A group met last week to work out how to proceed on researching Kitale, the slums, and resources available. One team will be focused on the slums; the other will take a broader approach and look at Kitale – local and regional regulations and resources. We will also research what other NGOs in the area are doing.
Sia Her has created a project page at the Open Architecture Network where team members can share information. You will need an account at OAN to add information to the project page.
A couple of people have already met with the Grassroots Mapping folks from MIT to discuss how to use their system of balloon aerial photography to get a good map of the slums. We haven’t found a good base map, and the Google Earth imagery of the area shows only clouds!
Christine brought in a sample of fused plastic bag material – several plastic shopping bags that she fused together to create a much sturdier material, using a clothing iron. We discussed how this idea could be used in Kipsongo to form much larger tarps, perhaps using a solar oven as the heat source.
The team’s next meeting will follow immediately after the next AfHB meeting on April 8.
