The work begins...

I’ve now been here in Chavakali for a week, although it feels much longer. Even though almost everything here is different than what I’m used to in the US, I have basically gotten used to the daily rhythms of life here -- notice the pictures above, where my friend Rick and I are milking the "ngombe imwamu" (black cow). There is no electricity here, so when darkness falls the only light we have comes from lanterns and flashlights. The house is not hooked up to a piped water system, but there are water tanks that fill when it rains so we can use sinks and showers. It hasn’t rained in awhile here though (which is quite irregular, I am told). The lack of rain will most likely mean that the harvest in August will not go well, and the people, who are already hungry now because it has been so long since the last harvest, will not get much relief from their current situation. Every afternoon there are a number of dark, ominous looking storm clouds that come overhead, but since I have been here it has not rained.

I have spent this week starting work on my main project for the summer: running a study of the longevity of VEF sponsored businesses. The first task that I have is to test different methodologies. In the past, VEF’s business mentors (respected community members who help people in places where VEF works set up business groups, receive business training, and apply for a VEF grant) have been given a list of businesses and asked to tell us when each business started, whether it is still in operation and, if not, when it ceased to operate. It has been hard, however, to gauge how reliable this method is because no one has gone out into the field to verify the information that the business mentors give us. Thus, my first goal is to set up a system in which I get data from the business mentors but then go out into the field to verify it. On Monday, I met with a local business mentor named Juvenalis and asked him to give me information about three businesses in the area that I had randomly selected. Then, yesterday, I went out into the field with two local boys to track down the businesses (easier said than done, as the idea of an “address” is not known around here). We managed to find the three businesses and spoke with the group leader for each one. After spending a few weeks in the VEF offices in San Carlos and then being in Kenya for a week and a half, it was great to finally see a VEF business and meet an entrepreneur in person. One of the businesses was having trouble because it was a family group and the mother had fallen sick, making it hard for the rest of family to stay focused on the business. Another one was a maize and napier grass selling business, and because the harvest is still a few months away there was not much to see besides the fields. The third business, however, was a quintessential example of how VEF’s program can help businesses to grow and flourish. Aggrey is a furniture maker, and he has quite an extensive operation in his compound, which is about a 20 minute walk from the house where I am staying. I forgot to bring my camera, however, so I am going to go back there tomorrow and take a picture of him at work and then include that picture in another post devoted to describing his business. He certainly deserves it.

I met with more businesses today, and now I am about to set up a chair under a nice shady tree and read my book. One of the nice things about not having instant access to either internet or TV is that I get a lot of reading done. There might be loud noises that distract me, but they will most likely be coming from cows instead of cars.