EarthEnable is a Rwanda-based social enterprise bringing clean and affordable earthen floors to the world’s poorest families. The company is poised to scale from hundreds to thousands of customers in 2019 and needs to ensure consistent quality across each floor.
Team Gukomeza (“to make strong”) is developing an affordable spray method to spread varnish evenly. The varnish is the most important part of the floor since it is the driver of floor strength and durability and accounts for 45% of raw material costs. Currently, EarthEnable’s masons spread varnish on a floor using a squeegee and a paintbrush. This process is non-ergonomic and difficult to do well even for the best masons. Unvarnished areas are then susceptible to water damage, leading to health risks for homeowners and costly repairs for EarthEnable.
The Gukomeza sprayer makes varnishing a floor easy using a locally sourced water bottle, a hand pump spray system, and a customized nozzle to efficiently, evenly, and ergonomically spread varnish, ensuring each EarthEnable floor is strong.
Please connect with us at pcraft@stanford.edu or oreyesbe@stanford.edu.
Gukomeza
