Render unnecessary the purchase and disposal of batteries by people who fish and replace the dim oil lamps used by households unconnected to electricity.
Most of the population living in Atauro rely on the fishing industry for income. Fishing activity takes place in the evening and flashlights are used to help them fish in the dark. At present, batteries for the flashlights need to be changed every few days. Currently, there is no designated or safe place for disposal of the used batteries, causing significant environmental issues.
Render unnecessary the purchase and disposal of batteries by people who fish.
1. The operators of 100 fishing vessels in Bikeli suco;
2. 100 people who fish in the shallows at low tide; and
3. All who benefit from an environment less polluted by battery chemicals.
Fishermen who currently use battery-powered flashlights to perform their work through the provision of d.light S250 solar lanterns.
We have already shown the products to c. 500 fishermen/women. They were very interested. They live close to the NGO base and will be easily reached for marketing.
The S250 was compared with the battery-operated torches and found to provide much more light. A single S250, fully charged, gives a full night of adequate light.
At the meetings with communities (total attendance about 500 people) we asked people how much they spend on batteries. Most torches take 3 batteries. The ABC brand that is most popular costs 50¢ per battery and a set lasts about 3 nights’ full use. Thus the current lamps cost 50¢/day to run for a fishing boat, and the boats go out every night for c.8 months of the year.
The people who fish in the shallows can only do so when the tide is low so they do not get through batteries at the same rate.
It is proposed that the people with boats be the first target market. They should be able to pay at least $10/month and will still be saving money compared to buying batteries. (Note that the torches themselves cost $5-$6 and last only a few months.) We suggest that the price for this sector should be $24, payable in 2 installments: $16 as down payment and $8 one month later.
After this group has been supplied (for which 100 lights are required), the next target group will be the shallows fishermen. For them, a price will be $15 (or $12.50 PLUS a battery operated torch – see above), payable over 3 months.
| Item | Explanation | Unit cost | Quantity | Cost |
| Product | Cost of the technology | 25.85 | 200 | 5,170 |
| Shipping, clearance and local duty | Cost of international shipping | 2,250 | ||
| Wire transfer fee | One transfer to tech provider, one transfer to cover local duty and clearance | 45 | 2 | 90 |
| Paypal/other payment processing fee | 3.3% average based on the average size of project and average donation amount | 3.30% | 286 | |
| Kopernik 10% | In order to cover due diligence cost that Kopernik conducts | 866 | ||
| TOTAL BUDGET | 8,662 |
Fluctuations in currency exchange rates and shipping costs may change the final quantity of technologies shipped for this project.
Marketing and distribution
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