Uganda and Kenya June and July 2015

Back to Back assignments with CRS (Catholic Relief Services) in East Africa. Uganda was a new host (Loro Oyam SACCO) in a formerly visited City - Lira - so I was able to see the progress from my Wassignment last summer with ACWEC (multi thousand Cooperative); another baby girl was born and Willy Okot named here Opio Drennan. I conducted trainings for Loro Oyam with 10 of their groups on Cooperative principals and finance. I also updated the current business plan through 2018 which is necessary for the Ugandan government and other providers. Off to Kenya and Machakos town to work on a Business Plan for a conference center/training facility/ sleeping rooms about 45 minutes out of town. Wonderful group of farmers.

Alexandria Egypt August 2015

The ABA (Alexandria Businessmen's Association has been a vibrant MFI (Micro Finance Institution) in Egypt for more than 25 years. It serves 9 surrounding areas with innovative programs that assist the very poor to understand and utilize finance successfully. My assignment was with IESC (International Executive Services Corps)and Land O Lakes. The assignment was necessitated by a Fall 2014 Egyptian law which required MFIs to segregate all loans over 100,000 EGP into a subsidiary for Micro and Small Entreprises. My assignment was to work with the Credit Review Approval and Credit Review Decision groups to structure changes that were needed.

The Land O Lakes Staff on site is excellent; logistics were handled with professional and The ABA staff gave much of their time and energy to the project. Many thanks!

One of the most memorable Farmer to Farmer assignments

I had the most memorable CNFA (Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture) assignment in April 2015 in Malawi. Madisi Agro Processing Cooperative Society Limited (MAPCOOP) is one of the best young cooperatives I have worked with in the past 7 years. The Managing Director, Watson, has 35+ years in the Ministry of Ag/Cooperatives and he knows how to organize and follow through. MAPCOOP has been the recipient of grants and as well as loans and has been recognized as one of the best cooperatives in the region (if not the country). In addition, MAPCOOP has been very instrumental in converting tobacco farmers to sunflower seeds crops. Every training had 70+ members in the warehouse; all arrived early (!) and stayed after I left. Great participation! I stayed again in the Linde Hotel; it has tripled its lodging rooms and improved the gardens. It is still primarily a convention hotel; during the week it was completely full; on the weekends, it was very quiet. For part of my stay, Bryce Malsbury another CNFA volunteer was also on assignment. His group was not as organized and successful as MAPCOOP; it was arranged for the Chairman and Manager of MAPCOOP to visit the group and give highlights of their success. I left Malawi and travelled to Mozambique to begin an assignment with AFAP (African Fertilizer Agro Dealer Partnership). It was a reunion with Sergio Ussaca, formerly Country Director for CNFA and now the same for AFAP. I traveled from Maputo to Chokwe. My assignment was to work with CPL (Limpopo Producers Savings and Credit Cooperative (CPL) as well as HICEP (Hydraulics of Chokwe) and SAVAL (Limpopo Valley Agricultural Services). CPL is managed by an excellent staff and serves rice farmers as well as business people in the area. On May 1st, the town closed down for Workers’ Day; I marched in the parade with CPL and then joined them for a wonderful pot luck!

Tanzania October-November 2014

Leaving Tanzania again – this was an interesting and different assignment. I was asked by CRS Farmer-2-Farmer to write a Business Plan for TAHA (Tanzania Horticulture Association) which is an Apex organization for the horticulture value chain – vegetables and fruits. TAHA is receiving 4 “farmers’ containment centers” - 1 from a Finnish NGO and 3 from the Tanzanian governments. Two of these will be “cold” and two will be “warm”. Each will buy produce from local farmers and re-sell it in regional markets or export. In addition, there will be storage for rent as well as training and processing areas. I saw friends, Anthony Kissinga and Sebastian Assenga; was given beautiful material which the local seamstress used to create 3 new dresses! I have stayed in the New Safari Hotel in Arusha the entire time as well as several times before. It is a nice, moderate hotel; staff is excellent; breakfast to order; and the chef as created dinner just the way I want!

Home for Turkey Day! Hong Kong on December 1st. Then to New Zealand to see brother Jim and sister-in-law Kaye in Taranga.

Moishi Friends

Hello Life - Good bye Columbus

My last trip to Columbus OH began with a stop in GA on Tybee Island to see friends, Jenny and Rob Klosterman. They live in a great house (a duplex) on a charming island that has 3,000 inhabitants in the winter and 10 times that in the summer! Wonderful visit with good food, a tour of the local Civil War fort and excellent conversation. Off to Columbus for my final appearance at the Ohio Bankers’ League Management School (Ora “Andy” Anderson created in 1955). Joined Bill Campbell (friend and colleague for more than 20 years), Susan Poling (OB) and 22 bankers. At graduation, I received a diploma from Mike Adelman, CEO of OBL! Then off to Hanover IN and

friends, Sue and Mike DeWine. Sue is retiring as President of Hanover College in June. Home of San Diego with a 5 hour delay. Washing clothes and repacking for Tanzania in 3 days!!

Seven weeks in Uganda

Flights were fine but the arrival time in Entebbe is very late! Another volunteer was on the flight – Ellen Frazenberg from Iowa. Back to the Fairway Hotel; unfortunately construction in the Annex. Off to CRS in the am to meet with Maria Nakayiza (Program Coordinator) and George Ntibarikure (Program Manager) for the Farmer to Farmer activities. My shoes and mosquito spray were there! Said hello to all of the other CRS staff – especially Liz Pfeiffer, Country Director. I brought her a bottle of Tanzanian Red Gold Chili sauce! Off to Lira – 6 hours to the north. The Margaritha Hotel is 4 stories; I asked for a room on the ground floor and facing the inside courtyard. Asked for all the items to be fixed: toilet, lights, and removal of the closet door! Breakfast was 1 egg scrambled with no butter or milk on a piece of toast. My other meal was rice, beans and green veggies…..and a beer. Uganda has several local beers which are excellent. Margaritha Hotel is on the outskirts of Lira Town - a short 20 minute walk. Very quiet here. I walk in the am when it is still dark as the roads are paved around the hotel My client was Acwec Omio Cooperative with >3,500 members. The Chair and founder is Eddy Okello who started with ~20 women less than 10 years ago. The Cooperative is comprised of 10 Cluster groups with smaller units at the village level. There are 10 cash crops: maize, rice, sorghum, ground nuts, sim sim (sesame), millet among others. A large warehouse and equipment are also owned. I conducted training at 10 sites on for more than 250 farmers. I returned to Kampala for a night; other CRS volunteers: Robert Cooperrider and Dave and Flo Wagner were also at the Fairways Hotel so enjoyed a brief visit. The second client was Twezimbe Area Cooperative Enterprise in Kiboga. My training is essentially the same as Acwec Omio: Cooperative principles and leadership/management. There were again 10 groups in various locations: some in schools; some in churches; some under trees. In both I also conducted a TOT for selected members to continue the training with other farmers. My lodging in Kiboga was Precious Hotel. It was basic and very noisy as the staff lived in rooms around the courtyard with children, chickens and goats. I walked every morning with school children going at 6am to various private institutions. All spoke English and wanted to know a about America. Kiboga is a very small town; but it had a Muzungu Lodge (means white person). Back to Kampala and the Fairway Hotel. I left on October 1st for my gorilla adventure as described in the brochure. Mountain pictured. DAY 1: Drive from Kampala south-west across the Equator. The trip takes you through savannah grasslands, banana plantations and through herds of Ankole cattle with their incredible long curving horns. Ascend into the Kigezi highlands, known as the “Switzerland of Africa” with terraced farming and mountain scenery, and drive through to Buhoma. Dinner and overnight at Silverback Lodge. DAY 2: Enter the sanctuary at dawn and enjoy the beauty and freshness of the forest, home of the mountain gorillas. After a short briefing by the guides, proceed through dense bush to trek for these endangered animals. Other primates also live in the forest including the black and white Colobus monkey, red-tailed monkey and chimpanzee. Enjoy a packed lunch enroute and time permitting, visit the cultural village of the Batwa pygmies. Interact with their traditional healers, see how they make a local “brew” out of bananas and watch their traditional dance. Return to Silverback Lodge for dinner and overnight. DAY 3: Return to Kampala after breakfast. My experience was very different: 7 hours of climbing up and down a mountain. Very difficult and never to be repeated. Flights home were full (as usual); luggage was delayed in Atlanta due to a late arrival of my AMS to ATL. Washing clothes to repack for my trip to Savannah (friends), Columbus OH (work) and Hanover IN (friends). Then Tanzania! I have a well travel

ed suitcase.