Carlijn Beerepoot

• African Development Bank Group (2015). Morocco Economic Outlook. Retrieved from:http://www.afdb.org/en/countries/ north-africa/morocco/morocco-economic-outlook/ • African Studies Centre Leiden. (n.d.) Iva Peša. Retrieved at 28 October 2015 from http://www.ascleiden.nl/organization/people/iva-pesa • Akesbi, A. (2011). Civil Society Index for Morocco. Analytical Country Report. International…

Whether the Fortune Cooker project can be continued locally in Morocco is completely dependant of the acceptance of the Fortune Cooker by the target group. If it turns out the Fortune Cooker is suitable for this target group, a market implementation can be initiated. In this case, Morocco would serve as an example for other countries, where similar projects around the Fortune Cooker can be set up.

We were brought in contact with the Association Homme & Environment by the Dutch Orientals. AH&E can bring us in contact with several test groups and can sometimes provide transport. We are important to them because we support the same cause: to address environmental and health issues in Morocco.

We were brought in contact with the local university by the Dutch Orientals. The university can provide us with interpreters, knowledge-exchange on solar energy and more scientific information on Moroccan culture, economy and governmental systems.

Students4Sustainibilty is a Dutch student’s foundation for sustainability around the world. S4S is our main investor. They donate money to buy materials and tools for prototypes. In return,we try to make a successful contribution towards a more sustainable world. This corresponds with their mission, which is to contribute to the increase of prosperity in developing countries.

Dutch Orientals is a newfound organisation that aims to connect Dutch Moroccans to their home region: l’Oriental. Farida is the founder of Dutch Orientals and she helps us acquire several of our key resources, such as transport, accommodation, interpreters and contact with locals. The latter includes possible test groups, possible new partners or suppliers of materials. The Dutch Orientals help…

The project originated through a collaboration between Jan Kluiver and the minor program International Intrepreneurship & Development. The Minor IED prepared us for the experience abroad by for example making a Business Model and a course on sustainable development and culture. Also, we can make use of a free travel insurance provided by the TU Delft. Iva Peša is our mentor during the project.

Our main partner is Engineers Without Borders, a renowned non-governmental organisation that has bases in several countries around the world. EWB was the initiator of the continuation of this project. It is an important partner for us because the weight of its name can give benefits when pitching our project to potential new partners and its communication channels can be used for…

Once we have established that the Fortune Cooker is a product that people in the targeted area have a need for, we can start searching for possibilities to bring the product on the market. To start, we will map the customer journey(for an explanation of this method, see appendix 8). The customer journey gives insight in all the stages the customer goes through before buying a product, which…

...for the prototype During the project, we will retrieve the majority of the necessary materials from local suppliers. On top of that, we will strive to mainly use recycled materials. Searching for suppliers may take some time, plus there is a chance that new prototypes require new materials. Therefore, searching and buying materials will probably prolong during the complete testing phase. .

The project we will carry out in Morocco has multiple functions: to test the physical product on the people who are supposed to use it, to find out in what way the product can answer to the user’s needs , in what way these needs are connected to culture, and if there are any possibilities to bring the product on the local market . Our findings on the product and user needs, can directly be…

The time the thee of us worked on the Fortune Cooker Project has passed and it is time to move on with studying in Delft. On Friday the 29 th of January we gave a presentation on our results for all the people doing the minor International Entrepreneurship and Development, some teachers and a jury panel. Also, the results of our research are processed in a report. This report includes a List of…

The problem in general As you have read in the introduction, the pollutive smoke from cooking on wood or inefficient stoves kills 4 million people every year. This is a major problem, and with that, one that probably needs more than one solution. The Fortune Cooker aims to become one of these solutions. At this point, the product offers a cleaner, more efficient way of cooking (in relation to…

The climate is an important factor in the use and operation of the product. The area in which the product will be tested is ‘la région de l’Oriental’, situated in the North-East of Morocco.  The test locations are located in small mountain villages near Berkane. The climate in the region l’Oriental and Berkane is a Semi Arid Climate (lisd.org, 2015) . A Semi Arid Climate is characterized by…

The idea of ‘clean cooking’ is not new, there are already several devices designed and produced for clean cooking. In this paragraph we analyse the COOx; the most important competitor. COOX Functions: Grilling, baking, simmering, frying Fuel: Little pieces of wood Goals/results: Less smoke production to improve health reduction of CO2 and carbon black emission, reduction of deforestation, women…

Considering the outcomes of the interviews done by Noor van der Vorst (2015), there is several useful information for our project. Firstly, it appears that women find it a big effort to collect wood and/or gas bottles and also the drying of the wood in wet periods is considered a problem. The wood gathering takes a lot of time, time that could be spend on other things when having to use little to…

Morocco has taken measurements to lower poverty rates and this has clear results, but the problem isn’t yet solved. Poverty rates dropped from 15,3 percent to 6,2 percent between 2001 and 2011, but this also contributed to an inequality regarding different areas in the country and gender inequality (African Development Bank Group, 2015). For example, the income disparity coefficient raised from…

Our second prototype is finished! Last week we re-designed the prototype, considering all the results from field research and technical tests. This resulted in the height of the Fortune Cooker being lowered, to receive more sunlight into the pan. Also, as an aspect of the user experience, we made this prototype with a cupboard door instead of a drawer. Now we can research how this difference is…

The last couple of days we went to Aïn Sfa, a village in the mountains of Bni Snassen, to carry out field research. We observed the cooking habits of a Moroccan woman an gathered information on why she does things in a particular way. For example, how does she know when the meat or vegetables are ready? Does she experiment with new recipes or are all the recipes traditional? Why does she use a…

It took some time, but the first prototype is ready! Since the Fortune Cooker had never been built completely, we started with cracking our brains over the best way to conduct it. Therefore we have defined multiple options. Does there have to be a drawer or a cupboard door? And then, do there have to be one or two drawers? How does the mirror have to be fastened? How do we make a double-glazed…

Time flies, the second week is already over. It was a useful week in which we were able to do a lot of things. Firstly, we made some adjustments in the planning and our test plan, to make it more realisable. The main focus in this will be the user. Why do people either want or do not want to use the Fortune Cooker? Secondly, we spend three days collecting all the necessary materials and tools.

The Fortune Cooker is a hybrid a cooking device that combines solar energy with another heat source like a wood stove or a gas stove. For the next three months, we will be taking the first steps towards the project’s mission: to make a product that people want to use and that can improve their living conditions. Therefore will we start by learning and understanding the culture and cooking habits…

In December 2012, a study on the global burden of diseases, injuries, and risk factors brought to light that each year, 4 million people die from the household air pollution that is caused by cooking with solid fuels. To quote the United Nations Foundation on the subject: “Each day, around 3 billion people cook and heat their homes using open fires and inefficient stoves that burn solid…