Starting Work

So what exactly am I doing here in Tanzania?

I'm still mostly trying to figure that out.

All of the advisors that arrived in Dar in April; we were family for two weeks! Half have gone to Lindi now and the other half are in Mwanza with me. 

The premise is that I am here to be the environmental advisor/assessor for various small businesses. Canada has funded a project called T-LED, as discussed before in the first post on this blog, and my personal interpretation is that the stipulation for the funding is that the businesses have to be somewhat environmentally sustainable. The aim of the T-LED project is to teach skills and share knowledge with promising business owners to help their businesses grow and employ more people.

Each team is meant to consist of a business advisor, a marketing advisor, a financial advisor, an agribusiness advisor and an environmental advisor.

All of the "advisors" squished in for a fun road trip to Geita. You can't see them all, but there are 8 of us in here.

We meet with a business, who has been selected by the local equivalent of a Chamber of Commerce, called SIDO (Small Industries Development Organization). SIDO is our partner organization and it is through working closely with them that we hope to have a lasting impact here in Tanzania. I think VSO is well aware of how few development projects have seen much success in Africa. This project, from what little I have seen of it, seems to have an immediate positive effect. I am hopeful that the "project" approach is more successful than the "build them a well" approach that Engineers Without Borders took a few decades ago which failed once the engineers left.

David playing with some kids at the site where a business owner hopes to build a new maize mill

Kiti moto! Visiting a farm.

So we meet with a small business, say a rice and maize mill, and interview the owner and the manager if there is one. We observe their work, view the premises, and start digging in to the details of how they run their business. We then ask the owners what areas of their business they would like mentoring or coaching in.

For example, the mill is looking to expand into new markets. They need to improve their marketing and they need another loan from the bank, so they need help drafting a new business plan. They also don't keep a paper or electronic record of their finances so they don't know exactly how much profit they've earned. They also don't have a separate bank account for the business so sometimes they use business loans to pay for personal things.

Learning about rice milling.

David walking past rice that is drying in the sun

My task so far is to look for ways to make a business more environmentally sustainable and increase efficiency/save money for the business by being environmentally savvy. After a week of visiting businesses it seems to me that coming from a place of poverty means that environmental solutions are already in place because it is obvious cost savings! For example, with the rice/maize mill they already sell the pumba and husks of corn and rice to farmers for animal feed. Very little waste there. I'm currently investigating local options for integrating solar power to mills to try to reduce their electricity consumption. If anyone has any other suggestions or thoughts I would love to hear them! Leave me a message here or PM me on Facebook.

Rice and maize dust from the mill

I feel like I've seen how useful the business coaching can be, for example, teaching a business owner how to keep records of sales and to track income and forecast profit. We also have an HSE advisor from Australia and that seems to be the most obvious area for improvement with all of the businesses. More on that later.

Equipment to sort the rice and maize. I can think of a few ways to improve HSE here.

Still trying to find my way, but that's a glimpse of what work has been for the last two weeks. 

Cheers lovelies.