They are not sales persons. They are ordinary folks plucked from a town that has not known peace or progress.
In the town of Paglat where nine of 10 families have no toilets, Oxfam Philippines gathered volunteers who are willing to learn and help their neighbors have their own toilets. Paglat is a fifth class municipality in the province of Maguindanao. Almost 70% of people live below the poverty line.
The challenge seems simple. Design a toilet that residents can afford. But the product costs between 3 to 10 thousand pesos.
Can the people of Paglat afford this with an average monthly income of only 1,100 pesos?
Called market facilitators, the volunteers underwent a training on sanitation marketing to help them sell toilets. The Center for Health Solutions and Innovations Philippines Inc, (CHSI) designed a highly participatory and creative workshop for the market facilitators.
At first, they thought it was not possible to sell the toilet at its current price. But when they tried their sales pitch with a sample of residents, they all felt ecstatic. Out of 15 residents, 12 already wanted to buy the product.
After the trial marketing, Oxfam and the market facilitators will finetune the product to meet the standards they set for it: affordable, durable and likeable.
The volunteers now call themselves as MMK (Mga May Kasilyas). They are not sales persons. They are not paid to sell toilets. But they all understand now that they are not just selling toilets. They are peddling dreams, safety, health, cleanliness, and most of all, dignity.
In the town of Paglat where nine of 10 families have no toilets, Oxfam Philippines gathered volunteers who are willing to learn and help their neighbors have their own toilets. Paglat is a fifth class municipality in the province of Maguindanao. Almost 70% of people live below the poverty line.
The challenge seems simple. Design a toilet that residents can afford. But the product costs between 3 to 10 thousand pesos.
Can the people of Paglat afford this with an average monthly income of only 1,100 pesos?
Called market facilitators, the volunteers underwent a training on sanitation marketing to help them sell toilets. The Center for Health Solutions and Innovations Philippines Inc, (CHSI) designed a highly participatory and creative workshop for the market facilitators.
At first, they thought it was not possible to sell the toilet at its current price. But when they tried their sales pitch with a sample of residents, they all felt ecstatic. Out of 15 residents, 12 already wanted to buy the product.
After the trial marketing, Oxfam and the market facilitators will finetune the product to meet the standards they set for it: affordable, durable and likeable.
The volunteers now call themselves as MMK (Mga May Kasilyas). They are not sales persons. They are not paid to sell toilets. But they all understand now that they are not just selling toilets. They are peddling dreams, safety, health, cleanliness, and most of all, dignity.
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