No Squeezy More Breezy

In the summer of 2015, I attended the first of its kind WiSci STEAM camp. It brought together girls from eight different African countries and the USA. It was a three weeks long intensive camp aimed at inspiring and encouraging girls to join the STEAM fields. We were taught multiple things from Microsoft, Intel, and other companies and people. We were expected to come up with a final project that used the knowledge we had acquired to solve the problems in our society.

In the last weekend, we went for a trip in the Akagera National park. The trip was super amazing. However, I was very anxious. I had no team for the final project and no idea of what I wanted to make. However, I was fed up with the transportation system. Only recently, they had introduced big buses we referred to as “zonda.” These buses were a total pain; because they packed us up like potatoes. There was no breathing room, and I am pretty sure they exceeded the number of people indicated on the insurance. I had to find a solution to this.

Monday morning came and I still had no team. I went where they registered the teams, and fortunately, I found a team that was not full yet. I was with a girl from Tanzania called Lorraine, One from Nigeria called Idara and another one from Rwanda called Gisele. We looked for ideas to no avail. So I proposed that we work on solving the problem of overcrowded buses. It turned out the problem was common in most African countries. It was not only uncomfortable, but also dangerous and fatal.

That marked the birth of the Touch Of Life, a transportation system with the goal of decreasing over-crowdedness in buses hence increasing efficiency and comfortability. The system would consist of touch sensors, buttons and an LCD screen. The person entering would press a button to be counted, and then proceed to take a seat. The seats would be equipped with touch sensors to make sure they are accounted for. Once a person leaves the bus, they will touch a button to prove that they are out of the bus. The moment the bus is full, the system will lock the entrance doors until there is a free spot.

Although the problem of over-crowdedness in public transportation may be considered minor, it favours lots of huge problems facing the society. Many contagious diseases can easily spread in overcrowded buses. That is because people are in very close proximity and can exchange breathing air, have skin to skin contact and many more. In addition, there might be shortage of breathing air, hence making some people faint. In case of accident, it is more likely to be deadly; because, buses are not meant to accommodate that big number of people.  To make matters worse, insurance may not cover it because they exceed the number of insured people.

In the days that followed, Gisele tirelessly worked on coding, Idara on marketing, Lorraine on coordination and I on presentation. It was a rough path to go. We had lots of downs; I almost broke down during one of our presentation rehearsals. Nevertheless, our sweat and tears paid off we set up our presentation table and started presenting. Our prototype was very successful and we didn’t stutter during the presentation. No squeezy more breezy was a hit. I didn’t mind the burning sensation in my throat because of talking so much, or the piercing pain in my feet for standing for a long time in high heels. I knew that we were contributing to the betterment of our community.