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Good practice Imported

Smart White Cane — UNDP, Beno Holdings and RUB Co-Design an Ultrasonic Mobility Aid for Rwanda's Blind

Rwanda · Kigali · See the Rwanda profile · See the Kigali profile

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 82% 52/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

UNDP's Rwanda Accelerator Lab partnered with the Rwanda Union of the Blind and local firm Beno Holdings to design and pilot 40 ultrasonic 'Smart White Canes' — GPS-enabled, obstacle-sensing mobility aids for the country's 50,000+ visually impaired citizens.

40 canes
Canes distributed in the pilot batch
50000 people (50,000+)
Estimated visually impaired population in Rwanda
1.2 metres
Obstacle detection range
5 days
Battery life per charge
Smart White Cane — UNDP, Beno Holdings and RUB Co-Design an Ultrasonic Mobility Aid for Rwanda's Blind

Details

Maturity
Pilot
Promoter
UNDP Rwanda Accelerator Lab / Rwanda Union of the Blind / Beno Holdings
Period
2021-2022
Keywords
assistive technology, disability inclusion, mobility, hardware co-design

Context

The Rwanda Union of the Blind (RUB) estimates more than 50,000 people in Rwanda live with visual impairment, most relying on traditional canes with no way to sense obstacles beyond arm's reach; between 2021 and 2022, UNDP's Rwanda Accelerator Lab co-designed a 'Smart White Cane' with RUB members and Kigali manufacturer Beno Holdings.

Objectives

Give blind and low-vision Rwandans a locally manufactured mobility aid that senses obstacles beyond a traditional cane's reach and helps others know the user needs space.

Activities

The device uses ultrasonic ranging to detect obstacles up to 1.2 metres away (alerting via vibration and sound), adds GPS positioning, day/night sensors and reflectors, and is rechargeable via a standard phone charger for about five days of use.

Results

UNDP funded and distributed an initial pilot batch of 40 canes to RUB members — a real but small fraction of Rwanda's visually impaired population.

Conclusions

No independent impact evaluation or lessons-learned report has been published; what is documented comes from UNDP's and UN Rwanda's own communications, corroborated by independent African wire coverage, rather than a peer-reviewed or third-party study.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Low (< €50k)
Time to results
Short (< 1 year)
Staffing & skills
UNDP Rwanda Accelerator Lab (funding and coordination), Rwanda Union of the Blind (RUB, co-design and pilot distribution to members), Beno Holdings (Kigali-based manufacturer; innovator Amani Niyoyita)

Conditions for success

  • Co-designed directly with RUB members rather than designed for them
  • Locally manufactured, rechargeable via a standard phone charger, addressing affordability and maintenance in context

Common failure modes

  • Only an initial 40-unit pilot batch was distributed against an estimated 50,000+ visually impaired population in Rwanda, with no continuation funding or scale-up plan documented

Commonly funded by

Philanthropic / foundation funding

Indicative funding routes for practices of this type — always check each programme's current calls and eligibility rules.

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

Attachments

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