From January to March 2005 BBC World will profile examples of the kind of project we are looking for in the Hands On
short form programmes. These examples will also be profiled in Newsweek in a special advertising feature.

Click an image below to view project.

12. PICO POWER:
Streamlining Power In Kenya

Ninety-eight percent of Kenya's rural population lives without electricity, making simple activities like charging a battery or visiting a clinic a costly and time-consuming journey.

Streams tumbling down the steep slopes of Mt. Kenya offer a mighty power that is largely untapped. An innovative project is harnessing the thundering waters to create electricity in the remote village of Thima.

Stephen Gitonga, an engineer with Intermediate Technology Group, has helped the villagers install a pico - or small - hydro power system. The pico-hydro power scheme is just the right size for the people of Thima to have electricity in their homes.

At nearby Kabiri Falls, hydroelectricity is being taken to another level. Slightly bigger than Thima's system, this micro hydro project will supply power to a range of business and boost the local economy. "We are expecting a very high demand for the pico- and microhydro power systems," says Gitonga. "They are easily replicated in many villages because they require very simple technology."