What Mama Maji does

Mama Maji is a US-based non-profit organization founded in 2014 and headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, that operates the Maji Mamas social enterprise franchise program. Through the program, women entrepreneurs in rural communities — primarily in Kenya, with operating offices in multiple additional countries — are identified via peer-to-peer nomination, then trained and equipped to construct and sell water tanks, pit latrines, and home filtration systems in their own communities. The model's core technology is Interlocking Stabilized Soil Blocks (ISSBs), which are manufactured on-site by the franchisees from local soil and interlock without mortar, reducing material costs compared to conventional masonry. Each new Maji Mama receives approximately 170 hours of initial training spanning ISSB production, water tank construction, business operations, and Water and Health Educator certification, plus interest-free equipment loans and six months of weekly mentorship.

The organization runs two intertwined revenue streams. At the non-profit parent level in the US, Mama Maji raises funds through voluntary individual donations and grants via its website (mamamaji.org) and the My.MamaMaji.org donation portal. At the franchise level, each Maji Mama earns revenue by building WaSH infrastructure for paying community customers, with an expected first-year output of roughly 50 tanks, 3 latrines, and 2,500 community members trained per franchise location, generating approximately 40,000 KES (~2.7x typical local women's annual income) per Maji Mama per year. Go-to-market is community-led: existing Mamas refer candidates, Mama Maji staff then support market research and contract acquisition, and ongoing mentorship is delivered through a distributed network across country offices.

Customer concentration is structurally low because the model relies on a long tail of rural individual/household buyers of WaSH infrastructure rather than anchor contracts. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated franchise-by-franchise based on local construction economics. Organizational scale remains early-stage: between 1 and 10 employees, no disclosed institutional funders, no audited financials, and no disclosed partnerships, suggesting Mama Maji is still building the operational and funding base required to scale the Maji Mamas franchise beyond its initial geographies.

Name

Mama Maji

Website

https://mamamaji.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mama Maji is a US-based non-profit that runs the Maji Mamas social enterprise franchise, training and equipping women entrepreneurs in rural communities (notably Kenya) to build water tanks, latrines, and home filtration systems using interlocking soil blocks, funding operations through donations and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: As a US-based non-profit organization, Mama Maji generates revenue through charitable donations from individuals and institutional donors. These funds support the franchise program, training, and equipment loans to Maji Mamas.
2. Maji Mama Water Tank and Latrine Construction: Maji Mamas earn income by building water tanks and pit latrines using ISSBs for communities. Each franchise location is expected to build 50 tanks and 3 latrines in the first year, generating approximately 40,000 KES annually per Maji Mama.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Mama Maji runs the Maji Mamas Social Enterprise, a franchise program that identifies women in rural communities through peer referral, then trains them (approximately 170 hours over two months) and equips them with interest-free equipment loans and ongoing mentorship to manufacture Interlocking Stabilized Soil Blocks (ISSBs) and construct water tanks, pit latrines, and home filtration systems. Each Maji Mama franchisee sells these WaSH solutions directly to households and communities while also serving as a Water and Health Educator, with year-one expectations of about 50 tanks, 3 latrines, and 2,500 community members trained per franchise.

Product overview

Mama Maji operates as a single-product social enterprise centered on the Maji Mamas Social Enterprise franchise model. The program provides women with approximately 170 hours of initial training over two months, interest-free loans for equipment, and six months of weekly support to establish businesses building Interlocking Stabilized Soil Blocks (ISSBs) for water tanks, pit latrines, and home filtration systems. All activities are carried out primarily in the communities where the Maji Mamas live.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Maji Mamas: A social enterprise program where women franchisees are trained to build water tanks and provide WaSH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) solutions in their communities. Maji Mamas receive approximately 170 hours of initial training, interest-free loans for equipment, and ongoing mentorship to build and operate water-related businesses.

Products and services

• Maji Mamas Social Enterprise A franchise-based social enterprise program that identifies and trains women in rural communities — primarily in Kenya — through peer-to-peer nomination, then equips each franchisee (a "Maji Mama") with approximately 170 hours of training over two months, interest-free equipment loans, market-research support, and six months of weekly mentorship to manufacture Interlocking Stabilized Soil Blocks (ISSBs), construct and sell water tanks, pit latrines, and home filtration systems, and serve as a Water and Health Educator in her community.

Quantifiable outcome

• Maji Mamas earn 40,000 KES per year, which is 2.7 times the current annual income of most women
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Water.org: Water.org is a global non-profit focused on solving the water crisis by empowering people in developing countries with access to safe water and sanitation through affordable financing. It is directly comparable to Mama Maji in its water-access mission and developing-country target population, though it operates at significantly larger scale via microfinance partnerships.
• charity: water: charity: water is a non-profit organization that funds clean water projects for people in developing countries. It shares Mama Maji's water-infrastructure mission, donation-funded revenue model, and developing-country beneficiary focus, though its delivery model (funded local partners) differs from Mama Maji's direct franchise approach.
• Water For People: Water For People is a non-profit focused on ensuring everyone has access to reliable, safe water and sanitation services that last forever, working in nine countries across Africa, Latin America, and Asia. It is directly comparable in WASH sector focus, multi-country developing-country targeting, and non-profit donor-funded model.
• Waterlines: Waterlines is a non-profit focused on clean water access and WASH solutions in developing communities. It shares Mama Maji's WASH infrastructure mission, donor-funded operating model, and developing-country beneficiary focus.
• WaterCan / WaterAid Canada: WaterAid Canada (formerly WaterCan) is a Canadian non-profit dedicated to fighting poverty by funding clean water, sanitation, and hygiene projects in developing countries. Comparable in WASH mission and donor-funded model, particularly relevant as a similarly-sized NGO peer.
• iDE (International Development Enterprises): iDE is a non-profit social enterprise that develops market-based solutions to poverty, including WASH products distributed through local entrepreneurs in developing countries. Directly comparable to Mama Maji's franchise/entrepreneur-based WASH delivery model and rural developing-country customer base.
• WaterAid: WaterAid is an international non-profit working on water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in some of the world's poorest communities across Africa and Asia. It is a direct peer in WASH sector targeting, geographic focus, and donor-funded operating model, though it is significantly larger and more institutional than Mama Maji.

Broad incumbents

• Engineers Without Borders: Engineers Without Borders is a broader development non-profit that works on infrastructure including water and sanitation in developing countries alongside other engineering programs. Comparable in international development focus and multi-country delivery, though its scope extends beyond WASH.

Emerging players

• Potters for Peace: Potters for Peace is a non-profit that promotes appropriate technology solutions including low-cost construction materials for developing communities. Comparable to Mama Maji specifically on the low-cost appropriate-technology angle and developing-country deployment, though its primary focus is ceramic water filters rather than ISSB construction.

Others

• WaterCredit (Water.org program): WaterCredit is Water.org's microfinance-based program that provides small loans for water and sanitation access in developing countries. Relevant adjacent peer because it represents an alternative funding-distribution model (microfinance vs. donation-funded franchise) for delivering WASH infrastructure to the same target population Mama Maji serves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mama_maji

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mama Maji