Third Tech TEAM 11: CAMERON WEINERT, PHUOC VAN, SAMANTHA KROUSE, SARAH GARCIA, STEPHEN WHITE

Product – The Recycled Roof The recycled roof is designed for use in developing countries that are situated in tropical climates. Utilization of plastic bottles allows for protection from the elements, while allowing the circulation of air throughout the buildings, thus providing relief for those often without AC

Market Analysis – Senegal, Africa REGION/ COUNTRY POPULATIONGDP GROWTHPOVERTYLABOR West Africa 290 Million Included 16 countries 5.8 Percent GDP of 5.89 annually over the past 10 years 50 Percent Half of West Africa live on less than $1.25 per day 60 Percent Agricultural employs 60% of labor, accounts for 35% GDP Senegal Million 3.5 Percent Annual GDP growth 46.7 Percent People living below national poverty line 57 Percent Agriculture employs 57% of labor. Most houses are built with mud bricks with thatched roofs. Some houses are built of discarded medals and woods. With the lack of “improved” technologies like electricity, plumbing and piped water systems, and an agriculture-based economy, there are not a lot of modern material available for them construct their homes. Therefore, they are more susceptible to a new and inexpensive way to build their roof.

Social/Political/Economic Analysis A relatively stable, multiparty, and competitive democracy in comparison to other Sub-Saharan states Their economy still depends heavily on foreign assistance, which represents 32% of their overall government spending The Senegalese may be open to United States assistance (in the form of our microloan program) without heavy trade barriers. The amount of raw recyclable plastic materials present in Senegal is currently high(2006 Really Rubbish Campaign) Obtaining these necessary plastics should prove to be relatively easy, as trash and other recyclables are known to pile up along city streets as well as in rural communities. Poverty and unemployment is still widespread, especially outside Dakar’s city limits with subsistence agriculture and small, debt ridden businesses being the most common occupations. Our microloan programs are designed to create a way for families to raise themselves out of cyclical debt and create an income in the future. Many European businesses and non-profits have successfully created their own microloan programs in Senegal previously, although none have been in the attempt to produce recycled plastic roofing.

Pricing Strategy Microfinancing Microfinance is also the idea that low-income individuals are capable of lifting themselves out of poverty if given access to financial service "We have observed that when the most underprivileged people have access to credit, the livelihood improves instantly", Madina Assouman, from the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) in Dakar These financial services involve loaning small amounts of money to people in need to get their business started Average loan in Africa is $323 (visionfund.org) Roofs and Income Families can create roof building companies that not only supplies income to themselves, but also offers jobs for other people in the community Unemployment rate is 48% (cia.gov) Due to the large amounts of trash in the cities, there are no expenses needed to buy the plastic water bottles the Mbeubeuss landfill that more than 1,300 tons of garbage per day (idrc.ca) This allows the product to be sold substantially less and still have a good profit earned More profit allows more workers to be hired, which increases the money flow in the city.

Implementation Go into the cities and slum regions of Senegal and show the locals the product Build roofs on site to demonstrate the simplicity of the technology and how easy it is to gather resources Teach the locals about running a business and explaining options on how to sell the product Returns are planned to be small with individual loans because our main purpose is to get the poverty level down and income increasing in the community.

Third Tech TEAM 11: CAMERON WEINERT, PHUOC VAN, SAMANTHA KROUSE, SARAH GARCIA, STEPHEN WHITE