GRA3194C: SPRING 2010
The Moringa Project
Swaziland, southern Africa
We will work with Impala Development Services, an NGO, to design materials to bring the Moringa powder produced by local farmers in Swaziland to the high-end Swazi and South African market.
FACTS ON SWAZILAND + MORINGA
Swaziland on Wikipedia
CIA World Factbook on Swaziland
US State Department Facts About Swaziland
Welcome to Swaziland
Kingdom of Swaziland Government
Swaziland: Lonely Planet
BBC Country Profile: Swaziland
Google Maps
from state.gov
ECONOMY
Gross national income per capita (2007): $2,430.
Natural resources: Coal, quarry stone, timber, talc.
Agriculture (11.8% of GDP): sugarcane, corn, citrus fruits, livestock, wood, pineapple, tobacco, rice, peanuts.
Manufacturing (31.75% of GDP): sugar refining, light manufactured goods, wood pulp, textiles, processed foods, consumer goods.
Trade (2007): Exports–$1.77 billion: soft drink concentrates, sugar, pulp, canned fruits, cotton yarn.
Major markets–South Africa (80%), EU (10%), Mozambique (10%).
HEALTH
Infant mortality rate (2007)–70/1,000.
Life expectancy–40 years.
The prevalence of HIV in Swaziland’s adult population is 39%, the highest in the world.
ETHNICITY
The majority of the population is ethnic Swazi, mixed with a small number of Zulus and non-Africans. Traditionally Swazis have been subsistence farmers and herders, but some now work in the growing urban formal economy and in government. Some Swazis work in the mines in South Africa. Christianity in Swaziland is sometimes mixed with traditional beliefs and practices. Most Swazis ascribe a special spiritual role to the monarch. The country’s official languages are SiSwati (a language related to Zulu) and English. Government and commercial business is conducted mainly in English.
ECONOMY
Swaziland ranks as a lower middle income country, but it’s estimated that 69% of the population lives in poverty. Most of the high-level economic activity is in the hands of non-Africans, but ethnic Swazis are becoming more active. Small entrepreneurs are moving into middle management positions. Although 70% of Swazis live in rural areas, nearly every homestead has a wage earner. The past few years have seen wavering economic growth, which has been exacerbated by the economy’s inability to create new jobs at the same rate that new job seekers enter the market. This is due in part to the country’s population growth rate, which strains the natural heritage and the country’s ability to provide adequate social services, such as health care and education. Overgrazing, soil depletion, drought, and floods are persistent problems.
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POPULAR CULTURE
No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency (Botswana): NPR Links
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SELECTED READING
see more on design shares.com
Tim Brown – IDEO: Design Thinking
Design for the other 90%
Paul Polak: Out of Poverty
Paul Polak: 12 Steps out of poverty (You Tube)
William McDonough: Design for the Triple Top Line
Eco-Africa: Going Beyond Business (Businessweek) Article and video on Eco Africa Social Ventures – http://www.ecoafricasocialventures.org/
Ashoka’s Print Room (collected articles)
see Social Entrepreneurship: Towards an Entrepreneurial Culture for Social and Economic Development
Skoll Foundation: Marketing & Communication for Social Entrepreneurs
see discussions on storytelling