In July 2018, our cofounder receives a LinkedIn message from UNDP Tanzania saying he has a good proposal for OffGridBox. At the time, we were full of projects, but we were curious about the potential. As the conversation continues, we see that UNDP Tanzania has already submitted a proposal to UNDP New York. When reading into it, we found that this proposal could be fulfilled with our technology. We were so glad to see the enthusiasm and value that our container-based system could create for these agencies and more importantly the potential impact on the rural communities in Tanzania.

In March 2019, UNDP Tanzania signed the purchase agreement for 12 Boxes. This was an exciting feat for the OffGridBox team because, since its inception, we found the United Nations to be a critical partner for scaling access to clean water and renewable energy to the billion people in need across the globe. As an official supplier to the UN, we began collaborating with local partners in Tanzania provided by the UNDP’s vast network.

Village Selection

While coordinating these three stakeholders, OffGridBox helped vet 10 locations across Tanzania to deploy 12 OffGridBox systems, most including solar pumps for deep wells (one of our publicly offered add ons). Many of these communities had major water issues, so drilling these wells and providing a local source of water (instead of just filtration) was also a critical part of the UN’s projects. Drilling wells and establishing a water source is beyond the scope of our work, so we partnered with locally run organizations to prepare the sites for the arrival of our technology. The UNDP insisted on these locations as part of the scope of work for the project. They understood that we were helping villages with no local water transition to having 1) a local water point, 2) access to purified water, 3) access to affordable electricity, and 4) a sustainable business model for the long term. The profound effects on the communities were understood and intentionally aligned with 8 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The locations varied widely but were all at a disadvantage for access to water and energy. For example, we saw in Mtavira Village a terrible water situation where families walked 5 kilometers (3 miles) to collect contaminated water.

Another location was a densely populated island community (due to the fishing activity) of 1000 people. However, the expenses for necessities were quite high. For example, we saw a bag of ice increase by USD $5 (doubling in price!) which we could produce and sell at a fraction of the price on the island with our turnkey water and solar system (with the ice machine productive use add-on). Makotea Village saw clean water problems due to a very wide and dry territory with a non-functioning pump in their borehole dug 50 years ago during colonial rule. Thankfully, there was a functioning community-based organization for the water management which we were able to work alongside to revive this water source.

*The Village Executive Officer signing on the back of the district engineer.*
*This is the best certificate we can do!*

A deep understanding of the communities’ needs is possible thanks to local leaders who help us run local surveys we developed with the MIT D-Lab. The historic university created this lab to specialize in rural development projects.

Preparations

The relationship with local leaders was also critical to obtain the appropriate authorization to sell water and energy in the communities. Once we had a clearer picture of the local needs the surveys, we worked with local implementers to prepare the locations for deployment of the OffGridBox. This varied widely as some communities needed new boreholes dug. Beyond water access, some communities requested small infrastructure in preparation for the traffic of daily clean water and solar energy customers.

Deployment

We deployed 12 boxes in 10 villages; 5 boxes in the Ikungi District, 3 in the Bunda District, and 4 in the Busega District. Once preparations were complete, each box deployed quickly. When we were setting up in Mtavira Village, a villager asked if it would be ready by the end of the week. When we said yes, she was excited for consistent access to clean water. We were thrilled because we knew it is critical for people to understand the value of these services so that they will come together as a community to support it in the long run.

With each box set-up taking a few hours, we were able to immediately start training boxkeepers in the communities to manage the systems on a daily basis. This step is critical because it is impossible to develop a sustainable project without someone there to truly run it every day.

*Quick setup (only 3 hours!), Jado (top right), Andrea (bottom right), Jodie (middle), Nicola (bottom left)*

Business & Technical Training

In order to provide clean water and solar energy to the communities, we provide training to local entrepreneurs to manage the boxes as a local kiosk. Families can come to the box as often as they wish (typically daily or weekly) to collect purified water (for drinking) and recharge a portable lithium power bank (for charging phones and powering lights in their homes). We provide the necessary know-how and certification for introductory-level knowledge for clean water and solar systems. This is a skill set that 36 potential boxkeepers received so far in Tanzania. After a short probationary period, we selected 24 boxkeepers, but we consider the additional locals trained as a way for us to help vet the candidates while providing additional impact in the rural communities.

The two individuals who are hired to manage each box. The management of the box (or “community hub”) requires some maintenance of the box (such as wiping the solar panels, changing water filters, etc). Just in case of any technical questions, we train one technician for each district. This minimal management team is due to the low maintenance design of the systems and the extensive testing at the manufacturing facility before deployment.

In collaboration with local authorities, we selected a public servant for each district in order to manage reporting, procurement, and evaluations to help ensure the longevity of the project locally. This Planning Officer is helpful for the management of this innovative Pay-As-You-Go business model for clean water and solar in the communities.

Financial Sustainability

It is impossible not to garner local publicity in these remote communities during the deployment of the boxes. The word often spreads fast that the local leaders have endorsed new developments for long-desired services. We use this opportunity to teach and onboard our earliest customers. Additionally, we work with local businesses in case they would like to be local distributors of our bottled water. Typically they are interested because of the love the idea of supporting their local community and it is much easier for us to resupply them as needed since we are delivering from nearby instead of from the big cities.

The ramp-up of customers continues for each box and our target is about 400 families, about 2000 people per box. This will allow us to not only cover the local salaries of the women and maintenance, but the additional funds will be set aside to sponsor new villages that are still in need of clean water and energy.

Ongoing Support

We were able to achieve a lot, but don’t get us wrong. There are still many challenges to solve as these communities continue to grow. We will actively explore new opportunities to help through these boxes depending on each village’s unique needs. Examples include; irrigation for reforestation around villages because we have seen some forests completely destroyed from deforestation and an ice maker for Sozia because they are paying $5 for a bag of ice right now since it has to be shipped to the island by a 4-hour boat.

Lessons Learned & Takeaways

Rural development (as we know) can be extremely challenging, but we are glad that we were able to effectively implement these long term infrastructure projects. UNDP has been a critical partner to helping make affordable clean water and electricity a reality to 24,000 rural villagers.

The future holds opportunities such as management of transactions through our mobile application as rural East Africans continue to transfer to mobile money. This mobile application will allow us to collect crucial data on the customers’ needs, maintenance data, weather data, and financial data. All of this information is critical for us to continuously improve our impact as the communities grow and vary in terms of local needs.

The mobile application will integrate with each system’s remote monitoring and management software enabling us to govern the whole process and provide support to field teams 24/7. Additionally, we get real-time performance data and on-site market analysis via our App allowing us to optimize for local conditions. Based on surveys run at each box, we can introduce new products through the network of shops we serve based on customer daily feedback.

About OffGridBox

OffGridBox is an all-in-one sustainable solution providing clean water and solar power to people in remote areas. OffGridBox is the brainchild of founders Emiliano Cecchini and Davide Bonsignore from 2014. They became inspired to create more efficient technical solutions after working on several OXFAM clean energy projects in South Africa that took more than 3 weeks to install. Since then, the founders produced about 80 boxes deployed in a dozen countries, serving thousands of people in difficult circumstances. Projects range from disaster relief to rural electrification. OffGridBox is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the company’s mission is to provide affordable clean water and electricity in remote areas. For more information about OffGridBox, please visit https://www.offgridbox.com

Click here to see the press release from the
United Nations Development Program