Happy New Year!

I am leaving on January 1st for an assignment in Malawi. I will be working with a women's company in the Blantyre area for several weeks. As always, I am very grateful for this opportunity even though I will miss all of the BSC football bowls!

Happy New Year and may 2010 be wonderful for all of us.

I will post as I can.

Leaving Mozambique

I am packing for my trip home to the US. I leave today for Beira Mozambique, overnight and then Beira to JoBurg South Africa, Delta from there to Atlanta and San Diego. A long trip,

I walked to the Cathedral on Sunday. As I may have mentioned on the 1st the Cathedral was closed as the priest was out in the countryside. When I arrived on the 8th the Cathedral was overflowing – hundreds of people sitting and standing. There were dozens of priest – some white and some black – in the most beautiful garments. All were white with African embroidery. Obviously a very special Sunday. I walked to the open Sunday market; met with Abdul – my translator of this trip- and then enjoyed the multitude of people and things. I bought fabric ($2US for ~3’ X 8’), some wood objects (mainly black and brown ebony), and a hat for John Rosales of Las Vegas.

Dinner was Lebanese with Bob the US Aid pilot from Beira. He had flown in to pick up some US Aid staff for 3 or 4 days of visiting projects. Monday another volunteer arrived – Bob Rice from PA. He is a soy bean expert. We walked the city, had Chinese lunch and local dinner. He will be here for another week.

A country of wonderful people, unlimited potential, limited resources. I am grateful for this opportunity. This trip I trained more than 165 adults and dozens of children!

Are cashews nut or fruit?

I have finished my training assignment for ADAP and will prepare the report for that organization and CNFA.

Thursday’s village was only 80 km from Nampula. We were met by 40+ adults (and many children) in a very prosperous village. Again, I taught under a large tree. Friday was somewhat different – a smaller group – 24+ - mostly women in a village known for its pottery. In this case, I also focused on production as well as farming. The first question from the female head of the Association was, “How do we prevent having so many babies?” At the end, the women sang and danced in the traditional way. My translator Abdul said they created the song about me! My host purchased a small pottery bowl for me – it is very simple and basic; fired in the style of raku so etched and its cost ~30¢.

Some interesting experiences:

Cashew nuts grow as part of a fruit which looks like a small apple. The fruit is made into juice – and can be fermented into alcohol. I was given a bottle by the women. However, it “exploded” in my hotel room due to excessive “gas”!

There is a central market building where farmers daily bring produce from the countryside. It is a cornucopia of sights, sounds, and smells. In addition, there is the Sunday market which has everything! Shirts, shoes, fabric, baskets, pottery, wood, and ivory. As I mentioned on my last trip, this is very common in Mozambique markets.

BMI Bank has the contract with the Mozambique government for all salary direct deposits. The lines for the bank offices and ATMs are always more than 25 people long. On Fridays, the lines triple. BMI is open on Saturdays but the other banks are not. Bankers’ hours are 9-12; lunch break; 2-4.

Today is Saturday. I am looking for a TV with US channels for football!

Reflection: In Eastern Europe, I looked like the natives but could not communicate without a translator. In Ghana, I did not look like a native Ghanaian but could speak with everyone in English. In Mozambique, I do not look like a native and can not communicate. It is an isolating experience.

A hot shower is a blessing!

I am back in Nampula City after 2 days in the eastern coastal region near Nacala. We left very early on Monday morning to drive 3 hours. Most the drive was on a paved road but the last hour was typical dirt road in the country. Again, I am struck by the very simple lifestyle of the villages – no electricity, no running water, and lots of friendly waves as we pass by.

The Monday training was in Mossuril District. Under a tree, there were more than 60 adults and several dozen children. Their school teacher had told them to come to the “American” class. My translator, Abdul’s family is from this region and some of the farmers knew his late father (a king) and his aunt who still lives nearby. Many of these villages are illiterate and Abdul translated into Macua, the local tribal dialect.

How do I explain developing a Business Plan and creating Financial Statements in this environment? I explain that the village will begin learning a new language which is hard. I try to say a few words in Macua and everyone laughs as I tell them it is very hard for me to learn their words. I have created 10 flip charts in English which Abdul has translated below each line. I start with the 6 elements of the Business Plan: Summary (written last); Description of Association/Village – #families, #hectares, equipment, animals, buildings; Description of products sold for cash; Description of customers; Strategy for the future; Financial Statements. I then introduce SWOT Analysis and the Ansoff Matrix. With examples, these concepts are understandable to the farmers. Financial Statements follow: Balance Sheet, Income Statement (P&L), and Operating Cycle with Cash Flow. I diagram the relationship of Supplier, Farmer and Customer with the flows of cash. The last flip chart is the Bank Loan Request. In Mozambique, farmers are just learning that a bank loan is not a gift and must be repaid. So the flip describes amount, purpose, and terms. I diagram several different repayments schedules.

We spent the night in a very very basic home in Chocas. The house had minimal electricity, no running water (so no shower) and a toilet that had to be filled to flush. Sounds just like Nametil. However – the house was facing the Indian Ocean so the horizon was excellent. The sand is very fine and white with very few shells. Dinner was nearby and excellent – grilled fresh calamari, boiled cabbage, carrots and potatoes. Abdul and I ate with Ernesto (ADAP Executive Director) and Almeida Zacarias, a Mozambiquan program director with funding by Denmark and Ireland. This program has provided oxen to several villages – pulling the plows and increasing the amount of hectares that can be cultivated. In the morning, the local guard at the house boiled some of my water – so coffee!! As always, I carry energy bars for most meals.

On Tuesday morning we arrived at the second training site, also in Mossuril District. 40+ adults and again, many children. This was a much more prosperous village which had received donor items – plow, oxen, grinding machine. Back to Nampula City in the afternoon – and a HOT shower!!

I will be meeting with the General Manager of the local Banco Terra branch to talk about bank loans. Most of the loans are “guaranteed” by donor programs.

Thursday and Friday will be back in the bush again. I am especially excited about Friday as the village makes pottery and most of the participants will be women.

Happy Halloween!

There is no Halloween or change of time in Mozambique!

It is much hotter this trip as the rainy season is beginning. I have not experienced any storms – just humidity. Yesterday was an information gathering day in Mossuril and Meconta Districts. These are west of Nampula City towards the Indian Ocean – 2 ½ hours. The roads are better in this area as many people travel to the Isle Mozambique and seaside homes on the weekend.

The villages where I will be training have similarities to Nametil from my last trip. Small farmers with limited resources and minimal cash crops. In this area, peanuts are again important as well as maize and cashew nuts. Along the road are boys will bowls of cashews for sale; the nuts have been “fried” without oil and are not seasoned. At the first training site, 40+ people greeted us to talk about the content of the training. There are the same issues: how do we talk to bankers? What do they need? How do we make more money and use it? At the second training site, one older lady asked how she can keep her animals from running away. The third site is much closer to Nampula, only 1 hour.

I anticipate a larger percentage of women will be attending the classes in the first two sites as men are the primary fisherman. An additional emphasis of this project is women entrepreneurs. I am hopeful that fourth training site will be in a village known for its baskets.

An interesting analogy to my time in Ghana. When I was in the villages of Ghana I was told of a “banking” activity called “susu”. This was run by the villages. Each week everyone in the Susu group contributes money; the Susu manager holds the money and makes “loans” to one person in the group every month or quarter, depending on the Susu rules. In Mozambique, I am told there is a similar process – called “STIK”. (pronounced sticky). One villager has the key, one keeps the lock box, and one has the records. I will explore this when I am training.

A difference in my Mozambique experience from my year in Ghana is the reaction of young children in the villages. In Ghana, the very young were afraid. In Mozambique, they laugh at me and want to play! It may be a factor of time as my Ghana experience was over 10 years ago.

I have brought English books and pens for the young man in Nametil who was taught English by a Peace Corps volunteer when he was a child. I am hopeful that I will see him or at least get the items to him.

My Mozambique friend, Phil Gray is in Oregon. I will have to eat Chinese food alone.

Election Day

October 28th is National Elections in Mozambique. Voting here is a process that may take hours, waiting in line. Most of the businesses are closed; Sergio, CNFA Country Manager and I went to the CNFA office but the landlord has bolted the business so we are all working at home (or hotel for me).

I will leave tomorrow for Nampula and the north east. I will be working for a new host in several new areas but on the same subject area - helping farmers' associations understand business planning and financial analysis. It is important that farmers are more effective and efficient in production AND that they are better in business also!

Thought for the day: Freedom which is obtained by a people is valued and appreciated. Freedom which is given to people may be taken for granted.

Mozambique Again.

I am leaving early on Sunday the 25th with the same routing - San Diego to Atlanta to JoBurg South Africa and then Beira Mozambique. I will be traveling again to the north east part of the country with assignments in Chocas Mar (close to Mozambique Island) and Namialo (between Nampula and Mozambique Island). I do not know what kind of farmers are in these areas. More news en route.

I am taking books with me for a young man in Nametil who was taught English by a Peace Corps volunteer 10 years before. I was very fortunate to be visiting Shawn Jones and Mark Askew when their local library held a "sale" so I purchased several books for $5 total! I am also taking school supplies for an elementary school in Nampula.

I am thrilled to be returning. Mozambique is filled with wonderful people.

Back to Mozambique but October 25th!

A one week delay in plans. The national elections in Mozambique conflicted with the earlier date. More news as the date approaches!

Back to Mozambique!

I am thrilled to be going back to Mozambique on October 18th. Will return home early in November. More later!!

Still in San Diego

The Angola trip is postponed. My passport is still at the Embassy. Hoping to be gone soon.

Home in San Diego

Flights home were as expected - 36 hours door to door. I was again very fortunate to have no one in the middle seat next to me. At the other end of the middle three seats was a Canadian who had just "delivered" 6 tons of donated medical products to CARE in southern Africa. His Rotary District in Toronto has done this project for 6+ years. There are wonderful people everywhere.

The blog will begin again when I leave for Angola at the end of September unless my life takes another turn! Have a wonderful month.

Flying on Friday

It is my last full day in Mozambique as I fly tomorrow to South Africa and then on to Atlanta and San Diego. It is a long trip but fortunately only two stops from Mozambique to California. Amazing.

Had a marvelous dinner on Tuesday night with Bob, the US Aid pilot for Mozambique. He is a Penn State grad who flew bush planes in Alaska during the 70’s and 80’s before coming here. Like his friend, Phil from Nambula, he will retire in this country. Great Chinese food in Beira. The family came from Taiwain 25 years ago. My measure is always hot and sour soup – it was excellent.

I was able to treat the CNFA staff to lunch yesterday. A local restaurant. I had the “Special” which was black beans, rice and shrimp. A local hot sauce is Piri piri. I am taking some home to Rob but it is too spicy for me.

My hotel is located in a residential section so had a long walk in the late afternoon. Mozambique faces east to the Indian Ocean but so far I have yet to see a sunrise.

Off to Angola in later September.

Happy September 1st

I am in Beira for the next few days until I leave for Joburg and the USA. The CNFA office here is very professional and the staff are excellent. Together we are processing all of my reports and activities. I will be going to dinner tonight with a friend of Phil Gray (from Nambula) who is the USAid pilot for all of Mozambique. Bob Rienaker is originally from Alaska and was a bush pilot. We are driving, not flying tho! Beira is on the Indian Ocean and my hotel is only a block or so away. I am hopeful for a walk tonight. Home to San Diego on the 5th.

Back in Nampula

August 29th

Last Sunday I went to the local “craft” fair in Nampula but it is more an assortment of people selling everything. There were some crafts – wood and baskets along with ivory jewelry. As my interpreter said, “The elephant comes into a village, tramples the crops so the villagers kill the elephant, eat the meat, use the hide for the roof on the hut, and sell the ivory.” Went to the cultural museum which was celebrating its 53rd anniversary. Displays of masks, tools, boats, etc of the local tribal cultures. Behind were “galleries” of artists working in ebony wood and gold/silver jewelry. Off for a beer at the temporary Irish pub and dinner of curry shrimp.

Left early on Monday morning for a week of training farmers south of Nampula.

It is now Saturday and I am back from a week in a very rural part of Mozambique near Lamitil which is 1 ½ hours from Nampula. The lodging where I stayed was in this village. A small room with a bed, naked bulb overhead, a bathroom with a toilet (but no seat) that required water in the tank to flush, a sink, and a non working shower. There was no hot water unless I asked the help to boil some on the fire. Electricity was sporadic. Need I say no TV, radio or internet! One café in town run by 60 year old Portuguese and his wife. He came with the army when Mozambique declared its independence and never left.

Each day was a drive of 1+ hours to a local village where the Forum was located. Forums are association of farmers. Each farms individually but collectively they sell the product. Wonderful work as 30+ in each location eager to learn about developing a Business Plan, understanding Financial Statements, and talking with bankers. Not all were literate and some spoke Matua rather than Portuguese but the training occurred. At the first site, the training was in ½ of a very large chicken coop! The second training (2+ hours over a dry river bed) was outside under a large tree. The rooster there was very vocal about our presence in his domain. The third was in a block building with a thatched roof so lots of insects, spiders and lizards.

The villages along each route are small with perhaps 6 – 10 families in each. The farmers in this region have small plots of land so the cooperative nature of the Forums is important for negotiation in the marketing (they say “trading”) of the products. A Forum will have many products – not just peanuts. Cashews, sesame, millet, cotton, vegetables and a local root called “cassava”. I tried a bite raw but am told it is much better cooked!. As I mentioned earlier, the area around a hut is swept clean every day with a twig broom but “common areas” tend to become trash heaps as no one feels responsible. Thus the city of Nampula’s streets are quite dirt.

Paciência is the Portuguese world for patience. This is the important lesson that I was destined to learn on this assignment.

Nampula

Happy Nampula City Day!

August 22nd blog posting

Reflections of the countryside. No trash on streets, area in front of houses is swept clean. Houses are either constructed of handmade mud blocks or branches/twigs woven together. Almost all are thatched reed roofs; the new thatching was being placed. A small number have metal. Lots of people walking. Young women with many children – one at breast. My toilet break was in a concrete cube with water to wash it down.

Nampula is quite different – trash on the streets, many beggars. There is a ShopRite down the street so I can buy water. Thank goodness I brought energy bars as that has been most of my meals.

Emilio, local CNFA staff, and his finance Marla collected me at 7pm for an adventure. A temporary Irish pub! Jameson tasted great. There is a young Irish Catholic priest who lives here in the slums. Every August a group from his Irish parish come and work with him for 6 weeks. While they are here, they set up for 2 nights of beer, whiskey, songs and dancing.

The people are wonderful in all instances. In Nampula almost everyone smiles and says hello. I have walked the streets and am a curiosity! It is similar to Ghana 10 years ago when traffic would stop as I walked to the Women’s Market. There are much fewer cars here as people walk or bicycle.

The history of Mozambique includes destruction of major infrastructure components by the Portuguese as they left. Cement into wells, plants and buildings destroyed and knowledge/records were not passed on. Very different from Ghana where the British made the effort to transfer the country more or less intact.

I am off on Monday early am to Mogolovas Province where I will work and stay for 6 days. It is the bush. I will be training in 3 locations where the peanut farmers live. I was able to see one of the training rooms – 10 X 20 feet, handmade brick walls, thatched roof, dirt floor and no electricity. Need I say that training will be only during daylight! I assume the other two sites are similar. My lodging was to be in Government House but it is occupied. So……we visited the other lodging in the small village – extremely basic. Naked bulb overhead but a full bathroom! Note above: I will be taking my energy bars. No TV, no internet, no Irish pub. When I return to Nampula on Saturday night the 29th, the Executivo Hotel will seem like a palace.

TV is very interesting. Many stations in Portuguese, some in Indian dialect, some in French and only one that sometimes is in English. It comes from South Africa so often is in Boer. I have watched “All My Children” for the first time in my life – it was English. I am also listening to the French channel and am sometimes understanding most of it (take note Lizzie!). I depend on my MSN for US news. The wireless internet is spotty so have access and then don’t!

Paciência is the Portuguese world for patience. Like walking with Mr. Oliver the pug, this is essential for success in Mozambique.

Nampula

I have arrived safely in Nampula - northern part of Mozambique. My flights were fine. Meetings yesterday with the head of the association that I will work with. I will be training ~75 farmers next week in villages across the district. Off today to meet with the organizer in that area and to see my housing - Government House. Internet is somewhat erratic here so I will post when I have a strong signal. Best to all.

Friday August 14th

Packing. As per usual, much of my suitcase is filled with presents and energy bars! Up at 4:30am to replicate tomorrow's schedule. On another note, received a call from the Peace Corps. I am not going to Mexico in September but will be invited to a country in Eastern Europe in early 2010. She explained that there are many volunteers who already speak Spanish so they are slotted for Mexico, Central and South America. I am looking forward to hearing which country it will be. As I have worked in many it may be homecoming. Next posting will be Jburg South Africa.

Off to Africa

Packing for 3+ week assignment in Mozambique. As southern Africa is just starting its Spring, the weather is changing. I leave on Saturday very early for Atlanta, JBurg South Africa, and then Beira Mozambique. However, I will be working in the north east section - near Nampula. Back on Labor Day weekend.