Young people everywhere

A wonderful experience yesterday during a walk. The Scouts (boys and girls) were having a display in the park. All in shorts with shirts and merit badges. Several spoke excellent English. All wanted a picture with the three CNFA volunteers: Chuck from Asheville NC, an expert in edible landscaping and compost; Christine from Michigan who is working on a business plan at a Cooperative, and me. Many photos later we continued our walk. The future of any country is the young people.

Greetings on January 29

I am finishing my assignment in Huambo and will be home on February 1st.

This assignment is a continuation of an assignment which began in December so I will comment on the entire 5+ weeks. CNFA’s (Citizens Network for Foreign Affairs) Farmer to Farmer program has a strategic alliance with CODESPA, a Spanish NGO with an emphasis also on agriculture as well as micro finance to underserved segments of an economy. CODESPA requested a volunteer with a banking and financial analysis background so I was asked to be the first CNFA volunteer to work with them.
What a delight! Gavin Braschi, Irish/Italian, is the Country Director and Alberto Santos, from the Basque region of Spain, is the Program Manager. CODESPA is working with ADRA, a 20+ year Angolan NGO in a variety of programs in Huambo region.
What has transpired: created the financial analysis for a Cooperative seed potato storage building as well as a household-level maize (corn) storage bin; worked with the ADRA microfinance officer; consulted with a Cooperative-level communal bank; trained over 40 ADRA and cooperative Board members in financial management. A variety of interesting activities!

My December trip to Huambo was the LAST time that I stayed at Hotel Nova Estrela which was my home here for the past 2 years. It has gone downhill quickly with hot water only 1 out of 3 days; lack of electricity as the owners would not run the generator; and the final straw was the maid using my personal wash cloth (from home) to clean the shower floor. Fortunately, Gavin and Alberto had used another hotel close by – Sistec. It is wonderful with hot water, electricity, a breakfast, and access to a fitness center. I have walked on the treadmill every morning for 20 minutes (note to Bob of BB&J)

So all is well in my Angolan world. The country continues to change. Traffic is still a nightmare in Luanda (the capital) but the people are still eager to learn and adapt so the future of their children is better.

Doha on Monday morning October 3rd

I was delayed one day after missing my connection in Washington DC due to airplane issues on the SFO-IAD flight. United was great - provided a lovely hotel room and meal. The Qatar Airways flight to Doha was full but I fortunately had an empty middle seat at the bulkhead so slept well.

The Kempinski hotel is excellent. I have a 1 bedroom suite with full kitchen. The best part again is the washer/dryer in the kitchen.

The class is again at Doha Golf Course. 15 bankers from CBQ (Commercial Bank Qatar). Many are Private Bankers so the business banking concepts and financials are brand new. Lunch is provided.

Doha is very hot now but getting cooler as the year end approaches.

Huambo

I am preparing to go back to the USA on Monday after a very short trip to Angola. My Delta flights were wonderful as I was upgraded on the LONG flight from Atlanta to Joburg. Thank you Delta! I stayed in Joburg overnight, fly into Luanda, and made the connection to a domestic flight to Benguela. One night there at Nancy's Guest House. Drove with Nancy and friends to Huambo where I have been for the last 10 days. Out to the Cooperatives and working with the CNFA Project Managers. It has been a great assignment.

Hope that all of you had a great 4th of July.

Good bye Harare

Zimbabwe has been a surprise to me. It has beautiful cities with very friendly people. Everyone says hi on the street and asks how I am! The stores are large, very clean and well stocked with everything that I needed. There was even Coke Zero and salty crackers!

My work here has ended with all of deliverables completed. CNFA hosted a conference for its Zimbabwe staff as well as the other NGOs ad companies which are part of the Agrodealer Strengthening Program. All are working towards a more vibrant delivery of agricultural inputs (seeds, fertilizers, chemicals, implements, and livestock supplies) at the village level which strengthens the farmers and adds to food security for the entire country.

I am going home with 10 boxes of Quick Soup in a variety of flavors which are not available in the US – butternut squash, potatoes and leak, roasted tomato and basil! I also bought a few small stone carvings. Zimbabwe is known for its artists – working in black, green, and multicolored stone – polishing some areas and leaving others rough.

Looking forward to seeing California on Tuesday.

Quirky notes

The buffet breakfast in both of the hotels where I have stayed is very British. Eggs, baked beans, grilled tomatoes, potatoes, Canadian bacon, beef sausage, and pork sausage. By the toast is marmalade, jams, jellies and marmite (a relative of vegemite)! I have one fried egg over easy, one pork sausage, and coffee with hot milk. The other diners have everything.

Several years ago, Zimbabwe abandoned its currency in the times of hyper inflation and “dollarized”. US currency is now the medium of exchange (South African Rands are accepted also). All of the dollars are very old, very dirty and falling apart. When I present my crisp new bills, the store clerks are amazed.

I am finishing my work in Bulawayo in the CNFA office today. The office staff and I will leave early tomorrow for the drive to Harare (6 hours). There is a meeting in the afternoon with another fertilizer company and then spending 3 nights and 2 days at a conference/training center – St. Lucia Park. All of the CNFA staff will gather for a two day meeting with the new Country Director, Tim Bergstrom.

Saturday, June 4th

My week has been filled with meetings. For those who know me well, this is not my most favorite activity.

The Harare CNFA office is in the Zimbabwe Farmers Union Building and is hosted by that organization. The ZFU is one of several farmers’ associations; its constituency is the smallholders which are farmers with generally less than 10 hectares of land. Another association supports the large estate farmers (tea, coffee, bananas). The ZFU has been in existence for over 70 years and continues to represent the interests of the farmers to the Zimbabwe government, NGOs and other associations.

I was able to meet S.D. Hungwe, the President (elected) and Theresa Makomva, the Head of Operations as well as several “desks”. Violet Mandishona, the Contract Farming Desk, ensures that farmers are treated correctly by the large companies which produce agricultural inputs (seeds, fertilizer, agro chemicals, etc.) and contract to purchase the farmers’ crops. Philip Gumunyu ZFU Director of Agrodealers provides training and guidance for the village-level agrodealers.

The other meetings have been with input suppliers, insurance companies and NGOs. Their perspectives are invaluable as CNFA wants to improve the smallholder farmers’ access to markets with an input supply strategy. Zimbabwe has had a history of extreme financial distress. This has several consequences: as I mentioned, the US dollar is the currency of exchange. (2) Financial institutions are reluctant to lend to businesses or farmers. (3) The producers of agro inputs send goods to agrodealers on a consignment basis and therefore retain ownership rights. CNFA and US Aid are working to bring credit back to this supplier/agrodealer relationship.

On Wednesday afternoon, Taswell Chivere, CNFA Finance and Management Officer, and I boarded a bus for the ride from Harare to Bulawayo. We had been told that City Line used new, air conditioned buses with in-bus movies. Instead, we boarded a very old and extremely dirty bus (cockroaches) that had no air (hot or cold) and no suspension. Leaving 45 minutes late, we arrived in Bulawayo after 9pm. The lesson here relates to customer expectations: I have ridden older and dirtier buses in eastern Europe and Africa BUT I was expecting something very different than what City Line provided. The adage is “Under promise and over deliver”.

Bulawayo is Zimbabwe’s second largest city and very lovely. The CNFA office is a converted home and houses the majority of the Zimbabwe staff. It is the largest staff that I have seen in my CNFA work in southern and eastern Africa. Taswell and I briefly stopped into the office and then left for Esikhoveni, a Zimbabwe government training facility which CNFA is using for its agrodealer classes. 250 village agrodealers were selected by ZFU to attend 2 weeks of training: 1 week of Business Management and 1 week of Technical. I was able to sit in both groups and was asked to do a short lecture on “What does a banker want?” That group had 32 participants of which 10 were women. Most were in their 30’s. Sitting at lunch, I found that most had only one store. In the store, they sell general goods (sugar, Coke, flour, etc) as well as agro inputs. The store supports the activity in a village or small town. One participant had 3 stores, 40 hectares which he farmed, and 5 children (on the way to 10)!

It is now Saturday. It is a glorious day of blue sky, sunshine and very few clouds so I hobble out to see the town. Wishing all of you the very best for your weekend.