Office orientation & emergency aid

Hi everybody,

This week I finally got some idea of what my work here in Kenya is going to be like.

We are currently trying to make the Bengi Investment Group (BIG) concept a separate entity, with its own management structure and policies. James, on of my local colleagues, is almost finished writing a 40-page business plan for BIG, including all the services a community bank can provide for its community. In the +- 8 years that BIG community banks are in existence, there are already some success stories. In one community for example, a small group of villages received a loan to buy machines necessary to produce peanut butter, and are now generating income with their established peanut butter company.

Up to this moment CIVS' sole source of income was the mandatory fee volunteers pay, but with our new business concept there is dire need for money. I think that my main objective in the long run will be to write grant proposals and raise funds for our microfinance initiative. At the moment I am still working my way through the digital world of grant writing, as well as setting up appointments with other, more professional microfinance institute to consult them on proper acquisition of funds.

Besides this I am doing or planning to do some generic office work.
1) Reorganizing the big mess that is our internal network
2) Standardize training materials for new volunteers
3) Create a volunteer-only section on the website meant for internal communication
4) Make the BIG section of the website prettier
5) Writing new volunteer applications for emergency aid

To elaborate on this last point: The current political impasse in Kenya left 500 people dead and over 250,000 internally displaced. The latter lost all their homes, and businesses. Since the areas most affected by the violence are the slums and the poorer rural areas, the developments in the country have been especially disastrous on these people.

For this reason I decided to help a local group of volunteers, coming from a church, to assist in distributing food and clothing to these displaced people.
Last Thursday I went to Dandora, a Nairobi slum. Thousands and thousands and people were waiting for us, so with the little structure we had we provided them with maize, beans, soy, and crackers. All this donated by the United Nations Development Programme, and partially coordinated by World Relief. Since we ran out of food we had to flee, but the local volunteers return almost every day to Dandora and other areas with new supplies. I try to go once in a while as well, in between office work, since there are not enough hands to help even though the food is plenty. Here at CIVS we are now trying to get volunteers to Kenya especially for this purpose, so for these reason I wrote those applications I spoke of earlier.

The political situation is interesting to follow from within, and far more complicated than watching the Dutch news would suggest. Coming weekend I hope to write some more about this.
For now, thank you for reading!

PS For my china loving friends, check out http://www.topix.net/content/ap/2008/01/china-says-democracy-hurts-kenya