Report Writing

A proposal by Syed Muhammad Miqdad

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Table of Contents
Executive Summary:.......................................................................................................................... 3
Scope:................................................................................................................................................ 4
African Market Overview: ................................................................................................................. 5
Evaluating Markets: .......................................................................................................................... 6
East Africa: .................................................................................................................................................6
Kenya:...............................................................................................................................................................................7
Tanzania:..........................................................................................................................................................................7
Uganda:.............................................................................................................................................................................8
Customer Segments in East Africa: ............................................................................................................8
Lower Income Group:...................................................................................................................................................10
Lower-Middle Income Group:......................................................................................................................................12
What Do Working Families and Rising Strivers Want?.................................................................... 15
Potential Impact & Opportunities:................................................................................................... 17
Route to Success:............................................................................................................................. 18
Interns:............................................................................................................................................ 20
Collaboration Partners: ................................................................................................................... 21
Proposed Timeline:.......................................................................................................................... 21
Benchmarks of Success: .................................................................................................................. 22
Hippo Roller—Design Innovation:...............................................................................................................................22
Portable Water Pumps—Engineering Innovation:.....................................................................................................22
Toyola Stoves—Innovative Marketing & Distribution: .............................................................................................23
Budget:............................................................................................................................................ 24
Conclusion:..................................................................................................................................... 24
Acknowledgement: .......................................................................................................................... 25

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Executive Summary:
65% of the world’s population earns less than $2,000 annually that’s 4 billion people, overwhelmingly
clustered in Africa, Latin America and Asia. Collectively referred to as the Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP),
these 4 billion individuals generally lack access to clean drinking water at home, leading to 88% of the
disease in the developing world1
. Out of the 2.8 million deaths annually from diarrheal diseases, 75% are
of children under the age of 52
.
PakVitae, with our pioneering technology platform, has the potential and responsibility to address the
needs of consumers at the BoP. These consumers are value conscious, innovative, and rapidly moving up
the socioeconomic ladder, which offers a unique opportunity for PakVitae to challenge the frontiers of
engineering, humanistic product design, and razor-sharp business models. Although this opportunity is
scattered over continents, we have identified a vacuum in the East African market for reliable, user-
friendly and cheap filter products which offers the optimal mix of large aggregated demand for household
filters, hyper-innovative business ecosystems, and world-class partners. This creates an opportunity to
innovate groundbreaking products that offer aspirational value to the consumers beyond its utilitarian role
to elevate their standard of living. The positive health impacts, savings from not buying bottled water, and
time freed up has the potential to offer billions of people a real chance of escaping poverty by investing
their time and effort in education and commerce.
This vision of humanitarian entrepreneurship will be orchestrated from East Africa through a collaborative
hub which will serve as the backbone of our endeavors. The innovators in the vast network of business
incubators in Kenya will assist in developing a truly indigenous business model, while the partnerships
with key government and philanthropic stakeholders will serve to mitigate the risks present in working in
the region, in specific, and informal economies, in general. We will innovate from within the community
in all avenues: product design, business model, and service, with a goal of setting up sustainable and
independent franchises in each region which offer customized products and services to develop a truly
local solution to the global water problem.
1
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2018/09/studies-diarrheal-disease-rates-vary-across-africa-world
2
http://www.bopinc.org/sites/www.bopinc.org/files/updates/bop_insights_publication.pdf

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Scope:
The vision of addressing the needs of the consumers at the Bottom of the Pyramid will take root in East
Africa. This collaborative endeavor can be summarized in three phases outlined below. Each phase will
be characterized by key questions that will be addressed throughout. Once answered, they will form the
foundation of the following phases.

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African Market Overview:
The African market consists of 54 countries and 1.2 billion people, projected to grow to 1.7 billion by
2030. Despite being home to 6 of the top 10 fastest growing economies of the world in 2018 and a real
GDP growth average of 4.5% over the last decade, Africa’s business growth potential remains both
underestimated and misunderstood. This is largely because MNCs attempting to capture this market based
on Western management principles have failed to fundamentally embrace the realities of informal
economies such as low and fluctuating incomes, lack of formal education and conducive business
ecosystems. However, in this aspect, these prospective markets on the opposite side of the globe are more
similar than different from Pakistan. PakVitae was founded by young, innovative entrepreneurs who
innovated from the bottom up to solve their own impeding challenges related to dirty water leading to
chronic diarrhea among university students. Our management team does not only know how to survive in
informal economies but to thrive in them.

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Evaluating Markets:
To enter the African market, PakVitae’s strategy is to prioritize countries that offer high market potential
and low market risk within a geographical region of concentrated demand. Due to political instability and
corruption, Sudan, Congo and Nigeria have been given a lower priority despite being home to 41.5 million,
84 million and 195.9 million people, respectively. Furthermore, South Africa and Ghana have been given
a medium priority for being high potential markets but present on opposite ends of the continent. After
careful consideration, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, a cluster of high potential and low risk countries in
East Africa, have been assigned high priority to serve as the first destination for PakVitae’s expansion into
Africa’s BoP market. A summary of the results of this market prioritization framework are presented
below3
:
East Africa:
East Africa is the most densely populated region of Africa, and home to 442 million people4
. The three
countries of choice, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania offer a launching pad into the rest of East Africa by
providing millions of value conscious potential customers who will guide the product development, an
3
https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/nl/Documents/consumer-business/deloitte-nl-africa-tapping-into-
growth.pdf
4
http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/eastern-africa-population/

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innovative business ecosystem which will define the commercial strategy, and a stable non-market
environment which will facilitate the establishment of local head quarter for PakVitae.
Kenya:
With a population of 46 million, 41% of Kenyans still rely on unimproved water sources, such as ponds,
shallow wells and rivers, while 59 percent of Kenyans use unimproved
sanitation solutions. These challenges are especially evident in the rural
areas and the urban slums. Nairobi is also home to one of the largest slums
in the world. The slum of Kibera is home to approximately 250,000 of the
2.5 million slum dwellers in the city. Most people in Kibera live on less
than $1 per day and HIV is rampant, not to mention a lack of clean water
and sanitation. Only 9 out of 55 public water service providers in Kenya
provide continuous water supply, leaving people to find their own ways
of searching for appropriate solutions to these basic needs5
.
Water pathogens are a huge health problem in Kenya, as the people have been left unprotected against
sporadic epidemics such as cholera6
and parasitic worms. The rate of exposure is extremely high because
the water is not only contaminated at the basins and pumps where water is collected but the containers are
almost always "found," second-hand objects, often previously used for oil, fertilizer or wastes.
Tanzania:
Tanzania is home to 53 million people, which includes 18.6 million Muslims mainly of Indian descent.
Surrounded by three major lakes, the ground and surface water is a major
source of drinking water for the citizens. However, many of these ground
water wells are located near or next to toxic drainage systems, which leak
into the fresh ground water and contaminate it. Due to this, 50% of
Tanzanians lack access to clean drinking water, and water-borne illnesses
account for over half the diseases affecting the population7
. Under these
5
https://water.org/our-impact/kenya/
6
https://kenvironews.wordpress.com/2008/07/29/cholera-in-outbreaks-w-kenya-blamed-on-contaminated-water/
7
https://thewaterproject.org/water-crisis/water-in-crisis-tanzania

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circumstances people, particularly women and girls, spend a significant amount of time traveling some
distance to collect clean water.
Uganda:
Uganda is a landlocked country in the East Africa. The country has a
population of 42.9 million which is based largely outside of the cities in
small-scale rural communities, and approximately 26 million Ugandans
lack access to safe water.
The country has experienced two decades of economic growth, leading to
large population movements from rural areas to informal settlements
around urban centers. High population growth – nearly triple the global
average – stressed the water and sanitation services that exist.
Customer Segments in East Africa:
One of the reasons why the East African market appears lucrative according to high level consumer market
research is that there are several key similarities between the consumer income levels, lifestyles,
challenges related to water, and market structure, if you take a screenshot of the Pakistani consumer market
from 10 years ago. This means that PakVitae needs to adjust its product offerings to serve the needs of a
different customer base in this part of the world.
To understand this different customer base, secondary research has led to the following customer profiles
which are somewhat representative of the larger population. One main goal of the summer project would
be to evaluate, verify, and rectify these customer profiles through conducting primary research with local
partners. This is especially important as the secondary research data relies on official statistics in countries
where more than 50% of working adults earn their incomes from informal activities and spend them in
informal markets. If the customer profiles8
assumptions are to be considered true, approximately 50% of
people in East Africa fall under the category of Basic Survivors, 30% form the Working Families category,
15% are Rising Strivers, 3% are Cosmopolitan Professionals, and the remaining 2% are Affluent. Their
key characteristics and behaviors are presented in the following infographic.
8
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265430688_The_Dynamic_African_Consumer_Market_Exploring_Growth_Opportunities_in_Sub-
Saharan_Africa

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This means that in order to capture a sizeable market in East Africa, PakVitae must bisect the market into
a lower income group, and a lower-middle income group. The lower income group will include the basic
survivors, while the lower-middle income group will include working families and rising strivers. Since
the two groups are vastly different in terms of consumer behavior, needs and abilities, the products that
will be designed from these groups must also reflect those differences. The market opportunity and sizes
of these groups in Africa, as a whole, are shown below.
SEC D & Lower SEC C SEC C & B SEC B SEC A

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Lower Income Group:
As demonstrated in the market value and population size plot, Basic Survivors are the largest, yet the
poorest people in the region. These individuals make less than $100 per month and buy basic goods from
open air-markets and street stalls. They live in rural areas and urban slums, usually in shared shacks made
of tin sheets. Basic survivors pay cash for essentials: food, shelter, and clothing.
Companies which have successfully served these customers have adapted to the lower income of Basic
Survivors by reducing pack sizes, for example, selling smaller toothpaste or packets of washing powder,
or single-use packs of sugar which can be bought when needed. This demonstrates that these customers
focus on the functional aspect of the products, yet still demonstrate a limited aspirational aspect in their
purchasing behavior.
An example of a customer who is considered a Basic Survivor
would be Luis. Luis is a single, 32-year-old man living in the
Kenyan slum of Kibera (home to 174,000 people living in 2.5
square kilometers) in Nairobi, where he splits a one-room shack
with his two brothers. Luis is a street vendor who sells trinkets
to tourists. When he does well, he might frequent the local pub
and have Cuca beer with his friends. On slow days he will buy
a cup of rice as his only meal. Luis’ most prized possession is
his knock-off Barcelona FC jersey, which took him almost two
months to save for.
Luis always drinks his water on-the-go from road-side food
stalls, water dispensers and public taps. It is not something he
spends money on and suffers from chronic diarrhea. He does
not have access to medical care and also does not understand the cause of his disease is dirty water. Luis
may be convinced to buy a filter if it is cheap, portable, and durable if he can be made aware of the benefits
of such a product on his daily life. When on the go, he wants water by the glass, not by the liter, so a
potential product might be a collapsible water bottle or glass. He may also save up $15 with his brothers
to buy a water storage and purification setup for their shack for the convenience of not having to go out
every time they want a glass of water. This product has to be sold by his local street vendor and be easily

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movable as he will have to fill it up from the shared municipal water station every day. Products which
meet some of the criteria described above are shown below. The collapsible bottles are highly portable,
yet do not have a filtration unit, low-volume, and high cost ($20-$40). The second image is of
HippoRollers, which contain 50L, are rollable for easy carriage, but cost over $120. The third product is
a Sawyer bucket system which costs $130, but effectively removes all contaminants over 20nm in
diameter.
Another example of a Basic Survivor would be of Joseph. Joseph is a 14-year old refugee from South
Sudan who fled the chaos post-independence from Sudan and now lives in a refugee settlement in Northern
Uganda with his family. They have access to a shared borehole that was dug by an iNGO, but the water
is not drinkable so they use multiple jerry cans to transfer water through a silk cloth to remove larger
particles, and then let the water settle in one jerry can before slowly decanting the clear-looking water into
another storage can. Overall, this process is time-intensive, ineffective in removing water-borne bacteria
and requires 3 storage cans instead of one. Despite all this effort, Joseph still recalls how he was exposed
to contaminated surface water from the Nile river in Sudan when he took the cattle out for grazing every
day. He feels that he would use a straw filter or a low-volume bottle solution if it means he can avoid
contracting water-borne disease, especially guinea worm, a tropical disease caused by ingesting a water-
borne parasite that can grow to 3 feet in size leading to immense pain.

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Lower-Middle Income Group:
The lower-middle group of East Africa is composed of working families and rising strivers. Together,
they account for approximately 45% of the population, and are at the epicenter of the great stride of African
progress.
Working families generally earn between $100-$250 per
month. Compared with Basic Survivors, Working Families are
also driven by basic needs, but they are focused on the needs
of the family rather than the individual and are strongly driven
by African cultural values involving the nuclear family.
The majority of families have three or more children and may
have elders living with them. Living in urban outskirts,
Working Families save their salaries until month end and then
visit nearby open-air markets and street stalls. They pay cash
for groceries, clothing and footwear, toys and games, and
educational products. Because Working Families generally
consist of more than one salaried individual their income is
more stable than that of Basic Survivors. However, the
demands of family and work make time precious and increase the value of processed and conveniently
packaged food for themselves and their children.
An example of such a customer would be the Baku family. They reside on the outskirts of Kampala and
have four children aged six to eleven. Francis (the father) works as a mechanic servicing local farmers’
trucks, while Calixthe (the mother) works as a housekeeping lady in a hotel. Due to both parents’ late
working hours, they often make quick prepared noodle dishes for dinner and give their children small
biscuit packets for snacks. They spend extra on laundry detergent for school uniforms.
Since the family orientation of this segment drives its purchasing decisions, values such as convenience,
consistency, survival and upward mobility of the family are important factors. It is deduced based on this
information that the Baku family may be interested in buying a 20L water filtration and storage system
which lasts the family 2 days before requiring refilling from a neighborhood tap, provides clean and

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healthy drinking water to their children consistently, and is within the $30-$40 price range with financing
options. Their focus is still on the functionality, and not on the design. A sample product may be similar
to the following product by EcoFiltro which is on sale for $45 in Guatemala, which is a Biosand filter that
provides 70-80% bacterial removal efficiency for 10+ years, yet has a flow rate of only 2L/hour, and is
defenseless against viruses and protozoa. The second product (right) is Clarity by Kohler, which costs
$80, lasts 5000 liters, is ineffective in turbid water, and has a flowrate of 2L/hour.
Another tier of community has developed as working families gained in-demand skills and access to credit,
and they are called the Rising Strivers. With survival assured, Rising Strivers now value upward mobility
as well as intangible brand qualities. By earning twice as much as working families ($250-$750), they
often have surplus to spend on consumer goods such as cigarettes, clothing, and even the occasional bottle
of perfume.
The rising strivers represent the dichotomy between Africa’s
past and future as a growth powerhouse. Typically, either
successful migrants to urban areas or skilled rural workers,
Rising Strivers have emerged from poverty to stand on their feet.
However, due to their recent direct experience with lower-
income existence, they value durable products and still shop an
informal, open-air markets using cash. Members of this segment
strive to continue their upward mobility and will invest in their
children’s education as a means to do so.
An example of a Rising Striver would be Alphonso, who is a 27-
year old father of three living in Dar es Salam. Though he comes

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from a household of fishermen, he now works for a thriving taxi business. Alphonso moved to the city
center in his early 20s, purchasing a used car through family support and microcredit. He started out living
in a slum with no running water, but with hard work, connections, and his good English skills, he found a
job with a dispatch service. And while Alphonso’s family spends most of its income on household needs,
he also has some personal money left over for a new smartphone that elevates his status in his circle.
Alphonso, due to his recent experience with poverty, wants to buy a robust, 20L system for his two-room
apartment in a 6-story building. Although he now has running water in his home, he still has to carry a
20kg (20L) water can every two days up the stairs which gives his flashbacks of his time in poverty. He
wants to spend his disposable income on buying a product that gives his back a break, and also adds style
to his open-view kitchen. Hence, he may spend up to $60 to buy a gorgeous looking filter that can almost
pass for a decoration piece to hide the fact that his kitchen is awkwardly visible to his guests. An example
of such a product would be a $60 EcoFiltro painted, biosand water system which holds 20 L, and lacks
top-of-the-line protection against water-borne disease.
Overall, the initial target market for PakVitae in East Africa would encapsulate individuals earning $2-
$25 a day based on high-level, secondary research. Based on several assumptions, some products and
possible demands are envisioned to serve a need. A thorough, 2-month long study of the local market
would help narrow down the focus of our initiatives in East Africa.

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What Do Working Families and Rising Strivers Want?
In order to serve the needs of the consumers in our target market in East Africa, we must identify the gaps
between what customer pain points are and what is currently being delivered to fix them. A summary of
several competing products and technologies is presented below:
LifeStraw
Family 2.0
Sawyer Point Zero
Two Bucket
System
EcoFiltro
Jibu
(20L)
Mineral Water
(20L)
Technology UF, HFM UF, HFM BioSand UF, Bottled RO, Bottled
Price $69+Delivery $130 + Delivery $20-$80 $1+Bottle $4.5
2 1 4 5 1
Lifetime (L) 18,000L 12,000L 6,000L 20L 20L
5 3 5 - -
Storage Capacity 1.8 L 20L 6L 20L 20L
2 2.5 3 5 5
Bacteria Removal
Efficiency
99.9999% 99.9999% 80-95% 99.9999% 99.9999%
5 5 3 5 5
Virus Removal
Efficiency
Uncertain 99.9999% 55-80% 99.9999% 99.9999%
3 5 1 5 5
Flow Rate (L/hr) 0.2 L/min 0.5 L/min 0.03 L/min - -
3 4 1 - -
Ease of Maintenance Plunger Backwash
every 2 days
Plunger Backwash
every 2 days
Clean every 3 months;
replace every 2 years - -
2 2 5 - -
Cost Per Liter $0.004/L $0.011/L $0.005L $0.05/L $0.225/L
5 3 4 2 1
Units Sold (2014) 1,150,000 - 150,000 100,000 20,000,000
5 - 4 4 5
Notes (Bonus)
- -
Provides storage; looks
elegant; replaceable
parts + filter
Water delivered Water delivery
0 0 5 5 5
Score (%) 71.1% 65% 77.7% 88.5% 88%
*Score: 1-5 (5: best in line, 1: poorest in line)
If we translate these scores into actionable insights, we notice a trend. People in East Africa do not just
pay for purity of water, but also delivery and safe storage of water. This means they value their time and
do not want to spend hours filling water each day. Hence, the product PakVitae designs need to be reliable,
quick, and should offer a built-in storage option which can hold water for 2-3 days at once for a family.
Hence, in that sense, they spend on a storage solution which filters water, instead of a filtering solution

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that offers storage. And that storage can be given an aesthetic edge to stand apart from the rest to give a
sense of pride to the users.
One other interesting fact that attracts these customers are conveniences like replaceable parts and after-
sales support. Since disposable income is generally low for users in our target market, we must design an
effective, hyper-localized business model that offsets the risk associated with making a large $20-$40
purchase. This can include 15-day money back guarantees and microfinancing options. Additionally, the
product must be designed with the point of sale in mind—the street vendor in a busy bazar in Mombasa.
In order to maximize his visibility, we may also design gimmicky demos for on-street shows of our
products’ effectiveness. Considering these very unique requirements, it is imperative that the PakVitae
co-develops these products with these communities which will become early adopters, influencers and
guides.
Behavioral research9
has shown that the reason competing technologies and products have failed
commercially is due to their disregard for human behavior and absence of user input in the product
development phase. This is often because competitors only sell to international NGOs who distribute these
products for free among those in need. This model is effective for disaster relief situations but has been
the single greatest reason for failure of plans to commercialize these products as durable goods. The reason
behind this is simple: innovation that lacks a feedback loop between the innovator and the end-user misses
all relevant aspects of human-centric design which are integral to long-term adoption and behavioral
change by the end-user. LifeStraw and Sawyer developed their products in Switzerland and the US,
respectively, without working collaboratively with the communities they sought to serve. They also did
not conduct any behavioral studies to understand the daily behaviors of locals relating to their water usage.
Hence, the products they sell are expensive ($130+), slow (0.3 liters per minute), hard to maintain (manual
back-flushing and quick fouling), and most importantly, hard to obtain! Furthermore, Sawyer, which
claims a lifetime of 3 million liters for their competing products, has been shown by researchers10
at the
renowned TUFTS University (USA) to last less than 5000 liters before allowing life threatening water-
borne bacteria such a E. coli pass through and every suspended solid (sand, dust, or soil). These stories of
9
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-humans-get-in-the-way-of-clean-water/#googDisableSync
10
http://whconference.unc.edu/files/2014/10/murray.pdf

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failure underline that a great idea remains just that until it is manifested into a design that motivates people
to use it11
.
The bar for usability is very high in developed markets because of an abundance of choice and
competition. A great interface, ease of use and a pleasurable consumer experience help break through the
noise. Ironically, the usability test in the BoP is often even higher precisely because the poor remained
below the radar of multinational corporations for so long. Since necessity is the mother of invention, basic
survivors, working families, and rising strivers are used to creating their own gadgets with what they have
or with help from the community. That means that the poor are used to getting a highly personalized
interface at an acceptable price point with very low training requirements. There is also help available
locally and affordably when things break down. This means that the communities we aim to serve can be
leveraged as co-developers and innovators of their own products.
The conditions and challenges of consumers in East Africa presented in this report have set a target for
PakVitae to achieve. In the absence of reliable logistical, marketing, financial and developmental
infrastructure, PakVitae has to deliver a line of Point of Use products, depending on the final customer
segment chosen after on-ground research, that meet the demands of customers and address their pain
points to create a marked improvement in their standard of living through them. For this to goal to realize,
we have to work collaboratively with the communities we seek to serve alongside local entrepreneurs who
understand the local mindsets for inclusive innovation to take place that will result in products that exceed
their utilitarian value for consumers.
Potential Impact & Opportunities:
If PakVitae succeeds in developing a low-cost, durable, and adoptable product for the consumers in bottom
60% of East Africans, it will have unlocked the secret to reach the remainder of 3.5 billion people in the
BoP globally. The knowledge, insight and skills learned in Kenyan slums and Ugandan refugee camps
will be directly transferable to Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh, or the Palestinian slums in
Lebanon. Furthermore, the ideas of our co-developers from East Africa will form the basis of PakVitae’s
products dedicated for disaster relief situations, which have the potential of saving millions of lives
affected by floods, earthquakes, and other natural calamities each year.
11
https://hbr.org/2011/05/design-lessons-from-the-consum

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While the task ahead is indeed mammoth, there is a reward system in place for those who choose to venture
into the unknown. Since East Africa is at the heart of international efforts to alleviate property, immense
media coverage and global following pursues new innovators and changemakers. For example, when a
local NGO deployed solar-water pumps in villages, the founder was recognized as an Africa 30 Under 30
by Forbes, featured in world-class magazines such as Entrepreneur, and invited to the World Economic
Forum. Another entity, Jibu, which provides cheap bottled water in East Africa by building hyperlocal
franchises (waterpreneurs), has recently raised $10M in investment from Conrad N. Hilton Foundation,
along with collaboration offers from organizations such as the UN, World Bank, and EY, and influencers
such as Matt Damon and Jeff Bezos. Its model was so innovative and impactful that it was been made into
a case study for most major business schools internationally.
Although building a sound brand image is not the primary goal of the endeavor in East Africa, it can
realistically form PakVitae’s international reputation that will bring in new opportunities to collaborate,
innovate, and impact millions more.
Route to Success:
In order to engage Africa effectively, we must engage with Africans intimately. Hence, I have developed
key partnerships with organizations and individuals who will assist PakVitae in narrowing down our
customer base, validating (or rectify) assumptions, testing product prototypes, connecting with key
stakeholders (governments, NGOs, distributors, marketeers, etc.), and establishing an on-ground presence.
Over the course of three months, I will visit 12 cities, 30 villages, 5 refugee camps, and 3 urban slums to
interact with people we aim to serve and the stakeholders who will enable our market entry. In cities, I
have high-level meetings with high ranking government officials such as Governor of Narok County in
Kenya, Mr. Samuel Tunai, and iNGO leadership, such as Head of National Operations of UN in South
Sudan, Mr. Jaffer. These key enablers will pave the path to gaining unrestricted access to communities
across multiple cities. In Nairobi, I will operate out of one of the most renowned technology incubators,
iHub, where I will engage with the top 30 entrepreneurs of East Africa to find future collaborators,
business partners, and innovators. I have recruited 6 interns to assist me on the ground in East Africa, who
speak the local languages, attend the University of Rochester, have deep community relations, and are
committed to changing the lives of their people.

19
Kenya will be at the heart of majority of our efforts in East Africa. In the first week, we will meet with
Governor Tunai and Kenyan business tycoon, Mr. Manu Chandaria to gain a high-level insight into the
opportunities and challenges of working in East Africa. Afterwards, we will begin the first phase of market
research and live in the urban slums of Nairobi for 10 days to experience the behavior of individuals in
the basic survivors category first hand. Based on these, some PakVitae prototypes will be deployed and
tested over a week. A team of videographers will cover the experience and record consumer feedbacks,
insights, and challenges. We intend to identify key customer pain points in this segment, pinpoint the
willingness to pay for water solutions, and take input from users. Before leaving, we will establish a focus
group of users with our community partner in Kibera (largest African slum), Shining Hope for
Communities (SHOFCO), which will test future products remotely and provide feedback on Skype
sessions in the future. Working with SHOFCO will be a key driver of adoption in the community, as the
founder, Kennedey Odede, grew up in Kibera and has risen to international fame for his philanthropic
work. Furthermore, I am in talks with the University of Nairobi to conduct a 100-household Randomized
Control Study to demonstrate the positive health impacts of using our product and superior human-centric
design. This study, if results are positive, can single handedly enable PakVitae to access millions of dollars
of US Aid, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and World Bank grants which may be sufficient to make
PakVitae’s operations in East Africa self-sustainable.
Then, I will move to refugee camps in Northern Uganda with my intern, Emmanuel CK, who himself
grew up in that refugee camp after fleeing the civil war in what is not called South Sudan. His family still
lives there and will host us for 5 days in which we will join the women responsible for handling water to
observe their behavior, mindset, and hardships. We will also perform water tests and meet with officials
from UNHCR to discuss potential avenues of collaboration. Afterwards, we shall deploy more filters and
record consumer feedback for a month remotely with the help of partners in the refugee camp. These
insights will be central to developing products for disaster relief situations.
After Uganda, I will move to Dar es Salam, Tanzania. Here, I shall work with two interns, Liston and
Akram, who have extensive connections and experience working in Tanzania. Islamic Relief and Aga
Khan Development Network also have bases here which can prove to be key enablers here. Liston will be
introducing me to the governors and mayors in the region, along with setting up demos and stalls in
international expos taking place in August. Akram will schedule talks at key mosques in Dar Es Salam
which are frequented by the Muslim community leaders who also control shipping, trading and

20
distribution from the historic port city. These individuals will serve as our guides to help PakVitae navigate
the challenges of engaging with foreign governments, borders, and customs. In the long-run, these organic
partnerships can develop into full-fledge commercial partnerships that can help PakVitae establish a strong
foot-hold in East Africa.
Towards the end of August 2019, I will wrap up the on-ground market research and engage in public
facing activities, such as newspaper and magazine interviews to gain traction in local markets which will
also help foster PakVitae’s international brand image. I am already in talks with mainstream platforms
like Entrepreneur, Forbes, and NPR to publish articles about our work at the appropriate time. This
material can be leveraged for future marketing within Pakistan as well.
Interns:
Claude Mulindi
Kenya
Liston Cosmas
Tanzania
Derrick Murekezi
Rwanda
Emmanuel CK
Uganda
Babaye Yahouza
Niger
Fato Baka Diop
Senegal
Karim Ashrafy
Egypt
Akram lsmail
Tanzania

21
Islamic Relief
Aga Khan Development
Network
AfriLabs FINCA
SPOUTS
Ministry of Health,
Rwanda
Uganda Water Project University of Nairobi
Collaboration Partners:
Proposed Timeline:
26th June
• Touch down in Kenya
1st July
• High level meetings
• Market Research – Sprint 1 Begins
• Filters deployed
15th July
• Sprint 1 Concludes, Sprint 2 Begins
• Weeklong trips to Rwanda & Uganda
30th July
• Filters deployed in Uganda
• Detailed segmentation concludes
• Touch down in Tanzania
15th August
• 100-Household study details finalized
• Market Research- Sprint 2 concludes
Proposed Timeline
30th August
• Focus groups finalized
• Documentary completed
• Project wrapped up

22
Benchmarks of Success:
Hippo Roller—Design Innovation:
Idea: The Hippo water roller is a drum that can be rolled on the ground, making it easier for those without
access to taps to haul larger amounts of water faster.
Problem: Two out of every five people in Africa have no nearby water
facilities and are forced to walk long distances to reach water sources.
Traditional methods of balancing heavy loads of water on the head limit
the amount people can carry and cause long-term spinal injuries. Women
and children usually carry out these time-consuming tasks, missing out
on educational and economic opportunities. In extreme cases, they can
be at increased risks of assault or rape when travelling long distances.
Method: The Hippo roller can be filled with water which is then pushed or pulled using a handle. The
weight of the water is spread evenly so a full drum carries almost five times more than traditional
containers, but weighs in at half the usual 20kg, allowing it to be transported faster. A steel handle has
been designed to allow two pushers for steeper hills. One roller typically serves a household of seven for
five to seven years.
Impact: Around 42,000 Hippo rollers have been sold in 21 African countries and demand exceeds supply.
Costing $125 each, they are distributed through NGOs, and Nelson Mandela has made a "personal appeal"
for supporting for the project, saying it "will positively change the lives of millions of our fellow
South Africans".
Portable Water Pumps—Engineering Innovation:
Idea: Portable irrigation technology helping sub-Saharan smallholder farmers grow crops out of season.
Problem: When it comes to food supply, Africa faces enormous
instability due to unpredictable climate and poor resources. Only 6%
of Africa's cultivated land is irrigated, limiting the volume of crops
that can be grown out of season, but increased access to irrigation
systems stands to increase food productivity by up to 50%.

23
Method: Kick Start, a not-for-profit organization that specializes in irrigation technology, is making
portable water pumps accessible to farming communities across Africa – most significantly in Kenya,
Tanzania and Mali. These cost anything from $35 to $95 but, putting the emphasis on entrepreneurship,
Kick Start are selling the pumps to farmers rather than giving them away.
Impact: Kick Start told The Atlantic that, since 1991, their pumps have lifted 667,000 people out of
poverty, helping to "create an entrepreneurial middle class, starting with the family farm".
Toyola Stoves—Innovative Marketing & Distribution:
Idea: Toyola locally produces and sells cheap ($7-$24) and efficient charcoal-burning cookstoves with
superb customer service.
Problem: Most urban households in Ghana cook on charcoal, using
traditional charcoal stoves made of sheet metal. These stoves are
polluting and inefficient, and the cost of charcoal is a significant
proportion of household income. Most of the wood used to produce the
charcoal comes from unsustainable sources, so charcoal production
contributes to both deforestation and greenhouse gas production.
Method: The Toyola Coalpot stove has an hour-glass-shaped metal body. The charcoal is burned in a
heat-retaining ceramic liner, which has holes to supply air, and let the ash fall down. An adjustable door
in the metal body controls the air flow and therefore the rate of burning. Toyola gives up to two months
credit to its direct customers, and also to its dealers and sales agents who can pass the credit on to their
customers. 75% of customers use credit, 20% pay cash, and a few pay by bartering produce such as
cassava. About one third of credit customers use a ‘Toyola money box’ to reserve their savings on charcoal
and use this money to make their credit payments.
Impact: Thus far, over 500,000 stoves have been sold which have impacted the lives of 2.6 million people
worldwide. The use of these stoves saves about 91,250 tonnes of charcoal each year, which leads to carbon
emission reductions of 515,000 tonnes per year. Due to this massive impact, Toyola has won numerous
awards worldwide.

24
Budget:
Expense Type Expense Amount Notes
Flights $3,500
Reach Nairobi. 2 trips to Uganda, Rwanda,
Tanzania each. Return to Karachi. (1 pax)
Visa & Vaccines $900 4 visas, 6 vaccines from Pakistan
Filters for pilot & demo $4,000 100 units at $40/unit (including tariff + shipping)
Lodging & Accommodation $2,000 2 months stay in lodges + traveling intern (2 pax)
Food $800 Local food (2 pax)
Water Testing $1,000 Samples for studies
Intern Stipend $1,500 3 paid interns; 4 volunteers
Domestic Transport $800 Public transport, busses (2 pax)
Photography & Videography $300 Short documentary and gallery
Total $15,000 June 26th
- August 30th
Detailed RCT Health Study $40,000 100-household study (separate—December 2019)
Conclusion:
PakVitae has established a strong presence in Pakistan, and we are ready to explore new, larger markets
internationally. The summer-long, multi-faceted market research project that is proposed is the result of 3
months of secondary research to verify, substantiate, and engage with the massive opportunity to establish
a footprint in East Africa. Through a network of partners on the ground in Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and
Kenya, I will conduct a detailed market study, narrow down our target customer segment, and test new
products in a completely new environment. This project will follow the spirit of PakVitae’s founders and
stay as lean and efficient as possible without compromising on quality and safety of all those involved.
Through this endeavor, we will open a new door for PakVitae and promote the positive image of Pakistan
abroad.

25
Acknowledgement:
This work was an original idea but could not have been realized without the continuous support and faith
of the managing team and staff at PakVitae. I would like to especially acknowledge Mr. Shayan Sohail
for motivating me to follow my instincts, and Mr. Zunair Khan for challenging me to develop the most
efficient and pragmatic strategies to execute this project.

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