The Bambulance is a human-powered medical transport device for manufacture and use in communities in Western Kenya. The primary construction material is locally sourced and sustainable bamboo. Also used are innertube lashing, bicycle wheels, and truck tarp. The physical dimensions are approximately: 90 cm high × 280 cm long × 115 cm wide.
This cost-effective transport device for Western Kenya will provide much needed access to medical services, as well as economic opportunities for communities that have been affected by hiv/aids. The stretcher/trailer ambulances will be manufactured by local community groups using materials found on-location. Bamboo, the primary building material, is available in the region and provides a sustainable source for continued construction. Co-designer Philippa Mennell and I, under the guidance of Design for Development— a Vancouver-based charitable organization—hope to pilot the first five Bambulances in Western Kenya in 2008. www.bambulance.ca.