SOIL’s New Sales Agents Talk Clients, Compost and Community
Sanite (left) and Anderson (right), SOIL's two newest team members!
In June, SOIL welcomed two new team members: Anderson, a Customer Service Agent (AJK), and Sanite, a Mobile Payment Agent (APM). When asked about how the recruitment process went, SOIL’s HR Director, Wisner, noted that it was a great success, reflected especially in how seamlessly Anderson and Sanite have integrated into the team.
Join us in learning more about them and their work!
Where is your hometown in Haiti?
Anderson: Nord Laviktwa
Sanite: Nord-Est Ouanaminthe
How did you first find out about SOIL?
Anderson: In 2016, SOIL had a main office near Avayson that was close to my house. I was friends with some of the employees and had a good rapport with the team members that lived in the neighborhood. I didn’t know much about ecological sanitation before joining SOIL but after talking with staff, I learned more and was impressed by the work I witnessed EkoLakay do in the community. I also knew Romel at that time - and as you know, he has a pretty memorable personality!
Sanite: I was looking through local job announcements online and came across the position. I knew a little bit about SOIL’s work before that from people who are customers on the EkoLakay service. Like Anderson, I also didn’t know much about ecological sanitation, but after seeing that it was an important addition to people’s lives, I started to take more of an interest in it.
What are your main day-to-day responsibilities in this position?
Anderson: First, as a customer service agent, it is important for me to meet and socialize with the EkoLakay clients in the beginning stages of setting up my portfolio. After building up our relationship, I check in with the clients to see how the service is going, how payments are going (clients pay their fees every month before the 27th) and what the situation is at their home, especially if that will affect their ability to stay on the service or not. Everyday I go out within the service zone that I am assigned, check in with clients, and make sure things are working properly with their toilets.
Sanite: My role is more specialized. I get clients to pay with mobile money instead of cash - and facilitate their payment with MonCash. Mobile money payments mitigate the risk associated with collecting physical cash, which is important for our team’s safety. The main barrier that people are facing with mobile money payments right now is that the signal in the city is unreliable. Often there is no service to access the app required for payment.
What do you like the most about your work with SOIL or about the Ekolakay service?
Anderson: I like that SOIL’s work has a positive impact in many different ways. The majority of the city needs a toilet - and right now people who don’t have access are left without any solution. Ecological sanitation is important for both the climate and the population. It is important for stopping the spread of cholera and protecting public health - in short, with EkoLakay, people can live better.
Sanite: As a new employee, it’s nice for SOIL to ensure good working conditions for the team. There are no problems. The culture of the team has been very welcoming. Right now, we are in the process of shadowing other agents, doing visits to Mouchinette, to see the compost and the process of the container emptying, and learning about the transformation of waste to resource. We learn all of the precautions and procedures for making sure that there are no contaminants in the compost so that we can also explain that to clients.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Anderson: I’m actually an agronome and use SOIL’s compost at my house. I also know other organizations that buy the compost. For as long as I can remember I’ve always had an interest in agronomy. I plant peppers, tomatoes, mango, coconut, seriz, and more! The compost fertilizes the soil well. With my coconut trees, I have noticed that the compost grows the saplings to fruit faster. Typically it takes 5-10 years for a tree to fruit, and with SOIL’s compost my tree fruited in 5 years!
