General
Description of assignment title
Technical Design of a Locally Fabricable Water Transport Cart for Schools
Assignment country
Madagascar
Expected start date
Invalid Date
Number of Assignments
1
For how many hours per week will the volunteer be required?
11 – 15 hours per week
Host entity
UNICEF Madagascar
Modality
Online
Duration
2 weeks
Sustainable Development Goal
6. Clean water and sanitation
Details
Mission and objectives
La mission fondamentale de l’UNICEF est de promouvoir les droits de chaque enfant, partout, dans tout ce que l’Organisation fait – à travers les programmes, les plaidoyers et les opérations. La stratégie d’équité, soulignant les enfants et familles les plus défavorisés et exclus, traduit cet engagement en faveur des droits des enfants en action. Pour l’UNICEF, l’équité signifie que tous les enfants ont l’opportunité de survivre, de se développer et d’atteindre leurs pleins potentiels, sans discrimination, préjugé ou favoritisme. Dans la mesure où tout enfant a une chance inégale dans la vie – dans une dimension sociale, politique, économique et civique – ses droits sont enfreints. Il y a de plus en plus d’évidences pour la santé, l’éducation et la protection des citoyens les plus défavorisés d’une société – luttant contre les inégalités – non seulement vont donner l’opportunité de réaliser leur potentiel à plus d’enfants, mais aussi vont conduire à une croissance soutenue et à la stabilité des pays. C’est pourquoi la concentration sur l’équité est si vital. Ceci accélère le progrès vers la réalisation des droits humains de tous les enfants, qui est le mandat universel de l’UNICEF, comme décrit dans la Convention relative aux droits des enfants, tout en soutenant le développement équitable des nations.
Context
In many areas, schools receive water free of charge from communal standpipes, but students are often responsible for transporting it. To facilitate this process, we aim to develop a dedicated water transport cart adapted to this context. The proposed cart is a two-wheeled chariot with a welded steel frame, designed to carry up to eight standard 20-liter jerrycans (approximately 160 kg of water). It is equipped with large-diameter bicycle wheels (around 28”) positioned centrally, allowing the load to be balanced efficiently and reducing the effort required to move it over uneven terrain. The cart includes low-positioned handle bars adapted to children’s height, ensuring safe and comfortable use. The structure is designed to keep the center of gravity low and close to the axle, improving stability and maneuverability. Beyond reducing physical strain, the cart is intended to support a safe, manageable, and engaging activity for students, making water collection easier and more accessible in daily school routines. The design must be durable, functional, and suitable for repeated local production, while remaining simple enough to be built and maintained locally. DELIVERABLES 2D dimensioned drawings of the cart, clear and directly usable by a local technician for prototype construction 3D model or visual representation to support understanding of the design Key design specifications, including: Dimensions and structure Wheel and axle configuration Jerrycan layout Basic material recommendations A prototype-ready design for initial field testing A revised and finalized design package incorporating field feedback, including: Updated drawings and specifications Clarified construction details The final design and documentation should be sufficiently clear, detailed, and standardized to support a potential tendering or bidding process for larger-scale production.
Task type
Technology Development
Task description
We are seeking volunteer support to design a water transport cart for school use, suitable for local fabrication. The assignment consists of developing: 2D technical drawings (dimensioned and buildable) 3D visualizations to support understanding The design must be clear, practical, and easy to replicate by local technicians, using simple construction methods and available materials. Special attention should be given to child-friendly ergonomics, including appropriate height, handle positioning, and ease of use. The work will be carried out in two phases: Initial design for prototype construction and field testing Revision of the design based on field feedback
Assignment requirements
Required experience
Experience in mechanical, product, or industrial design Ability to produce clear 2D technical drawings Ability to create basic 3D models or visualizations Understanding of basic structural and material considerations Experience with simple fabrication methods Desirable: Experience with user-centered or ergonomic design Experience in low-resource or field environments
Languages
French, Level: Basic, Desirable English, Level: Fair, Desirable
Other information
Volunteerism is understood as a wide range of activities undertaken of free will, for the general public good, for which monetary reward is not the principal motivating factor.
Inclusivity statement
United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.
Reasonable accommodation
UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for UN Volunteers with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the recruitment process and afterwards in your assignment.
Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements
In addition to duty station-specific vaccine requirements, appointments are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the appointment. It does not apply to UN Volunteers who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their contracts.
Scam warning
The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.
