Thinking outside the ‘box’
March 9, 2009
Imagine your community needed a new health centre, business start up workshops or even a school. Donated equipment could be found and local people were available to work there. However, the missing element is the building.
A lack of local raw materials makes it expensive to build and your community is isolated due to poor road infrastructure. Now imagine you are one of a growing number of OVC – Orphans & Vulnerable Children – what chance do you stand?
Geo-POD, a Leicester based organisation, thinks it may have the solution – a low cost, flat packed style modular building called a ‘POD’. Three versions – medi-POD, edu-POD and trade-POD are grouped together to form a Geo-POD facility.
Partnership working has seen students from De Montfort University studying the challenge of designing practical items for use in developing countries. Katherine Mackie, a 3rd year design student said, “I chose Geo-POD as my final year project as it involves solving real world problems and provides the opportunity to test my prototype in Africa later this year”.
After 3 years of planning the pilot site has been located in Ghana. Elvis Morris Donkoh, Executive Director of the Alliance for Youth Development, a NGO registered in Ghana said “I’m very happy to be working in partnership with Geo-POD and being able to provide the land for the pilot, means the people of my district will benefit.
The aim of the organization is helping the underprivileged to bridge the Developmental gap that exists between the more endowed communities to the less ones to meet the ever-growing challenges of this world.
Geo-POD founder John Coster added, “I’m pleased the pilot site will be at the orphanage run by Elvis as it provides the chance to prove the model. We have received support from Motorola with their innovative mobile phone base station powered by wind and solar panels as communications are vital for success.”
John said, “The buildings will be made locally and create much needed employment in the district. Leicester residents have been volunteering on the project and plan to visit the site to help its construction”.
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