SOIL Embraces Mobile Banking for Sanitation Service Payments
For a small monthly fee SOIL’s growing social business, EkoLakay, provides over 1,000 households in Haiti with ecological sanitation (EcoSan) toilets and waste treatment services. And, until recently, that meant that we visited all 1,000+ homes on the EkoLakay service every single month to collect their monthly service fee. As you can imagine, this door-to-door payment collection effort was time consuming and costly for SOIL and often inconvenient for clients.
We are therefore delighted to announce that SOIL’s EkoLakay team has introduced mobile payments into the EkoLakay service. Using MonCash, the mobile banking platform offered by Haiti’s largest mobile phone provide, Digicel, SOIL’s EkoLakay clients now have an easier way to make their monthly payment. Mobile payments help to increase the efficiency of our payment collection process, thereby reducing the costs of providing the EkoLakay service.
In addition to increasing efficiency, using mobile payments gives our clients an increased feeling of confidence and security. They no longer have to keep cash at home to pay their EkoLakay bill, and MonCash also allows our clients to pay their monthly bill on their own schedule.
The SOIL team is excited to be implementing this new payment method, but most importantly, our clients are excited too! We checked in with two clients to hear their thoughts on the new MonCash payment system. Check out our short interviews with Maurency and Maguy below:
Interview with Maurency Wood Marc:
- Why did you choose to become an EkoLakay client?
Because before I didn’t have access to a toilet - What do you like about the EkoLakay toilet?
I like this toilet because it’s more efficient, doesn’t have a bad smell, and everyone is capable of using it. - Why do you like using MonCash?
Because it’s faster, easier, and provides more security. - What are some of the positive aspects of MonCash payments?
I feel this is a safer way to make my monthly payment. - How do you feel about using mobile payments?
I prefer paying with my phone. This way I can pay whenever it is best for me during the month, as long as I put money on my MonCash account.
Interview with Maguy Michel:
- Why did you choose to become an EkoLakay client?
Because I was using a shared latrine before. - What do you like about the EkoLakay toilet?
The moment you sit on it, you feel good. It doesn’t make you sick and even if the toilet is in your bedroom, it doesn’t smell and it’s a very comfortable toilet. - Why do you like using MonCash?
Because it gives you more security and you don’t have to wait for the payment collector to come. You can pay whenever you want. - What are some of the positive aspects of MonCash payments?
You don’t have to wait for the payment collector. When you wait for the collector, there is a high risk of spending the money you saved especially for EkoLakay and then you don’t have money anymore when the collector comes. This is why I like using mobile payments. - How do you feel about using mobile payments?
I feel good. It seems like EkoLakay is starting to operate more like a business, because the other service bills I have to pay, like EDH [the Haitian electricity utility], always require the clients to go and make their payments.
As our EkoLakay service continues to grow, we’re excited to be rolling out mobile banking services to all our clients – keeping our costs low and improving the service for our customers.
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