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XAccess 1336 Channing Way Berkeley, CA 94702 (510) 548-2453 info@xaccess.org |
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The Kenya Project - Partnership with ApproTEC
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Kenyans in Nairobi checking out an XtraBike frame extension. The XtraBike can securely carry 200+ pounds of cargo, making it a fit vehicle for business transportation in Kenya. |
The Kenya Project ApproTEC has released a handful of product innovations in Kenya that allow entrepreneurs to start small businesses and lift themselves out of poverty. The new incomes from ApproTEC innovations "account for over 0.5% of Kenya's GDP." Examples include a simple human-powered water pump, a roofing tile machine, and a brick press. To read more, please visit ApproTEC.org. All ApproTEC innovations are designed for cost and durability. They must use fewer moving parts and hardware, because replacing parts can put a Kenyan entrepreneur out of business for days. Just 'running to the hardware store' is not always an option. ApproTEC made an ideal partner, because we needed to enhance the design of the Xtrabike and produce it at a lower cost. The collaboration began in the winter of 2000. XAccess director Adam French traveled to Nairobi to work full-time from ApproTEC's headquarters in October 2001. The ApproTEC hosts generously provided Adam with a desk, a truck, and a bed. Working alongside a 14-person ApproTEC engineering team, he assisted the team with the design process and helped plan the sales and marketing campaign for the coming release of the Longtail. Having Adam on the ground in Kenya enabled us to see the transportation options firsthand. In an email dispatch in early 2002, he wrote: "What makes the roads here so nuts? For the driver of a 7 ton truck to break even he must carry 10 tons. Most carry 14 looking for profit. At this level of use most Japanese (i.e. affordable) trucks remain profitable for two to three years of use, after which time maintenance costs outstrip profits. The results - massive amounts of deferred maintenance, and overloaded trucks driven by underpaid drivers racing to keep in business."
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Why Kenya? Kenya has several draws for XAccess: Strong bike culture. People in Kenya understand the value of bicycles and are ready to listen to a bicycle innovation such as the Xtrabike. Poverty. People in Kenya earn an annual income of under US $400. It is a challenge to release a new product here that the average person can afford, but also all the more important to do so. The country is in transition from a subsistence economy to a cash economy. People need income, but new opportunities for businesses. XAccess can open up a host of entrepreneurial opportunities by creating an affordable transportation solution. Stong NGO community: Nairobi is the
home of ApproTEC and many other organizations working with
poverty in Kenya and other African countries. While based
in Kenya, Adam has attended a bicycle conference in Uganda
and has made many contacts in the Nairobi NGO community.
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