BarEl For Climate Change Adaptation And Low Carbon Housing

Around 70% of people in Malawi live below the international poverty line. The population has grown from five million in 1975 to over 20 million today. This has put huge pressure on all Malawi’s natural resources. The population is predominantly (83%) rural. https://rippleafrica.org/proje...

The whole world, Malawi inclusive, is experiencing  more extreme weather and high-carbon housing.

Malawi is bombarded with extreme climate change conditions like increased droughts, cyclones, severe storms, torrential rains,  heat-waves, hotter temperatures,  rising ocean, and flooding;  and are increasing in frequency and intensity; thereby, increasing the risk of fires, pests and pathogen outbreaks,which negatively affects forestry and food security; hence, increasing the undernourished, loss of species, insufficient food, more health risks; poverty and displacement.

The scale of effects of climate change is huge both locally and globally. 

Millions and millions of people are affected by the problem.

Climate change has imposed large costs on the economy and vulnerable households: Cyclone Freddy and Cyclone Anna and their accompanying heavy rains washed away bridges and roads; destroyed infrastructure, claimed lives of many, rendered many homeless; and destroyed livestock and crops.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=...

https://malawi.un.org/en/17384...

Malawi’s pathway to economic growth is persistently halted by climate shocks, rendering millions trapped in poverty.

According to World Bank Country Climate  Development Report, climate change in Malawi could reduce GDP by 3 - 9 percent in 2030, 6 - 20 percent in 2040, and 8 -16 percent by 2050,  pushing millions and millions of people into poverty. https://openknowledge.worldban...

Factors that contribute to climate change are as follows:

deforestation, environmental degradation, poor agricultural practices, pollution, poor waste management, power generation, manufacturing goods, producing food, transportation, powering buildings, consuming too much, excess production of bricks or cement blocks. 

https://www.iea.org/reports/buildings

Generating power

Electricity generation by burning fossil fuels result in global emissions that blanket the Earth and trap the sun’s heat. 

Manufacturing goods

 Manufacturing industry leads  to greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.

Cutting down forests

 Deforestation,  agriculture and other land use changes, contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions. From 2001 to 2021, Malawi lost 209 kha of tree cover.  https://www.globalforestwatch.... Globally, deforestation is around ten million hectares of forest annually. 

Using transportation

Vehicles, ships, and planes run on fossil fuels, rendering transportation a major contributor of greenhouse gases. 

Producing food

Producing food causes emissions of greenhouse gases through deforestation, clearing of land for agriculture and grazing, digestion livestock, production and use of fertilizers and manure for growing crops; and use of energy to run farm equipment or fishing boats, usually with fossil fuels.

Powering buildings

Residential and commercial buildings emit greenhouse gases through drawing coal, oil, and natural gas for heating and cooling.

Consuming too much

Lifestyles, use of power, food eaten, quantity of waste disposed, consumption of goods such as clothing, electronics, and plastics contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. 

Effects of climate change  beget other social problems in our society like: crime,  juvenile delinquency, drug abuse, abortion, teenage pregnancies, early marriages, alcoholism, poverty, high population,  malnutrition,  education problems, health problems,  unemployment, indecent jobs, corruption,  marriage breakdowns etc.

My team and I believe in positive social change  through sustainable solutions. 

Our solution uses BarEl software, which we developed. It uses database management and Excel.

Our solution automates the entire process.

With the aid of BarEl software, our solution helps to protect and adapt land and coastal areas to more extreme weather, including through climate-smart agriculture or restoring natural ecosystems. 

With the help of BarEl application, our solution will monitor wetlands and vegetation cover through established indicators and satellite images ; and from these images and indicators, decision makers, will make informed decisions on intensifying prevention of bushfires, careless cutting down of trees;  and on ecosystem restoration measures like re-afforestation or revegetation. 

In the same vein, the satellite images  and the indicators will guide governments, interested groups, farmers; or people living in coastal areas on  decision-making and planning processes in relation to restoring wetlands, bamboos, reeds, mangroves, coral reefs and seagrass, which reduce the height and energy of wind and swell waves passing through them; thereby, reducing their ability to erode sediments and cause damage to structures.

https://unric.org/en/mangroves...

https://www.unep.org/news-and-...

https://www.weforum.org/agenda...

Our solution, with the help of BarEl software, empowers, communities on how to do Environmental Social Impact Assessment (ESIA),   enabling them to contribute positively in regard to projects taking place in their areas as far as the environment is concerned. Hence, forests will be protected; thereby, enhancing carbon sequestration as vegetation acts as better carbon sink or carbon pool.

Our solution  empowers communities along coastal areas and other areas, with the help of BarEl software, on how to do effective risk assessment and planning in relation to adaptation and mitigation of climate crisis.

It will reduce significant loss of water through leaks inside buildings and houses. 

It will help to reduce excessive withdrawals of water.

It will  assist in preventing marine pollution by promoting proper waste management. Pollutants kill aquatic plants , which protect coastlines from being eroded during cyclones or heavy rains.

It will assist in managing river basins for more efficient delivery of irrigation services and prevent water logging, erosion and nutrient leaching.

 It will also help in using and transporting water more effectively.

It will assist in  climate forecasting to reduce production risk. 

Climate forecasting or weather forecasting acts as early warning system. This forecasting is done by BarEl software  through forecasting methods  like regression analysis, seasonal index method, historical and moving averages.

With the aid of BarEl software, users will be able to calculate the exact number of cement blocks or bricks required for erecting a building; such that there will be no excess bricks or cement blocks. Excess moulding of bricks or cement blocks means tampering with soil unnecessarily; thereby, releasing green house gases .

All in all, the solution will protect most vulnerable households.

Below is a link to the video of the product demo:

https://youtu.be/99OpYbWKlUM

Our solution serves everyone; in particular, farmers, women, girls, children, youths, everyone, people living along coastal areas, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities and the marginalised.

At present, farmers face acute shortage of water, and this affects their farming activities.

They experience soil erosion because of no vegetation cover.

Their houses, crops and their livestock are destroyed due to heavy rains or stormy weather.

Oftentimes, taps run dry; and girls and women travel long distances to draw water due to scarcity of Water.

People living in coastal areas experience rising oceans and cyclones, which are often accompanied by heavy rains, that cause floods leading to loss of lives and property. 

The solution will address their needs in the following ways:

BarEl software will help farmers reduce or eliminate k loss of water through leakages of their irrigation systems.

With Environment Social Impact Assessment tool in BarEl software, communities and everyone will have a voice when engaging governments or corporations on  projects they bring in their areas.

With BarEl software, everyone will be empowered on how to manage liquid or solid wastes; hence, prevent pollution.

With BarEl software, brick or cement block makers will make the exact number of cement blocks or bricks required; hence, reduction in emission of green house gases, which is beneficial to everyone.

Growing bamboos and using them in construction will significantly help to reduce emission of Green House Gases, which cause global warming. Reduction in emission of Green House Gases, will reverse the negative effects of climate change; hence, everyone will benefit.

Restoring ecosystems by growing seagrass, mangroves, coral reefs, bamboos and reeds will reduce flooding and lessen the impact of the devastating winds because mangroves act as wind-breakers;hence, everyone will benefit.

Generally, halting or reversing the effects of climate change through climate smart agriculture and restoration of the ecosystems will result in reduction of health risks; which will in turn result in socio-economic development and prosperity, better transport system, infrastructure development, better education; and reduction in crimes, juvenile delinquency, teenage pregnancies, population growth rate and poor housing.

Problems our people face, are the problems we have faced ourselves, and are still facing. 

We have an empathy for the trap they are caught in. 

We have a meaningful relationship with groups whose identity or experience are systemically stereotyped, feared, dismissed, or marginalized. 

We have the experience, relationships, data, and knowledge that are essential for developing  measurable, sustainable, high-impact strategies and solutions.

We are a part of our community; and we are meaningfully guided by our community’s input, ideas, needs, perspectives, agendas, and assets.

We ensure our communities participate in planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation through surveys, suggestion boxes, focus groups, interviews, prototype and product review.

We motivate people in  our communities to be change-makers in their lives, families and communities.

We enhance collaborative processes with our communities through communication, coordination and  mutual support. We take advantage of local groups and free events that provide networking opportunities.

We are a team as well as friends who have supported each other in many ways. We come from the very community we are trying to help, enabling us to recognize both the challenges and assets our communities face.

We have the ability to recognize and leverage assets and expertise within our communities we seek to support, that are often overlooked or misunderstood when viewed through a dominant culture lens.

We will create social media groups to learn and capture trends, and for communities to see and understand their own journey. We will use  data to enable other stakeholders, including government and philanthropists to better understand how our communities move out of poverty.

We practise Bricolage. We make with what we have and we make something unique and valued.

We nurture human potential.

We are asset-based in our view of those we wish to help. We view them as people filled with knowledge, skills, ideas, and solutions that if respected and supported, can advance sustainability, impact, and self-determination.

We have the following attributes:

Human Dignity:  we  recognise that all people have unique gifts and assets.

Connection :  intimate knowledge of our communities enable us to find  ways  that might not be as apparent to others who do not have their lived experience.

Community : we  recognize that we are part of a larger group walking together on the same path.  

Agency : we ensure that everyone feels  that they can shape their future, relationships, and environment. 

A Sense of Possibility: We believe that  nothing is impossible.

We  lead, not follow experts in creating solutions to our community’s challenges.

We are not only  supported in creating solutions,  but we are also provided with resources to scale up solutions that are working. 

We are not objects of charity, but drivers of change.

We support people and planet alongside profit. We are far from self-serving. 

We are brave  to create positive social change.  We are passionate and persistent. 

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Currently, our solution serves hundreds of people,  through our client EMD Consulting Engineers.

Funds permitting, we are planning to train  more and more youths, girls, women, people with disabilities, ethnic minorities,  the marginalised and people with low income on how to use BarEl software, this year and next year.

We are applying to Solve because of the following reasons:

• We need financial help for operations. We need funding in the form of grants and investments, including through prizes and Solve Innovation Future.

• We want to join a class of impressive peers that act as a trusted support group, offering inspiration and guidance.

• We want to join a powerful network of impact-minded leaders across industries and sectors, with dedicated spaces to meet year-round and during Solve’s flagship events such as Solve at MIT.  

• We want to access leadership coaching and strategic advice from experts in the Solve and MIT networks. 

• We want to receive monitoring and evaluation support to build an impact measurement practice. 

• We want to gain exposure in the media and at conferences.

• We want to access relevant in-kind resources such as software licenses and legal services from Solve supporters. 

With BarEl software , which we developed, our solution is innovative as follows:

• It is probably the first of its kind that encourages growing bamboos and using them as building materials.
• It promotes effective risk assessments.
• It is a positive improvement.  
• It is feature rich. It is beneficial to users and consumers. It is a more efficient way. It is a better product or  process. It brings improvement. It stands out from the rest and truly makes customers’ lives easier.
• It is something different and unique. It is original and authentic. It is a new method or technique that was not previously available. It is something out of the box. It is a different way of approaching something. It is a different and better way to solve problems: It is a genuinely new way of looking at things that will have an actual, positive impact on people. 
• It is multipurpose. It is a successful change.  
•  It is customizable. 
• It is sustainable: It is self-sustaining. It does not solely rely on donor aid and funding.
• It is socially inclusive.
• It  strives for inclusion in the workplace. 
• It is diversifiable: Different products are offered.  
• Our solution demands a high level of professionalism.
• It can easily be replaced.
• It can be beneficial to a larger group of people. It can be highly scalable so that it can be cascaded to the entire market ecosystem. It is scalable owing to a huge potential market worldwide.
• With it, we can can satisfy needs of people globally.
• It is reactive. It responds actively to social needs and provides answers to problems within a community.
•  It is not theoretical. It is feasible.
• It saves time; thereby, improving productivity. 
• It solves the problem in a cheaper or better manner. It brings about cost reduction. Money is saved because less paper and less labour are used; thereby, enhancing profit margin or surplus.
•  It provides effective solutions to existing problems; thereby, eliminating a certain amount of stress and saving mental sanity. 
• It is a very easy application to use and learn.
• It provides clear cut jobs with authorization. 
• It enhances security and  internal control environment through segregation of duties as a result of multi-logins. 
• It helps to compare and analyse data across  an organization within a specific period and between two or more periods.  
•  It increases quality and accuracy of information.
•  It facilitates integration and collaboration across departments. 
• It achieves centralization of data as well as harmonisation and simplification of disparate information.
• It can be used both online and offline.
• It has a long list of indicators for climate smart agriculture, environment and low carbon housing than any other software. 

• There exists a market for our solution, locally and globally.
• The solution will be highly usable by consumers.
• The solution does not generate new problems that need to be solved before or after the solution is consumed.

The following are our impact goals:

Within a year from the commencement of the project, increase by 20%, better management of water, waste and vegetation. 

Within 5 years from the commencement of the project,  100% of ecosystems are restored  through re-afforestation, growing seagrass, mangroves, coral reefs and reeds. 

Within a year from the commencement of the project,  1000 farmers grow bamboos.

Within a year from the commencement of the project,  5% of houses are built using bamboos.

Within a year from the commencement of the project,  risk identification and assessment on effects of climate change is done.

Within a year from the commencement of the project,  increase forest cover by 20% .

Within a year from the commencement of the project, reduce soil erosion by 20%.

Within a year from the commencement of the project, reduce by 20% floods, natural disasters and effects of climate change.

Within a year from the commencement of the project, improve by 20% agricultural productivity.

 Within a year from the commencement of the project, reduce health risk by 20%.

Within a year from the commencement of the project, increase by 20% sustainable consumption and production pattern.

Within five years from the commencement of the project, reduce by 20%,  water, air and soil pollution.

Within a year from the commencement of the project, increase by 20%,  protection , restoration, conservation and sustainably management of forests, terrestrial ecosystems;  land degradation and biodiversity loss.

We will measure our progress toward our impact goals by:

1. measuring management effectiveness survey questions to get employee feedback and reviews at regular intervals.

2. monitoring and evaluating the theory of change. 

3. comparing results of baseline survey with those of end-line survey.

4. documenting our progress. All our goals, tasks, milestones and deadlines will be recorded. Then with a calendar, we will track our progress by checking off completed tasks and achieved milestones.

5. tracking the units completed.  

6. tracking incremental milestones.  

7. capturing starting and finishing point of a task.

 8. calculating cost ratio  

9. using experience/opinion.

10. taking the following steps: 

a. review the scope of the sroject. 

b.evaluate the project specifications. 

c. analyze the project budget

d: review client satisfaction.

e: review Internal growth and team satisfaction.

11. conducting regular surveys and meetings.

12. calculating the following:

a. cost performance

b. schedule performance

c.cost performance Index

d. schedule performance Index.

e. critical path analysis

f. burn rate

13. using Gantt chart.

14. monitoring and evaluating indicators.

The following are the indicators that will be measured:

a. number of bamboo farms.

b.number of bamboo farmers.

c. number of houses or buildings built using bamboos. 

d. forest area as a percentage of total land area.

e. forest cover under sustainable forest management.

f.net permanent forest loss.

g. percentage of land that is degraded over total land area.

h. mountain Green Cover Index.

i. coverage by protected area of important sites.

j. number and area of ecosystems restored with mangroves, reeds, seagrass and coral reefs.

k.number of adaptation and mitigation plans on climate change.

l. number of effective risk assessments done on climate change.

m. total factor productivity.

n. percentage of agricultural households.

o. percentage of population using safely managed drinking water services.

p.percentage of wastewater safely treated.

q. percentage of bodies of water with ambient water quality.

r. percentage of total water resources used.

s.  percentage of total projects or schemes run and managed by participation of local communities.

t. number of users using BarEl software to calculate the required number of bricks or cement blocks.

u. education indicators like pass rate and enrollment rate.

v.health indicators like mortality rate, disease prevalence and incidence, and number of people accessing safe drinking water.

w. agricultural indicators like domestic food gap, farm income and agricultural productivity.

x. Other socio-economic indicators.

We will use in-house and/or external resources like money and stationery. We will hire enumerators who will collect data for monitoring and evaluation through  questionnaires, surveys, checklists,  Interviews, documentation review, review of applications, finances, memos, minutes observation, focus groups and  case studies. 

Problem

 Extreme weather due to climate change as a consequence of high-carbon housing and emission of Green House Gases.

Context

Builders, farmers, agriculturists, environmentalists, NGOs, engineers, water experts and  governments are engaged in the project because they are agents of change.

Beneficiaries are: women, girls, youths, everyone, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities and the marginalised: 

They are engaged in the project because they will  benefit from it. The expected impacts and benefits of the solution are: 

a  adaptation to lands and coastal areas is achieved.

b.  negative effects of climate change like extreme weather are reversed or reduced.

c. low carbon housing increases.

d. ecosystems are achieved.

e. reduction in effects of climate change.

f. sustainable development goals related to climate are achieved.

g. more sustainable ways in agriculture; thereby, ending hunger  and reducing poverty, vis a vis: economic development and growth.

 GOAL: Adapt land and coastal areas to more extreme weather, including through climate-smart agriculture or restoring natural ecosystems.

Assumptions and risks

• Funds availability.
• Economy is doing fine: no inflation.
• No electricity outages.
• No political interference.
• Attitude of beneficiaries.

Enablers

• Quality of services.
• Right quality and quantity of staff.

Inputs: staff, funds, laptops, i-pads, memory sticks, projector, flash disks, printers, stationery, fuel etc.

 Medium term Expected outcomes: Increased agricultural production and productivity.

Strategy

Promoting climate-smart agriculture and sustainable land and water management.

Outputs

• 3000 participants trained on how to use BarEl software in mitigating land degradation.

Actions and Activities

• Conduct training using BarEl software on how to mitigate land degradation through appropriate farming practices.

Strategy

• Promoting  integrated conservation and utilization of rich agro-biodiversity.
• Promoting research in climate change and meteorology.
• Promoting  scientific research and investigation.
• Strengthening environmental management
• Promoting environmental education, awareness and information sharing among stakeholders

Outputs

• 3000 participants trained on how to use BarEl software in promoting participation in natural resource management  and  conservation agriculture; and in reviewing ESIA reports.

Actions and Activities

• Conduct training using BarEl software on how to promote participation in natural resource management, farm conservation and sustainable utilisation of agro-biodiversity.

Medium term Expected outcomes: Enhanced climate change research and technology development.

Strategy

Enhancing community based natural resource management

Outputs

• 3000 participants trained on how to use BarEl software in climate change research and technology development; and in collection and management of data.

Actions and Activities

• Conduct training using BarEl software on climate change research.
• Conduct training using BarEl software on collecting and managing data.

Output

• 3000 participants trained on how to use BarEl software in environmental education and awareness campaigns.

Actions and Activities

• Conduct training using BarEl software on enhancing community co-management of environment, monitoring green economy or vegetation through remote sensing with aid of satellite and implementing environmental  impact assessments and environmental mitigation and management plans.

Strategy

Strengthening compliance on pollution control and waste management

Output

• 3000 participants trained on how to use BarEl software in  reviewing ESIA reports.

Actions and Activities

• Conduct training workshops using BarEl software on how to review ESIA reports.

The technology that powers our solution is software or app. It uses a software called BarEl, which I developed using database management and Microsoft Excel. Though BarEl software is based on Microsoft Access, it also has a version of Express Edition, which can contain voluminous information. It can also be upgraded to SQL Microsoft Azure, which can enable it to reach many users worldwide through cloud services.

Our approach to incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusivity into our work is as follows:

1.  Employ people of different backgrounds. It is our policy to have the following as our employees: women, youths, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, people from different  racial or tribal backgrounds, people from different homes of origin, people of different religious and economic status. In fact, we have two women in our solution team; namely, Tiwonge Kuyokwa and Mwayi Mbewe. They are both Data Analysts.

2. Help employees to understand how individuals are impacted by unconscious bias, and what actions continue to reinforce biases. We encourage every employee to review, question, and analyze their own personal biases and assumptions.

3.  Respect and embrace other people's experiences and realities. Cultural humility is another way leaders and employees can manage bias and foster more inclusive environments.

4. Identify patterns or trends that may exist where certain groups of employees are underpaid within certain areas of the business; and observe equal pay for equal work.

5. Conduct diversity training that helps employees understand how cultural differences can impact how people work and interact at work. It can cover anything from concepts of time and communication styles to self-identity and dealing with conflict.

6. Promote awareness of, and acknowledge a variety of upcoming religious and cultural holidays. 

7. Make it easy for our colleagues at work to participate in employee resource groups.

8. Ensure that people of different gender, cultural background or age are working together. Diversity in teams positively impacts creativity and innovation.

9. Encourage our colleagues at work to share their feedback to get a better understanding of what is going on under the surface.

10.Assess areas of the business in which discrimination can exist. Determine whether policies promote discrimination in the workplace such as racism or sexism; and then take corrective measures to move towards a more equitable workplace. 

11. Believe in equity and justice.

12.Ensure that our leadership team is diverse by promoting women, people with disabilities, youths and ethnic minorities into leadership positions.

Key Partners  and stakeholders

Government,  environmentalists, hydrologists, local leaders, NGOs, Water User Associations.

Knowledge partners: 

Axel Angeli of Logos! Informatik GmbH (Germany) and Jasper Bhaumick of UMa Soft GmbH( Switzerland).

 Collaborative partners: University of Livingstonia (Malawi) and Youth and Society (Malawi).

Research Partner: Research Software & Systems Engineers Africa.

Business and inclusive partners:

EMD Consulting Engineers,  (Malawi) and  BIZ-LOGIC SOLUTIONS LIMITED (Tanzania).

Member of 50 Experts Alliance 

1. https://www.50experts.com/ 2. https://50experts.com/50experts/shumba

Key Activities

·         Training of users of BarEl software .

·         Provide office services and routine activities for management of the project.

·         Set up monitoring mechanisms and conducting evaluation.

·          Achieve policy dialogue, coordination and knowledge management through advocacy .

·    Promote project results

.   Customer service 

.    Support and participation activities 

Key Resources

• Human – employees, volunteers
• Financial - cash.
• Physical - computers.
• Intellectual - copyright, knowledge and skills.

 Cost Structure

• Classes of business structures:
  • Cost-driven.
  • Fixed costs –  salary, rent, motor vehicle insurance.
  • Variable costs – fuel, allowances.
  • Economies of scale - facilitation allowance 
  • Economies of scope –  labour, utilities and stationery.

• Characteristics of cost structures:

Cost of delivery

·         Marketing.

·         Logistics.

Social Innovation

·      Multipurpose.

.     Employ separate or a combination of these models: One-for-one, Service   subsidization, Awareness & Cause, Environmental, Entrepreneur              support, Organizational support, Low-income client and Fee-for-service.

. Water management

. Soil analysis tool.

Format of the intervention

• Provision of BarEl software.
• Training workshop to use BarEl software.

Value Proposition

• Remote sensing using GPS.
• Price of BarEl software is reasonably low.

·     BarEl is a quality brand, new, convenient, cost-effective, efficient and customizable .

. Cost savings.

. Time savings. 

. Revenue increase.

. Customer satisfaction.

. Vertical scaling.

Revenue streams is

• Grants.
• Training funding.

·         Donations.

·         Asset sales: Revenue from sales of BarEl software.

·          Subscription fee

.         Participation and support funding.

Surplus

        This is how we intend to use the surplus:

·         Community reinvestment: reinvest our surplus into growing our social business.

• Make a donation to a social mission-aligned organization.
• Reach out to more customers, stakeholders and beneficiaries.

Customer Relationships

• Personal assistance e.g. social media, newsletters, forums .
• Dedicated personal assistance.
• Self-service: user manuals.
• Loyalty, personalized service, long-term customers.

Consumer benefits

·         Children educated.

·         Economic opportunity.

.         Environment restored.

.         Environmental           

          degradation halted.

Distribution channels

Types of channels

·         Owned channels:  website, social media, newsletter, online advertising and store front.

·         Partner channels:  marketplaces, partner websites, retail, social media, global awareness raising events, campus and school programs, corporate cause marketing partnerships and referral marketing.

Customer segments

·   Mass market: General public

• Niche market: environmentalists
• Diversify: Government, local leaders, Non-Governmental Organisations.
• Commercial: philanthropic funders, government, local businesses, regulars
• Impact: ethical consumers and social enterprises.

Beneficiaries

• women.
• children.
• girls.
• youths.
• everyone.
• ethnic minorities.
• people with disabilities.
• the marginalised.

Impact measure will be done through the following Indicators: 

1. Forest area as a percentage of total land area.

2.Percentage of land that is degraded over total land area.

3. Percentage of ecosystems restored.

Our plans for becoming financially sustainable are  :

.selling our digital product BarEl software as a service sold per unit. Our customers can access our product through subscription. It is a licensed software. We offer freemiums to our potential customers. It is on Face Book marketplace.We aspire that it should be on other marketplaces like MIT Solve.

. charging a small fee for installation, maintenance, consultancy and training. We are also looking forward for grants or donations from MIT Solve or philanthropists or investors so that we scale our activities.

. charging different prices to different customers. Price discrimination will depend on size, location and type of customer.  Low income earners will be charged low prices. Government and corporate customers will be charged more than individual customers. Prices will also be charged on SaaS. The more features of BarEl software a customer acquires, the higher the price. We will  charge per year  $5 to individual customers with low income and $50 to corporate customers with no or low profits, and $1000 to governments or big corporate customers that are financially able. We will charge maintenance and installation fees.

. ensuring input efficiency by conducting trainings  en-masse and at once; hence,  reducing training cost per unit, resulting in  higher profit margins. 

. scaling through:

a. vertical scaling. We will create partnerships .We will improve our product for small customers before targeting larger customers. We want to build relationships with more global brands to enable larger sales orders. And we will agree on how to share profits .  BarEl software is  multipurpose.

b. horizontal scaling : we will expand our offering to customers in neighbouring countries, then the Sub-Saharan Africa; and then, the whole world.  African market is largely untapped,and BarEl software is currently one of the few players in the space.

In addition, our revenue models that we will or we employ separately or as a combination:

Hiring or Employment, One-for-one model also known as buy-one give-one, Service subsidization, Awareness & Cause, Environmental, Entrepreneur support, Organizational support, Low-income client  and Fee-for-service .

Transaction revenue: One-time sale of BarEl software or our services. 

Recurring revenue: Our customers will pay for access to a product or service in installments; usually, monthly or yearly.

Service revenue: Our customers will pay periodically, and for our expertise. 

Advertisements. We will sell ad space. 

Furthermore, our plans for becoming financially sustainable are through:

. selling consultancy services to government and other customers.

. service contracts to governments.

. raising investment capital.

. diversifying donor base and developing long-term partnerships with donors. We will continue to rely on donations and grants. 

. effectively and efficiently managing financial and physical resources.

. developing new partnerships, boost existing relations with donors, beneficiaries and stakeholders.

Malawi Government is annually spending an average of $12.5 Million on climate programs.

According to Oxfam, global climate finance target is supposed to be $100 billion a year. Therefore,  Total Addressable Market globally is $100 billion.

Some examples of how our plan to achieve financial sustainability has been successful so far are:

• Our organisation has a hybrid structure i.e. it has a traditional approach of generating income through sale of BarEl software and through receiving grants or donations; hence, reduction in reliance on the gen­eros­ity of donors.
• We increase rev­enue through sale of BarEl software or training provided to users of BarEl software. We  achieve this by increasing customer base through promotional activities. Scalability is done through use of internet and entering more markets; including national, regional and global markets. We joined  Face Book and YouTube and we will join  other platforms or marketplaces like MIT Solve to connect buyers to us. 
• The solution is scaled to affect lives of more people living in low and middle income countries; hence, more revenue.

• We have so far created partnerships which are already, bearing fruits. Sales revenues realised or that will be realised from such partnerships  will help to subsidise  costs of the project, and will also be used to fund social programs. We will also be advertising our software called BarEl on partner websites. 
• Below are some of our partners:   

a)    BSL , an IT company of Tanzania with strong links to India, Serosoft,  an IT company of India with branches in USA and Europe, EMD Consulting Engineers of Malawi,  University of Livingstonia in Malawi and NBM Development Bank of Malawi.

b)  https://www.50experts.com/ 

c)  https://50experts.com/50experts/shumba

• We  also had some sales revenue through provision of consultancy services using BarEl software to clients of NBM Development Bank on how to prepare business plans so that they access credit: This business activity has the potential of generating $12.5 million annually in Malawi.
• We  also intensify appealing for more grants or donations to achieve double-digit rev­enue growth.
• We have raised $2000.00 through my monthly pension.
• We incre­men­tally improve our gross and oper­at­ing profit margins through cost minimization.
• We  man­age  work­ing capital through proper cash management and work­ing cap­i­tal account, which can cushion against short-term rev­enue downturns.
•  We effi­ciently invest cap­i­tal in growth projects, while taking into consideration investment appraisal techniques like (ROI, IRR, NPV) and also break-even analy­sis.
•  We steadily build our asset base, which is key to mov­ing for­ward with impact-driven activ­i­ties even when cur­rent dona­tions are down.
• We use low-cost debt in man­age­able amounts as a financ­ing tool.
• We engage with a com­mu­nity of investors who are inter­ested in invest­ing in the mis­sion of social busi­nesses and enter­prises rather than donat­ing.  They can invest with equity or debt, with low­ered expec­ta­tions for returns.  This is a valu­able source of funds for our organisation.
• We appeal to all our stake­hold­ers why our organisation deserves their con­tin­ued finan­cial sup­port.