Develop a detailed business model canvas for one of the following social enterprises: One Acre Fund, Acumen Fund, or Envirofit International. Integrate insights from at least five different valid sources for your chosen social enterprise and provide those citations in your blog. You may choose to work on this with one other person.

Value Propositions: One Acre Fund is delivering education on modern techniques to farmers in remote areas of Sub-Suharan Africa on how to better and more efficiently grow their crops. They are pursuing this teaching because farmers in this region are often going hungry because they do not have access to this information. They are also selling a better life for these farmers and their communities since their children and families will not go hungry and they will put their money back into the community. These farmers will invest in education, local business, and will help neighbors in need. In addition, sustainable farming practices promise a better crop yield for future generations as well.

Key Activities: One Acre Fund is based on a bundle of services. They offer seeds, fertilizer and loans to rural farmers, and deliver these to areas in a walkable distance to any farmer. They give in depth training throughout the growing season on current agricultural techniques, and offer crop storage solutions. They also teach about agricultural market fluctuations so that farmers can maximize profits.This can happen because they place an emphasis on maximizing their “Total Impact.” They allocate funds to programs that have the highest impact, which they determine by multiplying the number of farmers by the impact per farmer. For most programs, they measure this by $USD per farmer, which is easily comparable across programs and is a valuable unit to farmers who are taking out loans. They have this information through intensive research and development, and are beginning to look at other metrics such as hunger and school attainment. One Acre Fund invests heavily in data quality by physically weighing crops, meticulously checking data integrity, and complete intensive harvest surveys. Their product development team is continuing to create and experiment with new products, and complete at least 40 studies every year. To maintain consistency in their programming across with wide range of geography their foundation covers, they tailor their programming to suit local context by collecting weekly key performance indicators (KPIs) to spot areas that are succeeding versus need assistance, and to identify areas where program learning is going especially well. They run customer service lines as well to provide farmers with a way to share their complaints, compliments and ideas with their staff.

Key Resources: One Acre Fund has hundreds of trucks and drivers to deliver seeds and fertilizers to points within walking distance of their rural clients. They operate warehouses to store seed and fertilizer, and have team members to manage that inventory. They participate in many studies, such as the Kenya Income and Expenditure Study. In this study, they tracked income and expenditure of 400 farmers over the course of a year. It’s helping the Fund understand how their clients manage their money and is helping them gain insights on how to better serve their clients and their clients’ communities.

Distribution Channel: One Acre Fund uses a mixture of both virtual and physical channels. This way they are able to serve not only customers in their local communities, but a wider reaching audience. The services they provide to their farmers keep local customers loyal, and seeing their success and through recommendation causes neighbors or people in close communities to try their services.They use their trucks to deliver products to rural farmers.  They also have a website where anyone in the world can partner with their organization to donate to their fund.

Revenue Streams: One Acre Fund is able to operate based on a revenue-generating model. Their field expenses are covered through farmer loan repayment (75%) and donations (25%).

Customer Segments: Farmers in Burundi, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Customer Relationships: This non-profit is able to maintain a good customer base by focusing on impact and outreach. When farmers see consistently improving harvests for One Ace Funds’ clients, the farmers will want to apply the same program to improve their yields as well. Once the Fund is fully established in a community, their influence is spread by satisfied customers recommending their services to their neighbors.

Key Partners: Internally, One Acre Fund has 17 general partners that are division and country directors from across the organization. They align around broad strategic goals, high level visions for the organization, and major organizational drives. They earn this distinction by significant contributions to the organization. They have country directors, who guide strategy for country-level operations. Their external partners are connected to a wide variety of businesses, non-profits, and charitable trust management. It includes Bridgespans Philanthropy Practice, Ezrah Charitable Trust and Simcah Management, Kickstart International, Marshall & McLennan Companies, Population Services International, MFK Group Rwanda, Volkswagen Group South Africa, Zoetis Inc, United Nations, Trademark East Africa, and Marquette Associates. Each of these companies have individuals set in an advisory role to help One Acre Fund both internally and to provide resources externally, and can offer guidance from a wide array of experience.

Cost Structure: One Acre Fund has internal costs that the it incurs. It includes the salaries of drivers, warehouse managers, country directors, operations analysts, and other employees. They pay the rent for warehouses that store the seed and fertilizers, gas and maintenance for the trucks, and loans that they approve for their clients. 

Sources:

https://www.thelifeyoucansave.org/where-to-donate/one-acre-fund

https://www.guidestar.org/profile/20-3668110

https://oneacrefund.org/about-us/our-leadership/

https://oneacrefund.org/what-we-do/farmers-first/

file:///Users/rachelcase/Downloads/One_Acre_Funds_Small_Farm_Program_Teso_District_Deutschmann_Tjernstrom.pdf

file:///Users/rachelcase/Downloads/2017_Randomized_Control_Trial_Summary_Teso_District.pdf

List five take-aways from Guy Kawasaki’s talk and explain exactly how you will integrate that concept/construct/strategy into your project. Make it compelling. Don’t write generic forgettable text.

In partnership with one or at most two team members, present a business model canvas for your venture.

Partner network: Lehigh, UPD, local government, plastic industry experts, Bishops Council

Key activities: Production of goods with recycling machinery

Key resources: Machine building plans, availability of workers and plastic chips

Customer Segments: Industrial materials buyers, restaurant suppliers, artisanal goods buyers (expandable)

Value Propositions/Offer: Recycled plastic goods for sale

Channels:

Customer Relationships: How the women interact with their customers and the machines

Revenue Streams:

Cost structure:

1. List ten non-obvious assumptions about your target customers (or organizations) that you need to validate.

Market vendors will be more receptive to these goods since they are handmade by a women’s co-op.

Plastics producers will readily cooperate with plastic collection resources since it will help their reputation.

These women will create unique products since they have not had exposure to previous projects on Project Plastikan’s website.

Organizations will be interested in partnering with us to help either environmentally or socially.

Customers will be local (no online sales or remote locations).

Customers will either buy recycled goods or will be less likely to purchase based on how much they value that process, and will most likely be a younger group of people.

Organizations that factor the social/gender equality aspect will be more likely to partner early on.

Organizations for environmental sustainability will likely join after can prove that this process is sustainable (power, goods re-rentering the waste stream).

Customers will want to support a local business.

Customers will want goods that will not readily re-enter the waste stream.

2. List ten hypotheses about your project that you need to test during fieldwork.

Middle aged women learn machines differently than women in the US.

If we make upcycled goods to sell in the Philippines, the products will retail for less since recycling goods are not thought of as a commodity.

If we make upcycled goods to sell in the Philippines, they will retail for more since their population can appreciate the small effort they are making to remove trash from the waste stream.

Running a workshop of 40-50 people will be more effective if we split them into small groups of 6-8 people.

If we create goods that are not upscale or well-designed enough, they will re-enter the waste stream.

If we are too limiting in explaining the capabilities of the machines, the women might struggle with ideating or creating new products themselves.

If we find a local place to outsource injection molds in the Philippines, we can greatly expand the creative potential of the machines.

The goods will sell better in an artisanal market.

The goods will sell better in a wholesale mass production market, like restaurant placemats.

We will put our own spin on teaching the machines so that people who have had no exposure to previous products others’ have made on the machines can create unique items custom made for their environment.

3. What do you think you bring to your team? How has your perception of your own strengths and weaknesses changed over the course of the class? Please be specific.

I really liked this exercise during class. I think there is a belief that that specific sort of “self-indulgent” thinking can be thought of as negative since it can seem boastful. However,  I think it’s important to recognize what you’re good at since it can either help you assume certain roles in a project or reaffirm why you are accepting certain responsibilities. I believe I am good at dissolving tension through both recognizing the beginning of a burnout or through humor. As part of a group that is working from the ground up, our meetings are often quite long, and with so many factors to discuss and what seems like an endless to-do list (how it seems for most projects), the group’s energy can start to fade. Taking a break or cracking jokes is important to remind ourselves that there are times to be taken seriously and get the work that needs to be done, done but then there can also be some times when we can have a looser structure and work in a more fun and relaxed way. There is also an element of dissolving tensions when group members have opposing positions and progress can reach a sort of stalemate. In those cases, it’s important to take a step back and remember that the reason that we are all gathering is because we are passionate about this project. We want to see it succeed, and that taking a minute to discuss another topic, even something silly, can help us go back to the problem to see it with fresh eyes. I have also become more aware of my weaknesses. I have found that when there are no hard deadlines, it’s easier to procrastinate some of the tougher questions this project asks. I am trying to get better at prioritizing the things I know will be tough, especially when I’m with my group and have to take advantage of that valuable time.

Does your work require IRB approvals? If Yes, articulate your detailed IRB strategy. If No, explain why you don’t need IRB approval and identify situations when you might need IRB approval.

While we are not doing research directly on the women in the Philippines, part of our research in figuring out what the machines can make is making sure those products can in fact be produced by these women. We are using machines whose function is to produce products, but not necessarily in the easiest way. The idea of these machines is most likely to maximize output, and we definitely have to consider the well-being of these women and if they’re strong enough to either use the machine repetitively, or making sure to include in the plan a system of switches to make sure these repetitive motions aren’t hurting anyone. In a proposal, we would need to state that part of our research in making sure this could be a successful venture is observing the capabilities of these women in the co-op. Since the machines we are making will be produced at Lehigh, we will not understand the effect of the machines until we arrive in the Philippines. Only once we arrive in the Philippines and watch these women work hands-on with the machines during the workshop can we try to minimize possible harms and maximize benefit. That being said, since we are not doing research directly on these women, I am unsure if we will need to have IRB approval since our project is mostly focused on specifically plastics research, and we will be simply providing these women with tools and helping them interact with these tools. In order to need IRB approval, a project must meet the definition of research, involve human subjects, and involve any interaction with these subjects and or access to their private information. First, in terms of research, it is any way of gathering data (quantitative or qualitative), conducting clinical trials, or observing behavior. It also means taking this collected information with the expectation of sharing this information past the body being studied by use of presentations, publications, or other bodies benefitting from this information being contributed by the group. Since we are planning to publicize this information, but not conduct a systematic investigation, it is unclear. It also must involve the use of human subjects. It must be direct interaction with the groups in question that can involve personal information that will affect the outcome of the study. For us, this might be when we are designing the setup of these machines, gathering user feedback, or input on the products and what these women can afford or are physically able to make. Luckily, none of this would be personally identifiable information, and we would not expect them to surrender any sort of records. Many groups in the GSIF program would be examples of projects that would require IRB approval. Since many of them are medical or food-based based groups, they will be working closely with participants to study what they do or don’t like about the product, how they use it, or how it personally fits into their lives where they will be learning personal information. They are receiving data about participants which can be identifiable personal information, such as medical records.

Develop a Logic Model for your venture.

Purpose: We are looking to employ this women’s co-op in the Philippines, and use recycled plastic as a sustainable choice to make products that they can sell wholesale or in local markets.

Context: There are several companies taking on this challenge of creating products sustainably with recycled plastics, and we are taking it a step further to help these women specifically. We have local government support in this venture and the means to create the machines to produce these products.

Inputs: Our inputs are agreements with local governments, the machines we are building at Lehigh, the sustainable development class working on ecosystem mapping, partnerships with University of the Philippines-Diliman, and agreements with the women’s co-op and various teams working on the machines and overall projects.

Activities: We will lead these women in a 3-day workshop over the summer to familiarize them with the machines and the design thinking process to unlock their creative potential. We will also lead a similar workshop at Lehigh to familiarize ourselves with the machines and to prepare the process to minimize risk and maximize reward during our lucrative time in the Philippines.

Outputs: Our outputs would be the number of products produced, the quality of products produced, and the satisfaction of the women with the machines, their setup, configuration, and confidence in repairing the machines and designing for themselves.

Effects: Women will make a profit which they can either put back into this venture or spend on their own needs or needs of the co-op.

Based on your life experience, skills and interests, what would a design process that is both uniquely yours and effective look like?

I have a variety of different interests and I’m always wanting to try out something new, so I think a design process that would be uniquely mine and effective would be trying many iterations of a product until I find a finished product I’m happy with. Having an amount of resources that allows many iterations to be possible is a great opportunity to get feedback on designs. Sometimes, just imagining the product isn’t the same as holding it in your hands and actually testing it out and getting actual feedback from others. It’s easy to get very focused on one task or idea–in my product design class, since we are learning new software, it’s very easy to become fixated on one idea since redoing it on the software means there is a hardship to starting over. Also, having the skills to fabricate a product is not a luxury a lot of people have. If I think I have an idea or a solution, I can very quickly mock it up in a design software and have it in my hands by the end of the day. I value that hands-on process. Having the knowledge and technical skills to get an idea from my head onto a CAD software, and then having resources at Lehigh (laser cutter, metal shop, wood shop, 3D printers) to make it real means the design process results in something very tangible.

How will you validate your project concept, technology, usability, operational / business model?

Luckily, for our project, we have the privilege of working alongside a lot of groups that add validity to this project. First, we are working with the University of Philippines who have many students and student groups working alongside us on eco-mapping the system and designing both machines and potential products. We will also have a chance to work with them in the Philippines and are a great in-country resource. We are in contact with them and have a meeting scheduled for Monday nights (Tuesday mornings foe them) where we will ask about their product ideas and if they have information on not only the the women’s co-op but the marketplace where these women will be selling, whether it’s a large scale, large production or local marketplace. We also have Brian’s TE Capstone team who is doing in-depth research of both plastic and machine capability. Although they are not specifically focusing on the Philippines, their research is valuable and are a great on-campus resource for some of the more technical aspects of this project. Precious Plastics is also a well-established non-profit group that works with recycled plastic worldwide through open source machine and product designs, and encourages people to use their machines and resources in a variety of creative ways. The open source design philosophy is one our group is also working towards, and their thriving market place is not only a place to draw inspiration but is also a resource itself for how to make some of these products. They are proof that this idea has validity and can be successful worldwide since the machines are simple, easy to build, and therefore easy to maintain. They have many locations all over the world, so this works on a global scale and there are additional in-country resources for these women after we leave.  They have a well-documented operational manual which we can pull inspiration from in terms of manuals for the machines and the machine processes. 

Articulate your philosophy of engagement with communities, partners, and markets.

I believe its using your skills and knowledge to provide a service to others. I really liked the exercise we did in class where we had to think about 3 skills you possess to make your team the most effective. It made me think critically about what I bring to the table and why it made me want to do this project. In this climate, it’s especially important to engage in civic engagement since the world is becoming smaller and more connected every day, and we all need to work together to teach and preserve what we know. It’s important while doing civic engagement to be aware of culture, cultural implications, and the values they hold. It’s also important to remember that in a capitalistic society, we need to be realistic about the finances, markets, and wide range of stakeholders in a project. Especially for this project, which is based in recycling and sustainability, that any global projects now have a significant emphasis on sustainability since it is a challenge that we face as a species.

1. Give three examples of how you can use nature as a model / mentor / measure for your own designs (and life).

While the plastics we are using for this project are not biodegradable (in the short term), we can design them while keeping in mind that eventually these products might end up in the waste stream again. We can do more research on where these products end up, and then see what sorts of organisms live there, and then design them as specific housing for those organisms. This fits nature’s model of even in “death,” organisms function to aid other organisms. If there’s any byproducts in the process of creating these designs, we could try to harness that energy and leverage it into another process. For example, melting plastics can release certain gases that can be harvested for new plastics. For my life, I wake up around 9:30 and go to bed around midnight. This might be specific to students, but I imagine there is not many students at Lehigh who stick to the “early to bed, early to rise” mentality. In nature, many processes start at sunrise, and then end at sunset. While this might not be entirely realistic for students since they don’t conform to a 9-5 schedule, I am the most efficient and motivated during sunlight hours. I am definitely missing lots of my most productive hours by waking up late, and could take a lesson from nature about how to be the most productive while also optimizing my most efficient time periods.
2. Pick one of Life’s Principles. Explain how you might apply it to your work and life (could be unrelated to your GSIF projects).

3. How do you envision integrating the Cradle to Cradle Design concept into your project (and life)? Give one compelling example.

Since our project is based in upcycling and sustainability, there’s already an aspect of cradle to cradle design. It makes sense for us to think of our end product as only a step in the life cycle of a new piece of plastic. In that sense, it is our responsibility to make that step as conscious as possible. The least sustainable part of the project so far is how the machines will run. It would potentially take a major change in the design of the machines themselves, but it would be interesting to have the machines run on a more sustainable source of power, such as solar or wind power. By nature of being in a landfill, the plastics we are working with are traditionally not biodegradable (in the short term) so we should also be conscious to design well-made products that won’t re-enter the waste stream quickly. Ideally, the products we design, after their time as that current item has passed, can be re-melted and extruded to a new product. That way, we are not contributing to the waste stream.

4. Give three examples of something very interesting you learned from a friend that was a completely alien concept to you.

My good friend in college is very religious, and I grew up in a non-religious environment. Naturally, we were raised very differently and sometimes place a different amount of value on certain things. He told me that every night he has a period of time during his night ritual that involves critically thinking about the day. Taking that dedicated reflection time during the day helps him to remember what was good and bad about the day, what he needs to prioritize for tomorrow, and anything he needs to change about his environment or attitude for the next day. Another friend from college is an international student from Vietnam. She lives her life very regimented and well-documented, and she juggles many activities and interests with ease. She explains how she keeps her schedule, and social life written out, and it seems to work for her very well. She recently became very interested in physical fitness, and incorporated her diet into that same pattern. For me, keeping that all organized sounds very overwhelming, but she says it’s only overwhelming at the beginning until you get the hang of it. After that, being that organized gives you a sense of calm. I have a friend from high school that is extremely passionate about ocean conservation. She recently posted an interesting article about, of all things, face wash. Certain abrasive exfoliating face washes have particles called microbeads that are essentially microplastics. I used these face washes on a regular basis, and had no idea that these particles do not dissolve in hot water. I had never thought about it–it just made sense to me that these would dissolve. Turns out that while we are moving toward a blanket ban on these products, many companies are still in the process of using these beads, which are often too small to be caught by water treatment facilities and are sent straight into water sources where they can greatly damage the water life. Before her post, I was completely unaware of microplastics and their potential damage.

1.Describe the five major stakeholders for your project and their motivations.

Lehigh is the first major stakeholder, with a combination of students, mentors, and professors. Lehigh is looking to use the creativity and passion of their students on projects worth doing, and is expanding on currently successful projects and continuing to start new ones, in addition giving students a chance to do in-depth, interesting research with the opportunity to go abroad. In this case, the combination of the core team and the sustainable development class means a well-rounded approach considering the many different factors of working on a new business in a different country. UPD is also a major stakeholder, and I would imagine is using their student’s creativity to help a community close to home. Another major stakeholder, and primary beneficiary is the women’s co-op in Paradise Valley. These women are looking for a source of supplemental income, but also the opportunity to learn how to fabricate, think like a designer, design products, and identify markets and potential customers. Not only will they be able to use these machines and have that source of supplemental income, but can use these practices to either expand this business or apply the practices to new ventures. Plastics producers are another stakeholder because they are creating some of this waste, and most are eager to show they are doing their part to aid in the post-consumer recycling market. In addition, they have valuable information to share on the ability and properties of certain plastics. In addition, we have yet to know where these plastics to make the plastic chips are coming from, and they could play a role in helping us locate where these plastics are ending up, or even providing them to us if possible. The vendors are another stakeholder because they are a beneficiary of this project process, since they could potentially be securing deals with the women’s co-op to receive post-consumer recycled goods. Whether the vendors in this case end up being more industrial, have some sort of larger-end business deal, or if it’s more of an open-air market environment for artisanal goods is an important distinction in the creation of the products themselves. Vendors are looking to either receive goods personally, or act as middlemen to these products.

2.Describe three ways in which you will validate your project and enhance your credibility over the course of the semester.

Despite students not being the ones to build the machines, a way to validate the product and enhance credibility at the same time is to rigorously test them. Not only will this familiarize us with the machines and show us what they are capable of, but will allow us to troubleshoot any problems that arise. Since this is a sustainability-based project, how else will we know small bugs and easy fixes to problems if we ourselves are not using them. When we arrive in the Philippines, we can speak confidently to the capability of the machines and be the authority on how to fix them. We ideally will be intimate enough with the inner workings to not only create the working guide, but to in-person introduce and teach these women how to fix any problems. Another way to enhance credibility is to stay in constant contact with the students and mentors at UPD to again be able to speak confidently at any point to know where the overall project stands. Knowing the status updates at Lehigh is already a relatively daunting task since the team is a combination of students, a class, mentors, and professors, but we represent only a portion of the overall effort into this project. Especially since the students at UPD have the authority on life in the Philippines and what goods, markets, materials, and more are available, keeping in close contact with them will allow us to present effectively and even more importantly, focus our efforts on what we have discussed with them as our priority. A third way to validate our project is to do enough research into this women’s co-op to ensure that we understand the structure of their group and who else is able to attend the workshop. It’s important for us to know, in order to most effectively and concisely project our message, if the people attending the workshop are the ones making the goods, or if they have to relay this information back to their own communes. Since the project is centered around this women’s co-op, it will help us plan a better workshop, which is a crucial component.

Give three compelling examples of how cultural issues affect your project.

During our initial discussion of the cultural differences in the Philippines, we speculated on some issues we thought could be prevalent. We discussed the potential issue of empowering women to make money in their family and the corresponding interfamilial issues. We also discussed the “side hustle” of collecting recyclables and opinions of collecting recyclables, and the value they place on post-consumer recycled goods. Exploration into gender roles showed that when a baby is born, they are defined by their sex and automatically assume a specific role.  Males typically get more respect because females traditionally take after their mothers and grandmothers to take less dominating roles and therefore take more “gentle” jobs. Men are traditionally more confident and accomplished. Family is the center of the social structure, and is often the most important aspect of people’s lives, and this is where their specific roles come into play. Males are the primary breadwinners of the family and if they cannot provide, he is not doing his job. Despite that, it is frowned upon for them to suggest their spouse take a job. Women stay at home and do chores like cooking and cleaning. By taking a job, a woman would threaten the husband’s dominance. This directly affects our project because these women in this co-op would be entering into a business role, which could lead to backlash since the power struggle and supplemental income could certainly threaten a husband’s dominance. Empowering these women to challenge this will be an important part of introducing them to the business but also teaching how to use the machines and being the authority on how they work. In America, there is a large market for post-consumer recycled goods since people are conscious of sustainability. People are willing to potentially pay more for post-recycled goods since they know that in the long run, they are contributing to a larger cause. As a group, we would need to speak with the UPD students over there to get a better idea of the Filipino view of recycled goods, and if they have the same mentality. I could see that being an important and extremely relevant part of this project because these recycled goods made by the women could potentially be more expensive than a new product. Would people in that community be willing to spend that extra money? If not, we would need to re-evaluate since a primary goal is supplementing income for these women. In that same realm of thought, although people in America place a large value on contributing to sustainability, they can disapprove of collecting recyclables from, say, a landfill or garbage receptacle since it can be seen as overly thrifty. Again, more research and communication would need to happen with the students at UPD would need to be done to see how that translates to the Philippines. In a nation where hiya, shame, is a motivating factor behind behavior, if it’s not socially appropriate to profit off of these collected raw plastics, we would need to brainstorm a way around that. It’s important to note that it’s currently unclear where the plastic is coming from, and if the women are handling raw plastics themselves or they arrive pre-cleaned, but the point still stands that could still be seen as potentially overly thrifty.

Have you experienced or observed any of these social situations at home? Describe at least 3 situations.

Luckily, I live in an area currently where women and men split or share the finances and responsibilities of a household. However, I know my grandmother speaks about her time as a younger woman and the priority given to her younger brother when it came to college and the expectations of their role in society. She was not afforded the privilege of going to college. As a young woman, she worked as a way to supplement her husbands undergraduate and masters degrees, and was expected to quit her job to fulfill a role as a stay-at-home mother. Since this is what was expected of her as a younger woman, she did not question it, and there is no ill will in the way she speaks about it now, since this was traditional for women of her time. In terms of recycling, personally I have experienced the desire to contribute to the public responsibility to shop sustainably. Last winter, I bought a Patagonia coat, where one of its main selling points was that the synthetic down was made with 80% post-consumer recycled material. This coat was was more expensive than some other new coats, but I was willing to spend extra money to support brands that are eco-friendly. I also have seen the stigma of collecting recyclables. I don’t live in a state where you can exchange cans and bottles for a personal profit, but when I travel to New York, homeless people are often collecting these recyclable goods. For me, as well as I imagine others, it created an attachment between a type of person with a certain level of life and income and the action of collecting bottles, which contributes to a negative stigma.

Give three examples of cultural practices that can be leveraged to to address community / market problems.

Since a women’s co-op is comprised of and run entirely by women, it will be to our advantage that the traditional gender power struggle will not occur within the business itself. Since a man is traditionally given more input than a woman because of their place in the gender hierarchy, in an all-woman group, everyone will be heard and treated equally. Another cultural practice that we can leverage is the importance of doing business with people and not businesses. Filipinos value personal relationships over business relationships. Since we will be there in person for 3 weeks, I think we can use that to develop personal relationships with these women. In terms of the actual products we will be making, there is a noted culture of gift-giving, especially to a host of an event, and also have a varied and unique cuisine. This means our initial ideas of vases, placemats, and utensils could be a move in the right direction.

I enrolled in CINQ396 because through being an Eco-Rep and in EWB, I gained an interest in sustainable development, since it’s a lasting challenge that has an effect on day-to-day life whether it’s simple changes in your own life or long-term projects remotely. It was also a bonus that there was abroad experience through research at Lehigh University that can be continued during field work abroad–a chance to escape the college bubble. I also wanted to explore making new things. Identifying real challenges of other lifestyles and people will be a rewarding challenge, and with a team of people who are passionate about this as well. In addition to the students who are new like me, there is also students and faculty who have done projects like these in the past that can be looked to as a resource, at any stage of the progress, since they have all dealt with this before. I also appreciate that there is a diverse team of people working on every project, since sometimes it can feel like you’re moving from classes and activities with the same people in your major. I can also further my knowledge of creating in an area outside my comfort zone. Designing for others is an area where I haven’t had much experience but would like to be challenged. I think showing that I can design for others though identifying problems and empathizing is a valuable skill.

This course will be a valuable addition to the mechanical engineering courses, since I have a hard time visualizing a lot of the scenarios we go over in class. Just in the amount of material you learn, sometimes it’s easy to underestimate the value that the information you learn in class has in the real world. I think it will be rewarding to see how class material will play into this project. I also lack confidence in a lot of my engineering classes because I feel like the material doesn’t come super easily to me, and I think a project where I get to reinforce that taking the extra time to understand it is paying off–that I’ve learned material well enough to utilize it in a real world scenario. I know in the long run having that kind of experience will make me feel more confident that I can be an effective engineer, even if sometimes I struggle with the concepts in class. I’ll know that when it comes to applying them, I have a firm grasp on how these translate into real scenarios of design challenges. In terms of product design, it will also force me to think with longevity in mind in terms of what I’m creating, which is something I haven’t had to consider much before–a short term solution was still viable. Coming up with creative solutions and shortcuts for this project will make me a better problem solver in general any future endeavors, since in the real world, there is always going to be an emphasis on practical, money-saving thinking.

I have seen advertisements for prescription eyeglasses that are customizable and then deliverable by mail, which I think is a great solution for people that either live in remote areas or otherwise don’t have access to an optometrist.  The company is based in America, and is likely due more to convenience than for people not having access to an eye doctor, but I think the idea could be explored for the developing world. It is important to note that in a developing country, if glasses break, or vision is continually getting worse, you might not have a local contact point to help you with any issues. A practical solution might be to send customizable glasses kits with varying lens strengths to the whole community and let them make their glasses for their specific needs. Ideally, these would be low-cost lenses and moldable frames so that there could be enough to let people switch lenses if vision is getting worse. The technology could not only diagnose people with vision problems in the first place, but also educate them on how to build their glasses or how to fix them in case they break.

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