Students Make Lives Better In Cameroon

Yaounde, Cameroon Africa. (Cameroon News) – A group of students have designed a vehicle that will help to make lives better in a community in Cameroon at an affordable cost.

A professor and a group of students have developed a vehicle that will look into the shortage of food supply and bypass transportation issues in an under privileged Cameroon village.

This summer, the group will work towards addressing two pressing technological concerns in Bangang, Cameroon: Transportation and energy.

The 25 students, who come from the colleges of engineering, technology and agriculture, have developed a basic utility vehicle, a hydroelectric power unit and a hand press to turn waste biomass into briquettes for fuel.

John Lumkes, an associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering, is spearheading the initiative and has got rich experience in developing affordable BUVs since 2000.

His BUV design experience has motivated him to flag off this project in 2009. The Professor has been making regular visits to Cameroon the past two years.

“Thirty percent of the food there rots during the rainy season,” Lumkes said. “We can prevent this by providing better transportation.

“We are designing a vehicle that can be built with local tools and resources in Bangang. This vehicle is something basic that they can easily build, fix and maintain.”

The community that they have selected to develop this vehicle for has a lot of resources in terms of both material as well as natural resources but do not have the means or the tools that would be mandatory to construct and maintain a BUV.

“The most important goal of the project is to build a BUV with less than $2,000,” Lumkes said. “It must also carry a pay load of up to 1,500 pounds.”

The students have already developed a prototype for the vehicle and are currently in the process of testing it. They will transport the raw materials and pre-designed parts of the vehicle to Bangang and reconstruct the BUV during their visit.

“Our design will be replicated by the residents of Cameroon at a very inexpensive price,” said Ryan Prater, a senior in the College of Engineering and captain of the group.

“All the parts to build the car can be bought there. This will have a huge impact on lots of people’s lives.

The group is being funded by the Global Engineering Program. They are also synergizing with African Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Energy Technology, a partner organization in Cameroon.

During the trip in the previous year, the students modeled the rainfall watershed in Bangang. Aided by an Environmental Protection Agency grant.

They have then used the data generated from this model to develop a hydroelectric power system that can provide uninterrupted energy throughout the year during the rainy and dry seasons.

They have also developed a portable biomass hand compressor that can turn solid biowaste into briquettes – solid biofuel.

Lumkes said that more than the trip being a social service initiative it was working out to be an amazing cultural learning experience.

“When we are there, we don’t live in a hotel. We live in the community,” Lumkes said. “All our food is cooked over the fire and even the electricity was not constant the first time I went.”

The group leaves on May 9 and will be in the country for three weeks.

During a time when the entire world is going through a financial and energy crunch machines of this type which have the capability of converting waste into renewable energy with minimal investment are more than welcome. Less fortunate countries like Cameroon are going to be extremely benefitted by such initiatives.