Lo de Dalia

Thank you letter from Joseph for Motorcycles

2007-06-26T20:39:00.000-07:00

To all who contributed to the motorcycle fund, please find below the letter (which I am posting with "much delay"). They were all so touched and truly thankful about the present. Thanks!

Lomé, 07th June 2007

To the attention of all the donors for the two motors’ purchase

USA

Object: Thank you letter

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I hereby come in the name of the Board of Commission of MICROFUND, its staff, and in my own name to address you my sincere congratulations for the gift of the two motors you have offered to our institution during the mission of Dalia in our structure. We are deeply and positively grateful to you. This action shows once again the special and particular interest you have always testified to MICROFUND and more, your sensibility to the painful of our field agents in their daily movements. We are very thankful and promise to use them suitably.

May God bless and cover you with all his grace.

Hoping that many other actions will follow, we would like you please to consider our perfect congratulations and satisfactions.

Joseph Kossi AKOGO

MICROFUND Manager

Français

Lomé, le 07 juin 2007

A tous les donateurs pour l’achat des deux motos

Etats-Unis

Objet : Lettre de remerciement

Chers Messieurs/Mesdames,

Je viens par la présente au nom du Conseil d’Administration de MICROFUND, de son personnel et en mon nom personnel vous adresser nos sincères remerciements pour le don des deux motos que vous avez offerts à notre institution lors de la mission de Dalia dans notre structure. Ce geste nous a profondément et positivement marqué. Ceci montre l’intérêt particulier que vous manifestez à MICROFUND et surtout votre sensibilité à la pénibilité dans le déplacement de nos agents de terrain. Nous vous restons très reconnaissants et vous promettons un bon usage. Que Dieu vous le rende au centuple.

Tout en espérant que d’autres gestes lui suivront, je vous prie de croire, Messieurs/Mesdames, en l’assurance de notre parfaite considération.

Joseph Kossi AKOGO

Directeur MICROFUND

Till next time...

2007-05-29T09:03:00.000-07:00

29 May 2007

So this is it. My last few hours in Togo. Last night they held a going away party for me with musicians and dancers and the gift exchange. At first I thought they weren't that excited about the 2 motorcycles, but this morning I realized that they were basically dumbfounded. They couldn't believe what had just happened. Joseph said that it was the first time that they had ever received such a gift, and couldn't even find the words to thank the people who had made it happen.

He said they will write a small letter of thank you, but it might not be ready before I leave. So I am signing out for now with pictures of last night's reception and of this morning with some of the staff around the two bikes.

Thank you so much for following my blog, and especially to those who contributed to this much appreciated present. I can guarantee that it will be put to excellent use in visiting the borrowers who are out in the small towns that no one else is reaching.

I'm not usually much of a writer, but this has been a great way to both remember what's happened here and to let others follow along. I hope you've enjoyed it.

Love,
Dalia

Caught the microfund bug

2007-05-25T14:28:00.000-07:00

wrote this the other day, but I've been so busy visiting borrowers, that i just come home and crash every night...I'm very behind on everything, but it's been a really inspiring week. i'm pretty worn out and we're going sightseeing this weekend. hopefully i'll get to bed soon....

22 May 2007

Today was when it really just hit me. This work being done by Microfund is not only important, but indispensable. As the manager of the whole Lake region said today, he doesn’t want to know where the country would be right now without microfinance (especially since the turmoil in the 90’s). Things are pretty bad as it is, how could it be worse? I met a woman today who was so beautiful, and had the biggest smile I’ve seen in Togo. She also has two beautiful young girls, the eldest of whom will be starting school next year, which is an opportunity the mother never had having lost her father when she was very young. Until she found Microfund, she was selling oil, but most of her money passed through the hands of a loan shark. At times the rates were so high that she wasn’t able to repay, so she had to disappear for some time in order to earn money to repay the loan shark (I’m not sure what she had to do while she was away from her family). Now she has a booming business and all of the people in her area come to her general goods store. She would’ve sold out of rice and beans, except that she wanted to keep the end of it to show me. Not only that, but she has built her own small one-room house out of actual cement (floors and walls), and she has windows in the house, AND it’s painted inside and out. She’s very proud of what she’s accomplished, and she should be. AND her husband is supportive and even reminds her when she needs to repay her loan (not that she needs reminding because she is a loyal and timely member). She expects all of her children to make it very far in school (including the one soon to arrive), and she dreams to one day be able to own her own land and build a home on it for her children. I saw an ad for the oil industry the other day that had Miss Togo on a large billboard supporting some brand of vegetable oil. If I were the judge, I would pick the woman I met today as the next Miss Togo.

Well, so that’s it. I want to do anything possible to help Microfund expand their services, especially since it seems that the larger MFI’s in the country don’t really try to reach out to the poor villages the way Microfund does (or when they do it’s to try to take away the members who have already been mobilized and formed groups to join Microfund…but it rarely works and when they do leave they tend to come back (according to Joseph and Edmond). I hope this isn’t really the case, but it’s very likely. This is such tough work that I can see how programs with lots of money and supporters wouldn’t want to bother…

I’ve written so much I won’t go into full length about the handicapped woman I was finally able to meet yesterday (after hearing her praise several times from Joseph). She was really so touching. She’s been handicapped since she was born and was left by her husband because of it after they’d had 4 children together. It still hurt so much that she didn’t want to talk about it. She used to survive solely on presents given to her by family members. Slowly she would save some of that until she could buy and sell some candy and cigarettes. With Microfund she has now gotten to the place where she has a large shop in what used to be her mother’s home where she and her family now live. She also cares for her brother’s children. She has people go to the markets for her to purchase products for the shop and she works such long hours that she was recently very ill and the nurse told her she needs to get more rest and move around (she currently has no wheelchair and is in desperate need of one…. I’m already looking into the price of one here.) Her dream is to buy land and build homes for her children so that one day they will be able to say that their mother was handicapped but she was able to leave them that inheritance.

I think that says it all.

The heat is back

2007-05-19T08:21:00.000-07:00

May 19 2007

It’s been looking like rain the past few days, but instead of being relieved, we’ve had more sun and very humid heat since yesterday. Yesterday Joseph drove me to Tsevie, a nearby city, to visit their office and clients there. It was such a small town compared to Lome, very calm and everything close-by, so I got to meet 5 clients in just a couple of hours, if that. Also, it was hard to get the conversations going and I think it was mostly because I didn’t really know the field officer who was taking me around as much and maybe people here are also less talkative, but I don’t know. So I basically got through my questions, took pictures and moved on to the next client. Then in the afternoon I went to visit one more client before heading to the market. It was definitely the highlight of the day (although I was really dreaming of hoping in the pool at the hotel where we had a very dissatisfying lunch. It was run by a French woman and the sauce was canned tomato sauce which came with defrosted and tasteless fish.)

Going back to the market, you can see the picture here. Since it’s a smaller city the main market day is only on Fridays and so it was filled with merchants and customers from the city and the surrounding areas. There were tons of dried chilies, but we went through quickly and people were not too happy about the camera, so I didn’t get many shots in.

I did get a picture of some of Microfund’s clients (non-Kiva clients) and the picture here is of a client who sells fried fish at the market. I also really liked the house where their office is located here, and apparently the rent is less than $100 a month….

Today, since Joseph’s car is having problems, we didn’t go to the north, but rather closer by to the East to visit a phosphorous mine. The best part was the drive out there with great greenery and

small villages all along. We tried to buy palm wine on the side of the road, but after testing it decided it wasn’t very good (sometimes they mix it with water and sugar). When we got to the mine, after tracking down the guy who would give us permission to go in, we saw the impressive excavation that’s also ruining the land there. The manager of the site who took us in said they could go on mining there for another 20 years.

Just a few days left. I’m happy to be going home, but I know I’ll miss it (though not the heat). Next week I’ll be traveling some more and next weekend we are definitely going to visit the mountains in the North either in the car or in a taxi (I’m really excited).

Dancing with Marietou

2007-05-18T11:41:00.000-07:00

Power's out so I can't write tonight...but here are some pictures from last night...dancing in the patio with Marietou.

All of these holidays...

2007-05-17T05:05:00.000-07:00

May 17 2007

Today is another holiday, the Ascension, so the office is closed. So I'm working from the house. I also couldn’t go out much yesterday because Edmond has unfortunately been sick for a couple of days (apparently this rarely happens) and most of the clients I wanted to visit in Lome are with him. I did, however get to visit a woman yesterday who resells computers and computer parts, but makes more of her income from phone booths and phone cards. Business is really difficult recently in Togo, and the electricity outages don’t help much either.

I’m here in the picture with her, and you can also check out my first day wearing the Togolese outfit that the mom gave me. It’s very comfortable for the weather here, and I think it looks pretty nice. I got some compliments, some of them more mocking than anything, but I was happy.

Because of the holiday today, our plans have changed and I won’t be going to Aneho until next week, staying there Monday through Wednesday. Tomorrow I will hopefully go to Tsevie, not too far away, to visit their branch there and some clients. This is not fully confirmed yet, though. Apparently they have good palm wine there, and in Aneho there are plenty of coconuts. I got to drink/eat my first one here yesterday. YUMMY (and refreshing)!

Anyway, I’m working on trying to retrieve all of the necessary funds in time to buy the bikes early next week, but there are complications with my travel changes, so it might not happen until the end of the week. I don’t have much time left to work here because there’s another holiday the Monday after next and then I leave on that Tuesday. Time really is flying by now.

That’s all for now. Please donate to the motorcycle fund if you haven’t already. And thanks for reading. Please leave comments so I know who’s reading along and don’t fell like I’m talking to myself.

Another rainy day....off to Aneho soon

2007-05-16T02:36:00.000-07:00

16 May 2007

This picture was taken yesterday in the market with the last client that I visited who resells "gari," tapioca, rice and beans in the market. I wanted to buy some tapioca from her, but she very generously offered it as a gift, so I also gave her a small gift I had brought with me from the US. She was very sweet and even helped me locate the women selling cloths so I could buy one that I wanted.

I can’t believe it’s already May 16…I leave in exactly two weeks from today. The time went by very slowly at first, but now it’s flying by…and the rains are here to stay. I’m supposed to be going to another city, and we were going to stay there with the director, but tomorrow is another holiday her (l'Ascension), so we will be returning tonight. I’m not sure how much I will get to do in the rain today, but I’m guessing I will at least get to see some clients who live inside the city. This work really takes much more time and is more tiring than I’d expected, but going out to the small poor village is the most rewarding as well.

I think the one thing that I really regret, and that I’d said to myself I wouldn’t do again when I was traveling through Eastern Europe, is to be in a country where I don’t at least partially speak the language. Of course I speak French, and that is the official language here. But the unofficial and the language used in the vernacular is Ewe, and I’ve been very slow to pick it up. I can basically say and understand good morning and thank you, but everything else is rusty. This basically means that I miss out on most of the daily conversations, and am often asking what’s been said (which I’m sure must get tiring after a while). People are very nice, however, and today I’m wearing an outfit the mom got me, and it’s very pretty and keeps me cool. Next week I will try to go get some clothes tailored.

Well, not much else for now. I’m getting very used to being here and I’m very happy that the motorcycle present is working out. Thank you to all who have already donated money, I know we have passed the $600 mark and the first bike should be purchased and ready by the end of the week. The second bike should be done by next week (it takes me a few days to take the money out of my account).

(Women making the local dish Fou Fou by pounding cooked cassava root in the market.)

Best wishes to all.

When it rains…

2007-05-14T03:53:00.000-07:00

…Togo is messy. Don’t get me wrong, I’m really enjoying the cool weather, but it’s been raining since about 4 or 5 am and the dirt roads make it impossible to go out in the field, and the walk to the office was not an easy one. All of the trash and discarded liquids of all sorts on the streets are mixing together, and vcry few people have shown up to work, one key missing person being the secretary who has the key to the director’s office where I can hook up to the (very slow) internet. But I’m very happy because I’m feeling much better today, pretty well rested, and it’s not hot out. I’m a bit bored, though, since I’ve already finished my office work and I’m itching to go meet more clients.

Saturday was a fun-filled day. In the morning we went to drop off the grandma in her house, which is not in great shape, and then we went to the “grand marche,” the huge outdoor market (although it’s so packed you can’t really tell you’re outdoors (and some of it is indoors) where they sell everything from laundry detergent, to fried fish and fresh meat to cloths and necklaces…really anything you could possibly need here. Maybe nto electronics, but definitely batteries, and there might be electronics tucked away somewhere. Being a white person “yovo” makes it even more difficult to make it through to where you want to go, and I wanted to buy cloths, but it was too dark to see them inside the building so I will go this afternoon to where the mom “Mme Bella” buys her fabrics.

The afternoon felt more like an American summer vacation day. I invited the kids to go to the pool (a nice pool with lots of chlorine in a small pool and tennis club inside of the very rich neighborhood). It was the first place in Lomé where I saw as many white people (including Lebanese and many Asians) as there where black Africans (and not all Togolese). After the pool, I took them to a pizzeria that’s right nearby, and first we went into their supermarket which was basically a very expensive small French supermarket with mostly imported French products…lots of butter. The pizza was very expensive for here ($10 for the large, which was only about 12”), and a very crappy dough. I’m going to try to make my own pizza for them next week if Mme Bella gets the gas range going for it.

On Sunday we went to the beach, altough i was hoping to stay and hang out, but they hurried me around to see all the sites....i explained that next time i'd like to just hang out...

One of the things I really love about Togo is that there are fruit trees everywhere, at the pool there were mango trees, and mangoes kept falling, so I ate one (which I guess isn’t done too often…even though they are everywhere, people still buy the fruit). My favorite mangoes, however, are the small yellow ones that are really stringy to eat, but super sweet. Apparently I haven’t been eating them the right way, but they just told me this last night so hopefully it’ll be easier from now on….but they are definitely well worth it.

The food is really an issue on my sensitive stomach, especially since it’s so oily, but I’m getting used to it.

On another note, one of the things that all of the clients that I’ve visited complain about is that the government will tax them as soon as they open up a business, but they do nothing helpful with the money, which is definitely true. They do not fix the problems with the electricity, which is a political issue apparently. They don’t fix the roads, people put coconut shells or tree branches in the big holes for drivers to watch out. Speaking of driving, the rules of the road are that you don’t follow any rules except that you get out of the way of whoever’s bigger. The trucks out on the small dirt roads are the worst, but everywhere you go pedestrians better move out. And the police only control the streets to collect or ticket motorcycles without license plates (more money coming in that isn’t use for a useful purpose), and they occasionally help direct traffic in really busy intersections during rush hour. Other times, you can get cars that all want to go at once and completely stop traffic. But for the most part, things somehow keep moving, except for the huge delivery truck that turned on its side the other day (probably tried to go too fast through the curve).

It seems like the rain has stopped for now, and the power is out this morning, but I still wish I could be out in the field (as tiring as it can be at times). I’m going to try to post up more pics.

(The pictures are of Microfund Togo offices in the rain this morning and the other is at teh beach yesterday....sorry about the formatting)

Dalia

Bob Marley Day

2007-05-11T10:41:00.001-07:00

Yes, it's Bob Marley day, which means they play his music all day long on the radio…it's nice to hear familiar music while I'm recovering from my bacterial infection from yesterday. The second stupid thing I did this week was eat beans at a client's home…which led to the infection. But with antibiotics I'm recovering nicely.

Today's a much better day. We visited the women making palm oil and another village making "gari" which is a kind of powdery manioc thing they mix with beans and other dishes. In that village we also saw the women mystics, who are basically young girls-older women who do not go to school but rather go bare-chested and are trained to be mystics and live in their sacred grounds. We didn't enter the grounds, but they saluted us as we stood on the outside.

After that we went to see the men distilling their "sodabi" from the palm wine…but when we got there it turned out their large can had exploded and it would take them half the day to get a new one…so no demonstration, but I got the basic idea. On the way to the place, I started to recognize where we were going (most of the time in the brush out here), and I placed the school where we met with one of the members, and then as we rode by she was there and we waved to her. Edmond was proud of me for starting to place the area. I also wasn't going to go out today because I was still recovering and had barely eaten anything since yesterday morning, and I started crying when I got to the office. He came in though and said I should calm myself and get myself together and we would go out there slowly and come back if I didn't feel well. I'm glad he insisted because then I was really happy to get to see all of the groups working and the women were all waiting for me to come by.

On our way back from the village today, I saw a sign for a small real estate co. (they usually have signs out on the street that have their listings posted). The names of the place was Ets. Don't Push Me. I thought that was funny. There's also a bar when we're riding out on the motorcycle that's called "Bar Maman j'ai faim" (Mom I'm hungry). Most of the time, however, places are named after religious things or things like God Giving, etc.

Speaking of signs and businesses, it's too bad that the government here is so useless that they collect taxes scrupulously from any formal business, but they do nothing in return. They also don't bother to help solve the electricity problems or anything else. The president lives in a huge house on an even larger plot of land separated by long roads and walls from the rest of Lome. It's a sad spectacle and hopefully one day they will have real elections here.

This weekend I think we'll go out on the town, to the market, to the pool and to the beach. I also told the kids in the house that I'll take them to the pizzeria when we go to the pool because for them it's really expensive (it's about $6 for a large pizza). I'm looking forward to some familiar food…I hope it'll be worth it :)

(The pictures are of the women making palm oil and of one woman toasting the "gari")

What a bad day to forget my camera

2007-05-09T15:30:00.001-07:00

I saw so much today and that might not get to see again, but I will try to at least write it all out. I went out on the motorcycle with Edmond again (he's the one who works with the Microfund members out in the poorest zones). I wanted to go with him to visit two of his group meetings. The first one was a new group and it was only their 2^nd or 3^rd official meeting with him. They live in a town where most of the houses are have straw roofs and the walls could use some repair. There were children wandering all over the place and we got to sit under a tree with what I thought was some huge round fruit, but was explained to me that it's actually a calabash used as drinking bowls or to get water from the well. The group consisted of 11 women and two men all dressed in their best apparel wearing necklaces and head wraps. They were sitting under a roof outside the gathering place made of palm leaves. There were toddlers who kept walking into the meeting eating small mangoes and then walking out again. I couldn't understand much of what was happening (I should really work on learning more Ewe), but I know he was discussing with them the need to have a clear goal or objective for their projects. Since they are just starting, they will have several session with Edmond before receiving their first loans.

For the second meeting we went to an older group that has been around for maybe 7 years and one of the members was actually one of the first women I met when visiting clients to post their stories. I will try to find and post the links to the client journals that I've been able to post so far (it takes a really long time to post them, and I've only been successful through the Catholic Center so far.) When we arrived at this meeting, I REALLY wished I'd had my camera because the women were singing, playing the afuche, and dancing for us. It was really beautiful and the first real encounter I've had with the traditional music here. The women were much more active in this meeting because they've been working for so long. They're the group that Edmond had told me looked like they were crazy from the way they dressed when he first started working with them, so it was really exciting to see where they are now. The most exciting part of the meeting, and maybe of the whole day (although arguable) was that I finally got to taste palm wine and even see how they tap it from the tree. They cut down a small palm tree, make a wide opening near the bottom (crosswise) and a hole on one end for the bottle to go in. The tree lays on its side, with the bottle underneath sitting in a hole in the ground, and leaves covering the opening on the top (hope this kind of explains it.) Anyway, the wine was delicious. I only had a bit, but it was sweet, almost like a coconut flavor, and a bit fizzy. It really lifted my energy through the end of the meeting. The less exciting part was seeing how they distill it to make "sodabi" the local spirit, which they had me try. It's 90 proof!

After that meeting we went to collect the payment from the treasurer of another old group. IN this village I noticed that most of the houses had tin roofs, and there were even several newer houses. I meant to ask Edmond if this was the case before the group started working with Microfund, but I forgot. I'll try to remember on Friday when we go out to the field again. Here, I also got to see the official regulations and registration that the group has made with the government. Microfund has all of the groups register and decide on their own procedures so that they will one day be able to have their group projects make an income for its members. Edmond said this takes a long time to put together, but it's really a great thing to make them autonomous in that manner.

After this we stopped by a shop quickly and then a bakery where a works with others (I don't know whom, we will go back for a second visit) to bake bread and cakes in an oven. I bought some of the cakes (made in muffin tins) because they smelled so good, and they were really delicious. Basically like a tiny sponge cake with slight citrusy flavor. Mmmmm…. I only had one…shared the others. Mostly because I've had some pretty bad heartburn the past few days….can't eat the sauce that's served with my meals. Hopefully it will go away, but for now I'm eating corn, rice and plain pasta and giving the sauce and fish to Karl (the brother here). So I wish I'd had my camera to get pics of the ovens and the tons of trays that they use to show my mom, but we should go back before I leave.

Finally, we went to visit Edmond's family because he said he has two young kids and I wanted to meet them. They are really sweet (the boy is 2½ and the girl is 1¼ years old). They were shy but really happy when I gave them candy. His wife is also very kind and they live in a small plot of land with the rest of his family. His uncle planted a beautiful little garden in the middle. When we walked out, Edmond said I'm going to be his children's godmother when they are baptized. He's really a great person and I'd love to do it if I can.

In other news, they put in the generator yesterday, but it's been more a pain than anything because it keeps going out and makes lots of noice…so I sleep better without it on. Yesterday we had our first big rain of the season but by the afternoon the sky was already sunny again. I think it's gotten cooler out, but it might just be that I'm getting used to it.

Going back to cute kids, the cutest munchkin has to be Joseph (the director)'s daughter. Her name is Anne-Marie and she is 4 years old. She is absolutely beautiful and very shy at first, but now she has warmed up to me and Joseph left her here at home with me for a couple of hours the other evening. She is very sweet and speaks in a tiny voice, but she's always so happy to see me (this morning she saw me waiting outside the office as she was walking to school) and she keeps wanting to come home with me and to come to the US too. She has these big eyes and just smiles all of the time. I have some great pics of her that I will try to post soon.

Ok, I think that's all for now. Joseph is in London most of this week for a meeting and I've sorted out some of my schedule for the next couple of weeks. I think that next Wed-Fri we will go and stay in Aneho, the next largest city nearby, to visit clients there. It's not too far, but too far to go and come back everyday. I don't know yet where we will stay but the other day we visited a really nice hotel out there, so I don't know if it will be there or not. It was a bit expensive. We probably won't stay there. It was right on the lake.

Well, it's been a few days and things I've already forgotten, but that's all I can remember for now. I was a bit homesick last night, but after my great day today, I'm feeling much better (hopefully my stomach will follow suite). A bientot. Dalia

PS- So it turns out it might not be heartburn, but the mom said she put some hot peppers in the sauce the last couple of days.... hope that was it :)

Benadryl for the Yovo

2007-05-07T05:47:00.001-07:00

Benadryl – my dear friend

So, now only did the Benadryl finally help to calm my arm that was all broken out because I'm allergic to my own sweat, but it also made me sleep all night Friday and Saturday (well, the fan helped on Saturday too). It turns out that on the weekends they leave the electricity on most of the time since the big factories that use all of the power aren't working then. So I've been sleeping in front of the fan all day. Until I tried to wash my own clothes…apparently I sucked at it so they had the maid take over and redo it….

What I've learned so far is that I truly do appreciate technology. No more luddite thoughts for me…longing for the times of Jane Austen and the colonies. When it's this hot out, I want me an electric fan in my face. I don't need AC, but it'd be nice to have a more reliable internet connection and running water. Unfortunately, Togo and surrounding countries are facing the consequences of global warming and poor management. A late and shorter rainy season means less water (no running water), less electricity (which is powered by the water) and smaller crops. Hopefully the solar energy will pick up here soon, because this is not very sustainable. Businesses can't compete with the added restraints, and people have to keep going farther and farther to search for potable water.

So, my complaints are really minimal compared to what the poorest are suffering, but I can definitely feel the difference from living in an industrialized country (and I'm not even out in the countryside).

Moving on to the cute munchkins in the neighborhood. Each time I walk past a group of little kids, they get super excited and start singing the song that all of them sing to white people: "Yovo bonsoir, ca va bien? Merci!" (Yovo is the local name for a white person). So they're saying: "White person, good evening, how are you? Thank you!" They get so excited when they sing it that start jumping up and down and waving their arms. I don't know how I'm supposed to take it, but it's very cute to see…I wish I could come up with something to sing back to them. It was sad to learn, however, that some of these kids are so malnourished that even though they look like they're only 2-3 years old, in reality they're older (5-6) and their growth is stunted.

In the village, however, they're not used to seeing white people, and are a bit more shy. Sometimes, the really young ones will start staring at me, and when I make one step toward them, they start crying uncontrollably. In one of my visits, however, there was a gang of about 7 little ones that weren't in school yet and they just kept saying "yovo, bye bye" and following me around everywhere I went. Luckily that day I had brought candy with me, and I was able to give each of them some. So today I got to try homemade tapioca (really tasty but very hot).

Yesterday the director and the mom of the house where I'm living (Mme Bella) took me to visit a house that used to house slaves on their way to be shipped to America. It was the house of a family for several generations until the man who currently lives there did some research and found out what it had been. It is the only house of its type being preserved in Togo (although the work on it hasn't started yet), but apparently the house in Benin has much better explanations.

The slaves lived underground and had to go in or out through the small holes you see at the bottom of the picture (they only went in and out once).

Anyway, it was still very touching to be able to go see this old home where the owner explains that the small holes you see at the bottom of the house go to the cave where the slaves where squashed together in a space only about 2 feet in height and with not enough room even to lie down. We went in through a hole in the floor of the main room that still contains an original dining table and bed from the period. Under the floor in the cave it was all dusty, although when the slaves where there apparently there was also vegetation everywhere to make matters more difficult. They came in and out only through the holes in the ground and of course many died there as well as on the ships. The house was visited by the secretary of UNESCO earlier this year and there should be more research and repairs done soon, that will hopefully make the experience that much more meaningful (according to the director the guide in Benin makes people cry each time).

Ok, well tomorrow's my second week of work. I feel much more oriented now and well rested after this weekend. Oh, I also went to church because they kept asking me if I was going to go. Turns out only the mom and the daughter (Christelle go). I went with Christelle and was a bit bored, but then the music really got going and it was beautiful, and the people sang so well. I probably won't go again (it was also especially stuffy in there), but it was an interesting experience. They like to point out all of the white people to me, and apparently there was one white guy there who was sitting behind us and then left holding a woman's hand, but I didn't even notice him.

So, I'm disappointed, but not surprised, by the results of the French elections. Not that either candidate is really that promising. Hopefully Sarkozy will do some good things for the economy so that France won't exploit Africa as much (a good point brought up by Joseph). Working with Joseph is really very motivating. He's so interested in talking about microfinance and helping the poor and even solar energy. Does anyone know of NGO's that partner to provide solar energy in Africa? Joseph would love to do that.

Also, I've decided to get them a parting gift of a new motorcycle for the loan officers to be able to get to their clients. If anyone's interesting in helping to finance a second bike (total price about $820), please let me know. This would be very useful.

More to come…

May Day

2007-05-03T13:13:00.001-07:00

1 mai 2007 (May Day)

Today was May Day, or Labor Day here and in most parts of the world. We went to a restaurant with the entire office and some members of the administrative and overseer councils (elected by members of the credit union at the general assembly) to celebrate. The food was prepared by women and brought there to share. I couldn't eat any of it (and there was plenty) so they brought me a whole fried fish with French fries. I did have some of the non-fermented pâte "akoumé." The others had about 5 different dishes: salad with ham in it, rice with meat in it, a akoumé with sauces, ablo with a meat sauce… It looked delicious for someone who eats it, but it was also more food than I could possibly have eaten in one day. We also had beer, I had a local Pils.

Before the food, there were speeches, and the speakers all thanked me for coming on behalf of Kiva. They are truly thankful for the partnership and say that Kiva is their best partner. I know that Kiva also loves to work with this MFI (microfinance institution) and I see why. Finally, the very eloquent "Dodo" recited a poem using the letters of my name on behalf of all women. I cannot recall everything he said, but the letter stood for: D=dignity, A=amour (love), L=lumière (light), I=image , A=ambiance. Speaking of names, my Ewe name (the local ethnicity) is Abla, because I was born on a Tuesday. That's how it works. For instance, Koffi is the male name for someone born on a Monday (I'm guessing that's how Kofi Annan got his name).

Tomorrow I will probably go visit the other four branches of the Microfund and hopefully I will start visiting clients on Thursday.

Biggest challenges so far: sleeping when the power goes out and I feel I'm in a sauna sweating all night long and trying to feel relatively clean in between bathing (I smell of bug spray, sweat and baby powder mixed with some dirt).

New Home

2007-05-03T13:12:00.001-07:00

30 avril 2007

Yesterday I moved into my new home staying with the family of the Microfund Togo President.

(1) Grandma, Me, Grandma's sister, Christelle the daughter of the house. 2) Mme Bella, the mom, and me. Jonnas, the cousin, me and Karl, the son.)

It's a very nice home and near to work. Her children are 18 and 20 years old and an 18 year old nephew also lives there. As well as one other guy who I can't place, and 2 maids. The daughter Kristelle is very nice, but I have a hard time hearing her ( I'm sure over time it will become easier.) It's also her room that I am staying in but hopefully she has a nice place to stay this month—I'm not sure where that is yet but I will ask (I think she told me when I asked but I didn't understand her). I've been eating rice and fish there for every meal except that in the morning I have bread with butter and tea.

Kristelle's brother is much more outgoing and speaks loudly. I am sure that I will get used to the French here soon, and I am also learning some words in Ewe. Last night I was showing them pictures on the computer and today at lunch we played Rumi (kind of) and I took pictures of the family in the house. The father lives close to the beach where he works as an ambassador (not sure how) at the Swedish embassy. Many things I have still to figure out.

The hardest thing so far has been that the electricity here is often out (they tell me this is of the last several months that it keeps cutting out) and there isn't running water at the house. At the office there is a generator for electricity but there is no internet, which was a surprise to me. I go to the cybercafé at the Catholic center once in a while, but I will see how things will go once I start collecting client stories.

It is very hot here (even for me), and without electricity I cannot have the fan on in the room (which is especially hot. I've gotten used to basically sweating through my clothes.

This morning Joseph gathered the staff from the different field offices (2 of the 5 were missing) as well as the two controllers to give me a quick intro to their operations. Microfund Togo is still growing and will hopefully be able to reach farther north soon. They would, however profit from having some kind of internet installed, especially to communicate with each other and with Kiva, and I will see what I can do to help facilitate this. It seems that for now Joseph is the only one with access from a café.

It seems that this latest blackout is rather permanent; we were supposed to have electricity again at 5 am. It came on a couple of times during the night, including 12:00 am and 5:00 am, but did not last long. I am going to have to find a way to get some more shirts because I won't make it through the week. Tomorrow's a holiday for May 1^st (Labor Day) and I've just been given a Microfund Togo shirt to wear for the festivities. Since I missed the Independence Day goings on Friday, I'm excited to see how tomorrow will be.

First day in Lome

2007-05-03T13:11:00.000-07:00

29 avril, 2007

Today I began my day with a breakfast of a simple egg omelette, bread, butter, jelly, tea and a croissant and OJ that I left mostly untouched and prepared to go out. After a short nap, I went with Joseph to have lunch at a restaurant downtown, where I ate a whole small "dorade" and fries. I tried the "atcheke" (manioc) which came with his plate and will be sure to order that next time. At lunch, Joseph learned that his younger brother had passed away in his hometown, and so after lunch he dropped me off to nap and hurried over to see his family. He returned a couple of hours later, brought me a cell phone, and took me on a tour of the city.

We saw the major banks, the markets, the beautiful seaside (he said that he and others had planted the coconut trees lining the edge of the sand some 20 years ago). We went to the border with Ghana which is right in the city, where I took a picture of the sign that read "Au Revoir Bon Voyage, Bye Bye Safe Journey." I thought it was sweet and a bit funny. Right after I took the picture (this whole time inside the car), a man outside pointed at my camera and said something along the lines that it wasn't allowed and pointed to the small sign where it said something about visual images weren't allowed, but Joseph basically told him it was alright and we continued on our way. I then made sure to ask Joseph each time I took pictures again, but he assured me it was fine everywhere else.

Joseph pointed out this empty well-kept road as being the way to the president's house. He said that it's well guarded and we drove past the vast grounds where he resides. He said that before they held a Summit there (probably the African Summit), the president invited the rich people who could afford it to build villas on the grounds to host visitors and this turned into a "cite" that is protected and where the rich live in this extravagant homes inside the compound walls. We drove through the back and there were restaurants with Vietnamese food and a pizzeria and a large pharmacy that all serve this area.

At the end of our tour, and after the sun had set a lovely red in the sky, we went to visit the President at her home to see if I liked it. It reminded me of a smaller version of some of the homes in Buenos Aires with the enclosed patio in the front and plenty of plants. She has two grown children, a nephew and her husband and two maids who live with her. The room where I will be is small, but the house is very nice and I hope it will work out. She seems very kind and tomorrow we will discuss what kind of food I will want to have.

We finished our day by eating dinner at my hotel (after I got credit for my phone and was able to speak with my parents). I had a really tasty peanut-based sauce with fish and rice…hopefully I will remember the name when I see it because it was very good. I haven't had fou fou yet, but Joseph said it's one of his favorite dishes.

I am very lucky and look forward to meeting the staff of Microfund Togo on Monday, followed by my much-awaited field visits to meet the clients and write about their progress. I'm guessing my future entries will be shorter as I begin to have more work to do.

Casablanca and the trip to Togo

2007-05-03T13:10:00.001-07:00

28 avril 2007

In Casablanca, I met a kind older Malian businessman who was going into town from the hotel and invited me to come along in the cab to visit the central market. It was alright and he bought some clothes for his brother, but there wasn't much there. Hopefully I will make it back to the other cities in Morocco soon.

After having spent 11 hours in Casablanca (mostly in a hotel near the airport) waiting for my flight to Lomé (with mounting excitement and my first stomach troubles) I was on the plane (not very full) going to Lomé and then headed to Cotonou, Benin. Upon arriving in Lome, and stepping out to the warm, humid air that I definitely enjoyed, I experienced my first temporary blackout while completing the immigration form. I was a bit nervous because I was coming into the country with 4 cameras sent as presents from Kiva. I had no problems going through immigration in this tiny airport, and then found my backpack quickly and intact. Customs, however, meant putting my luggage through an X-ray machine, at which point I was directed to the customs officer to declare what I had brought. I then said that I had my computer. He asked if there was anything else, and so I said 4 small cameras that were presents to the NGO I was coming to volunteer with. This led to my going to another room following two other Togolese women who had also brought in goods. He had me open my bag with the cameras and I estimated that they were each worth about USD$100. He came up with some calculation that I needed to pay about USD$200. At which point I said that was a very high price, that I could not pay, and that I could leave him 1 camera in the place of paying. This was not accepted and I finally ended paying $100 right before the Director of Microfund Togo walked in looking for me and was very kind and it was really a pleasure and quite calming to finally meet him.

He and his brother came to pick me and took me to a hotel near the hotel where I am staying for the first 2 nights before heading to stay with the family of Microfund Togo's President (Mme…) Joseph is really a great person and has been very kind to me. The most encouraging has been the discussions we have had about microfinance and poverty and his true desire to help the people of his country and for thus having started his own MFI after having worked at the largest MFI in Togo, FUCEC. I understand why Chelsa at Kiva said that this is her favorite partner and why she loves to work with Joseph. He has the kindest smile and his eyes almost shine when he speaks. He believes that Africa has great wealth that is poorly managed and he is truly doing his part to help the poor, and is even working to try to conduct impact studies to be able to see the social impact of this work through a formal study.