Whistle While You Work

So much for the "slower pace of life;" the last two weeks have been absolutely crazy. We've been working on a number of different projects, and we want to catch ya'll up to speed on the work and where we're headed.

The biggest agenda lately has been meeting with and getting four new farmer's groups ready to begin planting before the fast approaching "long rains." Each of these groups has about 50 farmers, with 2 groups preparing to grow and process sunflowers to make sunflower oil, and 2 groups growing aloe vera. This endeavor has had Rebecca and I running all over the place, drinking boat loads of chai, and meeting an incredible number of great people. With all these groups we're partnering with the Anglican church through an organization called Christian Community Services (CCS). David Gitari (the guy standing in the picture) the CCS staff working with our groups, has become a quick friend and partner in the work.

The biggest issue is that before the groups can receive the in-kind loan (seeds and fertilizer necessary to begin planting) they need to understand and agree in writing to the conditions of the project. Our primary purpose is to form groups that will produce and market a crop, repay their loans to a group owned account, and then afterwards manage a revolving loan fund within the group that would allow the community to have access to agricultural loans for a long time into the future. Considering that most of you are probably still a bit confused by that last sentence, you can imagine how difficult it is to explain the concept to a group of 50 subsistence farmers, a few of whom are completely illiterate.

So we begin by asking questions. We ask them about what their groups have been doing. We ask them to tell us about projects they've done before. We ask them why they want to participate in this group, and about what they're hoping to gain. It's absolutely amazing what the groups have already accomplished, and one of my goals is to remind them from the outset that they've already proved they can do great things. On the other hand, they always say the same thing about what they want: more secure food sources, school fees, better homes, better lives.

We then explain that the issues that they face are long term issues, and that by managing a revolving loan fund, they can have access to capital for different projects to help them address those issues for the long haul. And so we then demonstrate, using two volunteers, how the group will receive a loan in-kind (represented by some leaves or what have you), will grow and sell their crops collectively for money (I actually give the first volunteer some cash in exchange for her leaves), and then repay the loan to a group owned account (represented by the second volunteer who takes the money). Then, and here's the best part, we ask them what the second guy, who represents their loan fund, will do with the money once all the loans are repaid. And if we've done it right, drumroll please, somebody yells out, "they'll give us new loans!"

So then we walk through a contract that outlines all the terms that will guide the groups in the manner just described. It's been fun, because after getting here, Horace and I brainstormed a number of changes to try to strengthen the program which I'm now explaining to the groups in the contract. And once they've signed the contracts and paid the registration fee, they're all set to receive their inputs . . . which you'll probably hear about in our next post.

The other thing we've been doing is visiting with the other groups who are already in full swing. Planting Faith wants us to mentor these groups from a microfinance perspective, to help them manage the thing that we're creating with the new groups. So in Ngare Ndari where the crop failed, we visited and worked out a refinancing plan complete with a new savings component, the group doing market research, and a small test plot to see if we can grow butternut squash. In Mang'u, where the group is now selling passion fruit, we met with the leadership, identified all of those who weren't selling with the group, and then went around to their farms to find out what their problems were and to get them on a repayment/crop recovery plan. In Kibete, where the group is just about to harvest a beautiful crop of bird of paradise flowers, we're hanging out, learning how to harvest and package flowers for export, and beginning to talk with them about the future of their group. The picture shows the group meeting with an exporter, who is demonstrating how to harvest and package the bird of paradise flowers.

Soon we'll begin doing the Christian business trainings with the new groups, and before you know it, hopefully planning a new group for next year with even more changes and adaptions based on what we're learning. But that's for another day.

Otherwise, we're having a blast. We've been to a wedding, found a church, practiced loads of kiswahili, made some wazungu (white) friends, and lots of Kenyan friends, and are so excited to continue to see what God's doing. So stay in touch, ok? We'd love to hear from all of you really soon.

Peace,
Michael