"fast" internet

Ok, so I'm in Solwezi and they have fast internet here - well, fast enough to easily upload photos, but not fast enough to see youtube, so I feel compelled to put up some photos.

For Easter weekend I'm visiting a friend who lives in a village 50km from Solwezi (so just 350km from Mwinilunga).   

This is Marissa admiring Joe's earings from his Samaritan's Purse box.

So Marissa has been in Zambia for a year and I got a chance this weekend to go visit her and see what her project is all about.  She is working on building a high school 50km from Solwezi.  Learn more on her website - http://www.sameworldsamechance.org

This baby was named after Marissa.

Here is Kalusa sewing together used sacs to create a bee suit.

And Mr. Matulu shows off the result.  Is he going to crop honey or launch into orbit?

After all the Samaritans purse boxes were open, the kids still played with their 'truck'.

Ya, this truck is amazing.  First of all, the one kid made it all on his own, and if you have a good eye - you'll notice that it has real stearing capabilities.  Ya, they hava rack-and-pinion system just the same way a real car would have.

Total inginuity from 8 year olds!

Stability - Growth - Jobs

Is it any surprise that people in Zambia want the same thing?  Jobs, stability and Growth... 

The weight of the economic crisis has been on my mind for quite a while.  Everyone knows that GDP is shrinking so it can be called a global recession now, but there is something about the tone of that word…or maybe its the fact that a recession is capable of leading to a depression, and this stirs a very sick feeling deep in our stomachs.

Two of my uncles have lost their jobs because of the recession, many of my friends are also recently unemployed - some are now living back at home "temporarily" and taking any job they can just to get by.  I remember two years ago when I put up the HELP WANTED sign at Springbank Cheese, and after 4 weeks of waiting, I might have received 6 resumes from high school  students or recent grads, and I hear that these days, the same sign in the window draws dozens of resume's from people, even with university degrees.

Here in Zambia the global recessions' effects are delayed because it isn't tied into the system nearly as closely as Canada is tied in.   However, this also means that Zambia hasn't seen all the benefits of being tied in over the past 40 years.

 

The times, they are a changin.

Last week I met a pretty cool group of Americans who are with Peace corps in Zambia.  I quickly realized how far I have come in the past 5 years because I use to be the left leaning guy who thought socialism was necessary, that things like welfare, free health care, and free education are the way to go…and really an overall safety blanket for the public.  I also thought the more aid to developing countries the better.

Now my thinking is almost on the other end of the spectrum.  After working as a manager, travelling the world a bit and analysing how people are motivated and what income generation really means….well, ya, my conclusion is very much in line with what Mr. Barack Obama said last night;

  "the market is the most effective mechanism for creating wealth and distributing resources to produce goods and services that history has ever known,"

During the conversation I had with these Peace corps volunteers, I made a statement which would've been totally counter intuitive to me 5 years ago.  I claimed that "to reduce the gap between rich and poor, what's needed is for everyone to be given a fair chance, NOT for the rich to be taxed more such that the money can be given to the poor".  In other words, I believe the current set of rules, which includes both international trade rules and various government regulations even in Canada…I believe that on a whole, these rules are not fair.  I also believe that if they were fair, I would be content to go home, mind my own business and focus on being a decent member of my own community.  If they were fair, I believe absolute poverty wouldn't exist, I believe people would have a justified feeling of hope and the vast majority of us would work hard to ensure that life for the next generation will be just as good if not better.  For me, this might mean protecting the environment, for others with less money, it might mean sacrificing today so their children get a good education and a better life tomorrow.

However, this is a pipe dream.  The current situation is not fair.  The current situation kills hope.  Rules are in place which put women at a huge disadvantage.  The WTO (World Trade Organization) monitors a set of trade regulations which work to the advantage of the rich countries, not because the WTO itself is evil or even bad, but because the power lies in the hands of very few who want to protect their interests. 

If I had a magic wand, I would change these rules.  But I don’t.

In a couple of my blogs I mention the idea that peace comes through business transactions, or on the global scale, it comes through trade.  I also believe that the exact same tool for bringing peace also is the key to development and wealth creation.

Trade trade trade …. maybe I am way off, but I would love to hear why.  Its not going to be easy, but I only have to listen to the stories of how my grandpa only went to school up to Grade 6 and would go for days away from home chopping wood in the middle of winter, and where they would even sleep in the same shelter as the horses to help keep warm.  Lets not forget where we came from, we still have one foot in the past and we need to appreciate how far we've come.

 

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I liked this Q&A with Mr. Obama at the G20 summit.

 Q: My… question is(on behalf of the world): politics is very local, even though we've been talking about global solution... How can you make sure that you will do whatever you can so that local politics will not trump or negatively affect good international economics?

Answer from Mr. Obama:

"I'm the President of the United States. I'm not the President of China…And so I have a direct responsibility to my constituents to make their lives better. ... how concretely does me being here (at the summit) help them find a job, pay for their home, send their kids to college, live what we call the American Dream. And I will be judged by my effectiveness in meeting their needs and concerns.

 

But in an era of integration and interdependence, it is also my responsibility to lead America into recognizing that its interests, its fate is tied up with the larger world; that if we neglect or abandon those who are suffering in poverty, that not only are we depriving ourselves of potential opportunities for markets and economic growth, but ultimately that despair may turn to violence that turns on us; that unless we are concerned about the education of all children and not just our children, not only may we be depriving ourselves of the next great scientist who's going to find the next new energy source that saves the planet, but we also may make people around the world much more vulnerable to anti-American propaganda"

Whats Up? (some photos)

Just some photos from the past couple weeks.

This guy can play some seriously great music

(he made the guitar from carving a tree and using bicycle spokes for frets)

Matimba - climbing the truck.

Some of our retail packaging. (see website for more - zambezigold.com)

Two reasons why Forest Fruits is succesful - awesome team culture & management

Trying to get this bicycle engine to work.

Couldn't do it without some help from my friends.

A Guest Blog from Chris Nawej

Today I’m happy to introduce my first guest writer on my blog, his name is Chris Nawej and he is the Operations Manager for Forest Fruits Zambia, he grew up in the DRC and  has now worked in Zambia for 7 years.    I work closely with Chris and was lucky enough to have EWB host him at a conference in Toronto just two months ago.  Chris has put some of thoughts down to share with you.    Below are some photos from the trip.

   - Mark

 

Among the things I learned in Canada (other than what it’s like to shovel snow, and how expensive everything is) I have never known that telling someone that they’re fat is such a problem, or even an insult because in Africa we are used to people coming and saying “Chris you have become so fat”.  Surely being fat is not something I want to do, I want to reduce it.  On my trip to Canada I met Kristy and I don’t know if I told her she was fat or how it came about, but she said “Chris, shut up.  You shouldn’t say that - here we don’t say that”.  It was good to learn about the culture.  So something that I’ve been using for the past 30 years in my vocabulary, now I can’t use it.  Imagine a world where when I say to someone that they are fat - it means they are eating well – but now I’ve learned that in Canada someone getting fat, it’s like they are lazy.  Yet they are the same world.  It was good to have people around me who understood me and where I was coming from.

My biggest impression from my trip was to find people with so much energy and passion.  Passion for things that are not personal, such as clothes, movies personal careers etc, but a passion to see another part of the world to develop.  Why was this impression so big?  Because I live in a world where people are self centered , they think of themselves so much.  Even though people claim to work for other people (NGO, gov’t or business) they are using their resources to advantage themselves more than the people they say they’re serving.

At  the EWB conference.  Through being with Mark, I learn that yes, EWB was about really finding out what the issues are.  But I was really impressed and touched – not so much from the presentations given by big NGOs, these I’ve seen in Zambia through my 7 years at FFZ – their language is full of sweet talk, but because when I looked around in the room during the conference and listened to the questions people were asking, they really wanted to know about the effect and the results of all the interventions and decisions that are made.  That really opened my mind to see that people were really interested to see results, people wanted to know how have the lives of people been changed. 

Another thing was – what I can call – the approach of EWB.  In the past it was more on technology that could change the lives of people.  Throughout the conference I discovered that EWB is at the level where it wants to invest in the development of people, I could see that it’s more about people rather than just the technology that they are using.  I believe in this approach because for me, I believe the good way of helping Africa is to help Africa develop themselves.  Africa has all the resources, Africa is rich, but many people in Africa haven’t  seen that they can change their lives with what they have.  This was also supported by what I got through the conference where one of the guests said “the development of Africa has to come from African’s themselves”.

It’s time for young Africans to change their mindset, to change their belief to learn that they have to work to develop themselves… not to expect people from outside to change it.  We have seen it, a lot of people have come from outside, but it’s like we are still at a receiving point rather than to work hard. 

A story that touched me was the story of untying aid.  I didn’t expect to hear that story.  After being around 600 EWB members, I can say I’m no longer surprised, but when I first heard it I felt it was a big signal.  For me I knew that something needed to be done, because … for example, for the UN, it is said a lot that more than 70% of the expenditures remains in the western countries.  They believe that when you want to give help to Africa you need to spend on things to give to Africa, and also to spend on wages of expatriates. This story showed to me the love that people in Canada have for Africa, that people want to see that Africa is being helped in a good way – not in a way where the help is hiding something behind.  I have to say thank you to EWB, this is a good effort. 

I can also say that I have never spent time to think about the work I’m doing and the way I’m changing the lives of people, until I had this trip and to see the place that Forest Fruits had to have during this conference.  I felt that many people were happy with the work we do, before I thought “yes we’re providing a market to people”, but I’ve never spent time to really think about it.  This gave me an opportunity to get feedback from people and it encourages me to continue the work I’m doing, maybe not always with Forest Fruits, but wherever I am, my work has to have a positive impact on other people.

One surprising thing at the conference was to see the lack of African students involved with EWB.  I was both a bit surprised but also a bit happy.  I felt embarrassed when people asked “are there not African engineers who can do the same thing that EWB is doing the same” – the answer is yes,  there are many in Canada, but the truth is maybe we don’t have these people with such spirit.  This is why I encouraged three Zambians I met to stay with EWB and to meet and discuss with other African students to become members.  I didn’t feel good to see so many others getting so concerned, but this is a movement I’ve seen that is strong and with young people who really want to help. 

To close, I met really good people.  The way I was greeted and with some people like Kristy and Liz, we could interact as if we were knowing each other for a long time.  And if that is the spirit in EWB, then I have found the right people to share with.  I can say that I would be happy to become a member of EWB and I will even send my $40 this month end.

I would like to thank all the EWB staff, starting with George and Parker – we had some good discussions - and special thanks to Mark my colleague who taught me about this conference, to Robin who helped organizing me to get to Toronto and to everyone who contributed.  I won’t close this without thanks to my two new good friends I met, Liz and Kristy.

Here we are - at a jazz bar, in Toronto.

Chris gave a presentation on his vision of Forest Friuts at the EWB conference.

The Videos

As promised, before I left the land of high speed internet (Canada) these videos were put onto youtube.

I didnt realize how poor the quality of a youtube video was until now.

Oh well, enjoy.

Me on the back of a motorbike with Chiko - we're entering the town of Kabompo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V3soZxQn9Q

The neighbour's little boy is dancing up a storm one morning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0paUAYajYc

Here we get stuck on a desert plain on our way to visit some beekeepers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9HJUg0HXBc

Chiko and I are preparing to cross the kabompo river - I find out I'm getting in with the bike.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfEP50aBkaY

Evans and Seleyi are standing in the middle of swarming bees at the factory.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjQhrUrLoeI

All is well in Mwinilunga.  The rains are heavy and the honey season is almost over.

My guest blogger will be writing very soon.

The Highest Potential

An article I received

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/matthew_parris/article409644.ece

This articles ends like this - “children anxious to learn, anxious to help, itching to be and become, he would see what every traveller with time on his hands sees: the tremendous, untapped genius and energy of youth in Africa. And he might ask, as I ask: where does it go? What happens to them? What is it that keeps killing hope in Africa?”

What I’ve seen in Jasford and Patel

Last July I started working with a young guy named Jasford, he had worked hard at Forest Fruits for 6 months to save about $150.  He managed to save by living at home and commuting from his village to save on rent and food, and he also avoided alcohol and splurging on nice clothes.  When the honey season ended, he worked with his brother, they started one of the millions of informal businesses in Zambia. Jasford wanted to go to college to learn how to be a mechanic, he needed $2000 to pay for tuition.  With his brother they bought and sold gasoline from the nearest fuel pump which is 300km away.  After 6 more months passed, he had almost $500 saved.  Someone suggested he buy a cow and sell it when prices would go up for Christmas.  He spent the $250 on the cow, unfortunately it died and he only got $50 from the carcass. 

There goes some hope.

But he was far from giving up.  We met and went over the numbers, he kept repeating how important profits were, not revenues.  We found that he could make the most money by working at Forest Fruits and going to buy gasoline on weekends, then his brother could sit by the road and sell the fuel while he was at work.  He was on his way, it was going to take two years, but that was alright.

Jasford then asked me to help him with mathematics so he could pass his entrance exam.  I asked him to bring his final high school exam, and we’d start there.  We sat for a good 6 hours trying to get through the first question, and it became obvious that somehow he had passed grade 12 without ever knowing what a variable was – for example, in the equation “x + 5 = 21”, he wasn’t taught how to solve for the variable x, or even the concept.

The government high school had failed him…there goes some more hope.

His friend Patel is another example of a young guy who works so hard I can’t help but dream a better future for him.  This guy is the ultimate handyman and he’s only 20 years old.

But.  Just today his relatives came and asked the boss if he could be excused from work today to attend a funeral.  How does this effect his approach to planning for the future?  His hope?

 

Evans

I work with another amazing guy named Evans, and I would love to have him as a guest on my blog one day as well.  He is in the second highest position in the company, and yet you can find him without a dollar to splurge on a cold drink.  For months his nephews and cousins were staying at his house and eating for free.  They would sit around while he worked over 40 hours a week and studied another 20 hours for business management degree via distance education.  They just sat.

Even though Evans has found a way to make a good life for his wife and kids, he is part of a system that can pull him back.  Why should anyone work as hard as Evans when they see that he doesn’t even get to keep the rewards?

 

“Where does it all go?“

 In some ways it may not be all that different from Canada, we get older, more cynical and sometimes more humble.  It reminds me of something Ralph Nader said last year at the EWB conference: our 20’s are beautiful because we don’t know what isn’t possible.

Here in Zambia its just more severe and systemic, things we (in Canada) take for granted such as health care, education, law enforcement… just don’t work well in Zambia.  Everyone starts out with a truckload of hope and potential, but as the years go by, as most attempts become failures due to circumstances beyond control, then the natural result is a sincere life of living within your means.  You become modest and VERY risk adverse.

This is why I strongly believe the highest potential and the biggest rewards will come from empowering Zambians who are in their 20's.

(3 weeks ago Jasford started studying to do electrical work at a college in Kitwe, his church has sponsored him for the part of the tuition)

 

The Language of Business

“The Language of Business”

 

Feet on the ground

 

After two weeks of trying to get back into my Zambian life, I am still finding it difficult to re-adapt.  Ideas, memories, people, places... everything that had  happened in my five weeks in Canada has been running through my head.  The whole experience at home was some sort of sensory overload.  And saying goodbye is one of my least favourite things to do.  But I suppose this isn’t unlike trying to settle into any other job after a whirlwind vacation.

 

 

A honey delivery

 

As I drive with Dan to drop off an order of honey, it all seems too familiar.  Both Dan and Barb (the owners of Forest Fruits) go way out of their way to make a sale, and to make the customer happy.  I remember a time at Springbank Cheese when I questioned my Dad's enthusiasm for selling just $50 of cheese at wholesale prices...which would give a meagre 4 dollars profit.  I remember he'd spend a lot of time making sure the order was perfect and he'd even drive 30 minutes to drop it off himself. 

 

One such customer ended up becoming Springbank Cheese's biggest at 10 grand a week, most of the others disappeared and many never grew beyond $50 a shot. 

 

Now I see the same at Forest Fruits in Zambia.  Huge amounts of time and energy go into the tiniest of details to be sure that no sales opportunity is missed and that every customer is happy.  Similarly, in the development sector, huge amounts of time and energy go into making the customer happy, however, the customer isn't the Zambian living on a dollar a day, its the donor who provides the money.

 

 

A common language

 

Every four months I get the chance to meet with the other EWB volunteers and talk about ideas we have and things we're seeing.  As I take it all in, I notice that development has its own language, each of the other volunteers are working with non-governmental organizations (NGO's) and this jargon-filled development language is always used.  Words like - capacity building, beneficiary, monitoring & evaluation, participatory learning.... they are NOT used in regular business. 

 

Capacity building means investing in people/employees.

For us, the beneficiary is everyone – business, employee and beekeeper.

Monitoring & Evaluation is like a customer survey.

Participatory learning is like dialogue between customer and producer.

 

These buzzwords start out as meaningful but after a few years they are thrown around in project proposals so much that the meaning is lost.

 

Maybe its just me - but somewhere between the good ideas and the lingo and what actually happens on the ground, any hope of transparency in the development sector is lost.

 

 

A visitor from Zambia

Chris and I at the EWB gala banquet.

The operations manager of Forest Fruits had the opportunity to come and attend the EWB conference in Toronto.  I have spoken about Chris before in my blog, and there was this surreal moment of picking him up at the airport - "worlds colliding" was all I could think of.

 

At the conference, just minutes before a panel discussion was about to take place, Chris was asked to speak on what he's seen at Forest Fruits.  He went last and his presentation was like a breath of fresh air.  He spoke about very tangible issues on the ground, and about the ways in which Forest Fruits has dealt with them.  The contrast to the other presenters was undeniable, the other three were from NGO's, talking about high level issues dealing with multiple countries, whereas Chris was speaking about 6000 farmers and about running a business.

 

I have asked Chris to be a guest writer on my next blog - I'm sure he'll have lots of interesting things to say.