April 2020: Endings and New Beginnings

As the conclusion of another semester draws near here at ASU, our team is excited to celebrate all that we have achieved not only in the last month, but over the whole semester, and we look with excitement to the new team who will be joining when we return in August. We have continued to adjust to this online format but that hasn’t stopped us from advancing this project! Our friends in Maasailand are always on our minds, as the impact of the COVID-19 situation has been on the rise in Kenya. In this last blog post of the semester, we will be looking at the progress we have made this month, and we will also be looking to the promising future of MAEC.

April Accomplishments

As we have adapted to virtual classes and virtual team meetings, our team has continued to make great progress towards our project goals this month. The powerful functionalities of Zoom, Google Drive, and Slack, among others have kept us united and efficiently working to accomplish our tasks. 

• Met with a local Peacebuilder. This month, we have been in contact with Gene Neill who has been a dedicated peacebuilder for many years. He has served for the Peace Corps and on various projects in many countries in Africa for over 22 years. Our discussions with Gene have given us greater insight into our project and helped us to consider new perspectives.
• Made lesson plans for common vehicle repairs. To advance our goals centered around building curriculum, each team member took time this month to construct a lesson plan for different repairs that are common in the Mara. We focused on tasks such as changing a flat tire, jump starting a car, as well as more complex repairs such as changing leaf springs. These lessons will provide a replicable structure for next semester’s team as we transition and propose the goal to further advance the curriculum in the next semester of this project.
• Filmed demo video for the TCC radios. After becoming comfortable with the operation of the radios sent by TCC  in March, we set forth on making a demonstration video showing the functionalities of this particular system. Since we have to send the demos back to TCC, this video will serve as a reference for future teams so they can see these radios operating.
• Established goals and plans for next semester. With the end of another semester in sight, the team has dedicated much time and discussion to ensuring the transition is as smooth as possible for next semester’s team. We have continued to update our documentation to be as comprehensive as possible and we have proposed goals for next semester so that the new team can hit the ground running when we return to classes in August.

A Recap of this Semester’s Accomplishments

January

• On-boarded five new members to the team
• Reviewed previous semesters’ progress and documentation
• Established goals and a plan of action for the semester

February

• Visited local car shows
• Met initial fundraising goal
• Purchased and assembled the Mobile Repair Kits
• Secured radio demo for testing

March

• Tested radio system from TCC
• Met with a local automotive professor
• Adapted to the COVID-19 situation

April

• Met with a local Peacebuilder
• Made lesson plans for common vehicle repairs
• Filmed demo video for the TCC radios
• Established goals and plans for next semester

Goals for Next Semester

Although some members of our Spring 2020 team are graduating or moving on, the initiatives we have started and worked towards will need to bleed into future semesters for the MAEC to be a success! Together we have come up with some of the big key goals for those who decide to join the team next year. We find this vital to the overall success of the project because it allows consistency through the semesters, it consolidates our progress into objectives, and it allows transparency when looking back at how far we have come. These goals should serve as a message for our successors! Below is a list of our top objectives for the next team! Take notes!

• Consolidate Curriculum into presentable lessons: We have been working on developing a curriculum plan to teach the Maasai community basic repairs and car maintenance. In our drive we have compiled drafts of what a lesson plan should look like, complete with labs, instructions, and content. Looking forward, future teams need to take these lesson plans, consult with automotive experts, and revise them to perfection. The goal is to prepare them for presentation!
• Fundraise, fundraise, fundraise: While many aspects of this project are key for its success, fundraising is the ultimate factor. Our team has paved the way with determining how we can fundraise, and how we cannot. We were able to meet our short term fundraising goal by advertising the Global Resolve Pitchfunder and speaking with automotive enthusiasts at car shows. We were unable to host fundraisers through Chipotle and other companies due to COVID-19, but we suggest trying it in the future. Looking forward, the upcoming team needs to continue these efforts as well as begin applying for big ticket grants and innovating other ways to raise funds. We still have a big hurdle ahead of us!
• Implement Repair Kits: One of our biggest achievements this semester was purchasing and preparing the first big wave of Mobile Repair Kits. These repair kits are vital because they provide us with data on what tools the Maasai tour guides use. We now need future teams to implement these repair kits by shipping them to the Maasai community and begin tracking data. This is vital for the success of a well run automotive facility!
• Finalize Communication Plans: A big side project being implemented by this team consists of reducing poaching through encrypted communication systems. Our team has demoed radios from TCC and has been brainstorming encryption ideas for the last semester. Future teams need to look at the progress that has been done thus far and look forward to how to finalize these plans. 

Continue the blog and social media: This is a big one! Keeping a track record of achievements and goals allows for real progress to take place! It also gives the public a great way of seeing what we are up to and how we are using our funding! Keeping a clean and uptodate blog, social media, and public appearance improves our ability to network, fundraise, and inform people of our project! Keep up monthly posts and make sure people know we are still working hard!

Final Team Meeting - 4/30/2020