With no piped water in OlKalou, it is always such a hassle to wash hands before and after eating, after using toilet or after coming home from the farm. It takes two people to wash hands. One with a pitcher of water pouring water onto the one whose hands need washing. That is so time consuming when you have a function with so many people in your home, not to mention the water and dirt that splashes on their nice shoes. It would be a welcome idea to have a small water tank on a stand outside the house. The stand can be any low stool or the traditional Kikuyu stool “njung’wa that the family already owns and can set aside for this purpose. Sturdy wooden stands can also be cheaply constructed using locally sourced materials. I believe one tree can produce enough timber to make hundreds of these stands.
The tank can be refilled as needed, even with warm water and everybody can wash their hands, face or even brush their teeth without involving the entire household. This will greatly improve hygiene in homes, hassle free. That is the selling point. Anybody would like that convenience. A young man can learn how to make sturdy but reasonably cheap stands especially made from wood. Install one at your home and let that be your marketing model.
Cover the ground where the tank stands with rock chips that are usually discarded at the local quarries. Dig a trench to drain used water away from the tank to avoid stagnation and flooding around the tank area. Coat the trench with rock chips as well to avoid erosion.
Once you collect enough orders from potential customers, you can confidently ask your parents for a tree, as part of your capital, from which you can make hundreds of stands, leaving you with only one expense of purchasing the small size plastic water tanks, which are fairly affordable. Some families may require a 100 liter tank, another 200 liters or more depending on the number of occupants of their homestead. With future bulk orders of the water tanks, you can ask your supplier for a wholesale price, helping increase your markup.
With every home in your neighborhood requiring a tank installed for them, you will be a very busy man for a long while, before taking your services further out. I cannot see anybody resisting this convenience which is relatively affordable. But somebody needs to get into the homes and market the idea to the families. Be the one to do it.
