Bert Otten's Appropriate Technology

Part of the joy of visiting Chikuni was the chance to see Bert Otten, SJ and to see some of his work. I had the good fortune to live with Bert at Seattle University before he resigned his position and came to Zambia. Bert taught electrical engineering at SU and is very interested in appropriate technology.

• The upper picture is of Monica N'Sofu, the director of the Chikuni parish Home-based Aids Care. She is holding a delicacy a large woodland mushroom that she will dry in a solar dryer that Bert helped design.
• Bert has a number of other projects in the works or in the prototype stage. He has a truck that runs on sunflower oil fuel and they are testing was that jatropha can be grown to provide the fuel which would avoid using a food source for fuel. I saw his reading lights for villages that do not have electricity. The simple light operates on batteries, led lights and features toilet paper rolls wrapped in mylar (from the inside of chip bags) as the reflectors. Bert is hoping to get a woman's group to take on the manufacturing of these devices.
• The lower picture is of a solar powered water pump. Bert works with the Diocese of Monze to establish these sources of water for communities. A bore hole is drilled for the water and the water is pumped to the surface and stored in water towers. The solar energy provides the electricity to run the pump. The pump pictured with Bert and Jim was at Charles Lawanga Basic School. The pump will provide water for some gardens a poultry farm and a school with 800 students.