:: Specific Design Brief

ITDG 6: Carrying Equipment - further information

PRODUCT DESIGN – TEXTILES KENYA - PARAVETS

What sort of disease etc do they deal with and how?
There are government-licensed veterinary surgeons, one in each district. They can deal with all cases but are very expensive so people prefer to deal with the paravets as much as possible. They refer cases they do not understand or are not trained for to the vets.

The most common problems are different kinds of worms, trypanosomosis. (caused by the tsetse fly) and tick-borne diseases. Tsetse flies are a particular problem during and after the rains. As the area is close to a National Park (Game Reserve) the flies are carried by the wild animals and transferred to the cattle.
 
Other problems they deal with are pneumonia, abcesses, eye infections, diarrhoea, orfs, wounds, broken limbs and difficult births. They keep a careful record of every case they deal with as well as noting down symptoms they don't understand. Follow-up training allows them to extend their knowledge every year.

What equipment does the Paravet carry?
When Paul emptied out his bag, these were the contents:
• Iodine in a small 3" tall plastic bottle, 1" diameter
• STOP BLOAT for treating bloat in a white plastic 4" tall bottle, 1.5" diameter
• Boiled water in a glass bottle, 6" tall, 2.5" diameter
• Diluted water in an 8" tall, 2.5" diameter plastic bottle
• A measure -10" tall, 1" diameter plastic
• Glass bottle for drenching (as above for boiled water) Drenching prevents an animal biting.
• Kaolin for diarrhoea - plastic container 2.5" x 2.5"
• Vaseline - plastic container 2" x 1.5" tall
• Cotton wool
• Needles in a plastic container 2.5" x 2"
• Hydrogen peroxide for treating wounds - 4" tall, 2" diameter
• Vetmycine - an aerosol spray can
• Wormita - a de-wormer 8" x 2"
• Veriben sachets in a packet for treating tsetse fly bites
• Adamycin to treat tick-borne diseases
• A set of syringes, some made from glass, others from plastic
• An eye-ointment syringe
• A small knife
• A thermometer
• Assorted tablets.

What materials and skills are available?
Currently bags are bought in Nairobi, though it is possible to buy backpacks of adequate quality in Mtoti Andei. The materials are available in Nairobi - for the bag itself, the straps, zips, pockets. There are sewing workshops in Mtoti Andei, so it would be feasible for them to be made locally if required. Jeremiah is convinced that the local seamstresses/tailors have all the necessary skills. They certainly have manually operated sewing machines capable of sewing the thickness of canvas used in the current bags.

If it was necessary to construct supports for panniers, then metals are also available locally. Right angle, square, round metals of all thicknesses can be bought in the market in Mtoti and the local artisans are capable of making quite complicated fixtures. Nuts, bolts, tubes, supports are all sold in the local market. Small repair kits are also available there.