So like, what do you actually, like, do?

This blog is dedicated to the brave men and women who are anyway interested in what work I’m pursuing out yonder. Bless yere cotton socks.

There are two projects in the recently created Business Development Services program of SCOPE both aimed at overcoming three of the main obstacles in helping people achieve a secure livelihood. These are:

1. Access to markets

2. Poor business management skills

3. No access to capital.

One of these projects is aimed at 2 and 3 in the above list – that is the SCOPE Micro Finance scheme.  While when I arrived this was only at idea stage, but it had already been roled out to the local community so we are currently facing issues of selling an incomplete product.

The second primarily focuses on number 1 above. That project is creating a SCOPE Virtual Marketplace for farmers and businesses. Again, this is only an idea at the moment but it is rapidly being fleshed out.

The virtual marketplace aims to illiminate the middleman in markets who dictate the terms of trade, which are always weighted unfairly in the favour of the middleman. This system provides farmers with unequal access to market and revenue and charges traders high prices for stock . By removing the middleman, we aim to create value chains directly between farmers and mico business (traders/grocers/ shopkeepers) with benefits for both.

It is an innovative and exciting project (not my idea I add) which if it gets up and running could have a positive impact for trade across the Coast region of Kenya and maybe beyond. However, we are a long way from getting it up and running.

My role is to help build, implement, monitor and evaluate these two projects.

So basically I fill my weeks  working with a local womens groups on Business Skills training (basically at the moment that is book keeping) with an aim sustainably developing their businesses and to getting them access to capital and also to the virtual marketplace. 

This project has been of mixed success so far. Some of the women are illiterate so they find record keeping a frustrating challenge that is simply expoiting their weekness.  Tailoring training going forward for an illiterate audience and creating a bookkeeping style that suits there needs is something we will be looking at over the coming weeks. Otherwise, some women have for the first time, analysed their business in terms of profit and loss and are enthusiatic about continuing their own skills development. 

When I’m not at that, I’m in the office working on the Business Plan and creating templates and procedures for both projects -  and writing my blog!

Ok that’s work. Next week will be a picture special – a keeper! Now to pop this into a virtual bottle, throw into the virtual sea that is blogspot and see if anybody uncorks it.

So whoever uncorks this message, I hope you are well.

Maybe tomorrow...

Easter here in Kenya this weekend. An Easter with no Eggs or Roast Lamb. Like Christmas without Santa.  Nonetheless I had a great long weekend. 

The majority of it was spent in Diani Beach on the South Coast. Diani is a goregous white sandy beach cut straight from a brochure complete with the beautiful tourquise ocean and a thick line of palm trees dancing in the refreshing sea breeze.

Our base camp for the few days was a fantastic beach bar called Fourty Thieves where we lounged on beach sofas, picniced and drunk (responisably of course).  The icing on the cake was a Sunday afternoon Afro-Fusion Music festival at Fourty which added a bit of divilment to the weekend.

Overall, it was a fun, relaxed, excellent few days.

Before all that tomfoolery was a Good Friday  devoted to preparing for my move to my new house. The house that I’ve been waiting for for 5 weeks now. The house that will be ready “in a week”, “on Tuesday”, “on Friday”, “by the first of April”, “definitely before Easter”  etc.

With builders menacingly hovering, I had misplaced confidence in the full-proof promise that I could move in on Easter Monday. I bought a barrage of cleaning material, moved bits and pieces in, a spent an hour or two cleaning.

When I returned from Diani on Monay I should not of been surprised to see the house still not ready. 

But I was tired.  So I was surprised.

Me to Kalumee, the Foreman  - “Jambo Kalumee, hope you had a good weekend? I’m moving my stuff in tonight as we agreed. Ok?”

“Ahhh Mr William*, very busy weekend not ready today” he laughs, he always fucking laughs like no matter what bad news he has, we’ve got some unbreakable bond. “It is ok for you tomorrow”

I’m no longer sure what ‘Tomorrow’ means here. I think it is defined as anytime in the next  millenia?  It doesn’t mean the day after today that I know for sure.

“But Kalumee, for fucks sake ….” I throw my arms up in the air. I need him to know I’m angry, this is serious, urgency is needed. Kalumee does not read my body language as well as one would hope.

He lets out a big laugh "Mr. William, we’re in Africa n..”

I’m not in the mood for this ‘African time’ nonsense. “What is the delay?” I interrupt.

He avoids the question.

“The house is very clean Mr William” he proudly points out his achievement.

“I know that Kalumee, I fucking cleaned it!” I might implode. Deep breaths Colm - go with the flow. 

I try again “What is there left to do?”

“Oh yes it is nice and clean for you now. You move in tomorrow, no problem” Big smile but he now seems puzzled as to why I’m not smiling.

God Dammit. “Kalumee, What…is… there….left ….to…do?” 

Breath in 1,2,3,4,5. Breath out 1,2,3,4,5.

“Nearly finished, just to cement outside here and bed will come also tomorrow” Small little laugh this time.

He looks away.

A pause.

He looks back at me.

He smiles.  I might cry.

We’ve had the same discussion about 6 bloody times, each time I’m beaten into submission. 

“Ok tomorrow so, you promise tomorrow right?”

Kalumee sees this last question as me finally joining in on his game. He loves it.

“Ohh yes Mr William” he explodes “I see you tomorrow Mr William. It will be finished nice for you my friend”

Now thoroughly satisfied with our encounter, Kalumee gives me another big laugh and friendly handshake.  Twisting The Knife.

As I walk away in the evening gloom, I glance back at him standing there, smiling at me.  He waves.

We’re best of pals.

* My Passport has Colm William Halley on it, so I’m always introduced as Mr. William.

 

New is good

There is a ‘café’ in Mnarani called Starbarks (they actually wear Starbucks t-shirts but that is where any comparisons firmly end). It’s a well worn eatery just at the entrance to the village containing a few tattered tables and chairs, TV on in the corner, the standard amount of flies and a lino that looks like it was layed 25 years ago. 

However, it is under new management and has a deserved reputation for decent food.

On Wednesday evening after work I went there for dinner - Marahagwe and Chapati (Brown Beans and pancakes made with flour no eggs). I sat in the middle of the restaurant of about 10 tables. There were two or three other customers slumped into their seats– none eating or drinking but vaguely interested in the music station playing on TV.

From where I sat eating my plate of beans, I had an unobstructed view out the open door. On the dusty street the evening played out in front of me with actors made up predominantly of local villagers returning home on foot, on push or motor bikes and the passing rattle of several cars, matatus or tuk tuks. Comfortably sharing this stage were the aimless meandering of Mnarani’s goat and chicken population.

A lot of ‘new’ and ‘change’ sums up the last four weeks. Not so long ago I was enjoying a coffee and muffin in the well manicured Starbucks of Dawson Street in an incredibly swanky cosmopolitan Dublin (everything is relative!). 

No plate of beans on the menu and not a goat in sight.

I’m not quite sure I have properly digested all the new words, new cultural norms, new work environment, new living conditions, new neighbourhood… I’m not sure I have digested all the New. My internal processer has a growing ‘to do list’ of items to filter through. Maybe this delay in consuming all that New is why, despite all the changes, I have settled in comfortably after one content heavy month.

This may well be different when the New evolves into the Norm. Time will tell. But one thing is for sure, I’ve not had a month previously that has contained so much New. 

At the moment however, I am enjoying the change. As Sinead Lohan put it

Isn't this always what I wanted,
Isn't it just what I always wanted,
This in only what I want,
Everything around me to be changing

This week, my thoughts and wishes are with Matty and Jill. This week, tomorrow, the next day and everyday until you are both well again.