[In rural Africa, women do most of the work. Their income streams are highly diversified since farming is rain-fed and therefore seasonal. It is not uncommon for women to have over ten concurrent jobs in a week and more than fifty revenue sources over a year. Atleast, they don’t have fifty W2 and 1099 equivalents to file, since the work is mostly informal.]
Frame Changers #49: Intelligent Imitation is Innovation too
Frame Changers #48: Startup Mania
Frame Changers #47: Sweat Inequity
[NGO = Non-Governmental Organization = Non-Profit]
Frame Changers #46: Plug and Play Cows
[As I just discovered, a Turkish company, Ser-Gün, offers solar panels that can be mounted on donkeys as a way to support sheepherders. Wonder how the donkeys feel about their new payload and improved social status.]
Frame Changers #45: Solar Ice Breaker
[Across the ~45 countries I have traveled across, I have never come across anyone who has paid real hard cash for a solar food cooker. Never seen shops in developing countries carry them either. Yet, I see many Westerners obsessed with designing solar food cookers for Africa.]
Frame Changers #44: Smart(er)phones for Africa
[Phones symbolize social status. Poor people are often sophisticated customers with higher quality expectations who are willing to pay more for desired features.]
Frame Changers #43: Water, Bottled
[Bottled water is a rapidly growing multi-billion industry in Africa. Ofcourse, women now have to walk long distances to fetch 20 liter ( = 20 kg) jars of water.]
Frame Changers #42: Truth Serum for Research?
[Local customs often dictate that a beverage (or even a meal) be shared with research participants as part of the data collection process. Alcohol is almost never permitted by universities.]
Frame Changers #41: Gender Bender
[Lack of access to feminine hygiene products is a major reason why girls drop out of secondary school. Will the stigma around menstrual health be reduced if men start repurposing sanitary napkins to solve their own problems?]