Many countries from the African continent, including Congo, Kenya, Sudan and Nigeria, have suffered for several decades from a shortage of drinkable water. Vestergard Frandsen,a global social enterprise, invented Lifestraw in order to solve this shortage which has caused great difficulty to people for a long time. Lifestraw is a technologically advanced product which has a purification function transforming dirty water to clean drinkable water. Lifestraw uses a hollow fiber membrane filter and this filters bacteria through an empty hole. The mid section of this filter is the size of one-ten thousandth of hair .The purification takes places over four stages. During stage one and two, most bacteria is filtered and stage three and four removes odors from active carbon that absorbs gasses and moisture, before people can finally drink clean filtered water. This product is not only utilized by third world countries but also by outdoor individuals like hikers and adventurers.

But what exactly is appropriate technology? Appropriate technology originated from intermediate technological advances made by Ernst Schumacher, a 1960’s economist. Because intermediate technology was considered to be incomplete, the name was changed to appropriate technology. Appropriate technology is a simple concept, which can best be explained by the fact that it does not pursue profits, when compared to developed countries where technology forms the backbone of their existence and economy. Appropriate technology only uses local material, using simple technology from the local environment. Because economic burdens are minimized, it helps with the economic revitalization in these respective developing countries. Appropriate technology is kept alive from small scale production activities of these third world countries and plays an important role in the very existence of these countries. Schumacher thinks that appropriate technology can narrow the gap of technological advances between developed and developing countries, solve environmental pollution, prevent human alienation, but also eradicate some of the problems poverty causes in third world countries.

Appropriate technology materials are things we use in our everyday lives. In addition to Lifestraw there are several other typical appropriate technology products. A pot-in-pot cooler is used to increase the food storage period in tropical countries and was invented by Mohammed Bar Abba, a teacher from Nigeria. The Pot-in-pot cooler’s principle is simple, as small jars are simply placed in bigger jars with wet soil then being placed between them. The moisture of the wet soil vaporizes with the small jar’s heat and heat is released. Another creation, the Q-drum was invented by Hans Hendricks, an architect from South Africa. His invention met three conditions in that it was simple, repairable, and served as an alternative to other existing products. As a result, he designed a special kind of bucket with the center perforated like a donut. The Q-drum can be easily pulled by a rope tied to the end of the cylinder shaped hole. So people can carry a lot of water for tens of kilometers easier than before.

Korea has also started shifting theirattention to appropriate technology and this claim can be proven by the existence of the G-Saver which was invented by professor, Kim Man Gap. This product is widely used in Mongolia when heating the Ger (Mongolian traditional house) during the winter, preventing heat loss by acting as an accumulator.

Appropriate technology's popularity went through a slump in the 1980’s. At first, appropriate technology aimed at enriching the quality of life in third world countries and further more promote the development within these countries. But in order to reach these goals, appropriate technology required to be traded directly from developed to third world countries. However, NGO charged instead of third world countries that do not have purchasing power. Most of the products were only donations so these goals could not be accomplished. Other criticisms included that appropriate technology could not lead to development of advanced technology in developing countries. South Korean and Taiwanese companies, who based their technology on large scale industrial development facilities in order to flourish, made people reluctant to try and invest in the advancement of appropriate technology.

However entrepreneur Paul Polak’s new theory renewed the interest in appropriate technology, as he insisted that by simply donating appropriate technology products to developing countries will not be beneficial to anyone or any country. He claimed appropriate technology should not be developed by objective business men and emphasized a market-oriented approach. He conducted surveys in order to establish what the poor needed. In 2007 at an exhibition called the Design with the other 90% which was held in New York, Polak informed others of these new aspects and triggered the renewed interest in appropriate technology.

Appropriate technology has provided opportunities to third world countries and showed not only state-of-art-technology, but also that a simple concept can change the world and lead to big change. However, not every appropriate technology product can provide radical solutions, but it may lead to temporary and sustainable solutions which might better the lives of those who find themselves in less fortunate circumstances. Even though the scope of appropriate technology is considered to be limited, there is no doubt that it can better the lives of many living in developing third world countries.