Author Archive
You Know You are in Tanzania When…. (Volume V)
Five months after boarding a plane to San Francisco, it’s time to wrap up my Kiva Fellowship. For my final post, I’d like to honour a tradition set by past Tanzanian Kiva Fellows and share a few of my observations from this crazy and charming country. Hope you enjoy!
You know you are in Tanzania when…
Why Lend to a Charcoal Seller?
That’s a question I’d never considered before serving as a Kiva Fellow. I figured that charcoal is a dirty and unsustainable source of fuel, and not one that I want to support. Charcoal production causes massive deforestation and produces considerable emissions of carbon dioxide. So when presented with the option of lending to a charcoal seller on Kiva’s website, I always selected an entrepreneur in a different sector to support.
Flash forward a few months – I have now enjoyed hundreds of meals cooked on charcoal stoves and grills, first in Rwanda and now in Tanzania. I’ve also met about a dozen Kiva clients who make their living producing and selling charcoal. These experiences haven’t made me a full advocate for continued use of charcoal fuel. They have, however, made me realize that the issues surrounding sustainable energy are not white and black, but closer to charcoal grey. So here’s why I would now consider lending to a charcoal seller and supporting them through Kiva…
Sugar Daddy Syndrome
Yesterday I spent about 12 hours on hot, crowded and bumpy buses in Dar Es Salaam. At least half of that time was spent idling in traffic jams, an inevitable experience whenever one travels to the far-flung corners of this sprawling city. I was trying to reach a couple of Tujijenge Tanzania clients and interview them as part of Kiva’s borrower verification process. I found one of the two clients I was hoping to meet, so the day was partially successful. By the time I got home it was close to 9pm, and after cleaning up and a quick meal (rice and beans in coconut sauce – delightful!), I was ready to relax. Allowing myself a short reprieve from noisy, dusty Dar, a movie was in order. Figuring a British film set in 1960s London should do the trick, I settled on the film An Education; however, as the story of a schoolgirl’s doomed relationship with an older man unfolded, I couldn’t help but recognize that the movie holds significant parallels with modern Tanzania.
Sweet Memories at Home and Abroad
The Rideau Canal in my hometown of Ottawa, Canada is the world’s largest skating rink. Each winter, the canal freezes into a winter wonderland, and I love skating along its 7.8 kilometres of ice. No skate would be complete without a taste of beavertail at the end. Despite what it’s name might imply, beavertails are actually a delightfully deep-fried pastry, covered in cinnamon and sugar. They are available at huts along the ice, and in my mind, beavertails are as much part of winter as skating, cold feet and hot chocolate.
That’s why it took me a moment to place the distinct beavertail scent while wandering the hot, congested and sandy streets of Dar Es Salaam…
A Story from the Field, but from a Distance
In most ways, Tuesday was a pretty average day as a Kiva Fellow. I spent a few hours working with Bob, the Kiva Coordinator at new field partner Hekima. We reviewed how Kiva implementation is going at the institution and tried to resolve a few technicalities. We drafted some new templates and a manual, tools that will help the partnership scale-up and evolve from pilot phase to active phase. Bob updated me on his plans to train a second Hekima branch on Kiva’s processes, and invited me to come along. What was not average is that I had to decline. Bob works in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and due to ongoing security concerns in the region, Kiva staff and Fellows are not allowed to visit.
A Walk to Remember
This afternoon I walked the streets of Kigali with thousands and thousands of people, united to commemorate 16 years since the start of Rwanda’s genocide. In 1994, the very road we walked on was systematically transformed into a terrifying assembly of roadblocks, violence and murder. The entire country was engulfed, and 100 days later approximately 800,000 people were dead, with millions more terrorized and displaced. In light of such a massive tragedy, I expected the official commemoration to be an emotional and sombre event, and was surprised that the tone was fairly uplifted.
Mobile Banking at the Bank for All
Instructions: Start with a plain white van. Insert several computers. Connect to a power supply as well as a backup power supply. Build connection to a central network. Apply a splashy paint job and finish with enthusiastic staff. Result: A bank on wheels.
Not Your Average Courtroom Drama
The atmosphere was tense. All eyes were on the defendant, a small woman in her mid-thirties. She rose from her seat and softly explained her final argument– I know now that I’m guilty. I should have paid on time, but my children were sick. I had to take them to the hospital and could not be home when it was time to make the payments. I’m sorry I didn’t explain this to you sooner, but I didn’t realize how much this matters to the group. She slunk back into her chair, and the jury began to deliberate.
