Dharanidhar Kumar siempre fue conocido como "DK" por sus amigos. Pero ahora tiene un nuevo apodo: El Vendedor de Baños. And he’s ok with that.
A major component of Water For People’s approach to ensuring sustainable sanitation is supporting locally-led sanitation negocios These businesses are developed by entrepreneurs – like DK – to fill a gap in the market, providing families with safe, affordable, and uninterrupted sanitation services because providers are local, not miles away. This work is part of our "sanitation as a business" approach.
But what does this market-based sanitation programming look like in practice? What services and materials do the businesses provide, and is there sufficient demand for them? Does Water For People’s support really spark these entrepreneurs to continue evolving and growing to meet the needs of their communities?
DK vive en el distrito de Sheohar, en el estado de Bihar, al noroeste de India. DK había intentado -entre otras actividades de desarrollo comunitario en las que participaba - ayudar a las familias a construir retretes.
Pero seguía topándose con obstáculos.
The main challenge was the availability of materials to construct better bathrooms. DK would have to travel to neighboring cities or districts to obtain the materials families needed. So although the demand for better toilets existed, he couldn’t meet that demand.
In Bihar, Water For People, alongside local partners, works with an entrepreneur to create a Point of Purchase (POP), a one-stop shop for all sanitation needs. Water For People and its partners provide training on numerous topics, including site selection for the shop, business and marketing skills, and technical skills such as constructing toilet slabs and installing latrines. The entrepreneur invests in establishing the shop, with Water For People providing connections to microfinance institutions (MFIs) for a seed loan as needed. Water For People also works with these MFIs to provide sanitation loans to families for building household latrines, thereby stimulating the demand for the POP’s services.
El POP es a la vez una pequeña fábrica y un punto de venta. El propietario fabrica las losas y los anillos de concreto para las letrinas. Estos materiales se almacenan en la tienda junto con las tuberías, las puertas, los inodoros de cerámica y más. Además de vender estos materiales, muchos empresarios POP ofrecen la instalación de letrinas como un servicio a los clientes.
"Water For People trained us not only in building a variety of toilets but also equipped us with the right marketing techniques to sell them," explains DK. "My business improved as people started to appreciate the importance of toilets. I knew I hadn’t made a mistake getting into this business."
La demanda de letrinas era alta y el negocio estaba en auge. Ahora la demanda ha disminuido porque la mayoría de los hogares ya han comprado una letrina. Pero lo bueno de este modelo es que no instruye a los propietarios de los POP en cuanto a qué hacer después. En cambio, el modelo confía en que el emprendedor verá nuevas oportunidades de crecimiento y hará los cambios necesarios.
Here DK’s entrepreneurial spirit shines. "Now is the time for me to start storing high-end accessories, such as tiles, doors, taps, and other fittings for beautifying bathrooms," he says. "Also, since the town got electricity this year, now people want running water in their toilets."
DK’s marketing training has been helpful as he grows his business. "When people come to me saying they want a tap in their bathroom, I say, ‘why don’t you get some tiles, too?’"
Although DK’s Toilet Seller nickname started as a skeptical joke about whether his business would take off, now everyone is appreciating the importance of what he does. And DK couldn’t be more proud of the business he’s started and grown.
"Siento que he contribuido a la transformación del país", afirma.
