Four pupils from Lilongwe Girls Secondary School have designed an automated solar-powered egg incubator that they say will help Malawian farmers. The four are members of the school science club, and they say they used waste material like cardboard boxes, plastic bottles, and wood shavings, among other things, to build the egg incubator. #GirlZOffMute #77Percent
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00:00In Malawi, girls often shun science subjects at primary and secondary levels, even in college.
00:06To reverse this situation, the Ministry of Education of Malawi encouraged girls to participate in school science competitions.
00:13Today, I'll talk to girls from Nilonga Girls Secondary School who invented an innovative egg incubator.
00:19Let's go learn more about this incubator.
00:21Hi guys. Who came up with the idea to create this incubator?
00:30It was a collective idea thing. We actually came together, we discussed it, and then we were like, boom, let's actually do something that helps poultry farmers in Malawi.
00:38So it was the incubator. Improving it at least had to be smart.
00:41What is this egg incubator capable of doing?
00:44The incubator is smart. So it's self-monitoring, analyzing, and reporting technology.
00:49It's able to give the optimum conditions necessary for hatching the egg, and it's able to regulate and monitor and give you the information.
00:58Have you ever actually tried to hatch an egg and actually got a chicken out of it?
01:03No, we haven't actually tried it out. But we're 100% sure that it can produce as many chickens as you need.
01:09Oh yeah, then how do you know it's actually going to work?
01:12Well, the scientific basics actually say it's 99.9% effective.
01:15Can a local farmer in Malawi actually use this egg incubator?
01:19Yes, and since it uses green energy, it can use electricity, and it can also use the solar, and the farmer can monitor the temperature and the humidity on the screen right here.
01:31So he or she can use the incubator.
01:34A few months ago, you showcased your incubator to the president of Malawi, Dr. Ezra S. Jagwer.
01:39How was it like?
01:41Well, the experience was amazing.
01:43Imagine shaking your hand with the first citizen of Malawi.
01:46Like, others haven't had the opportunity.
01:48Wow, it was really nice.
01:49And you?
01:50For me, it was exciting. It was a dream come true.
01:53It was also a challenge as well, since, I mean, standing in front of big people, it's not easy to have the confidence to actually present.
01:59But then, after a few rehearsals, and after beating up the confidence and everything, I actually just went with the vibe, and it was the best experience ever.
02:09These girls are doing the most, and it's mind-blowing. But they don't work alone. They get help and assistance from the science teacher, Mr. Banda.
02:16After you made the incubator, are there any companies or organizations that are willing to work with your girls, or maybe take over your innovation, or something like that?
02:26There are a lot of them. I receive phone calls almost on a weekly basis, because this product is actually, has got a lot of potential.
02:33So, we are working with MAST, BioUniversity of Science and Technology, a collaboration to ensure that this goes to the market.
02:41As it is right now, it's not to the market standard where it can compete, but the technology is very good that you can find anywhere else, but we want to make it more valuable.
02:50There you have it. Teenagers like me can also make an impact in the society in one way or the other.
02:56I hope these girls go all the way up to the top with more and more exciting innovations.
03:01I don't know about you, but I'm very inspired.
03:03For Girls Off Mutes, I'm Alerta Banda in Nilongwe, Malawi. Bye!