User:DavidEarthEnable/sandbox

EarthEnable is a social enterprise currently operating in Rwanda and Uganda with a focus on providing affordable flooring to the over 70% of Rwandans and Ugandans that have dirt floors. It also plans to eventually expand its operations worldwide to reach the billions of people globally who live in homes with dirt floors. Research conducted by the World Bank on the health impact of dirt floors has shown them to be a primary cause of a number of short-term health issues including diarrhea and parasitic infections, as well as longer term health complications such as anemia, malnutrition, and/or poor cognitive development.

As most poor families cannot afford concrete floors, EarthEnable has innovated on earthen floor construction to provide an affordable solution. Using locally available soils and a proprietary oil varnish that is locally produced, EarthEnable is able to replace unsanitary dirt floors with sealed and waterproof earthen floors that can be washed and used to create a healthy home environment for all.

History
EarthEnable started with a dream to improve health through simple and affordable solutions. Traveling to Rwanda with the Stanford class “Entrepreneurial Design for Extreme Affordability”, in 2013, four Stanford students were tasked with designing a product or a service that would make homes or communities healthier. They first sought to understand how suboptimal homes affected physical and emotional health outcomes and were shocked to discover the significant health problems that dirt floors cause. Eliminating a dirt floor from the home results in dramatic reductions in childhood asthma, diarrhea (49% reduction), malnutrition, and parasitic infestations (78% reduction). Additionally, concrete floors rely on an energy-intensive cement production and delivery process that contributes to 5% of total global carbon emissions.

To address this issue, EarthEnable developed earthen floors, in which locally sourced sand, clay and other natural materials are the primary construction materials. These floors are far more accessible to many poor families because they are 70% cheaper than concrete floors, they are also more environmentally friendly, as earthen floors have 80% less embedded energy than concrete. Furthermore, the company uses exclusively natural materials and green building techniques that reduce the carbon footprint, and the floors are waterproof and durable, contributing to a reduced operational energy use. A large part of the company’s impact is owed to its business model, whereby EarthEnable trains local masons to install an earthen floor. These masons in effect become “micro-franchisees,” in that once they are trained, they take ownership of the floor installation process and can generate income that would help them meet their household needs. EarthEnable currently employs over 500 people in Rwanda and Uganda, the majority of whom are masons who were previously unemployed or underemployed. The enterprise also hires and trains for many other full-time positions. Currently, there are more than 180 full-time employees.

Expansion & Growth
EarthEnable started official operations in Rwanda in April 2014 and in Uganda in August 2017, and it has grown considerably since its launch. The company won the Postcode Lottery Green Challenge in 2017 and has also been featured in a number of magazines and podcasts including National Geographic. EarthEnable has also appeared on Share America's list of inspiring start ups.

For the first two years EarthEnable built floors in Bugesera District (Rwanda) and in 2017, the company began an aggressive expansion, reaching a total of 13 districts in Rwanda and 3 district in Uganda to date. EarthEnable has built over 5500 floors since its inception and the enterprise plans to reach several more districts and build floors for 10 million individuals by 2025. The expansion plan is to franchise its business model so that franchisees with existing rural delivery networks will roll out the EarthEnable product and business model in a new geography. EarthEnable’s impact and expansion has been the result of its strong partnerships with several organizations including (but not limited to) the Government of Rwanda, Mulago Foundation , Stichting Dioraphte, CRI Foundation , Godley Family Foundation , Autodesk Foundation and many others.