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Transport is a major problem for the average Tanzanian, but particularly for village farmers who need to get their produce to market.

All manner of human powered wheeled vehicles can be seen on the streets from overloaded bicycles, wheelbarrows, to giant home-made push carts, some using old car axles and wheels (right) and frequently being pulled by a gang of men when particularly heavily loaded.

Many of the roads in Tanzania are badly rutted and potholed dirt roads, a nightmare for cars and trucks, and extremely difficult terrain for barrows and carts with small wheels as the wheels tend to get stuck in the potholes.

It is no surprise, therefore, that some of the first projects that Twende has addressed have been well engineered load carriers to be sold at a realistic price.

This is Twende’s design for a robust yet lightweight barrow using a large diameter spoked wheel which navigates pot-
holes more easily than the small wheel of a traditional wheelbarrow.

The wheel is rated at 100Kg load carrying capacity.

This tricycle load carrier is a much better solution to transporting loads by pedal power than a bike and trailer.

For example, it is stronger and more stable than a bike and trailer combination.

Further, this design incorporates a Twende experimental drive system which enables very low to very high drive ratios of infinite variation. The absence of conventional discrete gears makes easier work of pulling loads.

This model has yet to undergo further field trials and commercial evaluation prior to marketing and manufacture.

A high proportion of Tanzanian village houses have no electrical power supply, so, instead, many homes employ a rudimentary lighting system using car batteries. Whilst this approach can never be really satisfactory, the advent of efficient LED lights has dramatically improved the quality and usability of battery lighting.

However, there remains the problem of charging the batteries. This photo shows a test rig for evaluating the feasibility of mounting a car alternator on a bike as a mobile charger for small 12V car batteries and cells for mobile phones.

If practical, a bicycle mounted generator could offer a business opportunity for a mobile service in power deprived villages.

This boy is sitting at a school desk made by Twende entirely of steel to Government school standards.

Excessive forest cutting in Tanzania is leading to soil instability, contributing to climate change and rapidly increasing prices for the increasingly scarce wood. As a result, alternative construction materials to wood such as steel are having to be considered.

However it is acknowledged that wood is a more sympathetic material for many applications, so the desk in front of the boy - also made by Twende - has a wooden top and seat on a steel frame. This may be a useful compromise between the two methods of construction.

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© TWENDE 2008   Last updated Aug 2008