Shops presentation - Tikonze Mjigo

As Tikonze Mjigo project is cooperating with Chipiku stores, these selling points are in area not covered by them. Selling points are identified in trading centres and market places. Communities can make 10km trip to reach that place (see Mchinji map with 10km circle radius). A shop must have at minimum 250 hand pumps in its catchment’s area to have a sufficient business to motivate it.
Once choosen with the help of the District and the communities, they are trained CBM1 (Community Based Management Level 1) to be able to advice the communities on spare parts.

They are provided a 10,000.00 Mk initial stock of spare parts when they signed a 2 years contracts in which they engage themselves to maintain that stock of spares and to sell it at fixed prices (controlled thorough cash receipts).

InterAide provide them way to re-supply at 2 different prices, either by being delivered at their shops, either to come to InterAide depositories. We make their follow-up at the beginning of the project, and then their motivation on the sales benefit (around 25%) is enough to make them to continue the activity. We also provide them presenting shelves, advertising posts and fliers campaigns.

Fliers

Regularly, hundreds of fliers are provided to the shop owners. Distributed on market places, it has 2 faces:

- Face is to inform population about the shop existence and location, the spare-parts availability and its prices (for Afridev),
- Back provides information about Area mechanics available in the area, and an example of their rate.

Specific fliers were done for each shop.

Their cost 1 kwachas only each (6 fliers were done per page).

These fliers had a great impact on O&M Project acknowledgement in new area. Even if its impact decrease after time, regular distribution maintain link with population, in case of price or area mechanics change.

They were also given to Area mechanics, to be given straight to people when doing a quotation to certify spare parts prices.

Example of Lipili shop flier below:

Mchinji - Area Mechanic work

Since May 2008 to August 2009, Area Mechanic have done 379 contracts (Repair or Maintenance). Enlarge the table below to get full details.

The best one, Mr Phiri, have done 42 contracts and has collected 25.000,00 Mk (170 $) as labour work from the communities.

The number of contracts was high at the beginning of the project, but has started to decrease. We think that this decrease is due on the fact that most of the hand pumps are repaired and not because of Area Mechanic demotivation. To prove it, we are assessing on the hand pumps functionning ratio now, to compare to the one in May 2008. The results of this assessment will be published soon on this Blog.

Fishing pipes tools

About 10 tools like the one pictured there were done.

Cost of the tool (rope included) : 5.000 Mk

It was lent freely by InterAide to Area Mechanic who had fallen pipes in their area. Area Mechanic had then opportunity to charge more for such a service.

In some case, pumps unworking for some year started again. In other cases, the tool stayed stuck in the pumps ...

In Mchinji, for 1 tool lost, 5 pumps were saved in the first month of this initiative.

It was about the same efficiency and ratio success/lost tool in Dowa and Salima.