Important tools for establishment of a network of hand pump spare parts resellers

The two documents attached are useful tools for the implementation of a network of hand pump spare parts dealers.
It is still at a draft stage but it will become national guidelines from the Ministry of Water and Irrigation.

The experience of Inter Aide and BASEDA in maintenance project highly contributed to these guidelines as major inputs and tools have been developed by them.


Guide Manual for Establishment of Afridev Hand Pump Spare Parts Supply Chain.pdf

Training manual for shop owners.pdf

Basic model of the spare part supply chain

Study by Hystra presenting 15 innovative project including Inter Aide and BASEDA maintenance network in Malawi

hystra.com/safe-water

Link to a study of 2011 produced by Hystra on ''Access to Safe Water for the Base of the Pyramid'' and presenting 15 innovative projects led by social entrepreneurs, NGOs and businesses that propose a wide variety of solutions concerning access to safe water, each differing in terms of services, treatment effectiveness, technology and sustainability.

All of them provide solutions that cost less than the recommended 4% of the average income of a poor family in the BoP 500-1,000 range. The chosen projects also illustrate how the private sector can be called upon by public authorities to help develop and operate public infrastructure, or how it develops freely in areas with limited or no public service.

The hand pump maintenance services through networks of spare parts resellers and local mechanics developed in Malawi by Inter Aide and BASEDA are described pages 148 to 155.

Hystra is a global consulting firm working with businesses and social sector pioneers to design and implement hybrid strategies and innovative business approaches that:

• are profitable, scalable and eradicate social and environmental problems
• combine the insights and resources of business and citizen sectors

Salima presentation

Project in Salima was lauched in September 2008.

It comprises 9 shops and 28 Area mechanics.





Click on the picture to enlarge it.


Next posts will present impressive figures about this district since 2008.

Kasungu - Shop activity

Since April 2011, 13 shops can sell spare parts in Kasungu district (see map below). One Chipiku store also cooperate with the Project.
Names of the shops and location are:

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:

Sales Mchinji shops (June 2008 to August 2009)

In Mchnji, the sales (in Mk) for each shops are beside (Click to enlarge).


Mikundi shop is the best one, followed by Chiosya.

The cumulative sales of the 6 shops evolution is described by the graph below. At the beginning, a lot of repairs are done on the water points (see also Area Mechanic work page http://pumpsmaintenancemalawi.blogspot.com/2009/09/mhinji-area-mechanic-work.html). Once the project is stable, the sales move according to business season, dry season and also when shallow wells start to dry (then people start to repair drilled ones).