Leaving Uganda

I am leaving Kampala on KLM at 11:30pm bound for Amsterdam; then Delta to Atlanta and again to San Diego. Uganda has been a wonderful assignment. I was part of the US Aid Farmer to Farmer (F2F) contract which is now under Catholic Relief Services (CRS). CRS has been in Uganda since 1965 but primarily in relief and health issues. This is the first contract for CRS under the F2F. I met with the Country Director, Liz Pfifer, the F2F Coordinators, George Ntibarikure and Emmanuel Mukama, and the other CRS staff who work on different projects. I spent most of my time outside of Kampala in Iganga which is near Jinja. Jinja is considered one of the sources of the Nile and I am told that a boat ride will show the visitor the “spouting of the water”. Iganga is a municipal town of ~40,000 and serves as the commercial/government hub for the region. I stayed in Mum Resort Hotel. As with many African guest houses, there is new construction along with the old building so “deferred maintenance” takes a back seat to the new project. I was finally able to have a functioning bathroom! The staff is very nice though not promptly responsible (except when my sink faucet did not turn off!) I was working with a large cooperative - Namungalwe Area Cooperative Enterprise (NACE) which has 6 RPOs (Rural Producers Organization) and more than 500 members. The NACE is managed by a very competent business man, Badru and has computer facilities which produce excellent reports. Badru also acted at times as my interpreter when Peter (a university student) was in class. Both were great. The Board of Directors of NACE set the agenda for the training: I would travel every day to a new RPO and present a one-day Business of Farming class. On 2 days, I met with the RPO members in a school room but the other 4 days I was outside under a tree. Farm animals became part of the program with a Tom Turkey very angry that 30+ humans were in his space. Over the 6 days, I met with 160+ members. The second part of the assignment was to conduct a Training of Trainers (TOT). Each RPO “volunteered” 3 to 4 members who agreed to conduct future training. I developed 10 short (30-60 minutes) training modules. For 3 days, the 24 “Trainers” met with me and learned how to train the material. I am confident that each RPO has at least one or two people who can continue the training. Each RPO made a commitment to begin ASAP and will report these efforts to the NACE and CRS. My hotels have ranged from just ok (Mum Resort in Iganga) to great (Apricot Hotel and Fairway Hotel Kampala). The people are wonderful and eager to learn/change/proper. I write this on St. Patrick’s Day so Erin go bragh!

Malawi in August 2013

It was only a week ago that I experienced the “Nairobi nightmare.” I arrived at the Kilimanjaro airport with plenty of time and had double that before my SAA plane arrived for the trip to Nairobi. I knew as I boarded that I had missed the SAA connecting flight to Malawi. As you fly over NBO (Nairobi Airport), you see huge white tents which have replaced the fire-destroyed parts of the international terminal. Landing on the tarmac, buses take the transit passengers into chaos. There was no later flight so I requested a hotel room and meal vouchers which SAA provided. I collected my checked bags and off to EKA Hotel. What a delightful surprise! It is new; very close to the airport; designed for business travelers with work space and free internet; excellent restaurant. After a great night of sleep, I was transported back to chaos. Fortunately, I have no problem expressing my intentions (as you all know) and I was on the plane to Malawi – one day late. Met at the airport by the wonderful CNFA staff and taken to Cluny Lodge, I was where I belonged. The End of Program Hosts Conference was extremely well planned by the CNFA Malawi staff at Sunbird Lilongwe Hotel. My role was to assist in reviewing the PowerPoint presentations of two of the three presenting hosts (feed manufacturer and a cooking oil processor) on Tuesday. On Wednesday, I was the Conference Master of Ceremonies with the stated goal of managing the schedule. There were more than 50 participants; most had hosted CNFA volunteers over the last 5 years. The US Aid Agricultural Officer and another CNFA volunteer, Bill Nichols, were also present. Presentations went well; questions/answers were good; the schedule stayed intact! The group took two “field trips” to visit former hosts: the feed manufacturer and a farm with CNFA greenhouses. Lunch was an excellent buffet with goat stew! Conference concluded at 5:30pm. Bill Nichols and I went to Noble China restaurant to share Chinese cabbage with port, celery with cashews, sesame chicken, and beef stir fry - Excellent. On Thursday, Manford from CNFA collected me for our 4+ hour drive to Zomba. I stayed in Annie’s Lodge which I had only visited during my last trip to the area in August 2012. The hotel is a disappointment to me: expensive; broken light fixtures; a misbehaving toilet (flushing when IT wanted to!). Friday morning we drove to Domesi to visit the Cooperative that I had trained last year. 21 of the 165 members met us at the production facility where they make peanut butter and soya milk. In an earlier blog, I wrote about the “production” process. As there is no electricity, the soya beans and groundnuts (peanuts) must be ground by using a bicycle as the motor. Every member is scheduled! The most exciting news was that there is now a SACCOS of 50 members which is making small loans and the loans are being repaid!! We then travelled to Blantyre where I was visiting two former hosts: Naturalsm (January 2010) and UMODZI Consulting (April 2013). Manford and I had a great lunch of grilled local chicken, green vegetables and rice at the Agricultural Fairgrounds. During the next weekend, it will be filled with Cooperatives displaying products. We then went to UMODZI Consulting to meet with the two Managing Directors: Tione Kaonga and Frank Mkumba. The firm continues to gain new clients and will be conducting some data collection for CNFA. Manford dropped me at Mama’s B&B where I have stayed several times. I am spending the weekend on reports. I will meet with Towera Jalakasi on Sunday as she has a very full Monday. Her company Naturalsm processes the Baobab fruit into juice. She is building a new factory in the Lilongwe area which will be managed by her sister. As I blogged before, she has started TEECS (Tools for Enterprise and Education Consultants) – a consulting firm with her husband. The firm has two large contracts at the moment: The Gates Foundation and the Ministry of Agriculture plus small assignments from a variety of clients. We will drive back to Lilongwe on Monday morning. I fly home to San Diego beginning on Thursday the 29th after a month in Africa. I will not “labor” on Labor Day and wish all of you great bar b ques!

Leaving Tanzania

I am flying on Sunday, August 18th through Nairobi Airport International Terminal. It was the scene of a horrific fire last week which destroyed the Arrivals Hall and other areas. I am assured by CNFA Travel that I will be able to transit through on my way to Lilongwe Malawi. Will let you know!! My second week in Katesh went very well – especially the weather. Instead of bitter cold and wind and gray skies, it was sunny and wind and blue skies. The temperature was much higher; I did not have to sleep in my clothes and fleece jacket! I walked around the small town/large village and revisited Mama Duncan several times. The class went well with both the AMCOS and SACCOS members. As the AMCOS is negotiating with CRDB (Cooperative Rural Development Bank) for a line of credit and the SACCOS is negotiating to be an “agent” for the bank in Katesh, we spent significant time on banking, loans specifications, and strategies. CRDB is Tanzania’s largest bank and will be expanding via the “agent” model into unbanked and under-banked communities. On Thursday, Dr. Alson Lyimo (CNFA Country Director), Anthony Kissinga (CNFA Program Manager), Sebastian Assenga (my favorite interpreter), and Edward, a Ugandan photographer hired by CNFA arrived in Katesh. The team is documenting the impact that CNFA has achieved during the last 5 years with small scale farmers and business owners. I hope that the new NGO, CRS, chosen by USAID accomplishes as much. The gentlemen attended my last class as well as participating in the Certificates. The class gave me a beautiful Kanga cloth; as usual, I was “wrapped” like a cocoon! I hope that a picture will come from Edward. I am back in gray (but not cold) Moshi at the Bristol Cottages. An excellent place to stay if you are coming to Tanzania for safari or to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. Fingers crossed please that Nairobi Airport transit is successful!

Greetings from very cold Tanzania

I am back in Katesh and working with two groups: Katesh AMCOS (Agricultural Marketing Cooperative Society) and Heikima SACCOS (Savings and Credit Cooperative Society). I had worked with Heikima on a previous trip but the attendees are mainly new to me. We are meeting in a government building which has been fine. I arrived in Kilimanjaro airport after 3 flights. The first two were Delta and I was upgraded on both! The third is a KLM flight from Amsterdam; 8+ hours with no ghost. Ah well. The Immigration at Kilimanjaro is always a challenge with few officers and hundreds of passengers. As my visa and CTA (Certificate of Temporary Assignment) were both valid until August 14th, the officer waved me on- a stamp requiring that I check in with a Regional Immigration Office within 2 weeks. This has been a challenge as Katesh is a small village. I was going this morning to the RIO at Babati but the CNFA car is not working. I stayed several nights in Moishi, a small city near Arusha. On the 5th, we traveled to Arusha for the annual Agricultural Trade Fair for northern Tanzania. Many wonderful demonstration plots by the best farmers in each district. I purchased shoe polish, wine (from the Roselle plant – Lynfred Winery in Illinois also lists) and groundnuts (peanuts). That evening 24 CNFA-assisted farmers arrived at the hotel for 2 days of meetings and trips to the Trade Fair. It was wonderful to see former clients: Gende Cooperative in Babati; USOMAMA; Takauma from Lake Basuto and meet some new friends. The hotel was awful: no hot water and a night club that went non-stop from sundown to sun up. Travel to Katesh included a stop in Babati for rice, beans and green vegetable with Red Gold Chili Sauce. That is my favorite meal in Africa. Arrived and went immediately to meet the Board of the two clients. Set the logistics and topics for the next 8 days of training. It is my Finance 101 with special emphasis on banking and loans. The classes have gone well with very active participation. Saturday was the District farmers’ market – fields of second hand clothes and shoes; herds of cattle, sheep, goats, and donkeys for sale; meat grilling with local alcohol brews. It was sunny but cold and very windy so I only stayed a short time. The rest of the weekend was quiet. I visited Mama Duncan, the wonderful 70-ish lady who has organized women into a cooperative that makes beautiful jewelry, leather, and fabric items. Worked on flip charts for the next week. Sunday Haji picked me up and we attended the Heikema SACCOS meeting. At this meeting each week, the members make contributions to their savings accounts. Monday was to be a trip to Babati to accomplish several things: Immigration, ATM withdrawals, and the purchase of water, candy, and more chili sauce. Alas, it was not to be as the car has stopped working. I will get to class by walking or taxi. It was extremely cold last week; this week starts cool but sunny. I am still wearing my fleece jacket inside the bedroom! Hope that everyone has a great week!

Leaving Malawi on July 28th

It has been an “interesting” time on my 4th trip here. My flights were fine (with a ghost on the long leg from Atlanta to JNB!) and arrived on schedule in Lilongwe. As always, Mike from CNFA was waiting for me and we went to Cluny Lodge. I can’t say enough great things about the facility that Marinus and Bev Taale operate. It is very small (<20 rooms) in two homes with excellent breakfasts and dinners. The other guests are always interesting: a MD from Germany; a consultant from Poland; an American with business offices in London and South Africa. The client was Bowe Farming and Marketing Cooperative (BFMC). The drive to my hotel in Dowa was only 1 hour from Lilongwe – all on tarmac. The drive from Dowa to Bowe was another hour – all on very difficult dirt roads. Everything I have on this trip is dusty! The hotel in Dowa was a disappointment. Previous volunteers had said it was fine; my experience was very different. It is a conference facility and operates at capacity (76 people) Sunday through Friday. The restaurant was geared to buffet for participants. Hot water was in “dozers” which limited the amount; I set my alarm for 5am each morning to ensure a tepid shower. However, even that was not enough for the last 3 mornings when the hotel did not turn the “dozers” on. Electricity was a sometimes thing; the hotel had a generator but it “broke” or did not have fuel. I believe that the hotel was attempting to save money. I came back to Lilongwe during the middle weekend. BFMC is a very small cooperative. The farmers are in transition from a cash crop of tobacco to maize, soy and groundnuts (peanuts). We met in a school room (children are on holiday) and I plastered the walls with flip charts. It was Finance 101 from Mission to Vision to Strategic Initiatives to Project Plans to Financial Statements/Projections. BFMC had 3 initiatives that they discussed in detail: how to get more members/capital; how to start a SACCO (Savings and Credit Cooperative Organization); how to construct a storage warehouse. The cost of production for each new crop and the output per acre showed that groundnuts were the most profitable and maize the least. Maize is also subject to increasing expense in the cost of fertilizer. All well with me. Today I begin my trip back to San Diego. I am anxious to see Rob and Bari; wash my clothes; repack; leave on August 1st for Tanzania. Hope that all is well with each of you.

Leaving Tanzania on May 31st.

I am finishing my 6th assignment in Tanzania. This is a wonderful country with amazing people. I arrived in Dar es Salaam and proceeded by car to Morogoro (overnight) and then Ifakara. 2/3 of the trip was on “tarmac” roads but the other 1/3 was dirt and mud. My driver, Said, did a great job navigating our car through the road troubles. I stayed in a guest room at the Ifakara Health Institute – a Swiss-funded initiative of more than 30 years. During my stay, the Board of Directors met including the Swiss Ambassador to Tanzania. The room was basic with sometimes electricity and water. I had two clients – Kanyaga Twende SACCOS and Lumemo Volunteers SACCOS. A SACCOS (saving and credit cooperative organization) has more similarities to credit unions, rather than commercial banks. It is a group of people which registers with the government; accepts members who purchase “shares”; requires weekly or monthly contributions; and makes small, mostly short term loans. SACCOS bring credit to the villagers/farmers which is not available from commercial banks. Disadvantages of SACCOS: lack of will to collect payments from delinquent borrowers who are also friends; cross guarantors who have no value; refusal of borrower to relinquish collateral. Kanyaga Twende SACCOS is only 1 year old with over 35 members. The “Founding Father” was an educator as well as a rice farmer. He was older than I am!! This is very unusual in Africa as the life expectancy in Tanzania is 58. Lumemo Volunteers SACCOS is 3 years old with 29 members. The training was focused on two major areas: how to manage a SACCOS well/profitably and how to evaluate potential borrowers and collect payments on loans already made. As with other SACCOS in Africa, there was little training when the SACCOS began operations so now there are problems of delinquencies and defaults. My interpreter in Ifakara was the Cooperative Extension Officer; it is part of his job to launch SACCOS and to monitor progress. He has promised to follow up with both of these. In my suitcase I brought kanga material that had been gifted to me during previous African assignments. I had emailed the Manager at IHI in Ifakara and she introduced me to a seamstress. I now have a new dress and a new blouse! I am leaving behind my walking shoes and my Croc sandals. As some of you know, for the past 3 years I have lived by the motto “Something new requires something left behind.” Home on Saturday June 1st. Thinking about a COSTCO chicken! Local chickens are very tasty but tough (as they are always running for their lives.) I did have grilled goat one lunch but my main meal was always rice, beans and green vegetables (unknown plants!). Looking forward to seeing my Mother (who is doing much better), Rob (coming home from work in Germany), Bari and the grand animals as well as all of you!

Malawi for the third time

It is almost the end of my 3 week assignment in Malawi so it is time to reflect on the country, the people and the work. I was last in Zomba Malawi in August of 2012 and worked with Domesi, a processing cooperative that makes peanut butter and soya milk. My current assignment was very similar to my first Malawi experience in 2009/2010 as I am again working with a private company – in this case, UMODZI Consulting – on a project analysis. When I arrived in Johannesburg South Africa I was told that my Mother, Doris Drennan had been hospitalized after calling 911. I had talked with her while in Atlanta waiting for my Delta flight (a ghost in the middle seat!!) and she said that she had the flu. Having just seen her two days before, I thought she had dehydrated. Unfortunately, it is more serious and she will need surgery soon. At the moment, she is back in her villa with full time aides. Arriving in Lilongwe, I assumed that I would travel to Blantyre on the next day. However, UMODZI had executives from the funding agency (Challenges Worldwide, a Scottish NGO) and were fully occupied with other activities. I did have several interviews with clients who used a technology solution – ESOKO – provided by UMODZI. I also met with several people from the US Aid Mission; US Aid and other donors are funding the fertilizer subsidy program. The Easter holiday in Malawi begins on Thursday night and ends on Monday night – 4 days. Therefore, I stayed in Lilongwe at Cluny Lodge, a wonderful guest house run by Marinus and Bev Taale. Another CNFA volunteer, Jim Traub and his wife Linda, were also there. On Saturday, we hired a car and driver for an adventure – Dedza Pottery factory, the Chamare Museum at Mua Catholic Mission, and lunch at Livingstone Hotel on Lake Malawi. The Chamare Museum describes the culture of the three main ethnic groups of Central Malawi – the Chewa, Yao and Ngoni and their interaction with Islam and Christianity and each other. The first display in the entrance area depicts the history of Mua – a Catholic Mission founded by the White Fathers in 1902. Two further rooms have a wealth of photos, displays and artifacts illustrating traditional beliefs, rituals and rites of passage. There is a fabulous collection of over 400 Gule Wamkulu masks. While in Lilongwe had two wonderful Chinese luncheons at Noble House; as good as I remember from my previous visits. Driven to Blantyre on Easter Monday, I went back to Mama’s B&B. This is the private home of James and Nellie. I had my same room with en suite bath. It was wonderful to see them again after almost 4 years. All of their three sons are living in Blantyre – 2 are married and the third is graduating from medical school in June. Nellie’s sister died last fall so Nellie now has a “daughter/niece” who will move to Indiana in the summer and live with her brother, Nellie’s nephew. I walk every morning for 30 minutes in the neighborhood. Others are walking but not for exercise; they need to get somewhere and walking is the most common form of transport. Of course, they are all fit and I am not. On Sunday morning the grasshoppers were swarming so dozens of people were out collecting the thousands of grasshoppers. Yes, these are fried and eaten (without wings and legs). Most of the time though, I encounter only a few people. UMODZI Consulting was created, is funded, and has consultant support from Challenges Worldwide. There are currently 7 Malawian staff – 2 Managing Consultants, the Finance/Administrative Officer, 1 driver and 3 “apprentice consultants”. It has been in existence for several years. It offers a full range of services. My assignment was to work with one of the apprentice consultants, Sungeni Segula, on the ESOKO Project. ESOKO is a technology solution using mobile phones that allows for information to be sent and received efficiently and effectively to large groups of people. www.esoko.com In Zimbabwe, agricultural cooperatives had linked to members. In Malawi, there are several users of the technology: examples include price notifications on 30 different agricultural products; shipments of fertilizer from warehouses to Agrodealers; Land O’Lakes notifies farmers when radio shows will be broadcast. UMODZI is a “re seller” of the technology which was created in Ghana; UMODZI provides training and customer service for clients in Malawi. As my assignment time was shortened, I completed a 2013 financial projection of revenue, expenses and monthly cash flow as well as milestones and KPIs. I am back to Lilongwe early Wednesday morning for meetings with ACDI VOCA, the US Aid Mission, and CNFA. I fly out on Friday and arrive home on Saturday.