Pumping Life into Marginalized Communities: ETV's Technology Model (Innovations Case Discussion: Emprendimientos de Tecnologías para la Vida)
Gustavo Gennuso · Innovations Technology Governance Globalization · 2010
development was based on the principles and activities of Fundacion Gente Nueva (FGN). Both ETV and FGN are headquartered in the city of Bariloche, located in a mountainous area of Patagonia, in Argentina. ETV produces and sells appropriate technologies throughout the country, specifically targeting underprivileged communities, primarily in rural and suburban areas. The organization’s work strategy, described in this case, is based on networking with public and private organizations to reach potential customers. ETV is currently marketing a product called a rope pump, which allows people to draw water from as deep as 50 meters and raise it up to 8 meters above ground level. Highly efficient, the pump can replace other manual extraction systems. ETV also produces motor-driven versions of the rope pump, and spinning wheels that local artisans use to spin wool. ETV came into being to resolve a range of social issues, based on the understanding that most of the developments intended to improve the quality of life for people in isolated or impoverished communities never reach those people. They are left in the drawers of the technology experts, and at best win a prize for innovation. ETV’s aim is to develop a sustainable system that will allow technologies to reach those communities more easily. This concept was one of the primary motivations for developing ETV, although certainly not the only one. In fact, several factors converged to form the project.