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236 CHAPTER 10 ■ “Safe Water Saves Lives”

within the willingness of the consumer to pay while at the same time maximiz-
ing “cost recovery” to sustain the program. Too little subsidy would make the
product unaffordable to the target audience, while too much subsidy would un-
necessarily deplete program resources needed for other critical areas such as be-
havior change promotion (see Box 10-3).

Change in Product and Pricing Strategy 2004

Sûr’Eau sales averaged approximately 400,000 units per year from 2000 through
2003. However, the sales trend was flat, and program partners decided to reana-
lyze the price of Sûr’Eau as a potential barrier to use despite earlier willingness
to pay research among target consumers.
PSI, CARE, and the CDC, under the guidance of the Ministry of Energy and
Mines, and with financial and technical support from USAID, embarked on an
eight-month project to increase the purchase and use of Sûr’Eau. The team con-
ducted research that led to a major change in the product, its pricing, and its
packaging. A smaller bottle prototype (150 milliliters versus the original 500
milliliters) was developed and went through two rounds of qualitative accept-
ability testing with consumers. Consumers indicated that the new bottle was
more convenient and more affordable.
After a competitive bidding process, the selected private sector partner im-
ported the customized injection mold from Germany and began production.
The new bottle also required a higher concentration of sodium hypochlorite,

BOX 10-3 Making a Better Life for Her Community

Rahavana is a community-based sales agent in Madagascar associated with
a faith-based organization called SALFA, in the commune of Shambavy. She
received five days of training on key health issues and on the promotion of
health products and healthier behaviors. She also received a starter stock of
PSI’s social marketed products: 5 bottles of Sûr’Eau, 5 insecticide-treated
mosquito nets, 10 packets of birth control pills, and 48 condoms, all of
which could be replenished at a subsidized price. Four weeks after she
returned to her village, she had made a profit of more than 90,000 Aviary
(US$50) for her family. This amount of money is a substantial addition to her
family’s income and provides motivation for her to work on improving the
health of those in her community.