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Making Do Moving Forward
DESIGN AND PRODUCTION UNITS The Undugu Society of Kenya is an NGO that empowers youth through education and training. Realizing that the best way to get kids off the streets is to give them meaningful work, Undugu began interfacing with the jua kali sector in 1984. In 1998, Italian NGO Terra Nuova partnered with Undugu to launch new design and production units so Undugu could more effectively train jua kali. The first was the Industrial Design Unit, established as a workshop for training and new product development. The goal was to diversify and improve the quality of informal sector products with close attention to function, form, and affordability. Undugu would then work with artisans to incorporate these new offerings into their product lines. Undugu went on to add two forprofit Production Units in carpentry and metalwork that trained
apprentices while employing them to produce new products in collaboration with the Industrial Design Unit. The units provide feedback to the Design Unit so that products can employ simple fabrication techniques and local materials. Through experimentation, the production units have been able to incorporate new materials like bent plywood and pipe to produce attractive furniture. Through their training programs, Undugu and Terra Nuova paired master craftsmen with apprentices so the trainees could learn skills through observation. For example, metalworker Evans made fruit bowls for the Undugu Society, developed through a process of rapid prototyping, while learning technical and business management skills. On-the-job training has allowed Evans to shift from production by imitation to thinking critically about the design process.
He has learned to analyze products, find and treat materials, organize production, maintain quality standards, and calculate costs. He has also been able to extend the design language used in the fruit bowls—concentric wire rings—to an entire line of related products. The training program embodies the spirit of the jua kali, which stresses the master-apprentice relationship and learning through observation and practical, for-profit work. As a result of the design and production units, Undugu now interfaces successfully with fair trade organizations like Ten Thousand Villages to export products. Despite its success, Undugu’s exportoriented approach may not be replicable for the entire sector, which must also add value to functional products for local consumption. Source: Terra Nuova.