Sanitation As A Business is a program that seeks to achieve sustainable excreta management in Low Income Areas through catalysing businesses.

It uses a market-based approach that has been designed to promote an entrepreneurial mind-set to addressing and resolving the challenges of sanitation provision in Malawi.

SAAB works on the notion that sanitation is and can be a profitable business venture. It works on the principle that lack of sanitation facilities should be regarded as an opportunity for business enterprise and a source of profit for entrepreneurs

Sanitation Technical Training Held - 14/12/2011

A three day technical training in sanitation was held at Casa Mia in Blantyre from 12th to 14th December 2011. The training was conducted by Steve Sugden, Senior Manager for Sanitation, Water for People. It brought together delegates from TEECs, Water for People Malawi office and representatives from the six companies that have been earmarked to start sanitation businesses in Blantyre City.

The training was very exciting, interactive and educative. The training covered several areas including “sustainable sanitation, sanitation as a system, approaches in sanitation (including case studies), sanitation promotion and marketing, ecological sanitation, health, policy and the poor, new technologies in sanitation, the MDG and urban sanitation and finally urban sanitation – emptying and disposal including business models.” The training included field work which included interaction with communities served with sanitation services.

Speaking on behalf of the entrepreneurs, Chimwemwe Mtuwa of Runock Investments said that the training was an eye opener on what is happening on the international scene regarding sanitation and that it will go a long way as the entrepreneurs embark on long successful journey in sanitation business. Chimwemwe paid tribute to the trainer for his impeccable training skills which made everyone attentive and participative during the entire three days. Louis Jalakasi II, representing TEECS, said the training came at the opportune time when the entrepreneurs were in the early stages of developing their business plans. The knowledge, so gained, will be invaluable and will play a pivotal role in the business plans, Jalakasi concluded.
The training was part of capacity building for TEECS and the entrepreneurs.

Technical Drawings of the Gulper Design Initiated - 6/12/2011

TEECs have engaged in talks with the Polytechnic of the University of Malawi regarding the drawing of the Gulper. This has been necessitated by the disappearance from the market of the skilled artisan who manufactured the first working gulper.

The climax of the matter came when TEECs staff met with the head of the Engineering Department at the Polytechnic together with his technical support staff. The meeting was aimed at reaching a common understanding on the needs of TEECs and her entrepreneurs. Preliminary discussions centered on the need for the drawing to detail of the current design of the gulper and subsequent production of a sample.
Successful manufacture of sample will need to orders for a few gulpers. Improvements on the gulper will be tackled after the successful initial production of the current design.

The two tasks, production of current gulper and its improvement have been separated to avoid delays in having at least some working gulpers on the market. The meeting ended by agreeing that the Polytechnic team be given physical access to a working gulper. Further, it was agreed that the team possibly should witness it in action.

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