually grow there.
As far as getting electricity, that is easy. I am a machinist, and have a genius level IQ. I was a member of a group called MENSA but do not agree with them on too many things. An ability such as this was meant for others to benefit from. It does the bearer of it no good. I want to help, I am going to help. I only need some more people to get involved. I can't do it myself...
Wayne
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