Hey everyone,
Happy July 4th! I hope everyone had a great holiday. The past few weeks have been pretty awesome. I traveled up to the mountains of Northwest Jakiri to teach rural teachers ICT (information and communications technology) and business classes, about the internet, how to use e-mail (Gmail), and facebook. Some of these teachers from the nearby villages had never used the internet (or even a computer) before, so it was interesting to explain abstract ideas and how they connect people from all over the world. They seemed intrigued (at least I hope).
The following week, I traveled to Yaounde, Cameroon’s capital, to attend the U.S. Embassy’s July 4th party. Their official theme was 50 years of Peace Corps. It was pretty amazing dressing up in formal wear and listening to the Ambassador give a speech commemorating volunteers both in Cameroon and worldwide. I also spent two nights at an Embassy staff’s home. It was the first time I felt like I was back in America. Clean hot showers, delicious food (t-bone steak and bratwurst from home, wines and chocolates from around the world), pool, etc. Thanks to the gracious couple for hosting me and allowing me to pamper myself after a year abroad.
This past weekend, I traveled to Limbe, Cameroon’s coastal beach town with black sand beaches, to celebrate the 4th of July with some Peace Corps volunteers. It was my first black sand beach (because it’s near the volcano Mount Cameroon) and it was sooooooooo beautiful. No matter where I am in the world, you can’t take the California out of me. We went swimming and boogey boarding and camped at night in tents. I hear you can go banana boating in the dry season, so I can’t wait to return and do a reprise of Lake Havasu. Now that Carmen is relaxed, she is ready to work again.
Speaking of work, I am super stoked about the progress of my NGO fair project. As I have previously mentioned, one of my projects is organizing an NGO fair slated for early next year, January 2012. I'm not sure if people know much about the Peace Corps Partnership Program, but I basically raise money through my contacts at home so Americans learn about volunteers' work abroad and contribute to make a difference. The proposal mandates that the Cameroonian community provides at least 25% of the funding. For the NGO fair, I am requesting $3,841.03 from my family, friends, and colleagues back home (54% of the total budget), while the Bamenda community contributes $3,336.49 (46% of the total budget). I am reaching out to the business and local council communities to encourage corporate social responsibility on their end. In essence, I am fundraising from both ends – from home through PCPP and with Cameroonian colleagues towards CSR efforts.
Peace Corps just posted my project on their website, so people can be directed there to learn more and to donate:
https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=694-190
If the link doesn't work, you go to http://peacecorps.gov, click on "Donate to Volunteer Projects" on the left, type in my last name Chang or my project number 694-190.
Please refer this link to anyone who may be interested in donating. Donations are tax-deductible and 100% of the funds go directly to my project. If you need more detail, feel free to message me with questions.
I will also mail you a fun postcard to show my gratitude. =)
So this will be me for the next few months, in full fundraising mode. Now that I’m back to work in Bamenda, I will also continue my fair trade efforts and organizational development for NGOs. Later this month, I will return to Yaounde for “mid-service” to visit the Peace Corps medical staff and make sure I don’t have any undetected worms or various bugs living inside me.
I hope everyone is enjoying the summer!
Peace and love.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
Dependence and Sustainability
Hi everyone,
Hope you are all well. A very special Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers this weekend, especially to my grandpa, my uncle, and my dad. I miss you so much Daddy. You know I’m always thinking of you and I’m motivated to be successful and the woman I am now because of you.
Work here in Bamenda has been keeping me pretty busy. Late last month, nine Peace Corps Volunteers and I organized an HIV/AIDS Peer Education Youth Camp as our Northwest regional project. HIV/AIDS rates in Cameroon are at high alarming rates, particularly in the Northwest region. We had 19 kids from each of our ten posts (one boy and one girl from each volunteer’s post; one did not show) arrive to the Northwest regional capital, Bamenda, for four days and three nights of HIV/AIDS lessons (disease prevention), condom demonstrations (both male and female condoms), life skills (public speaking, engaging in conversations with peers, different types of communication behaviors), guest speakers (a woman living with HIV; contracting the disease here is a huge stigma), and American games (hula hooping, Connect Four, Uno, the chicken dance). We also watched GLOWA’s documentary on child trafficking in Bamenda and had my colleague discuss how human trafficking relates to HIV. (Peep the documentary here: http://www.vimeo.com/12297404)
The kids’ ages ranged from 10-16. The idea was that we invited and trained young leaders from each of our villages/towns/cities to learn about HIV/AIDS , become peer educators, and return to their communities and teach their friends and families about the disease. The kids seemed to really enjoy it. They were asking all types of questions that they would not asked in their community, either because they wouldn’t receive direct answers or they would be too shy to ask. For sustainability purposes, at the closing ceremony they performed skits on how they would talk about what they learned to their community – such as talking about HIV, STDs, healthy relationships, and stigma to friends on Youth Day, at health clubs on campus, etc. It’s always great to be working with young people who are motivated to make their community better.
After the camp, I facilitated two strategic planning workshops with my host institution, MICROEDEC (business resource center), and CHRAC (conflict resolution and human rights NGO). After producing a 5-year plan with the former and 3-year with the latter, I will help them follow up with their operational plans, both internally and for their programs.
Another highlight with work: I found a fair trade project FINALLY! I had been running around in circles since last August trying to find groups interested in entering fair trade formally or at least adhering to fair trade principles (if you want to learn more, visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_trade). In terms of handicrafts, there are two main cooperatives in Bamenda, Prescraft and Bamenda Handicraft Cooperative Society (BH). They are already fair trade-certified with the World Fair Trade Organization. For some reason, I thought they were doing well for themselves and did not need help. Boy, was I wrong. My favorite restaurant here is a part of the BH compound with a spectacular view overlooking all of Bamenda (there’s the restaurant, the store, and apparently a rest house). One night I was early for dinner at the restaurant and since the workers are super nice, I asked if I could visit the handicraft store. She told me it was closed but I could go to the next building and watch the artisans. I ended up talking to some men who were carving musical instruments out of wood and the Pa told me of the need to find overseas market linkages. Although they already export their products to Ten Thousand Villages (based in the U.S. and Canada), requests have plummeted. Thus, members of the cooperative, which consist of about 200+ artisans in the Northwest, have resorted to subsistence farming because they cannot sell their product. I met with the manager and I’ll be helping her create a new website, revamp their product catalog, make their store more attractive to tourists, market the rest house, etc. I’m stoked about this opportunity and hope this will help them find more sales!
Finally, I’m waiting on approval for my Peace Corps Partnership project proposal to be approved for an NGO fair in Bamenda. Once it’s confirmed, I will go into much more detail and enter into full fundraising mode. Basically, the main ideas are networking, establishing linkages, volunteerism, and corporate social responsibility. But I will update you on this very, very soon. =)
Now that I’ve been in Cameroon for one year, I feel like I have the experience to talk about sustainability and its relation to international development. Peace Corps warned us during training that when we live and work at post, the locals will be asking you for money because they assume you are rich (as we all know, this is not true). There’s small scale, as in locals asking you outright for money when you’re walking down the street. Then there’s the work setting, where people are asking you to do their work because you’re “white.” It’s the sense of dependency that’s been passed down in the African culture, and cultures around the world, through the shackles and legacy of colonialism. I understand this and it makes volunteer work frustrating. Sometimes I react strongly…NO I will NOT give you money. NO I will NOT do your work. I’m a Peace Corps volunteer, I’m an advisor, and I’m here to encourage sustainability. What is sustainability? Here’s the official definition: Of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged.
Throwing money at people will not solve any problem. When big international donors come and give money to fund projects, then pat themselves on the back because they were “charitable” and don’t monitor their beneficiaries’ work…only to realize later that these beneficiaries have “chopped” (stolen) the funding for personal gain. Well, you looked away, the receivers know they can get away with stealing, and here’s renewed dependency on white people. We went over this in grad school…here, I see it in action.
(I need to read that Trade Not Aid book.)
My biggest gripe right now is the use of websites for NGOs. In the States, you can create your website and then register a domain name by paying a $20-50 fee for two years. Great, that’s easy because you can do your transactions with a credit card. In Cameroon, there are organizations that wish to do the same because they want their own domain name to make them look respected. But there is no credit in Cameroon. Thus, people will ask white volunteers to register their NGO’s website using a credit card.
But what will happen to the website after it has expired after two years? The NGO will ask another volunteer to renew that subscription with a credit card. I can understand this if you have a lifelong board member/donor who can continue to pay. But maost don't. Then there’s also trying to have donors send money through PayPal on the website. If there is no credit system, there is certainly no infrastructure for PayPal.
How is that sustainable?
As a Peace Corps volunteer, I’m only here for two years. When I leave, what will you do? Continue to ask another white person for help? What if they’re not around anymore? Again with the dependency.
This is frustrating because there are solutions to this problem. For example, thanks to my good friend Catherine, she introduced Wordpress to her NGO (and to me). Wordpress works as a blog, but you can create it to make it look like a website. It’s great for laymen, such as myself, where you don’t need to learn fancy HTML codes and can easily post and update items. Best of all, it’s FREE. No need to register on your credit card for two years of a domain name in a country where credit cards do not exist. Wouldn’t that make the most sense?
But of course, people are reluctant to do this. Why? Because we can just have the white person do it for us and I don’t have to learn all that fancy shtuff.
Anyway, I’m glad some people here understand. Especially in dire financial straits, Wordpress is a great tool for organizations to market themselves for absolutely no charge. I will be creating and launching websites for Bamenda Handicraft and CHRAC. Then I will teach them how to use the website, how to add content, and how to make it professional. Catherine, you rock. Less dependency, more sustainability.
If you have worked in international development elsewhere around the world in a volunteer capacity, I would love to read your thoughts and experiences. Feel free to comment.
Hope this was an insightful post and thanks for reading. To my groupies, I expect some responses from you. ;)
Happy 4th of July! I’ll be at the U.S. Embassy party commemorating 50 years of Peace Corps, as well as camping on the beach!
Peace and love.
Hope you are all well. A very special Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers this weekend, especially to my grandpa, my uncle, and my dad. I miss you so much Daddy. You know I’m always thinking of you and I’m motivated to be successful and the woman I am now because of you.
Work here in Bamenda has been keeping me pretty busy. Late last month, nine Peace Corps Volunteers and I organized an HIV/AIDS Peer Education Youth Camp as our Northwest regional project. HIV/AIDS rates in Cameroon are at high alarming rates, particularly in the Northwest region. We had 19 kids from each of our ten posts (one boy and one girl from each volunteer’s post; one did not show) arrive to the Northwest regional capital, Bamenda, for four days and three nights of HIV/AIDS lessons (disease prevention), condom demonstrations (both male and female condoms), life skills (public speaking, engaging in conversations with peers, different types of communication behaviors), guest speakers (a woman living with HIV; contracting the disease here is a huge stigma), and American games (hula hooping, Connect Four, Uno, the chicken dance). We also watched GLOWA’s documentary on child trafficking in Bamenda and had my colleague discuss how human trafficking relates to HIV. (Peep the documentary here: http://www.vimeo.com/12297404)
The kids’ ages ranged from 10-16. The idea was that we invited and trained young leaders from each of our villages/towns/cities to learn about HIV/AIDS , become peer educators, and return to their communities and teach their friends and families about the disease. The kids seemed to really enjoy it. They were asking all types of questions that they would not asked in their community, either because they wouldn’t receive direct answers or they would be too shy to ask. For sustainability purposes, at the closing ceremony they performed skits on how they would talk about what they learned to their community – such as talking about HIV, STDs, healthy relationships, and stigma to friends on Youth Day, at health clubs on campus, etc. It’s always great to be working with young people who are motivated to make their community better.
After the camp, I facilitated two strategic planning workshops with my host institution, MICROEDEC (business resource center), and CHRAC (conflict resolution and human rights NGO). After producing a 5-year plan with the former and 3-year with the latter, I will help them follow up with their operational plans, both internally and for their programs.
Another highlight with work: I found a fair trade project FINALLY! I had been running around in circles since last August trying to find groups interested in entering fair trade formally or at least adhering to fair trade principles (if you want to learn more, visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_trade). In terms of handicrafts, there are two main cooperatives in Bamenda, Prescraft and Bamenda Handicraft Cooperative Society (BH). They are already fair trade-certified with the World Fair Trade Organization. For some reason, I thought they were doing well for themselves and did not need help. Boy, was I wrong. My favorite restaurant here is a part of the BH compound with a spectacular view overlooking all of Bamenda (there’s the restaurant, the store, and apparently a rest house). One night I was early for dinner at the restaurant and since the workers are super nice, I asked if I could visit the handicraft store. She told me it was closed but I could go to the next building and watch the artisans. I ended up talking to some men who were carving musical instruments out of wood and the Pa told me of the need to find overseas market linkages. Although they already export their products to Ten Thousand Villages (based in the U.S. and Canada), requests have plummeted. Thus, members of the cooperative, which consist of about 200+ artisans in the Northwest, have resorted to subsistence farming because they cannot sell their product. I met with the manager and I’ll be helping her create a new website, revamp their product catalog, make their store more attractive to tourists, market the rest house, etc. I’m stoked about this opportunity and hope this will help them find more sales!
Finally, I’m waiting on approval for my Peace Corps Partnership project proposal to be approved for an NGO fair in Bamenda. Once it’s confirmed, I will go into much more detail and enter into full fundraising mode. Basically, the main ideas are networking, establishing linkages, volunteerism, and corporate social responsibility. But I will update you on this very, very soon. =)
Now that I’ve been in Cameroon for one year, I feel like I have the experience to talk about sustainability and its relation to international development. Peace Corps warned us during training that when we live and work at post, the locals will be asking you for money because they assume you are rich (as we all know, this is not true). There’s small scale, as in locals asking you outright for money when you’re walking down the street. Then there’s the work setting, where people are asking you to do their work because you’re “white.” It’s the sense of dependency that’s been passed down in the African culture, and cultures around the world, through the shackles and legacy of colonialism. I understand this and it makes volunteer work frustrating. Sometimes I react strongly…NO I will NOT give you money. NO I will NOT do your work. I’m a Peace Corps volunteer, I’m an advisor, and I’m here to encourage sustainability. What is sustainability? Here’s the official definition: Of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged.
Throwing money at people will not solve any problem. When big international donors come and give money to fund projects, then pat themselves on the back because they were “charitable” and don’t monitor their beneficiaries’ work…only to realize later that these beneficiaries have “chopped” (stolen) the funding for personal gain. Well, you looked away, the receivers know they can get away with stealing, and here’s renewed dependency on white people. We went over this in grad school…here, I see it in action.
(I need to read that Trade Not Aid book.)
My biggest gripe right now is the use of websites for NGOs. In the States, you can create your website and then register a domain name by paying a $20-50 fee for two years. Great, that’s easy because you can do your transactions with a credit card. In Cameroon, there are organizations that wish to do the same because they want their own domain name to make them look respected. But there is no credit in Cameroon. Thus, people will ask white volunteers to register their NGO’s website using a credit card.
But what will happen to the website after it has expired after two years? The NGO will ask another volunteer to renew that subscription with a credit card. I can understand this if you have a lifelong board member/donor who can continue to pay. But maost don't. Then there’s also trying to have donors send money through PayPal on the website. If there is no credit system, there is certainly no infrastructure for PayPal.
How is that sustainable?
As a Peace Corps volunteer, I’m only here for two years. When I leave, what will you do? Continue to ask another white person for help? What if they’re not around anymore? Again with the dependency.
This is frustrating because there are solutions to this problem. For example, thanks to my good friend Catherine, she introduced Wordpress to her NGO (and to me). Wordpress works as a blog, but you can create it to make it look like a website. It’s great for laymen, such as myself, where you don’t need to learn fancy HTML codes and can easily post and update items. Best of all, it’s FREE. No need to register on your credit card for two years of a domain name in a country where credit cards do not exist. Wouldn’t that make the most sense?
But of course, people are reluctant to do this. Why? Because we can just have the white person do it for us and I don’t have to learn all that fancy shtuff.
Anyway, I’m glad some people here understand. Especially in dire financial straits, Wordpress is a great tool for organizations to market themselves for absolutely no charge. I will be creating and launching websites for Bamenda Handicraft and CHRAC. Then I will teach them how to use the website, how to add content, and how to make it professional. Catherine, you rock. Less dependency, more sustainability.
If you have worked in international development elsewhere around the world in a volunteer capacity, I would love to read your thoughts and experiences. Feel free to comment.
Hope this was an insightful post and thanks for reading. To my groupies, I expect some responses from you. ;)
Happy 4th of July! I’ll be at the U.S. Embassy party commemorating 50 years of Peace Corps, as well as camping on the beach!
Peace and love.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
"Make sure to chop much so when people from America see you grow fat they'll know you are doing well in Cameroon."
Wuna good aftanoon-oh,
How is everybody? I’ve been missing home very much lately, especially the food. Soo…if you’re in California, can you consume some extra In-N-Out, dim sum, carne asada fries, and tequila strawberry-blended margaritas for me? If you’re in DC, will you grub on some extra chili dogs from Ben’s Chili Bowl and Ray’s Hell Burger for me? I’ve been cooking and making meals from SCRATCH (yes, homemade food, and yeah, I haven’t given anyone food poisoning yet – miracle!), such as guacamole, burritos, chili, crepes, fried rice, fried noodles, minestrone, hash browns, stir-frys, key lime pie, steak dinner (including garlic sautéed green beans and baked potatoes – YUM) etc., and I can get most everything in Bamenda…but there are still certain items I crave.
Except I watched the documentary Food Inc. recently and I’m somewhat traumatized by all the hormones and artificial chemicals we inject into our bodies, either directly or through the chicken and beef we consume. Most of you know about this already, but check out the movie and it’ll have you running to the nearest farmer’s market. You’ll learn about the food industry and the big companies who control the products we consume at our grocery stores (no, this is not the hippie views in me…it’s real talk). Also, some books to check out are The Omnivore’s Dilemma and Skinny Bitch (but not if you have a weak stomach – it’s graphic).
Don’t remember if I’ve talked much about food in Cameroon. There are some people who don’t like food here, but I enjoy most of it, particularly in the Northwest where I live. Some of the traditional foods here are achu (made of a banana and taro paste with yellow soup in the middle), fufu corn and njama njama (which is cassava, a carb, and huckleberry leaves, tastes like spinach; this meal takes like grits and collard greens), pepe soup (pepper soup with chicken, fish, or goat meat), egussi with rice (peanut paste – arachide in French – verrrry yummy), koki (mashed baked beans wrapped in banana leaves; tastes like tamales), ndole (bitter leaf mixed with egussi), roasted (grilled) fish with plantains and/or bobolo (or baton de manioc in French…I really don’t like this), chicken kati-kati (usually eaten with fufu corn and njama), chicken DJ (amazing – prepared with tomatoes, carrots, and green bean sauce), jeloff rice (like fried rice without eggs). There are obviously more, but these are the most common and traditional. Besides the bobolo, these are actually my favorite dishes although it took me a few tries to enjoy achu since it’s so rich. Achu and fufu corn/njama njama are traditional specifically to the Northwest region, and it’s eaten with your hands like Ethiopian food. With the fufu corn, you take a little dough ball of it and wrap it around the njama njama. Achu is a little harder to explain…you use two fingers without breaking the soup. Everything is eaten with hot sauce, or “pepe” in Anglophone and “pimante” in Francophone, made of grinded peppers, garlic, oil…it’s delectable.
My apologies, I don’t usually like taking pictures of food but I’ll try to post some so you get a better understanding.
A delicious snack here is called soya (brochettes in French) – which are steak pieces on a stick like shish kebabs. There are grills at many bars around where they make soya. There is a local bar right next to my apartment and our soya guy makes THE best in the Northwest…no exaggeration (I’ve tried soya in the Extreme North, the North, the West, other parts of the Northwest and ours deserves the honors). He cuts the steak into thin pieces so it’s like flank steak and marinates them with crushed nuts so it’s crispy when he puts it on the grill. IT’S SOOOO GOOD. Imagine having steak all the time with large beers! It’s definitely one of my favorite pastimes in Cameroon. Friends, if you visit me in Bamenda, I’ll definitely show you some yummy cuisines.
Eating here is definitely more organic than in the States since I buy groceries from this lady’s store, in which her garden is right behind her house/store. I’m able to eat well, have a balanced diet plentiful of veggies and fruits, and meats. Oh, let me elaborate on fruits. Pineapples, watermelons, coconuts, papayas, bananas, oranges, and apples are available year-round (as well as avocadoes), and mangoes are in season now. I seriously lucked out on Bamenda, Cameroon – all I need to find is young, raw coconut (my #1 favorite fruit, tied with pineapple, watermelon, and mango) and I’ll be thoroughly satisfied.
Cameroonians are very proud of their food (as they should because it’s delicious). However, many are close-minded to trying new dishes. When I invite friends and colleagues over for dinner, they usually arrive with a skeptical attitude that they won’t like my meals. I had a gentleman ask me once, “Why didn’t you make fufu corn and njama njama? You don’t know how to make it?” (Actually, I love making njama njama and rice). I said, “Uh, I know how to make it. I just didn’t prepare it tonight because I wanted to make an American dish.” I remember during my stay with my host family, they would always make me omelets with a pound of palm oil each morning. One day, I was tired and wanted scrambled eggs. They were appalled to see me breaking up the eggs on the pan. I said, “RELAX. I am using the same exact ingredients (and way less palm oil)…just preparing this breakfast a different way.” They thought I was weird but I think one of my host sisters was intrigued thereafter.
It was amusing talking to one of my Cameroonian colleagues about food, the Executive Director of the child trafficking NGO I work with, GLOWA. He traveled to Tanzania a few months ago, and when he returned I asked him about the food there. He said it wasn’t very good – the fish was dry, there was no flavor…and there was hardly any pepe! “Now that I’ve traveled out of Cameroon, I understand trying food from somewhere else. I can’t believe you guys have to endure this coming from America to Cameroon!” I told him, “Well, you have nothing to worry about because the food here rocks!”
Yesssss…score one for cross-cultural exchange.
Updates on life:
Last Friday was a national holiday, the day of Cameroon’s reunification between the Anglophone and Francophone’s regions. Some Anglophones are still bitter about this because they feel marginalized as the minority (read previous posts since I discuss this a lot). Check the article:
http://cameroonwebnews.com/2011/05/18/cameroon-north-west-remembers-50-years-of-reunification/
Planning for the NGO Fair is going smoothly! I just submitted my Peace Corps Partnership Program proposal and will be waiting to hear back for approval in a few weeks. I will give you all more details about this project and would like your support. =)
In two weeks, I’ll have been in Cameroon for one year! I still remember when I was doing beaucoup de voyage around the States – Omaha, Vegas, Miami, and my going away party in Los Angeles – exactly one year ago before arriving here. I can’t believe how fast time has flown. The new set of Small Enterprise Development (SED) and Education trainees arrive in two weeks and they’ll do the three-month stage in Bafia. I can’t wait to meet them…I hear one is a SED volunteer from UCLA! Now we’ll have four Bruin alumni in Peace Corps Cameroon!
Ashia for the weekend!
P.S. I have been obsessed with Kanye West’s new album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. This is the first time in a long while I’ve been excited for music. His film for “Runaway” is awesome. Check it.
How is everybody? I’ve been missing home very much lately, especially the food. Soo…if you’re in California, can you consume some extra In-N-Out, dim sum, carne asada fries, and tequila strawberry-blended margaritas for me? If you’re in DC, will you grub on some extra chili dogs from Ben’s Chili Bowl and Ray’s Hell Burger for me? I’ve been cooking and making meals from SCRATCH (yes, homemade food, and yeah, I haven’t given anyone food poisoning yet – miracle!), such as guacamole, burritos, chili, crepes, fried rice, fried noodles, minestrone, hash browns, stir-frys, key lime pie, steak dinner (including garlic sautéed green beans and baked potatoes – YUM) etc., and I can get most everything in Bamenda…but there are still certain items I crave.
Except I watched the documentary Food Inc. recently and I’m somewhat traumatized by all the hormones and artificial chemicals we inject into our bodies, either directly or through the chicken and beef we consume. Most of you know about this already, but check out the movie and it’ll have you running to the nearest farmer’s market. You’ll learn about the food industry and the big companies who control the products we consume at our grocery stores (no, this is not the hippie views in me…it’s real talk). Also, some books to check out are The Omnivore’s Dilemma and Skinny Bitch (but not if you have a weak stomach – it’s graphic).
Don’t remember if I’ve talked much about food in Cameroon. There are some people who don’t like food here, but I enjoy most of it, particularly in the Northwest where I live. Some of the traditional foods here are achu (made of a banana and taro paste with yellow soup in the middle), fufu corn and njama njama (which is cassava, a carb, and huckleberry leaves, tastes like spinach; this meal takes like grits and collard greens), pepe soup (pepper soup with chicken, fish, or goat meat), egussi with rice (peanut paste – arachide in French – verrrry yummy), koki (mashed baked beans wrapped in banana leaves; tastes like tamales), ndole (bitter leaf mixed with egussi), roasted (grilled) fish with plantains and/or bobolo (or baton de manioc in French…I really don’t like this), chicken kati-kati (usually eaten with fufu corn and njama), chicken DJ (amazing – prepared with tomatoes, carrots, and green bean sauce), jeloff rice (like fried rice without eggs). There are obviously more, but these are the most common and traditional. Besides the bobolo, these are actually my favorite dishes although it took me a few tries to enjoy achu since it’s so rich. Achu and fufu corn/njama njama are traditional specifically to the Northwest region, and it’s eaten with your hands like Ethiopian food. With the fufu corn, you take a little dough ball of it and wrap it around the njama njama. Achu is a little harder to explain…you use two fingers without breaking the soup. Everything is eaten with hot sauce, or “pepe” in Anglophone and “pimante” in Francophone, made of grinded peppers, garlic, oil…it’s delectable.
My apologies, I don’t usually like taking pictures of food but I’ll try to post some so you get a better understanding.
A delicious snack here is called soya (brochettes in French) – which are steak pieces on a stick like shish kebabs. There are grills at many bars around where they make soya. There is a local bar right next to my apartment and our soya guy makes THE best in the Northwest…no exaggeration (I’ve tried soya in the Extreme North, the North, the West, other parts of the Northwest and ours deserves the honors). He cuts the steak into thin pieces so it’s like flank steak and marinates them with crushed nuts so it’s crispy when he puts it on the grill. IT’S SOOOO GOOD. Imagine having steak all the time with large beers! It’s definitely one of my favorite pastimes in Cameroon. Friends, if you visit me in Bamenda, I’ll definitely show you some yummy cuisines.
Eating here is definitely more organic than in the States since I buy groceries from this lady’s store, in which her garden is right behind her house/store. I’m able to eat well, have a balanced diet plentiful of veggies and fruits, and meats. Oh, let me elaborate on fruits. Pineapples, watermelons, coconuts, papayas, bananas, oranges, and apples are available year-round (as well as avocadoes), and mangoes are in season now. I seriously lucked out on Bamenda, Cameroon – all I need to find is young, raw coconut (my #1 favorite fruit, tied with pineapple, watermelon, and mango) and I’ll be thoroughly satisfied.
Cameroonians are very proud of their food (as they should because it’s delicious). However, many are close-minded to trying new dishes. When I invite friends and colleagues over for dinner, they usually arrive with a skeptical attitude that they won’t like my meals. I had a gentleman ask me once, “Why didn’t you make fufu corn and njama njama? You don’t know how to make it?” (Actually, I love making njama njama and rice). I said, “Uh, I know how to make it. I just didn’t prepare it tonight because I wanted to make an American dish.” I remember during my stay with my host family, they would always make me omelets with a pound of palm oil each morning. One day, I was tired and wanted scrambled eggs. They were appalled to see me breaking up the eggs on the pan. I said, “RELAX. I am using the same exact ingredients (and way less palm oil)…just preparing this breakfast a different way.” They thought I was weird but I think one of my host sisters was intrigued thereafter.
It was amusing talking to one of my Cameroonian colleagues about food, the Executive Director of the child trafficking NGO I work with, GLOWA. He traveled to Tanzania a few months ago, and when he returned I asked him about the food there. He said it wasn’t very good – the fish was dry, there was no flavor…and there was hardly any pepe! “Now that I’ve traveled out of Cameroon, I understand trying food from somewhere else. I can’t believe you guys have to endure this coming from America to Cameroon!” I told him, “Well, you have nothing to worry about because the food here rocks!”
Yesssss…score one for cross-cultural exchange.
Updates on life:
Last Friday was a national holiday, the day of Cameroon’s reunification between the Anglophone and Francophone’s regions. Some Anglophones are still bitter about this because they feel marginalized as the minority (read previous posts since I discuss this a lot). Check the article:
http://cameroonwebnews.com/2011/05/18/cameroon-north-west-remembers-50-years-of-reunification/
Planning for the NGO Fair is going smoothly! I just submitted my Peace Corps Partnership Program proposal and will be waiting to hear back for approval in a few weeks. I will give you all more details about this project and would like your support. =)
In two weeks, I’ll have been in Cameroon for one year! I still remember when I was doing beaucoup de voyage around the States – Omaha, Vegas, Miami, and my going away party in Los Angeles – exactly one year ago before arriving here. I can’t believe how fast time has flown. The new set of Small Enterprise Development (SED) and Education trainees arrive in two weeks and they’ll do the three-month stage in Bafia. I can’t wait to meet them…I hear one is a SED volunteer from UCLA! Now we’ll have four Bruin alumni in Peace Corps Cameroon!
Ashia for the weekend!
P.S. I have been obsessed with Kanye West’s new album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. This is the first time in a long while I’ve been excited for music. His film for “Runaway” is awesome. Check it.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
We are on African Time.
My dear family and friends,
Hope all is well. I would first like to say thank you for all of your feedback and responses because it shows that you actually read my e-mails. I am grateful to have such a supportive network.
Work has started to flow faster. I went up to Kumbo two weeks ago with GLOWA staff and a short-term American volunteer to observe awareness talks on child trafficking at schools and HIV/AIDS trainings. Then I got sick and that was the rest of my week (but no worries, I’m fine now!). These past two weeks have been good – I just wrapped up a week-long Strategic Planning session with GLOWA and it went smoothly. This is GLOWA’s first time going through the SP process, so I’m excited to help plan their future for the next three years. I should be doing SP with MICROEDEC next month when the founder returns to Bamenda. I’ll also be traveling next week back up to the North of Cameroon, Ngaoundere, to do Diversity training sessions for the newly-inducted Health and Agroforestry Peace Corps Volunteers’ In-Service Training and their Cameroonian counterparts (mango season is coming soon up there YAY!). I’m telling you, time has just flown by. In three months, I’ll have been in country for one year…can you believe it?! I sure can’t (not that I’m trying to count down or anything, but that means in June I’ll have 15 more months in Cameroon).
I have been meaning to discuss the concept of “African time.” I know many of you are familiar with African time, Indian time, Persian time, C.P. time, etc. (at least my African-American, Indian-American, and Persian-American, friends have told me this) which means essentially the same thing – an event that starts at 1pm doesn’t really begin until…4pm (smile). In the U.S., I would joke about this with my friends – if it’s a social outing, don’t show up to the party until an hour or so later because you’re important and you want to make an entrance. But in Africa it’s real. Seriously, don’t come on time because all you’ll be doing is sitting there and waiting for at least three hours. Bring a book/headphones. To use the popular French phrase “J’arrive” or Pidgin phrase “Am coming” (which actually means, I am leaving you right now and coming back later), you have no idea if they will be “coming” in 10 minutes or hours. Or tomorrow. Funny enough, it’s completely okay to say this. “Am coming” you say, is then followed with nods of approval (I’ve started using this phrase as an excuse to leave). The concept of time and time management is definitely different from ours.
Needless to say, I can sometimes get frustrated with African time. I have already accepted this at cultural ceremonies and festivities (always have a book and bottled water in my purse), but what has been bothering me the most is African time in the work environment. I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before, but things can move s-l-o-w-lllllll-yyyyyy. As Westerners, we are used to the concept of work to be, well, work. You come to the office to do your job, run meetings, complete tasks, and meet deadlines. Here, it seems like people enjoy their time at the office. They work a little, then go on Facebook, then work some more, then have a meeting, then friends come to visit…then hey let’s have a drink…which ends up with drinking the rest of the night. What’s ironic is that people believe in hard work. Office hours are Monday-Saturday, 8-10 hour days. Sunday is the only day of rest. Yet, people enjoy saying “A dey for office.” BUT NOTHING IS GETTING DONE! AHHHHHHHHH!
Disclaimer: This is not every office – there are organizations here that adhere to Western time, like mine.
Yet even as annoyed as I am with this, it’s made me realize that enjoyment of time is a value that Cameroonians hold dear. People don’t understand why Americans are always bouncing from one appointment to another. It’s rude to leave a Cameroonian or refuse a drink when someone invites you to sit down…are you not enjoying your time with them? Westerners are so preoccupied with getting work done and filling in schedules…well, this is why we are the developed world, n’est pas?
This leads me to wonder if we, as Westerners, are really enjoying our lives (thank you, Melissa Wells, for engaging in this topic with me). Which values do we hold the dearest – spending time with loved ones, happiness, conspicuous consumption? Of course I still get impatient when my work here takes forever to begin and/or to accomplish (working on a presidential campaign turned me into a twitchy person), but I’ve begun to deal with it. Especially in a professional setting, I try to reach a happy medium by incorporating American time management and hopefully people will get it. If we have a meeting and the person is late, I’m not going to wait around. If one is really serious about working with me, then one will be on time.
But I will always make time to sit down and hang out, take a drink, and speak some Pidgin. After work. Work hard, play hard.
That’s it for now folks…remind me next time to post about chaos theory, “adventures,” and speaking Pidgin so I don’t forget.
Next time-ohhhhhhhhh!
Hope all is well. I would first like to say thank you for all of your feedback and responses because it shows that you actually read my e-mails. I am grateful to have such a supportive network.
Work has started to flow faster. I went up to Kumbo two weeks ago with GLOWA staff and a short-term American volunteer to observe awareness talks on child trafficking at schools and HIV/AIDS trainings. Then I got sick and that was the rest of my week (but no worries, I’m fine now!). These past two weeks have been good – I just wrapped up a week-long Strategic Planning session with GLOWA and it went smoothly. This is GLOWA’s first time going through the SP process, so I’m excited to help plan their future for the next three years. I should be doing SP with MICROEDEC next month when the founder returns to Bamenda. I’ll also be traveling next week back up to the North of Cameroon, Ngaoundere, to do Diversity training sessions for the newly-inducted Health and Agroforestry Peace Corps Volunteers’ In-Service Training and their Cameroonian counterparts (mango season is coming soon up there YAY!). I’m telling you, time has just flown by. In three months, I’ll have been in country for one year…can you believe it?! I sure can’t (not that I’m trying to count down or anything, but that means in June I’ll have 15 more months in Cameroon).
I have been meaning to discuss the concept of “African time.” I know many of you are familiar with African time, Indian time, Persian time, C.P. time, etc. (at least my African-American, Indian-American, and Persian-American, friends have told me this) which means essentially the same thing – an event that starts at 1pm doesn’t really begin until…4pm (smile). In the U.S., I would joke about this with my friends – if it’s a social outing, don’t show up to the party until an hour or so later because you’re important and you want to make an entrance. But in Africa it’s real. Seriously, don’t come on time because all you’ll be doing is sitting there and waiting for at least three hours. Bring a book/headphones. To use the popular French phrase “J’arrive” or Pidgin phrase “Am coming” (which actually means, I am leaving you right now and coming back later), you have no idea if they will be “coming” in 10 minutes or hours. Or tomorrow. Funny enough, it’s completely okay to say this. “Am coming” you say, is then followed with nods of approval (I’ve started using this phrase as an excuse to leave). The concept of time and time management is definitely different from ours.
Needless to say, I can sometimes get frustrated with African time. I have already accepted this at cultural ceremonies and festivities (always have a book and bottled water in my purse), but what has been bothering me the most is African time in the work environment. I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before, but things can move s-l-o-w-lllllll-yyyyyy. As Westerners, we are used to the concept of work to be, well, work. You come to the office to do your job, run meetings, complete tasks, and meet deadlines. Here, it seems like people enjoy their time at the office. They work a little, then go on Facebook, then work some more, then have a meeting, then friends come to visit…then hey let’s have a drink…which ends up with drinking the rest of the night. What’s ironic is that people believe in hard work. Office hours are Monday-Saturday, 8-10 hour days. Sunday is the only day of rest. Yet, people enjoy saying “A dey for office.” BUT NOTHING IS GETTING DONE! AHHHHHHHHH!
Disclaimer: This is not every office – there are organizations here that adhere to Western time, like mine.
Yet even as annoyed as I am with this, it’s made me realize that enjoyment of time is a value that Cameroonians hold dear. People don’t understand why Americans are always bouncing from one appointment to another. It’s rude to leave a Cameroonian or refuse a drink when someone invites you to sit down…are you not enjoying your time with them? Westerners are so preoccupied with getting work done and filling in schedules…well, this is why we are the developed world, n’est pas?
This leads me to wonder if we, as Westerners, are really enjoying our lives (thank you, Melissa Wells, for engaging in this topic with me). Which values do we hold the dearest – spending time with loved ones, happiness, conspicuous consumption? Of course I still get impatient when my work here takes forever to begin and/or to accomplish (working on a presidential campaign turned me into a twitchy person), but I’ve begun to deal with it. Especially in a professional setting, I try to reach a happy medium by incorporating American time management and hopefully people will get it. If we have a meeting and the person is late, I’m not going to wait around. If one is really serious about working with me, then one will be on time.
But I will always make time to sit down and hang out, take a drink, and speak some Pidgin. After work. Work hard, play hard.
That’s it for now folks…remind me next time to post about chaos theory, “adventures,” and speaking Pidgin so I don’t forget.
Next time-ohhhhhhhhh!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Reflection Eternal.
Bonjour,
Hope you are all doing well. Life in Cameroon has been moving swimmingly…I am back at post after traveling from the Extreme North for the holidays and have been planning out my projects for my remaining 20 months here. We have just finished training our small business consultants at my primary NGO, Microenterprise Development Consultants (MICROEDEC), and resuming business classes this month. I will be starting a Peace Corps Partnership Program request to create a Counter-Trafficking Resource Center with my second NGO, Global Welfare Association (GLOWA). This is where I will need your help, but details to follow later. My quest for a fair trade project has been slow, but I am hoping to meet and collaborate now with artisans to export their handicrafts to the States (for example, Ten Thousand Villages). Finally, I’d like to plan an NGO fair in Bamenda next year so that we can gather all the NGOs (there are many) together to network and share information and ideas.
They say you learn a lot about yourself when serving abroad, and my experiences are no exception. I have been doing a lot of reflection about being an American, and then being a Chinese-American. As a child of immigrants who moved to the States, I grew up learning two different cultures. Living the village life in Cameroon with my host family was not too different from village life of my family in southern China – washing clothes in buckets, carrying water (Africans on heads, Chinese balancing with bamboo sticks), cooking with intermittent electricity, etc. There is a sense of community that family live together and near each other. Elders are respected and taken care. Corporeal punishment is enforced when students/children misbehave (common Cameroonian saying, “I will beat you!”). Polygamy is accepted, as men take in their third or fourth wives. People taking great pride in clean clothes and clean shoes (I was still getting yelled at in the States for wearing flip-flops 24/7). These are things I notice that I sometimes do not relate with a “white” American…for example, I remember discussing polygamy during training and trainees shocked at its existence here…this is also practiced in other countries.
At the same time, I consider myself a strong-willed, independent female (even though I have learned I’m also girly). I don’t like men talking down to me, expecting me to be domestic (although I’ve starting cooking and don’t mind doing the dishes if someone else is cooking…this is a goody; thanks Cameroon!). I am perfectly fine explaining that I’m 26, not married, and career-driven. I am a defender of human rights and cannot stand to hear of houses being burned down due to border disputes, drivers forced to give gendarmes money in order to pass the road, people being arrested for not having their papers, etc. These are American, democratic values of independence, self-reliance, and freedom. They are values that I struggled with balancing as a Chinese-American in the States…but I have gained a better understanding of this being in a developing country.
I recently joined the Diversity Committee with Peace Corps so that we can discuss our background and experiences with other Volunteers and support one another. It’s also great hanging with other PCVs and exuding Goal 2 to Cameroonians that our nation consists of people from all walks of life. I hope that my tenure here will end with me not only learning about myself, but also Cameroonians and Americans learning from each other in true cross-cultural exchange.
Bon…c’est tout pour maintenant. Merci pour votre temps, tout le monde! A la prochaine!
Hope you are all doing well. Life in Cameroon has been moving swimmingly…I am back at post after traveling from the Extreme North for the holidays and have been planning out my projects for my remaining 20 months here. We have just finished training our small business consultants at my primary NGO, Microenterprise Development Consultants (MICROEDEC), and resuming business classes this month. I will be starting a Peace Corps Partnership Program request to create a Counter-Trafficking Resource Center with my second NGO, Global Welfare Association (GLOWA). This is where I will need your help, but details to follow later. My quest for a fair trade project has been slow, but I am hoping to meet and collaborate now with artisans to export their handicrafts to the States (for example, Ten Thousand Villages). Finally, I’d like to plan an NGO fair in Bamenda next year so that we can gather all the NGOs (there are many) together to network and share information and ideas.
They say you learn a lot about yourself when serving abroad, and my experiences are no exception. I have been doing a lot of reflection about being an American, and then being a Chinese-American. As a child of immigrants who moved to the States, I grew up learning two different cultures. Living the village life in Cameroon with my host family was not too different from village life of my family in southern China – washing clothes in buckets, carrying water (Africans on heads, Chinese balancing with bamboo sticks), cooking with intermittent electricity, etc. There is a sense of community that family live together and near each other. Elders are respected and taken care. Corporeal punishment is enforced when students/children misbehave (common Cameroonian saying, “I will beat you!”). Polygamy is accepted, as men take in their third or fourth wives. People taking great pride in clean clothes and clean shoes (I was still getting yelled at in the States for wearing flip-flops 24/7). These are things I notice that I sometimes do not relate with a “white” American…for example, I remember discussing polygamy during training and trainees shocked at its existence here…this is also practiced in other countries.
At the same time, I consider myself a strong-willed, independent female (even though I have learned I’m also girly). I don’t like men talking down to me, expecting me to be domestic (although I’ve starting cooking and don’t mind doing the dishes if someone else is cooking…this is a goody; thanks Cameroon!). I am perfectly fine explaining that I’m 26, not married, and career-driven. I am a defender of human rights and cannot stand to hear of houses being burned down due to border disputes, drivers forced to give gendarmes money in order to pass the road, people being arrested for not having their papers, etc. These are American, democratic values of independence, self-reliance, and freedom. They are values that I struggled with balancing as a Chinese-American in the States…but I have gained a better understanding of this being in a developing country.
I recently joined the Diversity Committee with Peace Corps so that we can discuss our background and experiences with other Volunteers and support one another. It’s also great hanging with other PCVs and exuding Goal 2 to Cameroonians that our nation consists of people from all walks of life. I hope that my tenure here will end with me not only learning about myself, but also Cameroonians and Americans learning from each other in true cross-cultural exchange.
Bon…c’est tout pour maintenant. Merci pour votre temps, tout le monde! A la prochaine!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
“When We are Together, We are One” – GHAPE
Salut-oh,
It’s been a while since I’ve blogged here so I should say what’s up to the world. Things here are going well. I’m still in my three months of observing as a Peace Corps Volunteer and will be attending In-Service training (IST) next month (at the beach at the beach at the beach at the beach! Also near the volcano!), where we gather all of the people from our training group and talk about our experiences so far. For now, I’ve been busy with my primary NGO as we’ve launched an intensive training course for four Small Business Consultants. Business consulting is lacking in Cameroon, especially compared to its neighbors Nigeria, Ghana, etc. There seems to be a need since small businesses constitute the majority of the job sector here in Bamenda, as it is the third largest business sector to Douala (the financial capital) and Yaounde (the political capital). People consistently demonstrate an interest in taking business courses as well – especially in an oral culture where records are not kept, it is important to teach people to manage their inventory, cash book, credit, separating business accounts from personal accounts, etc. I’m pretty excited about these trainees – they’ve completed their university studies recently and seem eager to learn. It’s great to be surrounded in an environment where people are genuine and passionate about what they do.
Another NGO I have also begun working with is Global Welfare Association (GLOWA), which specializes in anti-child trafficking. Here in the Northwest region, families living in poverty are pursued by traffickers promising their children money for education if they come into the big city to work for them in their homes. Because these poor, rural families cannot afford tuition, book fees, and food for their kids, they allow for them to leave. What they don’t realize is that the traffickers place them to do various activities, such as manual labor, selling items on the streets, prostitution, etc. The families may never see their child again, or if they’ve found out their children’s jobs or if their children have contracted HIV/AIDS, they are shamed from returning or simply do not have the means to bring them home. Since Bamenda is the regional capital of the Northwest and this region constitutes the highest rates of HIV/AIDS in Cameroon, we recognize that child trafficking contributes to the disease. And obviously, exploitation of children is deplorable and GLOWA is fighting to combat this through awareness at all levels. I think I can really assist this organization in bringing resources through international channels, because this is not only a Northwest Cameroon problem – it’s a global human rights issue. They also have a documentary, (insert link), which I will be marketing to the U.S. and European countries, and trying to figure out some income-generating activities with it. This NGO, like many, has a worthy cause but is struggling financially.
A third NGO I am starting to pursue here is called GHAPE. It’s a microfinance NGO that is modeled after one of my hero’s (Muhammad Yunus) organization Grameen Bank. The idea is that banks in third world countries, even microfinance banks now, do not approve loans for those who want to start small businesses because they have no credit history or substantial collateral. So this population of the extremely poor are further marginalized and Muhammad Yunus in Bangladesh created the idea of group loans & savings. You can read more on the history of Grameen Bank: (insert website). Here in Bamenda, GHAPE works to bring (mostly) womens’ groups together to request for loans and create savings accounts. Women (there are men’s groups as well but women are more trustworthy, and yes there are studies proving this) from their own cartiers/village/town/city group themselves as five individuals. Each center office has eight groups of the five, which equals forty. GHAPE works with a microfinance bank to provide and approve loans with low interest. So if a woman wants to borrow start-up capital to begin a beignet (fried dough) stand, she discusses first with her four other group members and they approve to ensure it’s not too large of an investment. Once approved, they submit her request to a GHAPE loan officer. Every two weeks, the woman pays back the loan/interest rate to the loan officer. If the woman’s business fails, she will refund the principal amount requested but GHAPE does not charge interest.
I joined Peace Corps with the intention to learn more and work with microfinance orgs like GHAPE. I finally attended one of their group meetings yesterday at their office. Talk about poverty alleviation at work. These eight groups met and the rule is to pay all the money owed for the two weeks to your group leader. The group leader gives the money and passbooks to the center leader (elected by the forty borrowers), who places each groups’ money onto the desk of the GHAPE loan officer. The loan officers will not count the money and start the meeting until all eight groups have paid in full. Also, if you’re late to a meeting you are fined 25 francs and if you miss a meeting you must give your money to one of your group members. The issue yesterday was that there was one woman who owed a great sum of money but had an emergency and could not attend the meeting. Now, the loan officer does not care so long as the money is paid. So either her group members pay on her behalf, the money is taken from her savings account, or the center group of forty women have to chip together to pay. The biggest element here is trust. These women trust each other enough in groups of five and support one another. But they are also involved with the other seven groups – if one member struggles, the rest of the center helps. I really agree that this model works because it adapts to the local culture of community and trust (which makes me hippie-ish when I say that this model works all across the globe in other countries in Africa, South America, Asia, etc. and that we are all together). Anyway, I can go on and an on about how awesome the Grameen model is, as manifested through GHAPE (also funded by www.kiva.org – check them out), but I am just happy to have finally observed a meeting. I used to intern at Foundation for International Community Assistance (FINCA International) in DC, but it was too administrative and it’s great to watch microfinance in action. One more note: it’s great also that GHAPE teaches business classes to these women to manage their money as well as encourage savings because that’s just as important as earning money. You must prioritize your savings, like your children’s school fees, and not squander it on things like alcohol and cigarettes (that’s another conversation for another time).
So that’s my life right now. I’m still hungry to begin a fair trade project and I am assisting with our Peace Corps regional project on HIV/AIDS, so I am keeping myself busy with my time here. Thanksgiving is coming up and I’m super excited to celebrate, but the President is coming to visit on the 29th so I’m cautious of all the security measures (like curfews) that are taking place this month. Could be very interesting.
Next time-oh…
P.S. Some food for thought. I heard this yesterday in a lecture: “What does ‘poor’ stand for? Passing Over Opportunities Repeatedly.”
It’s been a while since I’ve blogged here so I should say what’s up to the world. Things here are going well. I’m still in my three months of observing as a Peace Corps Volunteer and will be attending In-Service training (IST) next month (at the beach at the beach at the beach at the beach! Also near the volcano!), where we gather all of the people from our training group and talk about our experiences so far. For now, I’ve been busy with my primary NGO as we’ve launched an intensive training course for four Small Business Consultants. Business consulting is lacking in Cameroon, especially compared to its neighbors Nigeria, Ghana, etc. There seems to be a need since small businesses constitute the majority of the job sector here in Bamenda, as it is the third largest business sector to Douala (the financial capital) and Yaounde (the political capital). People consistently demonstrate an interest in taking business courses as well – especially in an oral culture where records are not kept, it is important to teach people to manage their inventory, cash book, credit, separating business accounts from personal accounts, etc. I’m pretty excited about these trainees – they’ve completed their university studies recently and seem eager to learn. It’s great to be surrounded in an environment where people are genuine and passionate about what they do.
Another NGO I have also begun working with is Global Welfare Association (GLOWA), which specializes in anti-child trafficking. Here in the Northwest region, families living in poverty are pursued by traffickers promising their children money for education if they come into the big city to work for them in their homes. Because these poor, rural families cannot afford tuition, book fees, and food for their kids, they allow for them to leave. What they don’t realize is that the traffickers place them to do various activities, such as manual labor, selling items on the streets, prostitution, etc. The families may never see their child again, or if they’ve found out their children’s jobs or if their children have contracted HIV/AIDS, they are shamed from returning or simply do not have the means to bring them home. Since Bamenda is the regional capital of the Northwest and this region constitutes the highest rates of HIV/AIDS in Cameroon, we recognize that child trafficking contributes to the disease. And obviously, exploitation of children is deplorable and GLOWA is fighting to combat this through awareness at all levels. I think I can really assist this organization in bringing resources through international channels, because this is not only a Northwest Cameroon problem – it’s a global human rights issue. They also have a documentary, (insert link), which I will be marketing to the U.S. and European countries, and trying to figure out some income-generating activities with it. This NGO, like many, has a worthy cause but is struggling financially.
A third NGO I am starting to pursue here is called GHAPE. It’s a microfinance NGO that is modeled after one of my hero’s (Muhammad Yunus) organization Grameen Bank. The idea is that banks in third world countries, even microfinance banks now, do not approve loans for those who want to start small businesses because they have no credit history or substantial collateral. So this population of the extremely poor are further marginalized and Muhammad Yunus in Bangladesh created the idea of group loans & savings. You can read more on the history of Grameen Bank: (insert website). Here in Bamenda, GHAPE works to bring (mostly) womens’ groups together to request for loans and create savings accounts. Women (there are men’s groups as well but women are more trustworthy, and yes there are studies proving this) from their own cartiers/village/town/city group themselves as five individuals. Each center office has eight groups of the five, which equals forty. GHAPE works with a microfinance bank to provide and approve loans with low interest. So if a woman wants to borrow start-up capital to begin a beignet (fried dough) stand, she discusses first with her four other group members and they approve to ensure it’s not too large of an investment. Once approved, they submit her request to a GHAPE loan officer. Every two weeks, the woman pays back the loan/interest rate to the loan officer. If the woman’s business fails, she will refund the principal amount requested but GHAPE does not charge interest.
I joined Peace Corps with the intention to learn more and work with microfinance orgs like GHAPE. I finally attended one of their group meetings yesterday at their office. Talk about poverty alleviation at work. These eight groups met and the rule is to pay all the money owed for the two weeks to your group leader. The group leader gives the money and passbooks to the center leader (elected by the forty borrowers), who places each groups’ money onto the desk of the GHAPE loan officer. The loan officers will not count the money and start the meeting until all eight groups have paid in full. Also, if you’re late to a meeting you are fined 25 francs and if you miss a meeting you must give your money to one of your group members. The issue yesterday was that there was one woman who owed a great sum of money but had an emergency and could not attend the meeting. Now, the loan officer does not care so long as the money is paid. So either her group members pay on her behalf, the money is taken from her savings account, or the center group of forty women have to chip together to pay. The biggest element here is trust. These women trust each other enough in groups of five and support one another. But they are also involved with the other seven groups – if one member struggles, the rest of the center helps. I really agree that this model works because it adapts to the local culture of community and trust (which makes me hippie-ish when I say that this model works all across the globe in other countries in Africa, South America, Asia, etc. and that we are all together). Anyway, I can go on and an on about how awesome the Grameen model is, as manifested through GHAPE (also funded by www.kiva.org – check them out), but I am just happy to have finally observed a meeting. I used to intern at Foundation for International Community Assistance (FINCA International) in DC, but it was too administrative and it’s great to watch microfinance in action. One more note: it’s great also that GHAPE teaches business classes to these women to manage their money as well as encourage savings because that’s just as important as earning money. You must prioritize your savings, like your children’s school fees, and not squander it on things like alcohol and cigarettes (that’s another conversation for another time).
So that’s my life right now. I’m still hungry to begin a fair trade project and I am assisting with our Peace Corps regional project on HIV/AIDS, so I am keeping myself busy with my time here. Thanksgiving is coming up and I’m super excited to celebrate, but the President is coming to visit on the 29th so I’m cautious of all the security measures (like curfews) that are taking place this month. Could be very interesting.
Next time-oh…
P.S. Some food for thought. I heard this yesterday in a lecture: “What does ‘poor’ stand for? Passing Over Opportunities Repeatedly.”
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Worky Work
Hey everyone,
Sorry for not blogging sooner. I’ve been spending the past month or so settling into my city Bamenda. Things have been going well…just getting to know my way around town. I am finally settled into my apartment for the most part (just need to put up decorations on my walls). So far, I have decided not to invest in a TV and fridge…I already stay home too much because of my internet key. Who knows if I’ll change my mind.
I have also hit the ground running with work. I am an NGO consultant with a nonprofit called Microenterprise Development Consultants (MICROEDEC), which is my host institution I am paired to work with. It serves as a business resource center for current and aspiring entrepreneurs. My main role is to provide organizational development to ensure operations and programs run smoothly. We have just finished teaching business classes to 11 students, who are managers, workers, teachers in the agriculture, electronics, technology, education fields. Our next set of classes will begin in two weeks and we’re currently working on hiring and training business consultants to add to the staff here. Talk about putting my MPA to use. =)
I also participated as a guest speaker last week on a radio show (my very first time on the air), called “100% Jeune,” devoted to promoting life skills to Cameroonian youth to prevent and raise awareness on the spread of HIV/AIDS. My topic that night was on general etiquette…totally fun and nerve-wracking. I grew up wanting to be a journalist, so this was a pretty cool experience.
There are a slew of NGOs in town that I would also like to greet and potentially consult, and I am spending these first few months getting to know everyone and assimilating. I’m thinking about projects related to agrobusiness, fair trade, ecotourism, environmental education, etc. but that’s just me being all over the place.
I must note that this was probably not the Peace Corps experience I had imagined. As a Small Enterprise Development volunteer, I did not think I would constantly lack electricity and be placed in a completely rural village – but I have been surprised at my amenities and opportunity to network with volunteers from around the world (VSOs). I really do believe this is the best place to live and work in Cameroon and I’m not saying this with a biased viewpoint. Oh, and the nightlife here is pretty awesome.
Countdown to my 26th birthday in Africa…in two weeks!
Sorry for not blogging sooner. I’ve been spending the past month or so settling into my city Bamenda. Things have been going well…just getting to know my way around town. I am finally settled into my apartment for the most part (just need to put up decorations on my walls). So far, I have decided not to invest in a TV and fridge…I already stay home too much because of my internet key. Who knows if I’ll change my mind.
I have also hit the ground running with work. I am an NGO consultant with a nonprofit called Microenterprise Development Consultants (MICROEDEC), which is my host institution I am paired to work with. It serves as a business resource center for current and aspiring entrepreneurs. My main role is to provide organizational development to ensure operations and programs run smoothly. We have just finished teaching business classes to 11 students, who are managers, workers, teachers in the agriculture, electronics, technology, education fields. Our next set of classes will begin in two weeks and we’re currently working on hiring and training business consultants to add to the staff here. Talk about putting my MPA to use. =)
I also participated as a guest speaker last week on a radio show (my very first time on the air), called “100% Jeune,” devoted to promoting life skills to Cameroonian youth to prevent and raise awareness on the spread of HIV/AIDS. My topic that night was on general etiquette…totally fun and nerve-wracking. I grew up wanting to be a journalist, so this was a pretty cool experience.
There are a slew of NGOs in town that I would also like to greet and potentially consult, and I am spending these first few months getting to know everyone and assimilating. I’m thinking about projects related to agrobusiness, fair trade, ecotourism, environmental education, etc. but that’s just me being all over the place.
I must note that this was probably not the Peace Corps experience I had imagined. As a Small Enterprise Development volunteer, I did not think I would constantly lack electricity and be placed in a completely rural village – but I have been surprised at my amenities and opportunity to network with volunteers from around the world (VSOs). I really do believe this is the best place to live and work in Cameroon and I’m not saying this with a biased viewpoint. Oh, and the nightlife here is pretty awesome.
Countdown to my 26th birthday in Africa…in two weeks!
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