The story of Shambob
Practical Action
consumers in the region (including several government departments and Plan International)
have now accepted the brick standard set by the project. So far, demand outstrips production
capacity.
Increased productivity – reduced drudgery
Incremental improvements in technologies have led to increases in productivity; new methods
are also less exhausting. For example, the introduction of hand carts, produced in partnership
with local manufacturers, was an important factor in increasing productivity and decreasing
effort, as was the new moulding ‘table’. The new kiln, including a permanent structure,
reduced the labour involved in loading the bricks and reduced the amount of firewood
required.
Bridging divides: building confidence and organisational capacity
Co-operative formation and training
After the 1997 baseline survey, Practical
Action suggested options about the form of
the community-based institution which could
be created by the residents of Shambob. The
idea of a co-operative appealed to people as
they thought working together for themselves,
in competition with others, would be
beneficial. Following the survey, they
established Shambob Brick Producers’ Co-
operative (SBPC) and managed to get it
registered the next year; members each
contributed around $20.
Figure 4: Small improvements in the production
The initial capital generated by local
contributions was supplemented by project
hardware, such as this wheelbarrow, make a
significant difference to productivity. Photo:
Practical Action / Mohammed Majzoub
resources enabling SBPC to acquire a piece of
land for brick production. Brick production, a
seasonal activity, requires working capital at the start of the season; a bank loan contributed
to this. The community contributed 25% of the costs of establishing production, whilst
Practical Action secured 75% in the form of a loan to be repaid from the profits of the
commercial activities. Building a collective base gradually enabled people to challenge, and
negotiate with others, who had previously benefited from their labours. Market information
and connections take a long time to establish, but the seeds were sown.
The creation of a co-operative enabled people to aggregate their resources, both financial and
human, and to create the capital necessary to establish productive activities. The Co-
operative also enables members to undertake marketing and to manage the productive
process. The Co-operative Department helped them with registration, management training
and supervision.
Formalisation
Formalisation is a process from which
poor people are often excluded, due to
lack of a voice and lack of information,
knowledge resources, management and
entrepreneurial skills. In order to
support people in building their asset
base, Practical Action engaged in a
range of local and national partnerships.
Particular elements of the project
required external support in the form of
human and financial resources. These
“After some time of collaboration people felt that
working together in one place was a good thing,
rather than at various merchants’ sites, and
gradually came to think that forming a co-operative
would be a good thing. Trying to work together was
perceived as a good idea by some; though Practical
Action paid the same rates of pay as the merchants,
we felt that there were benefits from working
together and productivity increased.”
Adam Yusuf
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