Thursday, July 16, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Why Im a vegetarian
Hey!
So went I wrote this a week ago it was my third day of work at Capitol MicroCredit (CMC) and I got the opportunity to go out into the field to do field work with clients!
The background:
My project at CMC is helping the company come up with a new lending methodology by evaluating a client’s cash flow. It sounds more complicated than it actually is – essentially after meeting with Yale professors, reading books, talking to CEOs I’ve come to the conclusion that microfinance can be a good tool to help the poor/middle class, but is not THE SOLUTION to poverty, especially extreme poverty. The reason for this is that microfinance industries that are sustainable have to make a profit, so not only do clients have to be able to pay back the loan, but they have to be able to make enough money to pay a pretty fair amount of interest so that the microfinance industry stays in business. The problem comes in when people can’t pay back the loan – some microfinance corporations really abuse their clients by not telling them about high interest rates or how much collateral they will take from clients if they default (can’t pay back the loan). This is especially problematic for the unregistered businesses and loan sharks. People who take out loans don’t want their house/children/wife to be taken as collateral, so then they take out more loans with huge interest rates, creating this spiral of debt that is nearly impossible to get out of.
Not only can bad information and malicious microcredit institutes end up harming people, but sometimes even when microfinance credit institutions try and give people fair loans, the clients don’t keep records. That means they don’t know how much money they will make to be able to pay back their loan, so they still default and end up worse off than they started. The good news is that corporations that care about the welfare of their clients have really low default rates (ex. CMC’s default rate is 3% so about 97% of the people that get a loan successfully pay it back and improve their business profit). In order to make sure that even more people can pay back their loan, Im helping CMC come up with this way of documenting a client’s clash flow, specifically trying to sort out household finances and business finances. Its essentially a lot of accounting … which brings me to today.
I went out into the “field”, like 20 minutes from the office with a loan officer. We were evaluating a business (surprise visit) to a butcher who had applied for a loan. Essentially he had this “shop” that was like a shack with hooks of raw meat (and lots of flies) that we visited. We sat inside and talked to him about how much meat he bought, how much it cost, how much he sold it for, how much it cost to transport, how much rent was, how much he spent on food/utilities etc. We then created a cash flow to see how profitable his business was, calculated how much income he had per month, and what type of loan he could afford. The whole thing took about an hour and it was all in Luganda, not English, but Im learning my numbers in Luganda, so I could keep track of the finances and record the numbers on the income sheet. Plus, my loan officer was really nice and translated for me.
For you math nerds out there:
So for example, the guy we were interviewing bought 1 kg of meat for 3,200 Ugandan Shillings and sold it for 5,000 Ugandan shillings. That’s a profit of about 70 cents per kilogram of meat. He sells about 30 kgs a day, plus his wife sells plantans, so taking into account additional business expenses he makes about 1,000,000 shillings a month (about $500). But, he has household expenses as well, so taking into account school fees, food, rent, he ends up with about 450,000 shillings per month ($225). So that means the monthly payback of the loan he can get should only be 50% of his household income to make sure that if someone gets sick or if the loan doesn’t help his business but keeps it performing as it, he will still be able to pay it back. So my loan officer decided he couldn’t afford the 3 million shilling loan (about 330,00 per month) but instead is giving him a 2 million shilling loan (about $1,000), which he pays back 220,000 shillings per month for 12 months. (20% interest rate)
Hmm, that might have been a complicated explanation of what I do, feel free to comment if I was unclear, in my nerdiness I find it fascinating.
About the pictures:
So, the reason why Im a vegetarian ….. well they say pictures are worth a thousand words, but just imagine walking into a wood shack about 3 by 4 feet without AC in the middle of the afternoon in Uganda and sitting with hunks of raw meat swinging for about 1 hour. Oh, and throughout the conversation we would be interrupted by the neighborhood clients who would want some meat. Then the client would get up, take out this HUGE knife, and start hacking away at this hunk of ribs with piece of bone and flies going everywhere. Look closely at the second picture – that furry brown thing is a tail hanging off the hunk of meat so you can identify what type of animal it is. With the 2 million shillings hes going to buy his own cows because they will be even cheaper to slaughter and sell. And if he grows his business, he will be able to send all of his kids to school.
So while the smell and flies and tail was quite an experience, it also made me step back and realize what a luxury being a vegetarian is, because for this guy, being a butcher was literally the way he supported and fed his family. It was definitely a humbling experience and put my “discomfort” in perspective. Now, even though I still think I will be a vegetarian when I go back to the US for food distribution and environmental reasons, Im much more appreciative and aware of the privilege that I have to make that choice.
So went I wrote this a week ago it was my third day of work at Capitol MicroCredit (CMC) and I got the opportunity to go out into the field to do field work with clients!
The background:
My project at CMC is helping the company come up with a new lending methodology by evaluating a client’s cash flow. It sounds more complicated than it actually is – essentially after meeting with Yale professors, reading books, talking to CEOs I’ve come to the conclusion that microfinance can be a good tool to help the poor/middle class, but is not THE SOLUTION to poverty, especially extreme poverty. The reason for this is that microfinance industries that are sustainable have to make a profit, so not only do clients have to be able to pay back the loan, but they have to be able to make enough money to pay a pretty fair amount of interest so that the microfinance industry stays in business. The problem comes in when people can’t pay back the loan – some microfinance corporations really abuse their clients by not telling them about high interest rates or how much collateral they will take from clients if they default (can’t pay back the loan). This is especially problematic for the unregistered businesses and loan sharks. People who take out loans don’t want their house/children/wife to be taken as collateral, so then they take out more loans with huge interest rates, creating this spiral of debt that is nearly impossible to get out of.
Not only can bad information and malicious microcredit institutes end up harming people, but sometimes even when microfinance credit institutions try and give people fair loans, the clients don’t keep records. That means they don’t know how much money they will make to be able to pay back their loan, so they still default and end up worse off than they started. The good news is that corporations that care about the welfare of their clients have really low default rates (ex. CMC’s default rate is 3% so about 97% of the people that get a loan successfully pay it back and improve their business profit). In order to make sure that even more people can pay back their loan, Im helping CMC come up with this way of documenting a client’s clash flow, specifically trying to sort out household finances and business finances. Its essentially a lot of accounting … which brings me to today.
I went out into the “field”, like 20 minutes from the office with a loan officer. We were evaluating a business (surprise visit) to a butcher who had applied for a loan. Essentially he had this “shop” that was like a shack with hooks of raw meat (and lots of flies) that we visited. We sat inside and talked to him about how much meat he bought, how much it cost, how much he sold it for, how much it cost to transport, how much rent was, how much he spent on food/utilities etc. We then created a cash flow to see how profitable his business was, calculated how much income he had per month, and what type of loan he could afford. The whole thing took about an hour and it was all in Luganda, not English, but Im learning my numbers in Luganda, so I could keep track of the finances and record the numbers on the income sheet. Plus, my loan officer was really nice and translated for me.
For you math nerds out there:
So for example, the guy we were interviewing bought 1 kg of meat for 3,200 Ugandan Shillings and sold it for 5,000 Ugandan shillings. That’s a profit of about 70 cents per kilogram of meat. He sells about 30 kgs a day, plus his wife sells plantans, so taking into account additional business expenses he makes about 1,000,000 shillings a month (about $500). But, he has household expenses as well, so taking into account school fees, food, rent, he ends up with about 450,000 shillings per month ($225). So that means the monthly payback of the loan he can get should only be 50% of his household income to make sure that if someone gets sick or if the loan doesn’t help his business but keeps it performing as it, he will still be able to pay it back. So my loan officer decided he couldn’t afford the 3 million shilling loan (about 330,00 per month) but instead is giving him a 2 million shilling loan (about $1,000), which he pays back 220,000 shillings per month for 12 months. (20% interest rate)
Hmm, that might have been a complicated explanation of what I do, feel free to comment if I was unclear, in my nerdiness I find it fascinating.
About the pictures:
So, the reason why Im a vegetarian ….. well they say pictures are worth a thousand words, but just imagine walking into a wood shack about 3 by 4 feet without AC in the middle of the afternoon in Uganda and sitting with hunks of raw meat swinging for about 1 hour. Oh, and throughout the conversation we would be interrupted by the neighborhood clients who would want some meat. Then the client would get up, take out this HUGE knife, and start hacking away at this hunk of ribs with piece of bone and flies going everywhere. Look closely at the second picture – that furry brown thing is a tail hanging off the hunk of meat so you can identify what type of animal it is. With the 2 million shillings hes going to buy his own cows because they will be even cheaper to slaughter and sell. And if he grows his business, he will be able to send all of his kids to school.
So while the smell and flies and tail was quite an experience, it also made me step back and realize what a luxury being a vegetarian is, because for this guy, being a butcher was literally the way he supported and fed his family. It was definitely a humbling experience and put my “discomfort” in perspective. Now, even though I still think I will be a vegetarian when I go back to the US for food distribution and environmental reasons, Im much more appreciative and aware of the privilege that I have to make that choice.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Food
Due to popular demand, here are *some* pictures of food in Uganda
This is the name of the restaurant. No joke. Its called "Chicken tonight". Surprisingly, they serve more than chicken, and based on the reviews of my fellow travels the chicken isn't that great. Some other interesting names of restaurants are: "Tipsy's," and "Obama Take Away Restaurant".
This was the meal I ordered at chicken tonight (they do have more than chicken!). If you thought it looked like an omelette - you were right! Eggs are pretty readily available, so omelettes are on most menus and are cheap (about 50cents). I decided not to be a vegetarian in Uganda, but after walking past the butcheries on a regular basis, I prefer not to eat meat. The cole-slaw stuff on the side of the plate is shredded cabbage (the most commonly served vegetable in Uganda). The long roll is gonja, which is essentially a baked/fried banana - its great if warm and great to buy if you are walking down the street. For breakfast one of the easiest things that keeps for a week is bread and peanut butter and jelly. So i generally have PB&J for breakfast and omelettes for dinner - its quite a meal flip flop.
If you look at the plate behind the one in the foreground, you will see chipati (yes, like the India bread) and gravy. The Chipati is wonderful - I consider it the Uganda version of a pancake. Its warm bread that is heated on a stove with a little oil, making the outside warm and crispy - super tasty. The gravy is a little sketch.
There is an Indian restaurant at Makerere University - its nice to change up dinner because I have rice, beans, sweet potatoes and cabbage almost every day for lunch. Here we had rice and vegetables in a tomato sauce.
You can't see this picture very well - it was dark when we had dinner. I ordered fish and chips. They brought out an entire fish - like scales, eyes, tail, bones etc. It was great, fresh tilapia, but I couldn't really see what I was eating. So, I pulled out my cellphone and used it as a flashlight for the meal - I think the other people in the cafe were laughing at me, but our group of "muzungas" already attracted a lot of attention.
This was my first meal in Uganda! Its a pretty good example of local food: the yellow mashed potato looking part is mashed up plantains, the orange gorde is cooked pumpkin (rare), lots of beans (and normally rice), and the greens are a little bitter and grainy, but good when mixed in with other food. Also, there is a lot of fresh passionfruit/pineapple juice, but there is always a risk that it is mixed with water that hasn't been boiled, so I generally stay away from it.
This is the name of the restaurant. No joke. Its called "Chicken tonight". Surprisingly, they serve more than chicken, and based on the reviews of my fellow travels the chicken isn't that great. Some other interesting names of restaurants are: "Tipsy's," and "Obama Take Away Restaurant".
This was the meal I ordered at chicken tonight (they do have more than chicken!). If you thought it looked like an omelette - you were right! Eggs are pretty readily available, so omelettes are on most menus and are cheap (about 50cents). I decided not to be a vegetarian in Uganda, but after walking past the butcheries on a regular basis, I prefer not to eat meat. The cole-slaw stuff on the side of the plate is shredded cabbage (the most commonly served vegetable in Uganda). The long roll is gonja, which is essentially a baked/fried banana - its great if warm and great to buy if you are walking down the street. For breakfast one of the easiest things that keeps for a week is bread and peanut butter and jelly. So i generally have PB&J for breakfast and omelettes for dinner - its quite a meal flip flop.
If you look at the plate behind the one in the foreground, you will see chipati (yes, like the India bread) and gravy. The Chipati is wonderful - I consider it the Uganda version of a pancake. Its warm bread that is heated on a stove with a little oil, making the outside warm and crispy - super tasty. The gravy is a little sketch.
There is an Indian restaurant at Makerere University - its nice to change up dinner because I have rice, beans, sweet potatoes and cabbage almost every day for lunch. Here we had rice and vegetables in a tomato sauce.
You can't see this picture very well - it was dark when we had dinner. I ordered fish and chips. They brought out an entire fish - like scales, eyes, tail, bones etc. It was great, fresh tilapia, but I couldn't really see what I was eating. So, I pulled out my cellphone and used it as a flashlight for the meal - I think the other people in the cafe were laughing at me, but our group of "muzungas" already attracted a lot of attention.
This was my first meal in Uganda! Its a pretty good example of local food: the yellow mashed potato looking part is mashed up plantains, the orange gorde is cooked pumpkin (rare), lots of beans (and normally rice), and the greens are a little bitter and grainy, but good when mixed in with other food. Also, there is a lot of fresh passionfruit/pineapple juice, but there is always a risk that it is mixed with water that hasn't been boiled, so I generally stay away from it.
Landscape
So I think that pictures speak louder than words in this case, but Ill give you some background on these shots.
The first picture is definitely the best - I took this in the morning last week when we were bouncing around in a taxi headed to work. I love African sunrises.
This picture was taken from the fourth floor of the "Faculty of Economics" at Makerere Univeresity. The University reminds me a little of Stanford, with hills. There are beautiful palm trees and grass everywhere - occasionally you will see goats, chickens and huge birds walking around campus! The building in the picture is the library - the biggest on in East Africa!
Im not sure why I took this picture, there was something I found fascinating about the women from my taxi window. The scene is pretty typical: as you walk down the street there are men and women that set up mats with fruit, candy, blankets, pillows, cups, bread, pencils etc. -- almost anything you can think of is sold on the street. Some of my favorites that I've seen have been: shower caps, extension cords, and fried grasshoppers.
Ah, I love this one. This is a truck filled with plantains (they look like green bananas). Plantains are a staple food in Uganda and are used to make "matooke." -- with is kind of like mashed potatoes, but instead its mashed plantains. Its quite a process. You take a knife, peal the plantains, mash them up, heat them up, and then you end up with this steaming yellow starchy food. Its good if you eat it immediately and put some ground nuts sauce or beef broth on it.
This is the famous "boda boda" (great word to say five times fast). Essentially, its the Ugandan version of a motorcycle. They are known for being fast, overcharging foreigners, and being responsible for 66% of all emergency room accidents. (yes, thats all emergency room accidents, not just transportation accidents)
The first picture is definitely the best - I took this in the morning last week when we were bouncing around in a taxi headed to work. I love African sunrises.
This picture was taken from the fourth floor of the "Faculty of Economics" at Makerere Univeresity. The University reminds me a little of Stanford, with hills. There are beautiful palm trees and grass everywhere - occasionally you will see goats, chickens and huge birds walking around campus! The building in the picture is the library - the biggest on in East Africa!
Im not sure why I took this picture, there was something I found fascinating about the women from my taxi window. The scene is pretty typical: as you walk down the street there are men and women that set up mats with fruit, candy, blankets, pillows, cups, bread, pencils etc. -- almost anything you can think of is sold on the street. Some of my favorites that I've seen have been: shower caps, extension cords, and fried grasshoppers.
Ah, I love this one. This is a truck filled with plantains (they look like green bananas). Plantains are a staple food in Uganda and are used to make "matooke." -- with is kind of like mashed potatoes, but instead its mashed plantains. Its quite a process. You take a knife, peal the plantains, mash them up, heat them up, and then you end up with this steaming yellow starchy food. Its good if you eat it immediately and put some ground nuts sauce or beef broth on it.
This is the famous "boda boda" (great word to say five times fast). Essentially, its the Ugandan version of a motorcycle. They are known for being fast, overcharging foreigners, and being responsible for 66% of all emergency room accidents. (yes, thats all emergency room accidents, not just transportation accidents)
Uganda Firsts
First time to live for an extended period of time in a place without warm water – I’ve come to appreciate short, cold showers and running water.
First time I’ve bought a fried plantain through a bus window (about 10 cents/plantain)
First time I’ve been constantly aware of the color of my skin and how it immediately distinguishes me from the locals. (Here foreign people are called “muzungo” and little kids run down the street after us pointing, sometimes laughing, and yelling “muzungo”)
First time someone offered to trade a cow for me
First time to pick a guava fruit from a tree on the side of the road and eat it (now that’s organic)
First time to spend 2 hours each day commuting to work in public transportation
First time to see a man without legs “walking” down the street using his arms with flip flops on his hands so that he would not get cut by the jagged stones
First time to read the Ugandan newspaper daily – Ive really updated on Ugandan current events (and starting to be updated on African current events)
First time I’ve eaten goat cooked in ground nuts
First time I’ve become immune to men patrolling stores with huge loaded guns to intimate people who might steal
First time I’ve changed my name from “Joan” to “Jo-ann” because everyone here thinks I keep saying John and then gives me a funny “you-don’t-look-like-a-guy” stare.
First time I’ve realized how prominent American cultural (not just general globalization) is in Uganda. Seriously, our host was watching MTV when we met him and I had a conversation about the cartoon “Ed, Edd, and Eddy”
First time I’ve ever really appreciated toilet paper
First time I’ve bought a fried plantain through a bus window (about 10 cents/plantain)
First time I’ve been constantly aware of the color of my skin and how it immediately distinguishes me from the locals. (Here foreign people are called “muzungo” and little kids run down the street after us pointing, sometimes laughing, and yelling “muzungo”)
First time someone offered to trade a cow for me
First time to pick a guava fruit from a tree on the side of the road and eat it (now that’s organic)
First time to spend 2 hours each day commuting to work in public transportation
First time to see a man without legs “walking” down the street using his arms with flip flops on his hands so that he would not get cut by the jagged stones
First time to read the Ugandan newspaper daily – Ive really updated on Ugandan current events (and starting to be updated on African current events)
First time I’ve eaten goat cooked in ground nuts
First time I’ve become immune to men patrolling stores with huge loaded guns to intimate people who might steal
First time I’ve changed my name from “Joan” to “Jo-ann” because everyone here thinks I keep saying John and then gives me a funny “you-don’t-look-like-a-guy” stare.
First time I’ve realized how prominent American cultural (not just general globalization) is in Uganda. Seriously, our host was watching MTV when we met him and I had a conversation about the cartoon “Ed, Edd, and Eddy”
First time I’ve ever really appreciated toilet paper
Sunday, June 7, 2009
"The AIESEC Experience"
Hey guys!
I am at my job at CMC (Capital MicroCredit), so I will have time to keep you updated about what is going on and fill you in on the last week. So much has happened - we meet with the Minister of Microfinance, held a launch for the Microfinance program, visited a Ugandan HIV/AIDs orphanage, toured an ostrich farm and went dancing to Ugandan music. I didn’t bring the correct cord to upload pictures from my camera (☹ I know), but I think someone else has the cord I need, so Im going to try and get you pictures soon. In the mean time, let me start by filling you in about the people I have met.
I was able to go on this trip through an international group called AIESEC, which was founded after World War II to create cross cultural understanding and develop leaders internationally. (essentially it was based on the belief that friends are less likely to go to war with one another). It is currently the largest student organization and has chapters in over 108 countries. As a result, I have met an incredibly diverse group of people. There are about 10 Ugandan students who are involved in the AIESEC Uganda microfinance program and have guided us around the city. One in particular, Morris, has stayed with us during our first week here before our hostel was ready to move into. He has spent hours with us helping us around town and, even though everyone else in the city runs on “Ugandan time” (ie late) Morris ensure we arrive early (very early) to every event. Unic, Mirsheria, Abraham, Donovan, and Frank are also members of AIESEC Uganda. All of the AIESEC Uganda people have been so helpful as we adjust – we have had great conversations about everything from international development to the death penalty to religion to hip hop music. (I have some new favorite Rwanda hip hop music and French “Zut” songs)
In addition to the great Ugandan students we have meet, there are international AIESEC interns that we spend time with every weekend and Thursday night. For example, Shegi is a moped-riding Japanese student working at a local Uganda museum; Joanna is from the UK and is teaching students about HIV/AIDs in local schools in Kampala; Natalie and Sam are both from French-speaking Canada and are working with a different microfinance program; Eliane is from Brazil and is working at an Orphanage 5 hours outside Kampala; Yves is from Rwanda and is coming to visit Dallas in August to see his aunt!
Saturday night dinner was such a quintessential AIESEC experience – people were hanging out, laughing, and speaking/teaching French, Japanese, Luganda (local language of Uganda), Swahili Spanish, and of course English. We all sat around the table eating Chipati (kind of like Ugandan pancakes) and talked about our experience at the orphanage that we had just visited.
So yeah, Im totally hooked on international experiences now – probably some study abroad/summer adventures in my future. I m going to continue to post about more topics later. Look forward to hearing about the microfinance jobs I have, the trip to the orphanage, the cultural differences in Uganda etc!
I am at my job at CMC (Capital MicroCredit), so I will have time to keep you updated about what is going on and fill you in on the last week. So much has happened - we meet with the Minister of Microfinance, held a launch for the Microfinance program, visited a Ugandan HIV/AIDs orphanage, toured an ostrich farm and went dancing to Ugandan music. I didn’t bring the correct cord to upload pictures from my camera (☹ I know), but I think someone else has the cord I need, so Im going to try and get you pictures soon. In the mean time, let me start by filling you in about the people I have met.
I was able to go on this trip through an international group called AIESEC, which was founded after World War II to create cross cultural understanding and develop leaders internationally. (essentially it was based on the belief that friends are less likely to go to war with one another). It is currently the largest student organization and has chapters in over 108 countries. As a result, I have met an incredibly diverse group of people. There are about 10 Ugandan students who are involved in the AIESEC Uganda microfinance program and have guided us around the city. One in particular, Morris, has stayed with us during our first week here before our hostel was ready to move into. He has spent hours with us helping us around town and, even though everyone else in the city runs on “Ugandan time” (ie late) Morris ensure we arrive early (very early) to every event. Unic, Mirsheria, Abraham, Donovan, and Frank are also members of AIESEC Uganda. All of the AIESEC Uganda people have been so helpful as we adjust – we have had great conversations about everything from international development to the death penalty to religion to hip hop music. (I have some new favorite Rwanda hip hop music and French “Zut” songs)
In addition to the great Ugandan students we have meet, there are international AIESEC interns that we spend time with every weekend and Thursday night. For example, Shegi is a moped-riding Japanese student working at a local Uganda museum; Joanna is from the UK and is teaching students about HIV/AIDs in local schools in Kampala; Natalie and Sam are both from French-speaking Canada and are working with a different microfinance program; Eliane is from Brazil and is working at an Orphanage 5 hours outside Kampala; Yves is from Rwanda and is coming to visit Dallas in August to see his aunt!
Saturday night dinner was such a quintessential AIESEC experience – people were hanging out, laughing, and speaking/teaching French, Japanese, Luganda (local language of Uganda), Swahili Spanish, and of course English. We all sat around the table eating Chipati (kind of like Ugandan pancakes) and talked about our experience at the orphanage that we had just visited.
So yeah, Im totally hooked on international experiences now – probably some study abroad/summer adventures in my future. I m going to continue to post about more topics later. Look forward to hearing about the microfinance jobs I have, the trip to the orphanage, the cultural differences in Uganda etc!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Uganda Day 3
Hey everyone!
I just got to an internet cafe to update my blog - today is my third day in
We arrived at EBB (
Sunday evening we went to the local supermarket to purchase food for the week and spent about 3 hours buying mattresses and trying to get cell phones. The pace of life is very different in
Sunday night we ate food from the store (peanut butter and jelly sandwiches) and then fell into bed under our mosquito nets around at about midnight. Around 3 in the morning I felt something crawling on my leg, but I thought I was dreaming and brushed it off and feel back asleep. A little while later I woke up with a cockroach crawling around my head – needless to say that started a very small (somewhat traumatic experience) of trying to catch the cockroach that was trapped under the mosquito net with us. We went into the kitchen to try and find cups and bowls to catch it with, but discovered even bigger bugs when we turned on the lights. We were all afraid to sleep on the floor, so the four of us piled into the twin sized bed that was off the ground instead of sleeping on the mattresses. So, the first few nights have not been super restful, but we sprayed for bugs and have learned to tough out the circumstances a little more – we all got a lot of sleep last night.
At least it wasn’t a snake, if there is anything I hate more than cockroaches it is the idea of a snake in my bed.
Although than that hiccup the first night, everything has been incredible. I can’t even begin to explain how welcoming students from
This week is orientation and we start our job next week. I met with the boss from Capital MicroCredit (the company I am going to be working with). He is a former member of the AIESEC Uganda group and has a great attitude about incorporating social values and the Millennium Development Goals into his business. We will be working on helping them implement a new lending model as well as shadowing loan officers, working with a new database and meeting with clients. I also expressed interest in the way that microfinance impacts women, and he was really receptive to specialized work in that area.
Thanks for reading this far – there is a ton more that is going on, but my time at the internet café is almost up. I will have more time next week at the job because there is wireless internet and I will upload pictures then!
Take care,
Joan
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