Year of publication: 2008

BiD Consult and Aidenvironment (2008) Appropriate technology for water and sanitation: a business development toolkit. Amsterdam, AT@Work. 137 p.
Download here (complete toolkit, abridged version or individual sections).

This toolkit explains the principles of doing business in poverty-stricken areas, offers a step-by-step business development approach and provides practical tools, tips and background information. The toolkit is based on the experience of entrepreneurs in the water and sanitation sector in India, but is equally applicable to markets in other countries.

Water and sanitation problems are concentrated in areas where people live in extreme poverty, on less than $1 a day. At a recent UN meeting in New York, the Dutch Crown Prince Willem Alexander called water and sanitation the ‘missing pieces’ in the puzzle of poverty reduction. Many smart solutions are invented, but how can the consumer be reached in these extremely poor areas?

Four Dutch entrepreneurs took up the challenge and launched their products on the Indian market. Their successes and failures provided the input for this toolkit, which was sponsored by Partners for Water.

Tags: sanitation, south asia, water supply