The day finally arrived when the first loo was going to be installed. This turned out to be much more of a challenge than we could ever imagine; finding a time when people are home and ready to receive the toilet was not easy. On the first day we managed to install 2 toilets which was a great achievement considering all the hard work and challenges the team had in the preceding weeks. The first families were very happy to receive the loos. We also realised that we needed a handy man to help with the installation of the toilets.

The first problem we had was that the toilets began to smell after 1 day, we reacted quickly and corrected the chemical in the toilet to reduce the smell. The families appreciated that we are working on as trial and gave us great feedback. By the end of the week we had 14 families, stabilised the issues with smell, most families had used the toilet and had been serviced at least once. Before we handed out the toilets we did a survey on expectations and once the toilets were handed out we did another survey. This gave us great data and helps us prevent unhappy early customers as all our customers were very happy with there new toilets and the service.

When we handed out the toilets we also gave families a “do and don’t” poster along with a “how to use” the families founds this incredibly helpful.

The best part about the start-up was that we had people coming up to us all the time asking if they could sign-up for a toilet. We even had people calling us from other parts of the city asking when we would be starting up in their area. We also got our final delivery of Unilever products so we could provide the families with some great cleaning products for their new toilet service. During the week I also paid a visit to Unilever Ghana, where I met the MD who gave his blessing to the project and some great insights to growing the business.

During the start up week we also had a visit from the KMA Waste Management senior manager who was very impressed with the start up and even suggested areas in Kumasi for the 2^nd phase role out. We also informed the KMA of which families were involved in the trial so that they could do an independent evaluation of the project. The best part of the KMA visit was when a member of the community came up and asked where he could sign up for the service, so all very positive.

At the end of the first week of the trial we had managed to install 14 toilets, solved the issues with smell and had all the equipment for the trial in place (trolley made locally from old pipes). What an accomplishment by the team!!

The time had arrived for me to head home; I had a fantastic time in Kumasi and was happy to leave knowing that the project was in good hands of the project coordinator Asantewa. I felt that during the time setting up the trial The Clean Team was successful because we did everything with a smile and positive attitude. We were all very aware of the sensitivity of sanitation and gave families and people working in the area the greatest of respect. The positive attitude rubbed off onto the families and the people we worked worth. We attracted wonderful people, from our driver to the waste collector; everyone was positive and hard working. Thank you to everyone – lets keep the Clean Team spirit up.