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This week, I had the opportunity to blog for SocialEdge at the Skoll World Forum along with two other firstyear Haas students, Mike Lee and Omar Garriott.
It was an amazing experience meeting so many international social entrepreneurs working to address societies largest social problems in new ways.
I encourage you to watch the videos of the panels and plenaries. Advanced Warning: You may be highly inspired!
This week the Global Initiatives crew headed to wintry Washington, DC for our annual career trek.
During the two days we visited several organizations including the Grameen Foundation, Ashoka, Shorebank International, Technoserve, and Winrock International. These intimate discussion allowed us time to learn more about the organizations and what it would be like to work there.
Our visit to the IFC was canceled due to a bomb threat! That’s DC for ya.
Interesting article in this week’s New York Times magazine about recycling cell phones or reselling in developing countries.
Yesterday Global Initiatives and the Blum Center co-hosted the founder of the BiD Network for an evening of discussion about providing access to capital for SMEs in developing countries.
The BiD Network is a social enterprise based in Amsterdam that aims to contribute to sustainable economic development by stimulating entrepreneurship in developing countries. They do this by hosting a number of business plan competitions (called BiD Challenge) in several developing countries with the help of local NGOs. They also have an online BiD Network which connects mentors from Europe with entrepreneurs in developing countries.
Thierry Sanders and Koen Wasmus shared with us their plans to transition the organization from running business plan competitions that provide limited prize money to providing ongoing access to capital by creating a deal-flow model linking entrepreneurs and investors more immediately.
The BiD Network isn’t the only organization looking into the issue of capital for SMEs. Google.org has partnered with Technoserve to run a number of business plan competitions branded Believe, Begin, Become in a number of developing countries. It will be interesting to see if these organizations can collaborate to serve the SME customers in these regions in a coordinated fashion.
I’ve only lived in Dar for a few weeks and only know a handful of people but each week I’ve been here someone I know has lost a family member of friend without warning.
First my roommate’s uncle lost a daughter at the age of 2. She went to sleep and didn’t wake up — no symptoms, no warning. The worst thing is that this is his third daughter to die before reaching the age of three.
The following week my colleague’s friend’s father died instantly of a heart condition. The next week someone I met at dinner told me about his neighbor who was instantly killed in a car accident. The list goes on, six weeks and six sudden deaths. The life expectancy for Tanzania is only 44 years according to the UN. If my experience is any indication, I have plenty of examples of people who did not live to beyond that age. It’s quite different than the 79 year life expectancy for the US.
This week, the death hit closer to home. Yesterday Cecy told me that Anna, the woman who owned the food shop on the corner, had died the night before. This loss was more personal because I had gotten to know Anna and her husband over the past few weeks. I had purchased many things from Anna and always enjoyed exchanging Swahili greetings with her. Her eldest son was old enough to learn a little English and she would always prompt him to greet me with “Good Morning” or “Hello.” Sometimes he would say “Hello, Muzungu” in the cutest voice and wave. Her youngest son was still breast feeding, and one time she interrupted his meal to take care of my order. The little one looked up at me, slightly forlorn, probably wishing he could return to his meal in peace. I tried to make that transaction very quick! Anna’s husband and I also were on friendly terms and had shared a few beers with other men from the neighborhood one Friday evening. I really couldn’t believe that this young woman could be gone.
Cecy told me the story of Anna’s last evening. She wasn’t feeling well so she closed the stand at 7pm and went to a friend’s house. She decided to go to the clinic to see if she had malaria. So she strapped her baby on her back, left her eldest boy with a neighbor, and set out with a young friend for the clinic. She hadn’t made if far when she suddenly collapsed, hitting her face as she fell to the ground. The friend picked up the baby and ran back to the house screaming that “Mama Anna” had fallen and was unconscious. Friends found a car and picked her up and took her to the hospital. She had blood coming out of her nose and mouth. Shortly she was pronounced dead. The doctors said she had had a heart attack. She wasn’t even 28 years old.
All of this sudden death starts to wear down a person. It seems like there is more death here than I experience in my day-to-day life in the U.S. Life is hard in Tanzania. The tropical climate and limited access to medical care can make small illnesses life threatening. And then there are the other conditions that cause premature death that may have been found and treated with access to the right medical care.
I think about those boys who lost their mother so suddenly and I get very sad. Tonight Cecy and I will go over to pay our respects to the family. It’s tradition to give money to the family as well. But I know all too well that no sum of money can replace a beloved family member, wife or mother.
Oh, July 4th. My favorite holiday, really. I love watching fireworks on a warm summer night with family and friends. I was lucky enough to spend five 4ths in Washington, DC during my 20’s – and the fireworks over the mall are just the best! Two years ago I was in Dayton and spent time with Dan and his parents. Last year I was in Florence, Italy for the 4th and missed the celebrations back home. And now this year I’m abroad again. I’m fortunate to get to travel, but I wish I could be home for the 4th. I miss celebrating with other Americans! I think the US Embassy here is having a party on the 6th to celebrate, so maybe I can figure out a way to join in on those festivities.
I’ve seen people around Dar with “red eyes” and my roommates warned me against shaking hands and making contact with people. I should always, always wash my hands if I touched anyone. I’ve been following their advice and using my antibacterial moisture wipes to keep myself clean.
But then my roommate, Cecy, caught red eye from a woman at work. She came home with it on Friday night. By Saturday both of her eyes were almost swollen shut. She kept glasses on and I kept my distance, but I wasn’t too surprised when Sunday morning my right eye started feeling uncomfortable. A few hours later the eye was swollen and itchy and red.
By Monday the infection had spread to the right eye. My roommate had some medicated eye drops to use and I cleaned the eyes with salt water (which is recommended). By Tuesday the eyes weren’t much better, so I went to see a doctor. She gave me new eye drops, in case the Cecy’s had been infected, and told me things should be better in a few days.
Wow…Tanzania must be hot, hot, hot on the list of destinations for international traveler’s these days. I got word this week that I’ll have two more visitors. Josh, a friend from Penn, will be flying into Dar on July 26th and spending a night before heading to Uganda. Jen, a friend from SF, will be in Zanzibar from July 29th – August 1st. I’ll most likely go and join her and her friends for a little time on the beach before Amy arrives on August 1st.
Both Josh and Jen just finished their MBA programs in the states. I teased my roommates that they should start a travel agency for bschool students wanting to come to Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda — since they have experience living in all three places. Who knows, maybe we’ll get a website up before I leave. Goodness knows they could plan a great trip and could use the extra money to buy their diet pills!
I’ve recorded a few more posts for the Kiva Fellows Blog. If you’re interested, you can read them here:
Everything is Connected
http://fellowsblog.kiva.org/2007/06/30/thousands-of-small-businesses-%e2%80%93-everything-is-connected/
Meet a Seriel Entrepreneur
http://fellowsblog.kiva.org/2007/06/24/meet-a-serial-entrepreneur/
