Drew, Ilona

English

University of New Hampshire

University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository
UNH International Educator Newsletter Global Education Center
Spring 4-1-2017
Spring 2017, Affordable Drinking Water in
Emerging Markets: Student Field Research in
Rwanda
Ilona Drew
University of New Hampshire, Durham
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/international_news
This News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Global Education Center at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It
has been accepted for inclusion in UNH International Educator Newsletter by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars'
Repository. For more information, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.
Recommended Citation
Drew, Ilona, "Spring 2017, Affordable Drinking Water in Emerging Markets: Student Field Research in Rwanda" (2017). International
Educator: the Newsletter of the UNH Global Engagement. 235.
https://scholars.unh.edu/international_news/235
9/24/2018 Affordable Drinking Water in Emerging Markets: Student Field Research in Rwanda | UNH Global
https://www.unh.edu/global/affordable-drinking-water-emerging-markets-student-field-research-rwanda 1/6
UNH Global
A ordable Drinking Water in Emerging Markets:
Student Field Research in Rwanda
Ilona Drew (MPP '18)
Friday, March 17, 2017
During J-Term, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Africa to visit the Rwanda headquarters of
Jibu, an East African company that provides clean water and entrepreneurial opportunities in
Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda.  I am currently in my second semester of a Master’s in Public Policy
program at the University of New Hampshire. Last fall I participated in a conference organized by the
Center for Social Innovation and Enterprise’s Social Sector Franchise Initiative, which assists the
growing social sector franchise field. Social sector franchising uses the franchise model to reach
thousands of customers through a methodology not unlike a fast food or hotel franchise. Jibu,
founded by father-son social entrepreneurs, is a financially sustainable franchise business
committed to creating economic and entrepreneurial opportunity and increasing access to radically,
a ordable clean drinking water in emerging markets.
So, when the possibility arose to visit Jibu’s operations in Africa and see what they were doing first
hand, I was ecstatic. I applied for, and was granted, a position as an Action Student Research
Assistant to complete a week of field research, as part of the Social Sector Franchise Initiative’s
Living Case Study Accelerator. I packed up my clothes, notebooks, audio and video recording
equipment, and a little bit of courage, and boarded a plane to head to Africa for the very first time!
I landed in Kigali, Rwanda around 8:00pm local time a er 3 connections and 20 hours of travel. I got
through customs, took the shuttle to my hotel, checked in, ate some rice, and zipped myself into my
mosquito-net tent-bed for my first night halfway across the world.
9/24/2018 Affordable Drinking Water in Emerging Markets: Student Field Research in Rwanda | UNH Global
https://www.unh.edu/global/affordable-drinking-water-emerging-markets-student-field-research-rwanda 2/6
Jane (l.), Jibu Rwanda’s administrative assistant and
my guide, Ilona on right
My eyes opened the next day, and I sprung out
of bed like a kid on Christmas morning, running
to the windows to see where on earth I had
landed. From my hotel room on the 10th floor, I
could see pedestrians, storefronts, dusty red
streets, buildings, colorful roofs, and a
hodgepodge of unfamiliar architecture. I could
see the hazy hills with scattered buildings, lakes
and farmland. To call it beautiful would be an
understatement!
I ate a quick but delicious breakfast at my hotel,
and headed downstairs to meet my host, Jane.
Jane (or Cyuzuzo, to her family) is Jibu
Rwanda’s administrative assistant. Twenty-one
years old, fluent in four languages (English, French, Kinyarwanda, and Swahili), and studying
Business Management at Mount Kenya University, Jane arranged all my visits, showed me the city,
advocated for and translated my interviews, constantly made sure I was comfortable, and became a
great friend throughout my trip.
That first morning, she walked me down the hill to the Jibu corporate o ice. In this clean, bright
space, I met the Kigali team: Galen, the CEO, who was visiting from his normal home-base in
Kampala; Nathan, Rwanda Country Director; Sosthene, Lead Accountant; Innocent, Accountant;
Matt, Chief Technician; Bruno, Technician; Fiacre, Technician; Anastase, Technician; and Claude,
Inventory Manager. Together, this team is responsible for the operations and organization of all of
Kigali’s 24 franchise locations and roughly 80 microfranchisees. These tiny businesses operate water
purification machines and bottle clean water in Jibu’s patented bottles. Microfranchisees sell water,
more or less door to door, o en outfitted with a special bicycle or motorbike that can hold two large
bottles at a time.  Clean water sold at a very low price, displaces the need to boil water on charcoal
fires, which fill homes with smoke and soot using trees felled from local forests.  In the three
countries where Jibu operates, they have created 150 new businesses and more than 500 jobs and
sold more than 15 million liters of water.
9/24/2018 Affordable Drinking Water in Emerging Markets: Student Field Research in Rwanda | UNH Global
https://www.unh.edu/global/affordable-drinking-water-emerging-markets-student-field-research-rwanda 3/6
Ilona (r.) interviewing Charles (l.), one of the first Jibu
water franchisees in Rwanda
With Jane’s expert coordination, we planned our first day of visiting Jibu’s franchise locations and
meeting the owners, managers, technicians, and customers that make Jibu what it is. Through a
combination of crowded city buses and nerve-wracking boda-boda (Kigali’s motorcycle taxis!)
excursions, we set o  to explore the city and meet the Jibu franchisees.
Our first stop was to visit Charles at the district
of Kimironko 1, one of Jibu Rwanda’s first
franchise owners. At any given franchise, you’ll
find an owner, a store manager, one or two
front desk attendants, and a team of on-site
technicians. The store manager, Daniel in this
case, coordinates the sta  and the
microfranchisees and is responsible for the day-
to-day operations at the franchise. The front
desk attendants interact directly with
customers, taking orders and payment, and
basic accounting measures. The technician sta 
is responsible for receiving used water
containers, cleaning and sterilizing them,
running the water purification system, and
refilling the bottles.
A er interviewing Charles and Daniel, we
boarded another bus to head north to Kibagabaga, Jibu Rwanda’s newest franchise location. On the
way, I got to know Jane a little better, and she told me more about Jibu and how much she enjoyed
working for them. One of the most striking things about my visit was how genuinely enthusiastic and
open everyone was about working for such an innovative company like Jibu. When Jane spoke, wide
eyed, about some of Jibu’s community outreach e orts, her passion and appreciation for the work
that Jibu was doing was contagious and inspiring.
At Kibagabaga, we met Jackson, the franchise owner. This brand-new location is a perfect example
of why Jibu is so successful. Jackson, with a background in hospitality, started o  as a
microfranchisee, and quickly joined the ranks of the top performers in Kigali. Recognizing his drive
9/24/2018 Affordable Drinking Water in Emerging Markets: Student Field Research in Rwanda | UNH Global
https://www.unh.edu/global/affordable-drinking-water-emerging-markets-student-field-research-rwanda 4/6
Beliz, who joined the Jibu team through Spring Girls
and success Jibu gave Jackson his own franchise shortly before my visit. Now he will have
microfranchisees selling water for him. In our interview, Jackson said that he wishes to work with
Jibu for all of his life.
At the same store, I met Beliz, a young girl
whose life has changed dramatically from her
relationship with Jibu. Beliz joined Jibu through
Spring Girls, a program where adolescent girls
are given basic business-skills training and
empowered as entrepreneurs. Through this
program, she built her own microfranchise, and
then had the opportunity to become store
manager for Jackson as he opened his franchise
location. She spoke of her excitement as she
could finally start saving some money, and
looked forward to soon getting her own
apartment and paying her own rent.
Over the course of the week, I heard many similar stories—of people whose lives had been
dramatically changed for the better because of their relationships with Jibu. Every customer I met
with discussed the real, logistical and financial benefits to using Jibu. Previously, they walked
whatever the distance was to the water source, carried it home, and had to purify it (which required
purchasing charcoal, starting a fire, waiting for the water to boil—and then waiting for the water to
cool enough to drink). If you were thirsty, this process could take hours, not to mention that the
water still wasn’t necessarily clear and fully purified. With Jibu, Kigali residents simply have to walk
to a conveniently located franchise, and purchase a refill for less than the cost of the charcoal they
used to use to purify the water.
Overall, my visit to Rwanda was amazing, informative, and eye-opening. It was inspiring to see Jibu
using the franchise model to truly transform lives. With every interview, I learned more about the
real, quantifiable impact Jibu was having on the lives of the people in Kigali. And, during a quick trip
to a national park, I even got to meet some hippos!
9/24/2018 Affordable Drinking Water in Emerging Markets: Student Field Research in Rwanda | UNH Global
https://www.unh.edu/global/affordable-drinking-water-emerging-markets-student-field-research-rwanda 5/6
A panoramic view of Kigali, the capital of Rwanda
 
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Spring 2017, Affordable Drinking Water in Emerging Markets: Student Field Research in Rwanda

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University of New HampshireUniversity of New Hampshire Scholars' RepositoryUNH International Educator Newsletter Global Education CenterSpring 4-1-2017Spring 2017, Affordable Drinking Water inEmerging Markets: Student Field Research inRwandaIlona DrewUniversity of New Hampshire, DurhamFollow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/international_newsThis News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Global Education Center at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. Ithas been accepted for inclusion in UNH International Educator Newsletter by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars'Repository. For more information, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.Recommended CitationDrew, Ilona, "Spring 2017, Affordable Drinking Water in Emerging Markets: Student Field Research in Rwanda" (2017). InternationalEducator: the Newsletter of the UNH Global Engagement. 235.https://scholars.unh.edu/international_news/2359/24/2018 Affordable Drinking Water in Emerging Markets: Student Field Research in Rwanda | UNH Globalhttps://www.unh.edu/global/affordable-drinking-water-emerging-markets-student-field-research-rwanda 1/6UNH GlobalA ordable Drinking Water in Emerging Markets:Student Field Research in RwandaIlona Drew (MPP '18)Friday, March 17, 2017During J-Term, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Africa to visit the Rwanda headquarters ofJibu, an East African company that provides clean water and entrepreneurial opportunities inUganda, Kenya and Rwanda.  I am currently in my second semester of a Master’s in Public Policyprogram at the University of New Hampshire. Last fall I participated in a conference organized by theCenter for Social Innovation and Enterprise’s Social Sector Franchise Initiative, which assists thegrowing social sector franchise field. Social sector franchising uses the franchise model to reachthousands of customers through a methodology not unlike a fast food or hotel franchise. Jibu,founded by father-son social entrepreneurs, is a financially sustainable franchise businesscommitted to creating economic and entrepreneurial opportunity and increasing access to radically,a ordable clean drinking water in emerging markets.So, when the possibility arose to visit Jibu’s operations in Africa and see what they were doing firsthand, I was ecstatic. I applied for, and was granted, a position as an Action Student ResearchAssistant to complete a week of field research, as part of the Social Sector Franchise Initiative’sLiving Case Study Accelerator. I packed up my clothes, notebooks, audio and video recordingequipment, and a little bit of courage, and boarded a plane to head to Africa for the very first time!I landed in Kigali, Rwanda around 8:00pm local time a er 3 connections and 20 hours of travel. I gotthrough customs, took the shuttle to my hotel, checked in, ate some rice, and zipped myself into mymosquito-net tent-bed for my first night halfway across the world.9/24/2018 Affordable Drinking Water in Emerging Markets: Student Field Research in Rwanda | UNH Globalhttps://www.unh.edu/global/affordable-drinking-water-emerging-markets-student-field-research-rwanda 2/6Jane (l.), Jibu Rwanda’s administrative assistant andmy guide, Ilona on rightMy eyes opened the next day, and I sprung outof bed like a kid on Christmas morning, runningto the windows to see where on earth I hadlanded. From my hotel room on the 10th floor, Icould see pedestrians, storefronts, dusty redstreets, buildings, colorful roofs, and ahodgepodge of unfamiliar architecture. I couldsee the hazy hills with scattered buildings, lakesand farmland. To call it beautiful would be anunderstatement!I ate a quick but delicious breakfast at my hotel,and headed downstairs to meet my host, Jane.Jane (or Cyuzuzo, to her family) is JibuRwanda’s administrative assistant. Twenty-oneyears old, fluent in four languages (English, French, Kinyarwanda, and Swahili), and studyingBusiness Management at Mount Kenya University, Jane arranged all my visits, showed me the city,advocated for and translated my interviews, constantly made sure I was comfortable, and became agreat friend throughout my trip.That first morning, she walked me down the hill to the Jibu corporate o ice. In this clean, brightspace, I met the Kigali team: Galen, the CEO, who was visiting from his normal home-base inKampala; Nathan, Rwanda Country Director; Sosthene, Lead Accountant; Innocent, Accountant;Matt, Chief Technician; Bruno, Technician; Fiacre, Technician; Anastase, Technician; and Claude,Inventory Manager. Together, this team is responsible for the operations and organization of all ofKigali’s 24 franchise locations and roughly 80 microfranchisees. These tiny businesses operate waterpurification machines and bottle clean water in Jibu’s patented bottles. Microfranchisees sell water,more or less door to door, o en outfitted with a special bicycle or motorbike that can hold two largebottles at a time.  Clean water sold at a very low price, displaces the need to boil water on charcoalfires, which fill homes with smoke and soot using trees felled from local forests.  In the threecountries where Jibu operates, they have created 150 new businesses and more than 500 jobs andsold more than 15 million liters of water.9/24/2018 Affordable Drinking Water in Emerging Markets: Student Field Research in Rwanda | UNH Globalhttps://www.unh.edu/global/affordable-drinking-water-emerging-markets-student-field-research-rwanda 3/6Ilona (r.) interviewing Charles (l.), one of the first Jibuwater franchisees in RwandaWith Jane’s expert coordination, we planned our first day of visiting Jibu’s franchise locations andmeeting the owners, managers, technicians, and customers that make Jibu what it is. Through acombination of crowded city buses and nerve-wracking boda-boda (Kigali’s motorcycle taxis!)excursions, we set o  to explore the city and meet the Jibu franchisees.Our first stop was to visit Charles at the districtof Kimironko 1, one of Jibu Rwanda’s firstfranchise owners. At any given franchise, you’llfind an owner, a store manager, one or twofront desk attendants, and a team of on-sitetechnicians. The store manager, Daniel in thiscase, coordinates the sta  and themicrofranchisees and is responsible for the day-to-day operations at the franchise. The frontdesk attendants interact directly withcustomers, taking orders and payment, andbasic accounting measures. The technician sta is responsible for receiving used watercontainers, cleaning and sterilizing them,running the water purification system, andrefilling the bottles.A er interviewing Charles and Daniel, weboarded another bus to head north to Kibagabaga, Jibu Rwanda’s newest franchise location. On theway, I got to know Jane a little better, and she told me more about Jibu and how much she enjoyedworking for them. One of the most striking things about my visit was how genuinely enthusiastic andopen everyone was about working for such an innovative company like Jibu. When Jane spoke, wideeyed, about some of Jibu’s community outreach e orts, her passion and appreciation for the workthat Jibu was doing was contagious and inspiring.At Kibagabaga, we met Jackson, the franchise owner. This brand-new location is a perfect exampleof why Jibu is so successful. Jackson, with a background in hospitality, started o  as amicrofranchisee, and quickly joined the ranks of the top performers in Kigali. Recognizing his drive9/24/2018 Affordable Drinking Water in Emerging Markets: Student Field Research in Rwanda | UNH Globalhttps://www.unh.edu/global/affordable-drinking-water-emerging-markets-student-field-research-rwanda 4/6Beliz, who joined the Jibu team through Spring Girlsand success Jibu gave Jackson his own franchise shortly before my visit. Now he will havemicrofranchisees selling water for him. In our interview, Jackson said that he wishes to work withJibu for all of his life.At the same store, I met Beliz, a young girlwhose life has changed dramatically from herrelationship with Jibu. Beliz joined Jibu throughSpring Girls, a program where adolescent girlsare given basic business-skills training andempowered as entrepreneurs. Through thisprogram, she built her own microfranchise, andthen had the opportunity to become storemanager for Jackson as he opened his franchiselocation. She spoke of her excitement as shecould finally start saving some money, andlooked forward to soon getting her ownapartment and paying her own rent.Over the course of the week, I heard many similar stories—of people whose lives had beendramatically changed for the better because of their relationships with Jibu. Every customer I metwith discussed the real, logistical and financial benefits to using Jibu. Previously, they walkedwhatever the distance was to the water source, carried it home, and had to purify it (which requiredpurchasing charcoal, starting a fire, waiting for the water to boil—and then waiting for the water tocool enough to drink). If you were thirsty, this process could take hours, not to mention that thewater still wasn’t necessarily clear and fully purified. With Jibu, Kigali residents simply have to walkto a conveniently located franchise, and purchase a refill for less than the cost of the charcoal theyused to use to purify the water.Overall, my visit to Rwanda was amazing, informative, and eye-opening. It was inspiring to see Jibuusing the franchise model to truly transform lives. With every interview, I learned more about thereal, quantifiable impact Jibu was having on the lives of the people in Kigali. And, during a quick tripto a national park, I even got to meet some hippos!9/24/2018 Affordable Drinking Water in Emerging Markets: Student Field Research in Rwanda | UNH Globalhttps://www.unh.edu/global/affordable-drinking-water-emerging-markets-student-field-research-rwanda 5/6A panoramic view of Kigali, the capital of Rwanda News & Events (/global/news-and-events)News (/global/news)A ordable Drinking Water in Emerging Markets: Student Field Research in Rwanda (/global/a ordable-drinking-water-emerging-markets-student-field-research-rwanda)Calendar of Events (http://calendar.unh.edu)Events Around the Seacoast Area (/global/events-around-seacoast-area)Buddies Without Borders (/global/buddies-without-borders)NH International Seminar (/global/nh-international-seminar)Newsletter - UNH International Educator (/global/unh-international-educator)Social Media (/global/social-media)OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS & SCHOLARS  Conant Hall 315 10 Library Way, Durham, NH 03824  603.862.1288  oiss@unh.edu (mailto:oiss@unh.edu)  (https://www.facebook.com/UNHOISS)     (https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=7499513&trk=anet_ug_hm)EDUCATION ABROAD / GLOBAL INITIATIVES 9/24/2018 Affordable Drinking Water in Emerging Markets: Student Field Research in Rwanda | UNH Globalhttps://www.unh.edu/global/affordable-drinking-water-emerging-markets-student-field-research-rwanda 6/6  Conant Hall 310 10 Library Way, Durham, NH 03824  603.862.2398  study.abroad@unh.edu (mailto:study.abroad@unh.edu)  (https://twitter.com/UNHAbroad)      (https://www.instagram.com/unhabroad/)    (https://www.snapchat.com/add/unhabroad)       (https://www.facebook.com/UNHAbroad/)     (http://www.youtube.com/UNHCIE223)       (http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=3405325)       (https://www.pinterest.com/unhcie/)CONTACT/EMERGENCY (/GLOBAL/CONTACT-US)  FAQS (/GLOBAL/FAQS)  DONATE (HTTPS://SECURELB.IMODULES.COM/S/1518/GIVING/FORM.ASPX?SID=1518&GID=2&PGID=1026&CID=2015&DIDS=165.73&SORT=1)UNH.EDU (HTTP://UNH.EDU)Copyright © 2018  •  TTY Users: 7-1-1 or 800-735-2964 (Relay NH) USNH Privacy Policies (http://www.usnh.edu/legal/privacy.shtml)  •  USNH Terms of Use (http://www.usnh.edu/legal/tou.shtml)  •  ADAAcknowledgement (http://www.unh.edu/about/ada.html)

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