tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21646167768380970822024-03-04T20:36:48.223-08:00Face to face: Oikocredit changes livesOikocredit Internationalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12871029133194387297noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164616776838097082.post-86050388201910368142011-02-06T20:28:00.001-08:002011-02-06T20:38:14.754-08:00Time to say goodbye<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivBzTIvSurtxO0_RMezcFIPwPcGieILdA35QPL0N1l_uua6mw2zaWqesxSp6NTE8xoVzMvbtxWF8whT-eNKs-V4uWHqaLq_9l7XQmz0LrSQGmLmnJb8IRV7uc5llehC8LaUO0bnIQNAAuG/s1600/DSC07377.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570800164527699250" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivBzTIvSurtxO0_RMezcFIPwPcGieILdA35QPL0N1l_uua6mw2zaWqesxSp6NTE8xoVzMvbtxWF8whT-eNKs-V4uWHqaLq_9l7XQmz0LrSQGmLmnJb8IRV7uc5llehC8LaUO0bnIQNAAuG/s200/DSC07377.JPG" /></a> The study tour 2011 is over. It’s time to say good bye to and thank everybody who participated in many ways in the study tour. It has been wonderful to share this experience with all of you.<br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:78%;">Study tour souvenirs </span></div><br /><p><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></p><p>In these 7 days I have learned much not only about our project partners, but also about Oikocredit members and investors and my colleagues in the region, especially Guatemala. I go back home with many thoughts in my mind: there is no perfect project but there is Oikocredit as long term partner for development. Being a social investor means creating real partnerships that go beyond financing especially in challenging times.<br /></p><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570801354035020818" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdOafJVtuVw4nJXKDfvODkpuxRAZZPfGWuiM8hnsyzNyZ9nsXWgDjQwFb6lFVkRMnSvoZUWyCXGGlSm_6hv8rYog9aB5Z23joEOtCHyOBUhKohN7Si22gpsyCzJ-tLkqAhLQ-tEh6MTqLB/s320/IMG_5396.JPG" /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:78%;">Study tour 2011 participants (Photo: A. Vargas)</span></div><br />Guatemala is a country of challenges and hard working women and men aiming for a better future for them, their families, their communities, and their beautiful environment.Blancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955270489921414468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164616776838097082.post-29203037945576819792011-02-05T21:27:00.000-08:002011-02-06T20:27:49.538-08:00One last effort<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnsu7CPdfn3NlWstumfgjb67ZxXosu3lFR3u6tXt8ywBVb6y94YNCxxZbI_ZXIF_vt5zWOTsEcxWuFMaTir1yWifRmUpXPzN7z2juaMwxc0aa6u8s2TCY5VWLpFP8Dod9uITO3IGcLI0u7/s1600/DSC07345.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570798684288070562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnsu7CPdfn3NlWstumfgjb67ZxXosu3lFR3u6tXt8ywBVb6y94YNCxxZbI_ZXIF_vt5zWOTsEcxWuFMaTir1yWifRmUpXPzN7z2juaMwxc0aa6u8s2TCY5VWLpFP8Dod9uITO3IGcLI0u7/s200/DSC07345.JPG" /></a>We arrived very early in Guatemala City. As hotel rooms were not ready, the conference room became the place to leave our luggage and finalize presentations.<br /><br />In spite of all, all groups managed to finish on time and delivered very good quality materials. Presentations gave a good overview of the project partners visited as well as raised interesting points for further discussion. </div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjYO7JBl-f5gjGz-QiM3udkn3bdRunZb13DCzBMFytLMtFK58_Z8CtZI3cMzOSqiFVn28EI0WZg5weOvIUt8ABaIpPNA_YfvHG_kzlXsctWaWLV7zh24vgrY9c4IvyElJ2rRhJS8_z9Qvt/s1600/DSC07361.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570799092424758290" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjYO7JBl-f5gjGz-QiM3udkn3bdRunZb13DCzBMFytLMtFK58_Z8CtZI3cMzOSqiFVn28EI0WZg5weOvIUt8ABaIpPNA_YfvHG_kzlXsctWaWLV7zh24vgrY9c4IvyElJ2rRhJS8_z9Qvt/s200/DSC07361.JPG" /></a><br />After the closing session, a group of participants went to Antigua for the last dinner together. Once again we had a good time and enjoyed Guatemalan food and marimba music. </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjYO7JBl-f5gjGz-QiM3udkn3bdRunZb13DCzBMFytLMtFK58_Z8CtZI3cMzOSqiFVn28EI0WZg5weOvIUt8ABaIpPNA_YfvHG_kzlXsctWaWLV7zh24vgrY9c4IvyElJ2rRhJS8_z9Qvt/s1600/DSC07361.JPG"></a> </div><div> </div><div> </div>Blancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955270489921414468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164616776838097082.post-21217770462286283222011-02-04T19:11:00.000-08:002011-02-06T11:19:17.197-08:00Culture and nature in the Maya Biosphere Reserve<div align="center"><br /></div><div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhySyKy95C8bBApmJExdhu5V82dhPlFRQvYqZcRdkmUlngrIFnglv5McDUpiox4xMISgw3GLtus4jWGUcbD39IozLKDazR7whxnvkHhm3PKU4BzOCky1RSWtdLRuoL9L7GnXXA6KZFKAsNF/s1600/DSC07262.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570657056391683554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhySyKy95C8bBApmJExdhu5V82dhPlFRQvYqZcRdkmUlngrIFnglv5McDUpiox4xMISgw3GLtus4jWGUcbD39IozLKDazR7whxnvkHhm3PKU4BzOCky1RSWtdLRuoL9L7GnXXA6KZFKAsNF/s200/DSC07262.JPG" /></a> Today I spent the day enjoying culture and nature in the Maya Biosphere: I will visit the ancient Maya ruins of Tikal. Tikal is located in a core zone of the reserve; where no sustainable forestry is allowed to preserve the primary forest. Because of its economic and touristic importance, the area where Tikal is located can be exploited for tourism under strict conditions.<br /></div><div align="center"><br /><br /></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 254px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 207px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570657326757880930" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Frn36p9ugJpbl-GB0gQLE9ZqFFJVA0R_b6bxnoVM5T_Cfzn2xYgoGnqc5OVxku9euUF_80yZgdSl2CKAqHaWV15QUYSsVsI09r6s1DX8dS7bJPB54J6POFDn9akgOXqTWBNjpMcf0Vf-/s200/DSC07313.JPG" /> <p align="center"><span style="font-size:78%;">Study tour participants on top of highest temple in Tikal </span></p><span style="font-size:78%;"></span><p align="left">There is a clear difference when a forest is well preserved. While driving to the entrance of the archaeological area one could see some wild animals alongside the road. I saw a dead very dangerous and poisonous native snake and many colourful turkeys and other birds and animals. In the park, we spotted a female grown up monkey feeding and carrying her baby. In Tikal Park animals are not afraid of humans because nobody will harm them.<br /></p>Blancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955270489921414468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164616776838097082.post-49471905583214751002011-02-03T23:18:00.000-08:002011-02-06T11:11:31.645-08:00A beautiful forest<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_iMo40ud2Vgd02tJIOOdqLTNpQz8hfzrhwsGrGlhrNj9cW5cpIQYjCVxPqJunZSMYBTtdCD9dqCpRT99mLFS4uENSBag9NKZkBirW4_carupddvcxVnQHFI4obb6bJ-ZojwCLI5d00gx_/s1600/DSC07213.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570655390940736882" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_iMo40ud2Vgd02tJIOOdqLTNpQz8hfzrhwsGrGlhrNj9cW5cpIQYjCVxPqJunZSMYBTtdCD9dqCpRT99mLFS4uENSBag9NKZkBirW4_carupddvcxVnQHFI4obb6bJ-ZojwCLI5d00gx_/s200/DSC07213.JPG" /></a> It takes almost an hour to get to plot 3 in Carmelita’s forest concession. The road becomes even narrower due to the dense vegetation and everywhere there are deep holes that make it very difficult for the pickups to get through. I hope we would not get stuck somewhere and would have to push the car.<br /><br />We stopped by a Chico Zapote tree where Don Luis made a demonstration how resin is collected. The tree is not cut completely, so it can produce more resin. It was also explained the exploitation of the Chico Zapote tree follows the same harvesting scheme as the whole concession: after the plot has been harvested, it will not be harvested again until 40 years later.<br /><br />1 km further we went into the forest to see mahogany “father trees”, which are mahogany trees of specific characteristics that were left in the harvested plot to provide seeds for future mahogany trees. Along the small roads, the community plants mahogany, cedar, and other secondary trees, so the ecosystem keeps its balance.<br /><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 221px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 162px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570655647252650642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfoil3ehSR4sEqPHOuazF1KUYgl2o2dJ-exdOYX7sfCdG-8G78QGSb5giIU8euJkpXCpt4NlrYo-kqKlqrbIKjPdEyNeGNNL2ltYJG_U-adEaGk6vKnVK2t8J9K-XOMlny3-LuNJC3ly-/s200/DSC07216.JPG" />It was nice walking in the Maya Biosphere Reserve. I am glad these communities are preserving the forest while also making a living. Thanks to sustainable forestry practices future generations would also get the chance to enjoy this beautiful environment.Blancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955270489921414468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164616776838097082.post-66705221880158966092011-02-03T12:03:00.000-08:002011-02-06T11:04:18.854-08:00Would you like some gum?The day started very early with a three hour drive to Carmelita, another FORESCOM member. Carmelita is a resident community located in the forest concession. The road is unpaved and pretty damaged, so sleeping was not an option.<br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570653210612476674" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyNQvh7KzYtE56Scu-_eY6USQ5wzPZRofMxH4v_7K4KLIDZ-7nEJ-OxQRW4BGZSE45uEzWJ7QnyBUgB3Thw2VbBqMhm2liNrs9XxWozflnYXsbl2Em_vrQdM2pWyWt6rOx1fCHfN-G08kp/s200/IMG_6333.JPG" /><span style="font-size:78%;">Selecting xate for the US market (Photo: A. Vargas)<br /></span></div><span style="font-size:78%;"><div align="left"></span></div><p>Upon arrival there was a presentation and a visit to Carmelita forestry facilities. I saw how Xate leaves are classified and packed to be exported to the US (the largest leaves) and The Netherlands (smaller leaves). Women are employed by Carmelita to do this job. Because the collection of Xate is not seasonal, these women have a steady income throughout the year.<br /><br />Then I walked in this big room filled with squared blocks. They were made of resin collected in the forest concession from the Chico Zapote tree. The resin is boiled for some hours before it becomes gum.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQN0Jitbm4C_0N33Yw71D7Yz8HfbP-Ui9SbgvPHSRioUPDQT9u6PxdeIMb4hFAyZD6vpcGgSzLqDeP60zmFnwdtQImi-VZzT9-0NR1PZcFP51PDSvWEA4Y93E73NUJDQJkHE2r3NRNFv8k/s1600/IMG_6362.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 137px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 195px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570652645061737442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQN0Jitbm4C_0N33Yw71D7Yz8HfbP-Ui9SbgvPHSRioUPDQT9u6PxdeIMb4hFAyZD6vpcGgSzLqDeP60zmFnwdtQImi-VZzT9-0NR1PZcFP51PDSvWEA4Y93E73NUJDQJkHE2r3NRNFv8k/s200/IMG_6362.JPG" /></a>When the group was invited to try the gum, I was a bit reluctant at first. But as more and more people dared, I decided to give it a try and it was worth doing it. The flavour is not something you can easily recognize. It was a smoky-woody flavour, but I could chew it as the gum I am used to. From now on, anytime I will chew gum I will remember the blocks piled waiting to start their long trip before arriving to me packaged as mint chewing gum. </p><p></p><p><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Weighing gum block (Photo: A. Vargas)</span></p>Blancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955270489921414468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164616776838097082.post-12113372519903247222011-02-02T20:23:00.000-08:002011-02-06T10:51:53.943-08:00Sustainable forestry in practice<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY3wupFpV_u9zTRGh776PJRVNVy8-7AyihODpW_d3LhgS1Cbf1WTuhKoL7C4BU6x7GKR6Y0-51VEtsXrMgHoEhQIVvI9igrIHW4b0CggdT5YyyYlUtxT3ux9OtrAwfKgidIWkJXI8Ylglt/s1600/DSC07193.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 168px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 208px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570648580418675282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY3wupFpV_u9zTRGh776PJRVNVy8-7AyihODpW_d3LhgS1Cbf1WTuhKoL7C4BU6x7GKR6Y0-51VEtsXrMgHoEhQIVvI9igrIHW4b0CggdT5YyyYlUtxT3ux9OtrAwfKgidIWkJXI8Ylglt/s200/DSC07193.JPG" /></a><br /><div>Can you protect the forest if you are living far away from it? Yes, if you are FORESCOM member called AFISAP. AFISAP is located only 25 minutes away from Flores (Petén) in San Andrés Municipality and manages a forestry concession 90 km away as non-resident community. How can they do it? They organizing themselves and involve the community to manage the forest in a sustainable way.<br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div align="right"><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></div><div align="right"><span style="font-size:78%;">Nubia, general manager of AFISAP</span></div><div align="right"></div><div align="right"><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YzJ9fP6QpqsL268xkxyxa5ubnVMzUE29LXWW6WEvSGeexChIKwN9agrhFxEXCWKxwhZ6vXE8xIaedZ85M2nVPut4N93X3QBwSfDq7JohB3NL13Iq0puQmBzpO3UkZ8p-d8LgTjhMfCTh/s1600/DSC07201.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 174px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570649099182014210" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YzJ9fP6QpqsL268xkxyxa5ubnVMzUE29LXWW6WEvSGeexChIKwN9agrhFxEXCWKxwhZ6vXE8xIaedZ85M2nVPut4N93X3QBwSfDq7JohB3NL13Iq0puQmBzpO3UkZ8p-d8LgTjhMfCTh/s200/DSC07201.JPG" /></a>The whole concession is divided in 8 plots, with a rotation cycle of 5 years. This means that if a plot has been harvested this year, it will need to pass 40 years before the same plot is harvested again, so the forest can regenerate in a natural way.<br /><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></div><div>Afterwards I visited AFISAP’s organic agro-forestry farm and eco-tourism project. They have many species like mahogany, cedar, cacao, orange trees, xate, and Chico Zapote trees. The organic farm also produces organic honing. And in the middle there is a small plantation of medicinal plants town managed by AFISAP’s women’s group. </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></div>Blancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955270489921414468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164616776838097082.post-9356873413958324222011-02-02T11:27:00.000-08:002011-02-06T10:36:57.427-08:00Serving communities in the biosphereFORESCOM is a community-based organization that provides services to its 11 members managing forestry concessions in the Maya National Biosphere. Forest concessions are licensed to communities for 25 years. According to Guatemalan law, all these concessions must be certified. Because of this communities acquire rights and obligations to manage the forest in a sustainable way.<br /><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 203px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 157px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570645918213827346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwru4IcdQXGTc7bhrLWShrVDeobfQ8BhyphenhyphenE0EgqOHan6qeUn_cUKAQHn4cDwJzdshzG6awwXJ8K8ghvJYefGFBSkoLnVLErhMsOUQPq4j8sRMmBdV9lQdeDEmwCkAXjYcOZwEXNOklO5LAz/s200/DSC07190.JPG" /></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:78%;">Felisa, president of AFICC, chats with me (left) at FORESCOM facilities</span></p><p>After FORESCOM presentation, I visited the drying facilities and sawmill. It was the first time I saw how these look like. I learned communities can trace their timber thanks to a system of colours. To dry wood, FORESCOM uses timber rests as fuel for the ovens.<br /><br />Associated communities use FORESCOM forestry and commercialization services to access international and local market opportunities. One of these communities is AFISAP, which I will visit after lunch.</p>Blancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955270489921414468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164616776838097082.post-21469130280921634642011-02-02T10:42:00.000-08:002011-02-06T10:27:34.994-08:00Can you see any forest?I was lucky to sit at the window. As the plane was getting closer to Petén it was possible to see several little towns and... leftovers of the forest. In between there were many spots that have been cleared for livestock and agriculture. This is why sustainable forestry management is necessary to conserve the forest and to provide sources of income to the people depending on it. <br /><br />This made me even more eager to meet our project partner FORESCOM.Blancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955270489921414468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164616776838097082.post-2613799349198624612011-02-02T10:24:00.000-08:002011-02-06T10:26:05.910-08:00Local timeWhy would you arrive at the airport 2.5 hours before your internal flight departs? Simple answer: Because you were advised to do so. Well, that happens to us. Our flight to Petén was scheduled to depart at 6:30, but an airline employee advising to be at the airport at 4:00 am to be sure to have a place.<br /><br />Looking back I realized this person did not have real time in mind, but a local interpretation of time – half an hour to an hour later. We arrived at 4:00 am to La Aurora airport in Guatemala City and stood as first ones by the counter long before it opens. We were told later employees only start working after 4:30am.<br /><br />Could anybody tell me what time it is?Blancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955270489921414468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164616776838097082.post-82280354348270265192011-02-01T21:40:00.000-08:002011-02-06T10:24:22.640-08:00Before the sunsetThe time came when we had to say goodbye to the people of CADECH. They prepared a farewell lunch in a typical restaurant. A local group was playing marimba and we could visit the traditional sugar cane mill.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570642445399825170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7c_o5n_LDwWN0EXAYI9rWSAormKoZ-MUvQ3XkX4KE-PPSXxypy5XTrFFDXF9vKuZP-gRyD3cz8I-oOa0FhVxbLGSwYx1vPUSTB4r35aUardj09k_W934cA92DvtobXDhy58FG3-UqdKZ/s200/DSC07371.JPG" /> <p></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:78%;">Souvenirs I received from CADECH</span></p><p>To remember the visit, they gave us a lovely souvenir: a small version of the typical hat coffee farmers wear with our names engraved in it. We exchanged best wishes and hit the road again to Palo Amontonado, 3 hours driving from Chanmagua.<br /><br />Around 5pm we arrived to Alimentos Campestres. It was good to arrive before the sunset as it gets very dark and the road leading to the factory is narrow and a bit dangerous.<br /><br />This was the first time I saw first-hand how solar panels work to capture clean energy. Besides, I saw how bananas are being dried. </p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570637028359775938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicKfkXEInORTyRmm8Cf0roXtbdwtUr-6XzxgXQRRz5vBwzbbvcNtK-YkET8IrZgD3u72L9iMbuH-uFshvmuJ1VmmtwDWphhBbmS4TTbvqWBD3aJr0Ityg4p0QVqCzEmp8v7jg1vfKo90nE/s200/IMG_6073.JPG" /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:78%;">Bananas dried with solar energy at Alimentos Campestres (Photo A. Vargas)</span></div><br />Unfortunately there were no samples anywhere to take home. Wish me luck trying to find Alimentos Campestres snacks in the local supermarket.Blancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955270489921414468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164616776838097082.post-9307890968416745502011-02-01T15:43:00.000-08:002011-02-06T06:53:13.749-08:00Empowered women<span style="color:#000000;">The day started with a visit to CADECH’s wet and dry processing plants. In terms of environmental good practices, CADECH’s first priority was to address water management. A lot of water is necessary in the wet processing plant. Now they are recycling water for processing the coffee beans. I saw the machinery for washing the coffee and recycling water bought with Oikocredit’s financing.</span><br /><div align="center"> <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 268px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570589041628295234" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHByMKD2u5_8bGrNGPWOWWc-3cCN3XQAyDkRarwmx4QvkXJHb3XfKDV72hNiNXLe_xlAwEafh4D_8pv9CaRPzk5y4JQtSZ6icHwUke0ft-DQ18GkvhJoSiswFzd8QOLkXSkRodiV5YB_JT/s200/IMG_5705.JPG" /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">At CADECH wet plant (Photo: A. Vargas)<br /><br /></div></span><div align="left">CADECH next step will be an optimal use of waste after processing coffee. At the moment, they give it –for free – to its members to be used as fertilizers.<br /></div><div align="right"></div>Before leaving Chanmagua I met two women members of the coop. Not only are Mrs Zoila and her daughter Marlene CADECH members, but also have been involved as members of the administrative board. Zoila was a member years ago and Marlene has just been elected.<br /><br /><br /><p align="center"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570586922137379554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx_fz-SVntt7o810KZXSLZv0W4dols4-de8vNX05sx9r-8D6IBIYr0BoLJZpMT1Coo9UVpgvEEeNFQLkfNoEUAu4MAvXT7o6Q0sXyeohZHxT9rEr36NMmcWpjetf9BY4QpNkJNUe39e897/s200/IMG_5940.JPG" /> <span style="font-size:78%;">Marlene and Ms Zoila (Photo: A. Vargas)</span></p><span style="font-size:78%;"></span><p align="left">“It is because most decisions are taken at that level”, Marlene told me, “And women have another approach or point of view than men. I am very much aware of any opportunities for women and make sure that women also get the chance to profit from them”. It is not an easy task because agricultural coops are usually male-dominated. Mrs Zoila and Marlene are genuinely empowered women that pave the way for other women to dare to become actively involved in an important decision-making body of CADECH. </p>Blancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955270489921414468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164616776838097082.post-25367627898589557502011-01-31T18:58:00.000-08:002011-02-06T06:28:26.220-08:00Yellow or red coffee beans: Which one should I pick?<div align="center"><br /></div><div align="left">We arrived at CADECH – Cooperativa Adelante Chanmagua - offices in Chanmagua town, some kms away from Esquipulas (southeast of Guatemala) and close to El Salvador and Honduras borders. After a delicious lunch – I like Guatemalan food – CADECH reps gave us a presentation on the coop operations and challenges. CADECH members combine coffee growing with reforestation efforts. Then it was time for field visits.<br /><br />It was busy in Freddy’s 1.75 ha coffee plantation. It is harvest period and there are about 10 seasonal workers. I wanted to try picking coffee. But there are green, red, and yellow coffee beans... and now? </div><div align="center"> </div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 292px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 210px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570581271127516482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyArq5ANENK5xT1JcQThYDEP9gwLpargWaEFoNABRmi4ZzBMzAlYzUf2Mj6zJdZjKsK2MTAYANOZaS_phhshhGUVWyZ1bf2ndfwYFFY5xeuvxdW0JGISfpTBSWDtrg0GisQr8YnZVThJ7H/s200/DSC07147.JPG" /> <p align="center"><span style="font-size:78%;">Freddy, his sons, workers and CADECH reps in the coffee plantation<br /></span></p><p align="left">Today I learne<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-I8rMierzYUSFIp82-zFqJOxDrDqn_y-68LOpSnp85pYWw_kVf-_APK2kOcJevkEgWOGXrTe6ANxv3dhbsQQSgekDu_i2XDuonwweOE_wTTjSTYlnkmSLZvv9WMkxbsfp-wUNQdf3lOp-/s1600/DSC07153.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 157px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 202px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570582151218544306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-I8rMierzYUSFIp82-zFqJOxDrDqn_y-68LOpSnp85pYWw_kVf-_APK2kOcJevkEgWOGXrTe6ANxv3dhbsQQSgekDu_i2XDuonwweOE_wTTjSTYlnkmSLZvv9WMkxbsfp-wUNQdf3lOp-/s200/DSC07153.JPG" /></a>d Freddy and coffee farmers mixed both sorts of coffee in one plantation. Colour does not affect either the quality or flavour. Every sort has its strengths and weaknesses just as it happens with many things in life: it is not only the outside, but the inside what counts. </p><p align="left">In another coffee plantation I was welcomed by a nice perfume coming from white flowers of orange trees that are planted to give shadow to the coffee plants. Some meters further there were pines planted also for shadow and reforestation purposes. This is quite of unique in the Central American region.<br /><br />Oranges tasted good. </p>Blancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955270489921414468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164616776838097082.post-29415431904221510512011-01-31T15:18:00.000-08:002011-02-06T20:48:46.826-08:00Sunny snacksIt was a long trip. Not because the distance, but because of the road. Let’s be fair: the road is in good condition, but it is steep and has many curves. Deep in my heart I did not mind it much because I enjoyed watching the landscape: from the Altiplano to the dry area – where we will visit a project partner tomorrow – and again up to the tropical forest.<br /><br />Guess what? During a stop, Carlos, the country manager, opened a box of fruits and local nuts snacks: Maya Mix by Alimentos Campestres - our project partner!<br /><br />The snacks tasted better because they’re produced using solar energy. Everybody in the group loved them. It’s a shame we cannot buy them in Europe, the US or Canada because they would become very popular in not time. Is anybody looking for business idea?Blancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955270489921414468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164616776838097082.post-13909227294617276912011-01-30T22:37:00.000-08:002011-02-06T20:47:47.122-08:00Getting started<div align="left">At noon the last participants arrived from Antigua. As early birds, they spent some days in this city and around Atitlan Lake.</div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="center"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570277259742571938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlLmPK011Nhk8aI6sWGhkUstVypz_HAvb-RIZBV3xtKanMcgUYMCf1Dner2ItixSsLDmbBfOJBcZ4r9nyk_81HxZpsZrzX-Gn8E2ZJ_Sd_ADQL8XepJ68rD81RonW1k0BmRQqqjGmqtzn/s200/DSC07142.JPG" /><span style="font-size:78%;">First lunch together in Guatemala city</span><br /></div><br /><div align="left">The introductory meeting took longer than expected. After going over the agenda and practical and logistic matters, Oikocredit’s regional and country offices reps gave presentations on the operations with a focus on environmental matters. Andreas, an Oikocredit member from Germany living in Guatemala as journalist, gave some insights into the country from tips for intercultural relations to the concept and identity as indigenous.<br /></div><p>The day closed with a dinner at a restaurant close to the hotel. It was nice Guatemalan food, which I have started to appreciate very much.<br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoDNCSFi_yOhGK1rIl2DAYOJdoxLeZmUQl67psi2_6yHHqX8RyMWA6co2-0XoXsAC1W1hH2IMKxASzPGbVfG-tdbf9cOubnTKRCWiDTjahiu1d8rziwGRoa3C4KZhsEFDt_MTQmE8XYmVe/s1600/IMG_5393.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 203px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 132px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570803093600950722" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoDNCSFi_yOhGK1rIl2DAYOJdoxLeZmUQl67psi2_6yHHqX8RyMWA6co2-0XoXsAC1W1hH2IMKxASzPGbVfG-tdbf9cOubnTKRCWiDTjahiu1d8rziwGRoa3C4KZhsEFDt_MTQmE8XYmVe/s200/IMG_5393.JPG" /></a></p><p>I look much forward to hit the road tomorrow. Can I have another tamal, please? </p><p> </p><p> </p><p></p><p><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size:78%;">Oikocredit Guatemala and regional staff (Photo A. Vargas)<br /></p></span><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoDNCSFi_yOhGK1rIl2DAYOJdoxLeZmUQl67psi2_6yHHqX8RyMWA6co2-0XoXsAC1W1hH2IMKxASzPGbVfG-tdbf9cOubnTKRCWiDTjahiu1d8rziwGRoa3C4KZhsEFDt_MTQmE8XYmVe/s1600/IMG_5393.JPG"></a> </p>Blancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955270489921414468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164616776838097082.post-85923077831023892882011-01-28T13:05:00.000-08:002011-02-05T10:41:33.610-08:00The office in Zona 10My day started pretty early. I could not sleep any longer because of the jetlag, so I decided to find out if the adapter I brought works (which was happily the case) and check my emails.<br /><br />At lunch time, I met with Carlos and Augusto of the Guatemala office, and Eduard from Costa Rica. As we drive to the Oikocredit office I started discovering the less sparkling Guatemala City. This city hosts a significant part of the 56.2% of the population living below the national poverty line. 36 years of civil war and a highly unequal income distribution - the richest decile comprises over 42% of Guatemala's overall household income or consumption - makes Guatemala the 10th poorest countries in Latin America.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHUAf9zOMJUgS8ccBsR99KBVdPHEZZNEq97ksywNKc4GMztcM1l2LxEVZ8UV3bK-LIIMWx2_uTwKeP1qhXLEvq4E6snQISYSO0H_JEqxZUee8ms-g4LGwJRia1mGs9ob7mEcR8bPDELOMm/s1600/DSC07117.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567696805094944946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHUAf9zOMJUgS8ccBsR99KBVdPHEZZNEq97ksywNKc4GMztcM1l2LxEVZ8UV3bK-LIIMWx2_uTwKeP1qhXLEvq4E6snQISYSO0H_JEqxZUee8ms-g4LGwJRia1mGs9ob7mEcR8bPDELOMm/s200/DSC07117.JPG" /></a>The office is located at the very end of the Zona 10 – between a wealthier and an emerging area - seems symbolic to Oikocredit’s role to promote global justice by challenging people, churches and others to share their resources through socially responsible investments and by empowering disadvantaged people with credit.<br /><br />This was the last preparation meeting before the Study Tour 2011 Guatemala officially starts on Sunday, but the first time we meet altogether in person.Blancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955270489921414468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164616776838097082.post-14473618070362068032011-01-27T23:25:00.000-08:002011-01-29T11:36:45.359-08:00Climate changeIt was almost 4:00am (Dutch time) when I was ready to go to sleep. I woke up very early because of the rain. First thing I thought was: "Oh, my…! It is the dry season, but it is raining a lot". And then I found out a study tour participant did not arrive yesterday as planned. Her flight was cancelled because of the snow storm in New York, which I’ve learned has been the worst in years.<br /><br />Lately there have been natural disasters and weather irregularities affecting people, communities and even whole nations in Central America and worldwide. More tropical storms and hurricanes, extreme cold temperatures, sever droughts, and heavy rains are continuously reported in the media. We continuously hear this wake up call, but… are we taking it seriously? Not only individuals, but also sectors and institutions are accountable for climate protection, fostering environmental-friendly and sustainable practices. Truth is that everybody can put its two cents before there’s a point of no return. How many of us are doing it actually?<br /><br /><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 357px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 220px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567693186760587794" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbDunDgY7UBdwF7tNI5lkk-vRe45Py08a_hser1Jwn4UEAux_B0r-gUI8lawoicPTl8mOacEf9JVhfFagO7Ir_tVxW1zV50umkfUxn5EsGhrwkR6_8yHqUvEuS4mg5Rm8roh0mAbjhH_Fu/s200/DSC07121.JPG" /></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">A windy Guatemala city (from the hotel)</span></p><p align="left"><br />As I think of the project partners to be visited in the coming days - fair trade, organic coops, sustainable timber company, MFIs working in rural areas, and agri-processing companies using clean energy, - and many others that could have qualified for the study tour, it is clear Oikocredit has taken its role and responsibility as social investor seriously and long before "green", 'environmental-friendly", and "sustainable" was a household name in the among financiers in the microfinance sector. One example is the Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean region, which is one of the leading Oikocredit regions in financing project partners with practices aiming to reducing or lowering their impact on the environmental criteria.<br /><br />Rain has not stopped yet. Where did I put my umbrella? </p>Blancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955270489921414468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164616776838097082.post-51271342628738201712011-01-26T21:57:00.000-08:002011-02-06T20:39:00.694-08:00A study tour to the Maya world<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-lMxEizzxNf80h5QAPJyO2qCP-KvTbBo1bNKGHnxv7wruMvSRWD2jIfz7GeJHlxRc1WSlwg80X60d8b3IuzNCL7Atgcn9qHoFI6l1V3oIbpQiDzkHCxsdm05CPrdY4twO_Y4RlVblL3tO/s1600/DSC07122.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 222px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 166px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567691409458074386" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-lMxEizzxNf80h5QAPJyO2qCP-KvTbBo1bNKGHnxv7wruMvSRWD2jIfz7GeJHlxRc1WSlwg80X60d8b3IuzNCL7Atgcn9qHoFI6l1V3oIbpQiDzkHCxsdm05CPrdY4twO_Y4RlVblL3tO/s320/DSC07122.JPG" /></a> After closing my suitcase, I realized it has only been 9 months since I went to Uganda for the Study Tour 2010. Because of the positive feedback, a new study tour was planned in 2011 with a focus on Oikocredit’s financing to project partners actively working on environmental issues and supporting vulnerable groups in rural areas.<br /><div><br />Selecting Guatemala was not difficult. The country's portfolio includes project partners working in rural areas supporting indigenous groups and women and other partners involved in sustainable natural resources management, use of clean energy, and fair trade.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5WeovoRv-_LAv7223aYwjZBuv8cwldyXs_O-xUYAyH9DdPolLtns_E68NV3iceqk9JXhXeyEEEBwEkZsbNPiVxH1VIuahIRyM3RMxQjpEnd10OAxStueJWMiBDeK5i0yXS1H82ZvTsXO3/s1600/DSC07118.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 224px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 185px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567694389799113506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5WeovoRv-_LAv7223aYwjZBuv8cwldyXs_O-xUYAyH9DdPolLtns_E68NV3iceqk9JXhXeyEEEBwEkZsbNPiVxH1VIuahIRyM3RMxQjpEnd10OAxStueJWMiBDeK5i0yXS1H82ZvTsXO3/s200/DSC07118.JPG" /></a><br />Guatemala is a well-known touristic destination because of its rich nature and Maya culture. At the same time, this beautiful country has a highly unequal income distribution, a tragic past of a civil war, and yet the percentage population living under the poverty level is striking, especially in rural areas.<br /><br />Next Sunday Along with 15 investors and members of Oikocredit, the Guatemala team and staff from the regional office in Costa Rica, I will start a new journey to the hidden - for the regular tourist – Maya world, the real Guatemala. It is in these impoverish areas where in spite of the many challenges, Oikocredit continues financing grassroots MFIs, fair trade coops and environmental-friendly companies, which bring hope and opportunities through credit to the people and the environment.<br /><br />It is time to witness again how the funds from our members and investors contribute to improve the lives of many Guatemalans in rural areas. </div>Blancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955270489921414468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164616776838097082.post-80753541995180007652010-12-09T06:17:00.000-08:002011-03-22T00:49:26.131-07:00Liesbeth in Cambodia: project visit SeilanithihFrom the Philippines, I continued my trip via Bangkok to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. Even though the connection was very tight due to a delayed flight from Manila, I managed to arrive in Cambodia on time. Even my suitcase was there! Kao Kok, our country manager in Cambodia picked me up at the airport and drove me to the hotel. The first thing that struck me was the difference in traffic in Phnom Penh compared to Manila. My Philippino colleagues had already told me that it would look like Manila 10 years ago. The city was indeed much more quiet and relaxed. Cars were in the minority and there were no crazy eight lane roads like in Manila. The next day we visited Seilanithih, which is a microfinance institution (MFI) that has been a project partner of Oikocredit since 2007. After a presentation about the organizations achievements and plans for the coming years, we went to a branch in the province of Kampong Cham. The branch we visited started only a year ago and has approximately 800 clients. Loans are provided primarily for agriculture, business and services activities. Since over-indebtedness is a hot topic in the microfinance world nowadays, I asked the branch manager how he and his staff try to avoid it with their clients. He mentioned that it is very difficult to find the right information. However, if they know the client has already a loan with one of the other MFIs in the area, the loan is rejected. They make not only use of the information the client provides and use information from local authorities or, for example, neighbours. Another hot topic in microfinance is transparency about interest rates. The branch we visited had a sign on the wall which was even understandable for me, although it was written in Khmer (main language in Cambodia). It showed the loan types and amounts with the respective monthly interest rate levels (see photo).<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjljzzxoCZX2DIlpNfIcndcmALjsI1PiDyF4XgSm0ptDpNRH7kZmgn8joDrYM6YTrWZuTXMtPRvSpD-t8zMXmVKs6ZM_kAPkrIe-dOd_2-uOSKMcTteofLjl4mDCFkUH2N5gq6NagaPdCk/s1600/DSC02236.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjljzzxoCZX2DIlpNfIcndcmALjsI1PiDyF4XgSm0ptDpNRH7kZmgn8joDrYM6YTrWZuTXMtPRvSpD-t8zMXmVKs6ZM_kAPkrIe-dOd_2-uOSKMcTteofLjl4mDCFkUH2N5gq6NagaPdCk/s320/DSC02236.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586524420098364610" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Seilanthih branch manager next to sign with product & interest rate overview. </span><br /><br />I also spoke to a few clients in this branch. The first one was Mr. Nuon Mek who is a 39-year-old rice farmer from the village Neang Lerng in Kampong Cham. We met him in the branch when he was making an interest payment (see photo). He has been a client of Seilanithih for 2 years and currently has a loan of KHR 2.5 million (EUR 449) for his rice production. The money is used for seeds, labour and other costs related to the production. With the income from the rice production and some soy bean and cassava production, he is providing for his wife, 4 daughters and 2 sons. The loan from Seilanithih is helpful because before he had only 1 hectare to grow his crops and now he has 3.5 hectares!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgYymFuXlvGgM8-i5ywGoExJx1bKnc0dqWWJIKO9Jk2qT5CI6RRvGnszZire09RiNzK9m_FeMTrrz5vihDhMNP4xK9AILurZXFOorX9oOtETBDN6VMrAquZVc4rrOW_Uj8caw_goAuQpc/s1600/DSC02239.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgYymFuXlvGgM8-i5ywGoExJx1bKnc0dqWWJIKO9Jk2qT5CI6RRvGnszZire09RiNzK9m_FeMTrrz5vihDhMNP4xK9AILurZXFOorX9oOtETBDN6VMrAquZVc4rrOW_Uj8caw_goAuQpc/s320/DSC02239.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586524641419600386" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Mr. Nuon Mek makes an interest payment in a Seilanithih branch.<br /><br /></span>Afterwards we visited his place and met with his wife and some other family members. The first time I was in Cambodia, I saw two elderly people in their 70s. Until that moment I had not realized there are hardly any people of that age as a result of the Khmer Rouge regime. About 2 million of the 7 million Cambodians (at that time) were killed by this regime. Almost a complete generation has disappeared… Quite a shocking realization. When we headed home with the car, I wonderied how the Cambodians could still be so tremendously generous and friendly…<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrYJZOTPJV6BId2L4rFGDp3cFBgGzHvqF5S66KU47BWH0DKDbX2flFeUcXFXA6n46kI4uhgf-VNR2_IRSQMiSlvt2trc0E90VQYsdaOnvMjrSIM7c_kpAc_Af9-AY39YwyO7NtdIjM8MI/s1600/DSC02248.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrYJZOTPJV6BId2L4rFGDp3cFBgGzHvqF5S66KU47BWH0DKDbX2flFeUcXFXA6n46kI4uhgf-VNR2_IRSQMiSlvt2trc0E90VQYsdaOnvMjrSIM7c_kpAc_Af9-AY39YwyO7NtdIjM8MI/s320/DSC02248.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586525034859852994" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><i style=""><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10pt;"><br /><br /></span></i><span><span><span style="font-style: italic;">Mr. Nuon Mek together with his wife and 3 of his children with part of their rice. </span><br /><br />We also met with Mrs. Khiev Orn, a 55-year-old woman who produces cashew together with her husband. For a year she has a 4 month loan from Seilanithih. Before she would finance everything from her own savings or borrow some money from her children that live in Phnom Penh. She has a loan of USD 1,200 to pay approximately 10 labourers during the harvest season to work on the 3 hectares of land. She also uses the loan for fertilizers. During the harvest season she and her husband sleep for 4 months in a hut in between the cashew trees to prevent the nuts being stolen. We also visited her house that was being rebuilt with concrete piles. When I asked Mrs. Khiev Orn who would live in the house while she and her husband were living in the hut, she explained that her children would live there.<br /><br /></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUESaKhTpkcohv9VbMAbSiO7eszxgwnD-4W6I7Kj1xL19LnY1Y6bbYqVmkxxa-nan-5sD-g6tydvsCK_aJvTkPKk15DnJDDUhCtbV5QGKn6NTHgZ56JMBDLtofVbLZYAFYcda0ZFcf1o8/s1600/DSC02260.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUESaKhTpkcohv9VbMAbSiO7eszxgwnD-4W6I7Kj1xL19LnY1Y6bbYqVmkxxa-nan-5sD-g6tydvsCK_aJvTkPKk15DnJDDUhCtbV5QGKn6NTHgZ56JMBDLtofVbLZYAFYcda0ZFcf1o8/s320/DSC02260.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586525861917534002" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Mrs. Khiev Orn showing us her cashew trees.</span><br /><br />An interesting detail she mentioned was that she would not immediately sell the cashew nuts but would wait until after the harvest season. Prices are higher outside the season and she would earn a higher income. Smart thinking, I thought. I was happy to have had the opportunity to meet this business woman on the other side of the world!Oikocredit Internationalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12871029133194387297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164616776838097082.post-70389965620724460762010-12-08T05:58:00.000-08:002011-03-21T06:15:31.391-07:00Liesbeth in the Philippines: project visit UMFIOn my next day in the Philippines Joyce, Andie and I fortunately left a bit later for the project visit, because we went to a nearby project partner in Manila, called Upland Marketing Foundation Inc. (UMFI). UMFI is a non-profit fair trade marketing institution for community based enterprises. UMFI is the marketing arm of 60 of these enterprises operating in 17 provinces across the Philippines. Products they market are among others coffee, Muscovado sugar, organic rice, jams, wine, vinegar, oil, honey, etc.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTVXqVReRkirW5cYU1E6HzcEZjMiAL4vdMK5h4cXRgH3bBPO9MvHKqDhyphenhyphen3toe7Nx18XIti8b_VCXyddYipJG7iHYUAOyOi6HAWQP8Zhj411lKOr3Bku6Zkq_L5bBKNYZ4W-EeKmpCSPr0/s1600/DSC02142.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTVXqVReRkirW5cYU1E6HzcEZjMiAL4vdMK5h4cXRgH3bBPO9MvHKqDhyphenhyphen3toe7Nx18XIti8b_VCXyddYipJG7iHYUAOyOi6HAWQP8Zhj411lKOr3Bku6Zkq_L5bBKNYZ4W-EeKmpCSPr0/s320/DSC02142.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586520408812846354" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Photo: Staff representatives of UMFI and I in the warehouse in Manila </span><br /><br />I visited the warehouse in Manila and met with the organization’s CEO Ruben Evangelista and Sales & Marketing Manager Mel Fonollera. In the warehouse the products are stored and sometimes even re-packaged (see photo) before distributed to the supermarkets in Manila where the products are sold.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqbBA7r0j84L34XHeHDquKoI_BRUjXaGGHaY_ho11fcDbEAe82UPfcSC6hO3x69Fh6fKUu_Iy5rOp6l9rL1ZWYutbaM_gpFElUvW7wzHJt6e9KGLwLZR6mfh0Ugp9NcGi_-ueNvfRoBI/s1600/DSC02135.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqbBA7r0j84L34XHeHDquKoI_BRUjXaGGHaY_ho11fcDbEAe82UPfcSC6hO3x69Fh6fKUu_Iy5rOp6l9rL1ZWYutbaM_gpFElUvW7wzHJt6e9KGLwLZR6mfh0Ugp9NcGi_-ueNvfRoBI/s320/DSC02135.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586520835337046722" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Photo: UMFI employees sorting and re-packaging the rice in their warehouse. </span><br /><br />It was very clear to me this organization has a strong social focus and is very committed to serving the communities they work with. This was also visible from the plans they have for the coming years. Beside stheir current products, they want to focus on cocosugar, dairy and other naturally processed fruits and vegetables. They stressed that they aim on these sectors because they want to support families in their major sources of income. UMFI also plans to develop new product lines (in cooperation with its R&D department) within value chains it is currently involved in. An example of this is Muscafe, which is an instant coffee product they produce. The sugar that is used in this coffee is based on the Muscovado sugar that UMFI already markets. Other plans for the future are related to working with export markets, and acquiring an organic certification. In the afternoon we went to a supermarket where the products of UMFI are sold. Here the CEO showed us how the products were displayed. He showed us a shelf which was almost empty, namely the one of the Muscovado sugar. Having a regular supply of sugar from their producers is very difficult and a challenge for the organization. As a result the sales fall behind, and profitability might be at risk.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhumwRv7BycNefgWSygzg7fF7DlX_84EGJdB6imk5hxlinR7N1UeEMP4YBWL_pkV2tm0Q1OTwynLHhLC0AfK28979N4cGl0ycm6Gj5qA_QVIK3kZBtV0V-Bf0A_9t66TnAwB8vgZGtkduw/s1600/DSC02156.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhumwRv7BycNefgWSygzg7fF7DlX_84EGJdB6imk5hxlinR7N1UeEMP4YBWL_pkV2tm0Q1OTwynLHhLC0AfK28979N4cGl0ycm6Gj5qA_QVIK3kZBtV0V-Bf0A_9t66TnAwB8vgZGtkduw/s320/DSC02156.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586521127678759346" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Photo: CEO Mr. Ruben Evangelista in the supermarket where the UMFI products are sold. </span><br /><br />Overall, it was interesting to see an organization at this point in the value chain and the important role they hold for the communities and families they support. However, it revealed also to me that it is quite difficult to be a marketing company with a social focus in the Philippine context and to do well at the same time. At around 5 o’clock we were back at the office and I left to my hotel, to prepare for the next two days in which I would provide training to my Philippino colleagues on how to write good project proposals. And as we say, good preparation is half the battle!Oikocredit Internationalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12871029133194387297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164616776838097082.post-41204191751730828662010-12-07T05:41:00.000-08:002011-03-21T05:56:05.754-07:00Liesbeth in the Philippines: project visit ASKIMy second day in the Philippines started quite early, especially since I was still slightly jet-lagged from my flight. My Philippino colleagues picked me up at the hotel at 6.30 in the morning to go to Oikocredit’s project partner Alalay sa Kaunlaran Sa Gitnang Luzon Inc. (ASKI). After a quick breakfast at the Philipino version of Delifrance we headed to Cabanatuan City, three hours drive North of Manila, where ASKI’s head office is located. During the trip, some of us were sleeping (but fortunately the driver was not) when we almost bumped into a bus. They say traffic is bad in Manila, and apparently in rural areas it can also be quite dangerous. When we arrived at the head office, we were briefly introduced to some ASKI staff. We were supposed to have a longer meeting after we went for a visit to a group ASKI works with in the province Nueva Ecija. After being on the road for another hour, the ASKI staff explained with enthusiasm what their organization is about. Not only are they focused on microfinance but they also have many social development activities. As we say, they offer microfinance plus-plus!<br /><br />The ASKI group we visited started in 2005 and began with a strong focus on social development. Since 2006 an agricultural loan group was started and we met 10 members of this group (see photo).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnRupN2nZZmAjNPw37peI8niCz4hDyUiS_86Gs9oEibFa7bvNOINOiU9kHMBiFaPwwkWt6VlkVfaaPPrKx2a1XdYVqQ1_e4Qu6_0LPSPRtX7DHpwm6FWfNp1JfjRd9vI4aDkswztL1-9U/s1600/DSC02117.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnRupN2nZZmAjNPw37peI8niCz4hDyUiS_86Gs9oEibFa7bvNOINOiU9kHMBiFaPwwkWt6VlkVfaaPPrKx2a1XdYVqQ1_e4Qu6_0LPSPRtX7DHpwm6FWfNp1JfjRd9vI4aDkswztL1-9U/s320/DSC02117.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586513430043103394" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Photo: Members of the agri-loan group of ASKI in Nueva Ecija</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Paula Patoc</span><br />Paula Patoc is a lady who looks very young but told me that she already has a few grandchildren. Paula Patoc has been a client of ASKI for 12 years through its individual lending program. She has several very small businesses: a mini-gasoline station, prepaid phonecards distribution, beauty products (I wondered if that would be her beauty secret…), a water filling station and a mini-pharmacy. Now she has a six month loan of PHP 25,000 (EUR 433) which she uses for all her businesses.<br /><br />Furthermore, she has a housing loan for home improvement of the same amount. Her husband is part of a group lending scheme. Paula is a community organizer who tries (together with the help of ASKI) to organize the community to get things done by the local government and solve the problems they have. They have pushed for water projects, toilets, a day care center, among other community development projects. It showed me that ASKI does not only provide access to financial services, but empowers its clients to stand up for themselves and lobby with the local government to solve their issues. I also found it interesting to see the difference between men and women in this respect. The men of the community were focused on getting the local government involved in an electricity project whereas the women had a strong lobby for a toilet project to help poor families get proper toilet facilities.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvwoTD9Uejr4JZhZxK9px6rIcpTAUQYwFUHaV5oxU3ZCKAUpWr3A6FZB65PWUsw4EVMwhgQmkrXlVS6c-77Ki30zI5ljMfSeRmxBwA8EtKPrqHUUSDImUJT_CluYQwhHAC8PHO42cW7Y/s1600/DSC02124.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvwoTD9Uejr4JZhZxK9px6rIcpTAUQYwFUHaV5oxU3ZCKAUpWr3A6FZB65PWUsw4EVMwhgQmkrXlVS6c-77Ki30zI5ljMfSeRmxBwA8EtKPrqHUUSDImUJT_CluYQwhHAC8PHO42cW7Y/s320/DSC02124.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586513838589523106" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Photo: Paula Patoc in her house in front of her mini-pharmacy. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Edgar</span><br />Another member of the group was Edgar, a rice farmer who already has his 11th loan with ASKI. When he started borrowing from ASKI he received a loan of only PHP 7,000 (EUR 118) and now he has a loan of PHP 45,000 (EUR 757). Edgar also saves with ASKI and part of this money he uses to pay off his loans. When I asked why he was with ASKI for so long he mentioned that ASKI has the lowest interest rate as other financing options would cost him 8 – 10% per month. He is using the loan for labour, inputs, etc for his rice production. He tried to produce in an organic way, but explained that it is difficult in this area, because it is mainly rain-fed rice production. As a result, weeds grow easily and it is very labour intensive to continuously weed the land. It would make organic production possible if they could have an irrigation facility, but it’s hard to get a group loan for that since some of the members of the group have land too far from the pump to make proper use of it. Luckily for me, Edgar’s plot of land was not far from where we met. Therefore he took me in his tricycle (see picture) to his land. Not completely fit for a tall European woman like me, but being a real Ugandan boda-boda fan, I really enjoyed the ride!<br /><br />His rice field was not yet prepared for planting, but he hoped it would look like the neighbouring plots in a short time. He even offered me a hectare of land. I expected his sentence would continue with “if you marry my eldest son…” but he did not refer to anything like that. He just preferred hard dollars or euros for his plot. That sounds like an economist, which of course I liked!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4eg6p92ir9MH4C80m6K4CR-pRLoImS6n3VUAHrk9jmOyqm56KhSj8NQreXqoa8N83s30pbjmNLnzH0v38je2KjI7AE6CDzLJ9R1kYuEdQcHb9QoGDx4_LtW7znSuV5RwK89syuxc-aDI/s1600/Local+transport.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4eg6p92ir9MH4C80m6K4CR-pRLoImS6n3VUAHrk9jmOyqm56KhSj8NQreXqoa8N83s30pbjmNLnzH0v38je2KjI7AE6CDzLJ9R1kYuEdQcHb9QoGDx4_LtW7znSuV5RwK89syuxc-aDI/s320/Local+transport.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586514694527676306" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Photo: Local transport in the Philippines</span><br /><br />Later went back to the ASKI head office and met with the Executive Director (Mr. Rolando Victoria), the Director for ASKI Foundation (Ms Babylyn Dela Cruz) and the Director for Resource Mobilization (Ms Zoraida Libunao) who explained about the current positive developments in ASKI and their major difficulties. One of their problems is the PAR (portfolio at risk) level which is currently quite high. They have a lot of their loans in agriculture which is always a risky business, but especially in a typhoon prone country like the Philippines. Even though part of these loans have crop insurance it is difficult to get this because the insurance companies do not always pay out. On the other hand it strikes me that this organization wants to keep its focus on agriculture and is thinking about new products (value chain financing) and works together with e.g. Philrice, an institute for rice research.Oikocredit Internationalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12871029133194387297noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164616776838097082.post-28422115995746380592009-08-31T07:38:00.001-07:002009-08-31T07:49:55.667-07:00Liesbeth in Kenya: Namachuma and Ugali!<div><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Day 3 continued</strong><br /><strong>Project visits</strong><br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc2BDNXCJiweBMtrKOCG9UUjgDVIWYjR0pouWlBgeE_CGLmHlall2caYhMig2OqVJCuM3U6TfTPcz3ngEH64YBs6IgSiadm7FWsii5Ll8Z9ft0PtsnZg7GfPLZfCV1jQtr8sTb6VlRsWg/s1600-h/RO+visit+Kenya+095.jpg"></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The last client we visited was Mr David Kobaai. He and his wife have used the loans from the SACCO to build their house in Kajiado in about 10 years. They have a daughter, Sma, who is 4 years old. Mr Kobaai is a teacher at Iltareto Primary School and is a farmer (he is a Masai).<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376139977843802578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4yu_qASQQ_LgQPW2DO7CrRdRJ_01cmnBTExsrjVCtzMLa4w0S1nxlHQBqGOyGl7d0pGxAvMxyyvWV62OH3TKjN0hkMSoL2KICdipx53azf_BFApRnOLaw32DIgHQbVGI665xyWjL21kg/s320/RO+visit+Kenya+095.jpg" border="0" />He has been with the SACCO for 17 years and has had six loans in that time. Currently, he has a loan of KES 200,000(€1900). He explained to us that a teacher’s salary in Kenya is not high, so he has other sources of income, but the fact that the salary is paid through the SACCO helps him to repay his loan on time. The repayment and interest are then deducted from his salary and he does not need to think about it. Being a Masai, he has both cows and goats but because of the drought, the cows were in a different area and we could not see them. </span></div><div><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></div><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">After this visit it was time for a different local experience - the food. We ate Namachuma (roasted goat meat) with Ugali (a maize-based dish). Normally, the Masai men would eat first and afterwards the women can eat what is left. For us, they made an exception and we ate together with the men. </span><br /><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164616776838097082.post-25424796933404959832009-08-31T07:15:00.000-07:002009-08-31T07:32:23.597-07:00Liesbeth in Kenya: building towards the future<strong><span style="font-size:85%;">Day 3 continued</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-size:85%;">Project visits</span></strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIXckX1vWmWWumzDCfTq9QSlHUL5zC9imH4265cF9SMo8meqNH7O64hZhi4JTz8syELk8Gw_sD7RQ9A9oDcVdPT4pAK05z_nCrdW9FxSuOYXcmZIjKwxU3jw2sa4z8QSeZlV06ltBLzvY/s1600-h/RO+visit+Kenya+091.jpg"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376131601794233138" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIXckX1vWmWWumzDCfTq9QSlHUL5zC9imH4265cF9SMo8meqNH7O64hZhi4JTz8syELk8Gw_sD7RQ9A9oDcVdPT4pAK05z_nCrdW9FxSuOYXcmZIjKwxU3jw2sa4z8QSeZlV06ltBLzvY/s200/RO+visit+Kenya+091.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">At the SACCO offices we had met with a few board members. One of them, Mr Christopher Tomaka Meikoki Parkau (2nd person from right in the picture) is the present SACCO chairman. He was very eager to have us visit his house in Bissil and meet his wife and (some of his) five children.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">We each received a nice Masai necklace as a gift. The Masai is a Nomadic tribe who live mainly in Kenya and Tanzania and are well known for their colorful clothes and jewelry. To save money they invest in this jewellery which they carry around everywhere </span><span style="font-size:85%;">they go. </span><span style="font-size:85%;">The jewellery does not lose its value, so it is a very inventive saving mechanism. I was impressed by their generosity in giving away their invesments. Who of us would go to the bank, take up our savings and give it to strangers?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPnV_1fq5hYVO2EP64OimwC8lF08eJZMi8Koggw7Bd5BH-pbW8DJqvuoTNrKaJINsAFNtAuHo4bxX_QLlv8e9X8PHZy1sO59MqgHs5wGb3tccvw9kncR_SmrcXNmY1LpvXGdxKSvFnpgI/s1600-h/house.JPG"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376131767220162290" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 181px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 139px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPnV_1fq5hYVO2EP64OimwC8lF08eJZMi8Koggw7Bd5BH-pbW8DJqvuoTNrKaJINsAFNtAuHo4bxX_QLlv8e9X8PHZy1sO59MqgHs5wGb3tccvw9kncR_SmrcXNmY1LpvXGdxKSvFnpgI/s200/house.JPG" border="0" /></span></a>Mr Meikoki joined the SACCO in 1990 and has had six loans so far with the organisation. He presently has a loan of KES 180,000 (€1700). As the principal of Lenkishon Primary School, he is trying to diversify his income by the construction of six, two-room apartments (see picture, right). In about a month the apartment block will be ready for occupation and they have all been rented out. The income from these apartments will not only add to the low income of a teacher, but is a good way to protect against damaging affect of the drought.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">For Masai, their cattle are their pride. As a Masai, Mr Meikoki has quite a number of cows. The price for cows is low at the moment and it is difficult to find grass for the cattle. Therefore, they need to buy additional food for the cattle. The income of a principle is not high so therefore the income from the apartments will help him to provide for his family and at the same time keep his cattle in a healthy shape. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164616776838097082.post-41866414842282919222009-08-31T05:16:00.000-07:002009-08-31T07:32:33.695-07:00Liesbeth in Kenya: drought on the horizon<strong><span style="font-size:85%;">Day 3</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-size:85%;">Project visits</span></strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCjakb0LicxNYdd_YyIj3bVZKUL7SxUleoLx515NDlifTK68FM84VbNTQI3JxQMKRAIzM7nzqPsBXu4zmkMzMW5KPtnWZD04BevHZ2q8yjlRL-f1rYkM7vTiwcg6cZAO94Lt5o2T10XPA/s1600-h/RO+visit+Kenya+084+corrected.jpg"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376107618134253618" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCjakb0LicxNYdd_YyIj3bVZKUL7SxUleoLx515NDlifTK68FM84VbNTQI3JxQMKRAIzM7nzqPsBXu4zmkMzMW5KPtnWZD04BevHZ2q8yjlRL-f1rYkM7vTiwcg6cZAO94Lt5o2T10XPA/s200/RO+visit+Kenya+084+corrected.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">We left our hotel early and headed out of Nairobi to the country side, to visit one of Oikocredit’s existing clients, Olkejuado. The teachers SACCO (savings and credit co-operative organization) is based in Kajiado, a few hours from the capital. The members of Olkejuado are scattered throughout the region. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">The first Olkejuado client we visited was 46-year-old Lukas Matheka</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3RXU5jyJ8SQvPhWryuhjE-NwtWXslc304ahLVPcF-6L9FKDRjQLyBK-hshVuJ5XouFjfJHnIDFeAZuQDDUMHmwPKk8bA1ZNWF-OZ0fsThGCTHdyCca1wcjxryDrr_zMEOE_qtTXqBUU/s1600-h/RO+visit+Kenya+084+corrected.jpg"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">. Mr Matheka has been with Olkejuado for over 23 years with and is one of the founders of the SACCO. He is a primary school principal and runs a small cerials shop. He currently has his fifth SACCO loan of KES 500,000 (€4,700). He uses the loans for the development of his shop where his wife is working. The cereals come mainly from his land. Next to this he sells herbs, including stinging nettle which is good for blood pressure and general health. </span><span style="font-size:85%;">Country managers Edith and Carol were convinced and bought some of Mr Matheka's healthy herbs.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Mr Matheka explained to us that while the business was running well, they faced a severe drought that could influence the cereal supply, and consequently, the price levels and purchasing power of the community. The drought is a wide spread problem across Kenya and the East African region.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164616776838097082.post-66073595047327083892009-08-28T04:49:00.000-07:002009-08-31T07:32:48.883-07:00Liesbeth in Kenya: Free home delivery!<span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Day 2</strong></span><br /><strong><span style="font-size:85%;">Project visits</span></strong> <br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiamS8U6j1TVn5UK5q-i5PejULOVaVSwiQoFRIUte7roCiesRnmfTY_TP9U39v023NPmw6SQhgMqtdelgzQ_odx957Iwwtpa4uAHnF6TaIypWzgxCyBheTReyjLJGu1A_Wp9gWJ0Ad4o3c/s1600-h/RO+visit+Kenya+059.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376039984041358322" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiamS8U6j1TVn5UK5q-i5PejULOVaVSwiQoFRIUte7roCiesRnmfTY_TP9U39v023NPmw6SQhgMqtdelgzQ_odx957Iwwtpa4uAHnF6TaIypWzgxCyBheTReyjLJGu1A_Wp9gWJ0Ad4o3c/s200/RO+visit+Kenya+059.jpg" border="0" /></a>Going to the outskirts of Nairobi, the country managers and I met with Joseph Ngaza and his wife. He became a client of Small and Medium Enterprise Program (SMEP) in 2003 and is part of a lending group.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">All members of his group live in the same area and know each other quite well. </span><span style="font-size:85%;">Even though he is only 30 years old, he has already had seven loans. His first loan was of KES 20,000 (€ 190) through to his most recent loan of KES 600,000 (€ 5,600). He told us soon apply for another one soon of KES 1.2 million (€ 11,250). With the loans, Joseph opened a small shop and four points to sell kerosene, which is used for cooking and lighting.<br /><br />Deus Manyenye, Oikocredit's country manager from Tanzania, asked him how many people worked for him. In total, he has eight employees including his wife. When we were visiting, she worked in the small shop, despite have a six week old baby who slept peacefully in a quiet corner of the shop, wrapped in a blanket. Their other daughter, aged six, was playing outside with some friends and enjoyed posing like a model for us whenever the camera was nearby.<br /><br />With his next loan Mr Nganza wants to buy a truck to transport the kerosene to Nairobi and save on transport costs. Furthermore he wants to supply the transport for other kerosene sellers in the area and diversify his income even more. Currently he has only a motorbike, which he uses for the delivery of the kerosene tanks to clients. "Free of charge!" he told me with a smile on his face.<br /><br />When he was asked by Simon Karimi (operations manager SMEP) what business he would choose if he had to choose between the two he was very clear about it: “The kerosene business, it is much more profitable!"<br /><br />Joseph Ngaza and his story made it clear to me why I work in microfinance. With a small loan people are given an opportunity to improve their lives, and the lives of those in their family and community.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164616776838097082.post-45530439241392703072009-08-28T03:11:00.001-07:002009-08-31T07:33:09.146-07:00Liesbeth in Kenya: finding the market niche<span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Day 1</strong></span><br /><strong><span style="font-size:85%;">Project visits</span></strong> <br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimoY7QJrc1PJBXzeRiFj1vIvv0WKTeGjbbBupewGSfffYaQ6_4sYSw5OvKn-Rb3cKSzcj3HrgwGklbWGBjFr_VwRKX7_pleLWSQ06ppZiJ20378KeMu9pOjZam0yU0ZYbsc4Dubv60RDo/s1600-h/Mrs+Eunice.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376035393733353554" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimoY7QJrc1PJBXzeRiFj1vIvv0WKTeGjbbBupewGSfffYaQ6_4sYSw5OvKn-Rb3cKSzcj3HrgwGklbWGBjFr_VwRKX7_pleLWSQ06ppZiJ20378KeMu9pOjZam0yU0ZYbsc4Dubv60RDo/s200/Mrs+Eunice.JPG" border="0" /></a>After three and a half days of conducting training, it was nice to leave the office on Thursday after lunch with three representatives from Oikocredit’s Kenya regional office. We were expected at the head office of SMEP (Small and Medium Enterprise Programme), a potential project partner of Oikocredit in Kenya. There we met with the CEO (Phyllis Mbungu), the finance manager (Simon Kamore) and the operations manager (Simon Karimi). Even though we met briefly, it was very easy to see they have a strong vision to improve the lives of the poor in their country, as well as growing their institution. </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br />Mr Karimi took us thereafter to the Nairobi branch of SMEP and to a few clients related to this branch. The first person we met was Mrs Eunice - a 40 year old lady, living in Nairobi. She has been a member of SMEP since 2003. Her business is a small hairdressing salon in a mall in one of the suburbs of Nairobi.<br /><br />When we dropped in the salon was full of women, waiting to have their hair straightened, weaved or braided. Eunice told us that before she came to this mall she had a small hairdressing salon elsewhere. Because of competition, she decided to find a new place to continue her business. She is the only hairdresser in this shopping mall and as a consequence, she can serve all the people living near by or working there. She explained that she still had some marketing to do in order to manage all of the women in the building as clients.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZsAmo0aWQJXmdo9mN5Y-gdTPXBbAFxkDjHPttS4fnzEUyznNqxHpFu5-Nch6YvTrfBkkeqy3DfXx3-xS20nkO1QittUIlFTCIqlY-OlTdgMnS04yM_joA6TGj_Nph7T2fRWBpv2r6aDQ/s1600-h/RO+visit+Kenya+038.jpg"></a>So far Mrs Eunice has received three loans; two of KES 50,000 (€470), and one of KES 200,000 (about €1,900). The loans were each through the SMEP individual loan scheme, which focuses on enterprise growth. With the latest loan she plans to expand her salon with a barber section and a small selection of clothes, which she was already successfully selling in the salon. In her shop she has three employees working for her and with this business she can support her husband and children.<br /><br />After we asked her what the main challenge was at the moment, she told us that facing the general increase of prices in Kenya is difficult. For example, clients are used to paying KES 200 (€1.90) and are not happy to pay KES 250 (€2.30)for the same treatment.<br /><br />I was very much impressed by the entrepreneurship of Mrs Eunice, who is faced with many business challenges while at the same time finding a market niche.<br /><br />When we were leaving she offered to do my hair but unfortunately we did not have time...<br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376112551660549122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjHfj-VL4I8FYd1KKI9RPXo11Tp_Z_FJDejujid8uzegwdy-OiaCNUmc-Z9GwHVUc1INhJGm5DDl9mXqFarzdxebRROlQ2hmo3FMNNpOkbLhA10z3PthadcSY8xeEzzY6BgCgla_voHMw/s320/RO+visit+Kenya+038.jpg" border="0" /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Photograph: myself (second from right) together with Oikocredit and SMEP representatives.</strong></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0