Practical Action Eastern Africa (formerly Intermediate Technology Development Group, ITDG)

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Mr. Christopher Davey
Regional Director
ITDGAAYMCA Building (Second Floor)
Along State House Crescent
P.O. Box 39493, Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: +254 20 2715293 / 2719313 / 2719413
Fax: +254 20 2710083
E-mail: kenya@practicalaction.or.ke
Website: http://practicalaction.org

Molly Wanjira, Secretary

Description

Practical Action Eastern Africa is an international NGO, which specialises in helping people to use technology for practical answers to poverty. Practical Action is the operating name of Intermediate Technology Development Group Limited, a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity in the UK.

The charity has four wholly owned trading subsidiaries, two of which are dormant (ATS Property Holdings (Pvt) Ltd [Sri Lanka subsidiary] and Intermediate Technology Products Ltd). Those that are functional are; the Intermediate Technology Publications Ltd, trading as Practical Action Publishing, comprises book and journal publishing and book retailing via mail order and the internet (developmentbookshop.com). All these activities are in line with its charitable objectives and its ‘customers’ are mainly development professionals and academics worldwide; and the Intermediate Technology Consultants Ltd, trading as Practical Action Consulting, provides high quality independent research and professional advice to clients including Governments, International Development Agencies, NGOs and private sector entities for the purpose of poverty reduction in the countries of Africa, Asia and South America. Practical Action Consulting operates in two main strategic areas of technology and development: Rural and Urban Infrastructure; and Increasing Enterprise Opportunities and Access to Markets.

At the moment Practical Action works in East Africa and hopes to expand to Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Rwanda and Burundi. Its approach is Informed by the following principles:

• Practical answers to poverty: Using their expertise in simple and appropriate technology, Practical Action makes technology work for people living in poverty through innovative thinking and simple ideas that transform technology for people's sake.
• Sustainable solutions: If the poor people are to improve their quality of lives, sustainable development is a crucial input. Their technologies are easily replicable, affordable and sustainable. They create innovative solutions for a sustainable future.
• Community confidence: Practical Action works in partnership with communities, building mutual respect and helping people gain increasing control over their future. They help people to create their own solutions, apply and share ideas and skills that make their lives better and their communities stronger.
• Putting people first: Practical Action’s work on technology is people-centred i.e. focuses support on what matters most to the people with whom they work, respects their rights and supports their own efforts to improve the quality of their lives.
• Working in partnership: People living in poverty are partners in their own development. Practical Action helps them to get access to information, knowledge and options as well as identify their priorities and choose the way to deal with them.
• A concern for future generations: Practical Action projects aim to be sustainable—economically, environmentally, socially and institutionally. Moreover, its policies and practices respect basic human rights of all people regardless of their differences in terms of gender, ethnicity, religion or physical ability.

Governance: Since it is registered as a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity in the UK, Practical Action takes direction from a Board of Trustees. The senior management team, which has executive responsibilities, is called the Strategic Leadership Team (SLT) and it comprises the Chief Executive and twelve Directors, including seven Country and Regional Directors. The Chief Executive is responsible to the Board of Trustees.

To date, ITDG-Practical Action has been able to marshal support from a range of partners who reflect its five strategic focus areas. Its present and past partners are in excess of 40. These have been drawn from the private sectors, government institutions, institutions of higher learning and research, development funds, foundations, donor agencies and lottaries. Some of them are listed below; Agricultural Research Fund/Kenya, Agricultural Research Institute (ARF/KARI), Ashden Trust, Bilance, British Embassy, CTA, CAFOD, CORDAID, CRS, CDE,CETRAD, DANIDA, Danish Embassy, DIPECHO, East Africa Portland Cement Company, EEC, Elisabeth & Rausing Trust Foundation, Elton John Foundation, EDIF, EC, EU, EED, FAO,GTZ, Glaxo/Ajama, HCD Memorial Fund, ICE , ITC, IDRC, IIRR, ILO, JJ Charitable Trust, KREP, Lottery UK, LWR, National Aids Control Council, National Lottery, NCEP, NTU, Open Gate Trust, ODI, Oxfam, PACT, Rotary Club, Shell International, Sponsorship Fund, The Ford Foundation, The PPP Foundation, UNDP, UNEP, UN-HABITAT, UNCHR, University of Liverpool, University of Loughborough, USAID, USIP VSO, Water for People-Canada, William D. Ford Trust and the Zepher Charitable Trust.

Track Record

Since it started its operations in East Africa, ITDG Practical Action East Africa’s work has been focused in five technology strategies that include: Urban Livelihoods and Shelter program, Rural Agriculture and Pastoralism Program (RAPP), Energy program, Manufacturing program, and Transport program. Its achievements in the respective areas include:

• Manufacturing Program: The manufacturing program has improved access for women and men engaged in small scale manufacturing activities especially in equipment production, business information, technical and production skills improvement and business skills training. ITDG-Practical Action has also promoted inter-enterprise cooperation for business and advocates for policies that promote small-scale manufacturing. To date, it has been able to accomplish the Small Engineering Workshops (Jua Kali) project, ICTs and growth of peri-urban informal enterprises project, exploring micro leasing for poor people's enterprises, the Kisii Stone Project, and Promotion of Rural Technologies (PORT) Project.
• Rural Agriculture and Pastoralism Program (RAPP): In view of the fact that rural populations are largely dependent on agriculture, its RAPP program consists of four-core projects, namely; Decentralised Animal Health (DAH), Ethno-Veterinary Knowledge (EVK) Research and Development, Marginal Farmers and Pastoralists. The latter has integrated conflict resolution and disaster mitigation concepts within its activities in Turkana, Samburu and Marsabit in Kenya.
• Urban Livelihoods and Shelter Program: This program was formerly known as the Building Materials and Shelter (BMSHEL). It works towards improving access to secure and adequate shelter by the poor and in particular the urban poor. Key projects in this sector include the Integrated Urban Housing Project (IUHP), Integrated Approach to Housing Project, Participatory Urban Planning (PUP) Project, Regulatory Guidelines for Urban Upgrading, Maasai Integrated Shelter Project (MISP), Maasai Integrated Development Partnership Project (MIDPP), Kenya Affordable Shelter Project (KASP), Women's Information and Communication Technologies (WICT) Project, MS PHAST Project, Stara Initiative and the Local Technical Support for the Victimization Survey.
• Energy program: Kenya has for many years experienced energy challenges. In this respect, ITDG initiated the Energy Program in 1986, when the first project to test six stove designs began. Currently, the Program is supporting development agencies in East Africa in implement effective energy projects. This is through capacity building and making available a range of appropriate energy technologies. The program has expanded its range of technologies from stoves and household energy to include micro and pico-hydropower for community development. Projects include the East African Energy Technology Network Project, Upesi Project, the Solar Lantern project, The Smoke Project, The Hurricane Lamps Project, Community Micro-Hydro Project and the Pico-Hydro Power Project.

Challenges

Though ITDG-Practical Action has performed well in its strategic focus areas, it requires enhanced partnership with organizations with core competences in identifying alternative energy sources for use by poor rural populations. This will ensure implementation of effective energy projects. ITDG will have to strengthen its capacity and make available a range of appropriate energy technologies.

In recognition of the challenges faced by communities in arid and semi arid areas, ITDG has been running an integrated conflict resolution and disaster mitigation program among some communities prone to conflicts. Some of the conflicts have been caused by environment related activities. To sustain its work will require support in financial terms and capacity to handle emerging conflict threats.

Opportunities

Due to the long period that ITDG-Practical Action has operated in the East African region it has won the confidence of many partners who have helped it deliver on its mandate. It has also won the confidence of the target communities who have immensely benefited from its programmatic thrust. Because of this, ITDG-Practical Action is developing new areas of work, including technological interventions that support participation of small enterprises in the provision of public services such as water distribution, electricity, postal services and municipal waste management services. This offers opportunities for partnerships with financial services providers to free innovative agricultural credit and generate synergies with its work that will result in rapid development of rural agricultural-based economies.

Further work aims at promoting coordinated production among dispersed small enterprises to supply large emerging markets as a result of globalization and economic integration. Active engagement in policy reform and advocacy is an emerging area of focus that will require strengthening.

The rural transport system is still rudimentary in most countries of East Africa. ITDG-Practical Action has to date implemented several transport related projects especially in the rural areas. Additional opportunities for cooperation partners exist in terms of supporting water transport i.e. boat making technology and support to water transport operators and linkage to income generating opportunities. Further exploration on linking cycling transport activities with human power generation could help improve communication in the target areas.

Through its Energy Program, Practical Action is continuing to explore and expand its range of appropriate energy technology options especially regarding urban energy for the poor, wind energy for micro enterprises, briquetting of loose biomass fuels, Kiln development projects, and waste energy project which will work towards developing a simple technology to upgrade charcoal dust as a fuel for the urban poor. All these areas offer opportunity for partnership and financial support.