By Thomas Gold, KF9 Dominican Republic

For English version, click on “(more…)”, then scroll down.

Après un mois passé dans la  succursale de Samanà de mon institution de microfinance Esperanza, me voici, de retour à la capitale Santo Domingo, après une journée entière de voyage. Samanà ne se trouve qu’à un peu moins de 250km de la capitale, mais le manque d’infrastructures routières et le fait qu’une seule compagnie œuvre dans le transport de voyageurs, rendent un voyage des plus banals dans le monde occidental en une épopée d’une journée en République Dominicaine.

Pas facile de se remettre dans le bain du travail de gestion et d’administration, réalisé ici au siège d’Esperanza après avoir en quelque sorte tiré le rideau et été au cœur de l’action, littéralement les manches retroussées et mains dans la boue (la saison des pluies commence à s’annoncer dans les Caraïbes).

Pourtant les tâches qui m’attendent ici au siège de l’institution ne manquent pas de challenge et d’intérêt, avec notamment la mise en place d’un outil de mesure de l’impact social qui me permet au passage de rencontrer et discuter avec les cadres d’Esperanza et de les managers des différents programmes de microcrédits et services complémentaires de santé et d’éducation.

Il y a deux mois encore, la microfinance se représentait dans mon esprit, comme un concept, un outil qui permet d’accélérer le développement économique d’une région tout en y apportant des progrès sociaux  comme le renforcement du pouvoir économique et de l’autonomie des classes les plus pauvres. Après un entraînement complet dans les bureaux de Kiva, le concept se matérialisait en problématiques économiques (taux d’intérêts élevés, modalités de prêts, viabilité économique des institutions de microfinance, modèle de personne à personne et transparence). Enfin, après une première semaine au siège d’Esperanza, la microfinance devenait des noms de programmes menés dans le pays, associés à des chiffres (portefeuille d’actifs, nombre d’associés) et des points sur une carte (les succursales !).

Cependant, tous ces concepts et ces idées se sont évanouis pendant un mois, remplacés par des questions beaucoup plus pratiques : Dans quelle « Guagua » (voir vidéo) dois-je monter si je veux voir la réunion du groupe «Unidas para Seguir » après celle de « Trabajando para el futuro » , ou encore « Comment puis-je faire pour inciter Maribel a me parler plus en détail de son commerce et de ses plans » et enfin « Comment cela se fait-il que tant de commerces tenus par les clientes d’Esperanza sont à ce point identiques ». Ce brusque changement de réalité m’a fait perdre de vue les objectifs d’analyse sur le terrain des principes et concepts précédemment exposés. Peut-être que l’aspect le plus intéressant  et ambitieux du travail de Kiva Fellow est d’être capable de zoomer et dézoomer avec agilité entre le travail de terrain et de bureau,  faire un pont entre le pratique et le théorique.

J’ai encore beaucoup à voir et apprendre sur le terrain, notamment les aspects de ce qui est appelé ici la microfinance Plus, c’est à dire les services complémentaires de santé et d’éducation. J’espère aussi pouvoir pousser un peu plus l’analyse sur les différents aspects de la méthode Grameen de microcrédit, qui est celle implémentée par Esperanza.

Cependant, une chose m’a réellement marqué : En un mois, à chaque fois que j’ai expliqué que je travaillais au sein d’une institution qui donne des prêts de petits montants sans besoin de garanties, mes interlocuteurs se mettaient soudainement à me porter un intérêt des plus vifs, et au bout de quelques minutes essayaient de voir s’ils ne pouvaient pas obtenir un prêt par mon intermédiaire.

Bien que je ne les ai jamais vus, beaucoup de clients d’Esperanza m’ont décrit leur seule autre option pour obtenir du crédit : Des véhicules ambulants, faisant office de banques, et offrant des prêts à court terme aux commerces sur la route, avec des intérêts allant de 10% à 20% par mois ! Seules les personnes ayant un emploi stable dans le tourisme, peuvent, avec l’appui d’une lettre de leur employeur, obtenir un prêt dans une institution bancaire normale. Ceci démontre, que si la microfinance est bien implantée dans certains pays, elle a encore un énorme marché et marge de développement en République Dominicaine et  certainement dans beaucoup d’autres pays.

Après un mois à Samanà, j’ai eu l’occasion de rencontrer beaucoup de clients, de temps en temps de profiter de leurs services pour découvrir des pâtisseries que je n’avais jamais goutées,  ou encore faire des achats aussi banals que du pain. Je me suis même vu parfois offrir des produits, et notamment 500g d’un excellent morceau de calamar. Lors d’une visite touristique un weekend, j’ai eu l’occasion de passer un moment, cette fois-ci en tant que client, avec  un entrepreneur d’Esperanza, que j’avais précédemment rencontré, et qui tient une « boucherie-bar ». Tous ces relations commerciales des plus normales, mettent en évidence s’il en était encore besoin, que les connexions entre les entrepreneurs de pays en voie de développement et les membres de Kiva (qu’ils soient Kiva Fellows, ou plus simplement  prêteurs) se font d’égal à égal, basé sur la confiance et le respect mutuel nécessaires à une saine relation commerciale.

Si vous découvrez Kiva avec  cet article, lancez-vous et inscrivez-vous afin de prêter vos premiers 25$ et voir le résultat.

English version

After spending one month in my MFI’s branch office in Samanà, I am back in Santo Domingo, the capital city, after a day-long trip. Samanà is less than 250Km (150 miles) from Santo Domingo, but the lack of well-maintained roads and the fact that only one company offers transportation between the two areas transforms what would have been an ordinary trip in the western world into an epic journey in the Dominican Republic.

It is not easy to get back into the swing of doing the administrative work carried out in Esperanza’s main office when one has been witnessing what happens in the field  rolling-up the shirt sleeves and literally plunging one’s hands in the mud (the rainy season is just starting in the Caribbean). However, the tasks to be accomplished in Esperanza’s headquarters do not lack challenge or merit, comprising of, in particular, the setup of a social impact assessment tool.  This gives me the opportunity to meet Esperanza’s most experienced employees and the managers of different microcredit programs and accompanying health and education services.

Two months ago, my concept of microfinance was of a tool that enables and supports economic development of an area or country, while contributing to social improvements such as the empowerment of, and increase in autonomy of the lowest social classes. After completing a comprehensive training at Kiva’s offices, this concept became more defined in terms of economic issues such as high interest rates, loan terms, the sustainability of MFIs, and so on. Eventually, after spending one week at Esperanza’s main offices, microfinance materialized into concrete facts such as microcredit program names and relevant statistics (portfolio outstanding, number of clients) and thumbtacks on a map (the branch offices!)

However, all of these concepts and  thoughts vanished as soon as I arrived in Samanà, and were replaced by much more practical questions : “In which ‘Guagua’ (see the video)  do I have to jump in if I want to attend both the‘Unidas para seguir’ and ‘Trabajando para el futuro’ group meetings” or “How can I encourage Maribel to tell me more about her business and her plans for the future” and at last “Why do so many clients’ businesses look exactly the same?”. This radical change of scenery caused me to forget  the need to analyze the principles and concepts of microfinance described above while in the field.  Maybe one of the most challenging parts of a Kiva Fellow’s work  is to be able to zoom in and out with flexibility and ease between office work and work in the field, or being able to bridge between the theoretical and practical aspects of microfinance.

I still have a lot to see and learn about in the field, particularly around the aspects of Microfinance Plus,  or the complementary health and education services. I also hope I will gain a better insight on the outcomes of the Grameen method, implemented by Esperanza.

Nonetheless, one thing has really struck me: every single time that I have explained  that I am working with an institution that gives small loans without requiring any collateral, the person I am talking to starts paying much closer attention to me and eventually asks if they can get a loan through me.

Although I have never seen them, many of Esperanzas’ clients described to me their only other mean of getting credit: vehicles passing by and acting as informal banks, lending money to roadside businesses with interest rates ranging between 10% and  20% a month! Only people with a steady job in tourism may apply for a loan in a traditional bank, after requesting a letter of support from their employer. This demonstrates that although microfinance may be strongly established in certain countries, it still has a wide and untapped market t in the Dominican Republic and certainly in many other countries.

After one month in Samanà, I had the opportunity to meet a lot of generous clients, and to enjoy their businesses from time to time, tasting new pastries or purchasing everyday items such as bread. I once was even offered a 1lb piece of excellent calamari. On a tourist trip one weekend, I stopped by at an Esperanza entrepreneur’s “butcher-bar”, but this time as a client. All these normal business relationships highlight the fact that connections between Kiva’s entrepreneurs in the developing world and Kiva members (either Fellows or lenders) are based on trust and mutual respect between equals, which is necessary for any kind of business relationship.

If you are discovering Kiva with this article, get involved and lend your first 25$ to see the result.

Lots of thanks to Gemma for helping with the translation!

By Thomas Gold, KF9 Dominican Republic

For English version, click on “(more…)”, then scroll down.

Après quelques jours dans la province de Samanà, une péninsule qui se situe au Nord-est du pays,  je n’ai pu m’empêcher de m’interroger sur l’utilité réelle et les bénéfices concrets du travail réalisé par mon institution hôte et surtout par la microfinance en général.

En effet, après avoir passé ces premières journées à faire de longs trajets, dans des conditions difficiles sur les quelques routes bosselées et mal entretenues de la péninsule pour assister aux réunions bimensuelles de remboursement des prêts, j’ai constaté que la majorité des commerces tenus par les clients d’Esperanza, sont en tout points identiques : il s’agit de femmes qui vendent de manière ambulante des vêtements, chaussures et bijoux fantaisie (en toc), et dont la situation n’évolue pas vraiment, même après plusieurs cycles de prêts.

Different ways to get from one borrowers meeting to another

Laissez-moi faire un point sur l’état économique de la région.

Tout d’abord, la région, comme tout le pays vit depuis très longtemps dans une situation de paix et de relative stabilité politique. Il n’y a pas de camp de réfugiés ou de déplacés, ni de communautés opprimées. Les Haïtiens qui représentent la seule communauté d’immigrants, bien que quelque peu discriminée et parfois mal accueillie, ont quand même pu s’intégrer dans des conditions acceptables, à comparer avec d’autres pays en voie de développement. Personne ne meurt de faim, même si plusieurs clientes d’Esperanza lors d’interview m’ont dit êtres soulagées de s’être éloignées de la préoccupation quotidienne de nourrir leur famille.

Cependant, de grosses carences d’infrastructures et services entravent le développement économique de la région :

Premièrement, on ne peut absolument pas se fier au réseau d’électricité, a part sur le fait qu’une panne surviendra quotidiennement. Pour moi, en tant que Kiva fellow, les conséquences sont bénignes  (me coucher à 20h00 un samedi soir et retarder de presque une semaine maintenant l’opportunité de laver mon linge). Mais aujourd’hui nous avons rendu visite à une cliente qui tient un petit salon de beauté, et qui se retrouve en grande difficulté car elle n’a pas pu travailler ces deux dernières semaines a cause de coupures incessantes.

Deuxièmement, l’état des routes freine terriblement les possibilités de déplacement efficace : on se retrouve obligés à slalomer entre les crevasses ou les bosses (ce qui les rend dangereuses) et en dehors d’une route principale goudronnée, les rues des villes sont en terre, se transformant souvent en torrent de boue et n’ont pas de noms. Il n’y a pas non plus de système de ramassage d’ordures.

Enfin l’eau courante est également peu fiable et tout le monde n’y a pas accès. L’eau chaude n’existe pas (a part certainement dans les complexes touristiques)

Après avoir pu observer l’étendue du travail de développement que cette région rurale a à accomplir, je n’ai pu que constater que les micros-commerces de bijoux et accessoires n’y changeront strictement rien, ce qui a provoqué en moi une pointe de découragement. Bien sûr, l’intérêt du microcrédit est indéniable pour ce type de commerce qui se base sur la vente au détail de produits qui n’ont pas encore atteint ces zones rurales. La plupart de ces femmes se rendent à la capitale une fois par mois pour s’approvisionner, et grâce à un apport de capital substantiel avec les prêts obtenus, rendent ce trajet plus rentable en ramenant une plus grande quantité de produits. De plus le simple fait que la grande majorité de ces entrepreneuses, dont aucune n’avait jamais eu accès à une quelconque forme de crédit avant, redemande systématiquement un prêt, et que nombre d’entre elles étaient sans activité avant d’avoir reçu leur premier prêt montre les aspects positifs du microcrédit dans la région.

Cependant, ma hâte se faisait grande d’interviewer des clients dont les commerces s’inscrivent plus directement dans le développement économique de la région, car je ne cessais de me poser la question suivante : Pourquoi vendre et acheter des bijoux en toc alors que tellement de choses plus basiques manquent ? Et ces femmes ne se font-elles pas concurrence entre elles ?

J’ai obtenu une partie de la réponse à cette première question, après avoir interrogé le gestionnaire de la succursale d’Esperanza a Samana. Celui-ci m’a expliqué que si ces petits commerces fonctionnent c’est parce que l’activité principale de la région qu’est le tourisme a permis d’apporter du capital et de faire circuler de l’argent dans la zone, même si les clients d’Esperanza ne sont pas directement bénéficiaires de cette activité(Presque tous les hôtels, restaurants ou commerces fréquentés par les touristes, sont tenus par des étrangers Européens ou Américains, qui disposent de meilleurs moyens et savent comment offrir au touristes des établissements attractifs et de standards et apparences plus occidentales)

L’autre partie de la réponse m’est venue avec l’expérience de nombreux entretiens avec les clients d’Esperanza. Ici : le commerce se fait à petite échelle, et souvent par le biais de connaissances directes,  la concurrence n’est pas un réel problème et même si l’achat d’accessoires n’améliore pas substantiellement les conditions de vie d’une personne, elles lui offrent un petit plaisir (d’ailleurs partagé par la vendeuse) auquel chacun a le droit et contribuent  à améliorer son moral ou la perception de sa condition.

La responsabilité devant un prêt, l’apprentissage du commerce et la solidarité dans la communauté sont autant de facteurs bénéfiques stimulés par le microcrédit et maintes fois démontrées par les entrepreneurs dans des cas de réunion de remboursement ou les choses n’ont pas tourné comme prévu pour tout le monde. Un des meilleurs exemples fût pour moi Sotero, un entrepreneur de 68 ans, en train de monter une boucherie grâce à son prêt après s’être maintes fois relocalisé pour des raisons économiques et me disant avec un grand sourire et un brin d’attitude théâtrale: « Toute ma vie, le travail m’a permis d’évoluer et me le permet encore. J’aime le travail, la joie et l’argent aussi »

Et si l’agriculture par exemple ne s’est pas développé à un niveau industriel sur ces terres pourtant si riches,  presque tout le monde entretient son petit potager et élève chez soi des poules, ou un cochon, ou voire même des vaches, pour le guide touristique qui m’a fait découvrir une partie de la région, et ainsi peut faire face à des périodes de ralenti économique comme le tourisme implique souvent.

Ma conclusion a la question initialement soulevée est que non : seul, le microcrédit ne va pas soutenir tous les aspects du développement de la région. Cependant, grâce à l’augmentation du niveau de vie des habitants des classes les plus basses et des communautés les plus isolées (et donc les plus touchées par les problèmes d’eau ou d’électricité) ces obstacles ne tarderont pas à s’imposer comme une nouvelle priorité.

Pour le reste, j’ai pu comprendre que tout simplement les priorités de développement de cette région ne sont pas forcement celles que l’on peut attendre du point de vue « occidental » et le commerce de petite échelle est un modèle peut-être mieux adapté aux zones rurales (Alors que les supermarchés sont très mal approvisionnés dans la région et que les prix sont élevés, J’ai pu gouter et acheter chez une cliente d’Esperanza  des pains et pâtisseries délicieux à des prix imbattables)

Lors de la deuxième semaine, j’ai eu l’occasion de voir les types de commerces visités se diversifier, mais en ce dernier jour, après un lever très matinal et avoir jonglé entre les motoconchos (motos-taxis), et les coffres des picks-up pour pouvoir visiter et interviewer six entrepreneurs qui vendaient toutes des vêtements ou bijoux fantaisie, j’ai pu prendre le temps de découvrir que si les si commerces étaient identiques, j’avais en face de moi six individus racontant six histoires uniques.

Prenez le temps de visiter le site de Kiva et de choisir un entrepreneur

English version

Fake jewelry serving economic development?

After a few days in the DR’s province of Samana, a peninsula in the northeast region of the country, I could not stop myself from calling into question the  value and the benefits of the work carried out by my host MFI and more generally, by microfinance

After spending these first few days on long trips, in harsh conditions on the few rugged, bumpy and unmaintained roads of the peninsula, to attend the bimonthly repayment meetings, I realized that a majority of Esperanza’s clients’ businesses are all the same:  women selling clothes, shoes and fake jewelry in the streets and whose economic situation does not substantially change, even after going through several loan cycles.

Let me explain the economic situation of the area.

First of all, the region, much like the rest of the country, has for a long time been peaceful and has enjoyed relative political stability.

There are no refugee camps, nor is there an oppressed community. Haitians are the only immigrant community, which still suffers from some discrimination from time to time.  They have been able to integrate themselves fairly well compare to what happens in other developing countries. No one in the DR is starving, even if several of Esperanza’s clients confessed feeling relieved at having left behind the daily worry of how to feed their families.

Nevertheless, large gaps in basic infrastructure and services are considerably slowing down economic development in the region:

First of all, power is absolutely unreliable, except for its consistent daily outages.  As a Kiva Fellow, the consequences for me are not dramatic (having to go to bed at 8pm once on a Saturday night and delaying doing almost a week’s worth of laundry). But we visited a client today who runs a little beauty salon who found herself in a difficult situation because she has not been able to work a single day in the last two weeks because of the power outages.

Next, the state of the roads completely slows down the possibility of efficient transportation. One is obliged to slalom between bumps and cracks which make driving unsafe.  Except for the main street of each town which are all paved, all the others are dirt roads which often become streams of mud and don’t have names.  Also there is no garbage collection system.

Finally, running water is also unreliable and many communities do not have access to it. Hot water is a luxury reserved for tourist resorts.

As I was beginning to realize all the widespread improvements this rural area still needs to achieve, I had to admit that fake jewelry micro-businesses would not change a thing. I started feeling a bit discouraged.  The benefits of microcredit are undeniable for these kinds of retail businesses selling products that have not yet reached rural areas. Most of these women head to the capital city once a month to purchase merchandise for their businesses.   Thanks to the loans they obtain, they increase their capital revenue, and can make this journey more profitable by being able to buy a larger amount of goods. Moreover, the mere fact that almost all of these entrepreneurs, who had never before had access to credit of any kind, systematically request a new loan, (and that many of them had no revenue-generating activity before getting their first loan), demonstrates the benefits of microcredit in the region.

Nevertheless, I was really looking forward to interviewing clients whose businesses would be more directly involved in economic development, because I could not stop thinking : What is the point of selling and buying fake jewelry when so many basic necessities are missing? And aren’t all these entrepreneurs competing against each other?

I received an answer to this first question from Samana’s branch office manager. He explained to me that these little businesses are actually profitable because the area’s main economic-generating activity is tourism, which has brought a little bit of money to the area, even though Esperanza’s clients are not directly involved in the industry.   (Almost all hotels, restaurants and shops frequented by tourists are owned by foreigners, mostly Americans or Europeans, who have greater means and know how to offer more attractive and western-looking establishments)

The rest of the answer came to me through the numerous interviews I had with Esperanza’s clients. All of their businesses are small scale, and are often successful because of the relationships the women have with the locals. Competition is not really an issue and if buying accessories does not improve someone’s living conditions, it still provides some deserved happiness and cheer  (which is also shared by the vendor ),  and improves their outlook on their situation.

The responsibility of taking a loan, learning about operating a business and the solidarity within the community are other social benefits fostered by microcredit.  These are manifested many times by Esperanza’s entrepreneurs in repayment meetings when things have not gone well for every borrower. For me one of the best examples was Sotero, a 68 year old butcher, who had to move his business several times for economic reasons but was now setting up a new little butcher shop thanks to his loan. Smiling, he told me with a bit of histrionic gesture that:  “All my life, working has allowed me to grow and evolve and still does. I like working, being happy, and money too!”

Also, although agriculture has not reached an industrial level despite the region’s rich soil, almost everyone has a little vegetable garden, and raises chickens, pigs or even a few cows, like the guide who took me through the area. This way people are able to better protect themselves against a period of economic slow down, which greatly affects tourism.

My response to my initial doubts is that No: microcredit alone cannot address all of the economic development needs of an area. However,  thanks to the improvement in the standard of living for the poorest classes and those that live in the most isolated areas ( and who therefore suffer most from the lack of water and electricity), these issues will soon become the new priority.

As for the rest, I have realized that the development priorities for this region are not the same as what a westerner would consider important.   Promoting small-scale businesses might be a better model for rural areas (While grocery stores are poorly supplied and quite expensive, I was able to buy and enjoy awesome homemade pastries and breads from an Esperanza client at an unbeatable price ).

During the second week, the types of businesses I had the opportunity to visit became more diverse.  However, on my last day, after waking up early and going from one place to another on motoconchos (taxi-motorbikes) or on the trunk of pickup trucks I visited six entrepreneurs who all sold  clothes and jewelry.  I took the time to find out that although their businesses were the same, I had interviewed six individuals with six unique stories.

Lots of thanks to Gemma for helping with the translation!

By Thomas Gold, KF9 Dominican Republic

For English version, click on “read the rest of this entry”, then scroll down.

« La République Dominicaine est un pays aux couleurs vives, musiques et danses irrésistiblement entraînantes et climat tropical».Voici la seule image que j’étais capable de me figurer, en attendant mon avion à l’aéroport de San Francisco, du lieu où j’allais passer les prochains mois de ma vie.

Une semaine après mon arrivée dans le pays, cette vague représentation s’est précisée et matérialisée, en fonction des premières impressions que j’ai pu ressentir, et dont voici quelques exemples.

Tout d’abord le contact avec les habitants :

Lorsqu’un lien direct existe avec une personne, le contact sera tout de suite chaleureux et personnel. J’ai été impressionné de voir comment mes collègues ont rapidement enregistré mon nom, dont la sonorité ne leur est pourtant pas familière. Si le lien est plus commercial (hôtel, petit commerce), le premier contact peut vous laisser une impression de froid, mais en général, il suffira de faire l’effort d’échanger quelques mots avant d’échanger la monnaie pour créer une relation plus amicale, et passer du tarif « gringo » au tarif normal. Beaucoup de personnes viennent naturellement vers vous, et si certaines vous voient comme un touriste à qui soutirer de l’argent, d’autres sont tout simplement curieuses et prêtes à rendre un service

Les routes et les voitures

Si je me suis senti jusque maintenant en sécurité dans n’importe quelle situation, le danger vient sans aucun doute de la route. C’est la loi du klaxon le plus fort (seul équipement dont on est sûr que tous les véhicules sont munis) et les piétons n’ont qu’à bien se tenir.

Les quartiers plus anciens et zone piétonnes ne manquent pas de charme mais en ville, les trottoirs servent souvent de décharge à ciel ouvert. Sur les routes, on est toujours frappé de voir fonctionner ces voitures d’un autre âge, à la carrosserie défoncée et rouillée, aux roues déformées, aux portières manquantes et pourtant presque tout le temps bondées. Il s’agit en fait de véhicules publics tout à fait officiels qui servent de transport collectif plûtot efficace d’ailleurs. Même ce qui apparaît sur GoogleMap comme des axes principaux de la ville sont souvent des rues étroites où la circulation est chaotique.

Dans ce décor caribéen où couleurs, musiques, nourritures font écho à la chaleur du climat tropical, des personnes de toutes sortes de classes sociales se mélangent. Si certains ont des standards de vie élevés (et sont équipés de gadgets technologiques bien plus modernes que les miens), beaucoup, bien plus modestes font preuve de beaucoup d’ingéniosité et de persévérance pour se générer un revenu : mini-boutiques coincées entre deux murs d’immeubles, vendeurs ambulants, services de toutes sortes, les exemples foisonnent dans les rues de Santo Domingo. C’est dans ce contexte, et avec l’objectif de servir les populations marginalisées pour qu’elles puissent par leurs propres efforts et grâce à un accès équitable au capital, que les organismes de microfinance interviennent en République Dominicaine et partout dans le monde.

Durant les mois qui viennent, je vais avoir la chance de partager avec la cinquantaine d’autres Kiva Fellows répartis au quatre coins du monde des anecdotes sur les chocs culturels et surtout les histoires passionnantes des entrepreneurs présentés sur le site Internet de Kiva

Dans un prochain post, je vous parlerai plus précisément d’Esperanza Internacional, le partenaire de Kiva avec qui je commence à travailler. En atendant, cliquez ici pour consulter les profils de leurs clients.

English version

« The Dominican Republic is a country with bright colors, irresistible music, dancing and tropical climate.” While I was waiting for my flight at San Francisco’s airport, this is the picture I had in my mind of the place I was going to spend the next few months of my life.

One week after my arrival, this vague impression has become more accurate and concrete based on my first experiences. Here are some examples.

First of all, getting in touch with the locals:

When a direct connection exists with a person, interactions will instantly be warm and personal. I was impressed at how quickly my colleagues at work remembered my name, even though it is unfamiliar to them.

If people have a connection through business (like hotel, little shops,…) the first contact often seems colder, but generally, you just need to share a few words before exchanging money and you will  fare. Seeing you as a foreigner, many people approach you, and although some just hope to swindle you, many are just curious and ready to lend a hand.

Roads and cars

So far, I have felt safe in pretty much any situation, but the roads are definitely dangerous. Drivers blast their horns (the only reliable piece of equipment on every car), and pedestrians had better watch out!

Historic districts and pedestrian areas are charming but in town, sidewalks are often used as an open dump. On the roads, it is always amazing to see vehicles from an age passed actually working, with rusty and dented bodies, distorted wheels and missing doors; nevertheless these cars are always packed.  These vehicles are in fact, part of the official public transit system and are pretty efficient, by the way. Even the roads that seem like main thoroughfares are often narrow streets congested with chaotic traffic.

In this Caribbean setting, colors, music, and food echo the tropical heat; all kinds of people from different social classes mingle together. Some of them enjoy a high standard of living (and own electronic devices much fancier than mine), many of them come from  much more modest backgrounds  and show a lot of ingenuity, drive and perseverance to earn a little income from: mini-shops stuck between the walls of two buildings, food stands and  businesses services of all kinds; examples abound in Santo Domingo’s streets.

In this context, microfinance institutions are working in the Dominican Republic and elsewhere around the world with the aim to serve poor and marginalized people so that they can make a living by their own efforts and by having fair access to capital.

For the next few months, I am proud to share, along with 50 other new Kiva Fellows scattered allover the world, anecdotes and impressions on cultural shocks and overall captivating stories of micro-entrepreneurs who appear on Kiva’s website.

In another entry, I will write about Esperanza Internacional, Kiva’s partner with which I’m working. Until then, click here to browse their borrowers’ profiles.

Lots of thanks to Gemma for helping with the translation!

-More than micro finance

by Ashley Nelsen KF 6 & 7

The power of micro finance is the social programs that leave lasting improvements within entrepreneurs lives. While working in the Dominican Republic with the MFI Esperanza I witnessed first hand the impact of such social programs. Esperanza whose social programs include business training for their entrepreneurs, a savings program, affordable health care and insurance, vocational trainings, and loans for housing improvements ensure that their clients not only improve their economic livelihood, but are better educated, healthier global citizens.

Walking to "Batey 16". Completely surrounded by sugar cane (at this time all cut).

The Dominican Republic recently enacted a law that required all documents (banking, land deeds, legal, etc.) to be signed with a written signature. Before this law was passed those who were illiterate could sign documents with a fingerprint of their right thumb. As you can imagine many used this handicap to take advantage of the illiterate. One Dominican farmer I met had even unknowingly signed over the title of his land because he was unable to read the document he was signing.

One room schoolhouse where classes are conducted.

A change in the law has encouraged many to participate in Esperanza’s literacy program. On the day I visited a rural batey, called “Batey 16” there were 15 people awaiting their professor to arrive. This one room schoolhouse was not composed of your typical students, these students were predominantly over the age 30. After the professor arrived they were eager to show their homework which consisted of circling in a newspaper page all the vowels they could identify. Their professor explained that they had started from the beginning- learning the alphabet. They were now working on identifying vowels and the sounds they make, and soon would begin learning to write their name.

68 year old gentleman circling vowels.

My father has always told me that, “the best investment you can make is in your education, because no one can ever take that away from you.” That quote ran through my head as I watched students eager to circle a previously overlooked vowel. I am forever grateful to have been witness to such an empowering program.

To fund a Kiva/Esperanza loan please visit the link below:

http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&partner_id=44&status=All&sortBy=New+to+Old

For more information on Esperanza and their work please visit the link below:

http://esperanza.org/us/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

Many people have expressed desire to see more Haiti loans. In response, I would like to explain what is currently taking place. Presently all Haiti loans must go through the Esperanza office in the Dominican Republic. This is because the Esperanza Haiti office (located in Cape Haitian) is not yet a recognized MFI. Kiva and Esperanza are working to finalize this and train staff on Kiva protocol. Not being a recognized MFI has limited our ability to post Haiti loans. BUT, I can say that starting in April (and beyond) we will begin to regularly post Haiti Esperanza loans. Instead of rushing this process, we (Esperanza and Kiva) are making sure that when the launch of the Cape Haitian MFI happens they are independent and sustainable. So we thank you for your excitement to see Haitian loans!

On that note: what many lenders don’t know is that…

Until there is a recognized MFI in Haiti, Kiva lenders need look no further than the Dominican Republic to support Haitians! The majority of Esperanza’s clients are in fact Haitian or of Haitian decent. The civil unrest in Haiti has resulted in millions of Haitians migrating to the Dominican Republic for an opportunity at a better life. So,  if you have some Kiva credit that you have been holding out for a “Haiti” loan look no further than a Dominican Republic Esperanza loan!

Typical micro finance bank meeting.

Esperanza loan officer David Mercedes

We had a visitor during a bank meeting. This lizard caught a cockroach during our bank meeting.

Home in the country side of the Dominican Republic

After approximately a year of waiting I finally made it to my destination: the micro finance institute (MFI) Esperanza/Hope International located in balmy, beautiful Santo Domingo! Kalie Gold (another Kiva Fellow) and Analin (Kiva Coordinator) have been gracious enough to show me the ropes, and there is plenty to do. Right now we are currently working on designing a short training course for getting better profile pictures, more journal updates, getting documents sent on a timely manner, etc.

I was really excited to learn that Esperanza/Hope International are getting ready to launch Kiva loans from Haiti! I am really, really excited that I will be part of this amazing opportunity. As many of you know Haiti, the least developed country in the Western Hemisphere, has been experiencing severe economic recession. This has resulted in the majority of its residents to live in extreme poverty. To give you an idea of the situation the current gross national income (GNI) is currently only $560 (USD). Haiti is also severely deforested, with estimates of approximately only 2% of the country forested. The economic and environmental conditions make Haiti a destination of UN Peacekeepers,  and development organizations.

We will be traveling to Trou du Nord, Haiti to interview Kiva borrowers. I am unsure of how many loans will be posted. But I am confident that Kiva members will snap them up quickly so keep your eye out for the Haiti loans! I hope you will participate in the important challenge of alleviating poverty one micro loan at a time!

Esperanza/Hope International Central Office in Santo Domingo

This afternoon I had the pleasure to see a group of 5 women receive their loan money.  I have to say when I saw the women get their money and talked to them about what they planned to do with their loan I got a bit emotional. One woman planned to sell men’s shoes, another a fruit stand, and another clothing. It is such an amazing thing to see these women get a chance at something more. One of the women told the loan officer that in two years she was going to have a bought a car by then and was going to stop by and pick him up! Now that’s confidence.

Analin, Kalie and I

Loan officer dispersing the loan money.

Sweet December

My Dominican co-workers wore sweaters to work when temperature fell below 70 degrees in December. “Winter is cold here,” friends and employees told me. While I stuck to my t-shirts in the day, I did cut short my nightly unheated showers.

Mujeres Necesitades outside the Hato Mayor office: these bank members finished a loan in December and took out another, expecting that December would be a better month for sales. Numerous community banks reported throughout October and November that they had seen an economic downturn in their areas. Many credit the worldwide economic crisis. Most expected improvements as the new year approached.

At Esperanza International, offices in El Seibo and Hato Mayor recently worked through a large number of loan cycle renewals. Many community banks successfully wrapped up their six-month payment plans in early December, and promptly transitioned to another round, taking advantage of the annual rise in consumer demand around Chritsmastime and New Years. Not only was it gift-giving season, December also marks the start of the zafra, the sugarcane cutting season. Notoriously brutal, sugarcane has a legacy and a reality that falls somewhere on the “excessively exploitative” industry spectrum. One colleague calls the trade  “a 19th century system that has just stuck around.” Undocumented Haitian migrant workers both survive by and suffer under the sugarcane economy. Sugarcane plantation communities, bateys, are strikingly isolated, resource-poor, and under-served. Bateys are also home to many of Esperanza’s community banks.
During a December interview, Cloreta, a Kiva-funded entrepreneur explained her situation simply, “this loan lets me keep food on the table.” While most of my Kiva interviews touch on hopes to pay school fees, open full-service stores, or repair individual homes, this conversation centered on a battle for subsistence.  Many of the challenges facing Cloreta relate to living on a batey.

The Caribe Tours bus stop in Santo Domingo. Getting around the Dominican isn't too hard. These 60-some person buses go to all major cities. Smaller 25 person vans, taxis, motos, and other vehicles make up a wide array of transport options. Any combination of these methods gets you almost anywhere.

Away from the plantations, it is easy to gather an optimistic impression of economic development in the Dominican. Bus companies, motos*, guaguas*, carros publicos* and decent road infrastructure allow access to many nooks and crannies of cities and countryside.  Motorcycle and scooter businesses fill streets with thundering packs of personal transport. There are innumerable dance clubs. Free trade zones in several cities employ thousands of workers, and the government seems to enforce some basic employment rights. Semi-rural towns have restaurants and motels. A significant number of young adults attend a battery of urban universities; degrees in medicine, computer engineering, accounting, and tourism studies are popular. Cable television, DSL internet, and Playstations regularly

Cheap, easy, and crowded city transport: the carro publico. Cram in six perhaps seven passengers. About 50 cents a ride.

Example of starting small: a bag's worth of clothes to sell. This entrepreneur hopes to expand over time.

appear in middle-income homes. Entrepreneurs are able to access large inventory vendors to buy in bulk. Entrepreneurs in rural and semi-rural areas can access main roads, and streams (although sometimes small) of clients who both live and pass through their communities. A good number of Esperanza bank members from all of these areas show convincing progress over time: a small food stand advances into a variety-goods colmado, a clothing seller goes from selling out of a backpack to setting up her own home-side storefront. These same entrepreneurs also talk of changing their tactics and strategies and adjusting their inventories and in order to fit into the best local economic niche.  There is both flexibility and possibility.

Entering a batey is a distinct experience. Generally, long tire-pounding dirt roads wind their way from main thoroughfares into seas of cane– tall, stiff, and green. Austere cookie-cutter housing (built by the government or

private companies), sits secluded on cleared-out land somewhere amidst the green. Plumbing is rare. Some bateys have schoolhouses, others have no sanitary water. Some cane companies have abandoned the bateys themselves, but the crop still grows and locals harvest and sell it on their own. Bateys still under commercial control may have company stores, chunks of wages paid in “store credit” rather than cash, and rules forbidding locals to vend similar goods in the batey. Much like undocumented immigrants in the United States, Haitians cross the Dominican border in great need of work, and form the backbone of the most physically demanding and poorly paid workforce in the country. Human rights groups narrate a story of slave-like conscription and labor conditions, (local Dominicans may agree or disagree with that characterization). Migrant workers’ vulnerability, however, goes undisputed. The communities generally speak any mix of Kreyol and Spanish. If families have come “illegally” from Haiti**, they lack legal status, along with their children.

Sea of cane (Credit: Kayla Villnow)

Children of Haitians born in the Dominican stand in a citizenship void: unrecognized by either government. Dominican officials periodically round up illegal Haitains for mass deportations– another reason to remain isolated in the cane. Dominican radio talk show hosts may engage the topic of the “Haitian problem” from time to time.  Rosy is not the word for the Haitian-Dominican relationship. The roster of issues is long.

UN peacekeeping in Haiti (credit: www.pbase.com) See postscript.

Cloreta lives on a company-owned batey.  She is a Haitian immigrant, as are the majority of her neighbors.   She sells modest foodstuffs—crackers, sugar, and coffee, oil and flour. She explained that she’d like to sell more diverse products, but this would conflict with the rules of the company-owned store. At the time (early December) she pointed out that the first wages of the

Some bateys have basic community infrastructure, such as school houses.

season would arrive in about a week. When cane cutters get paid, the batey economy gains liquidity, and Cloreta can take in cash.  As she said, right now her income really only allows her to subsist and pay back her loan.  The Esperanza payments, however, include mandatory savings, so at the end of her loan she will end up with an additional cushion.

The cane season will continue until the summer.  Perhaps the six-month period will allow Cloreta to add to her savings, and allow her to reach beyond the “food on the table” goal.   Cloreta plans on continuing with her microloans, she sees this opportunity as completely worthwhile.   Other community members clearly have taken notice: the bank was training at least ten new members that day.  During our interview, one of Cloreta’s colleagues was busy at work translating the loan officer’s information into Kreyol, since several knew no Spanish.

Fruits of much labor: a Kiva-funded bank gathered in a colleague's convenience store. A good example of successful growth over time.

I can’t decide if it’s fair to say that the cane season makes December and entirely “sweeter” month than others.  Regardless, the batey clients certainly are skilled “lemonade” chefs, given all of the “lemons” they get.

Hasta la proxima,

Kalie, Kiva Fellow-Dominican Republic

(written from Los Alcarrizos)

*guaga: a van or truck, usually smaller than a 60 person bus.   May also refer to buses. Motos: motorcycle taxi.  Usually $1 or $2 a ride.  Carros publicos: run down recycled cars that run designated routes in cities.  About 50 cens a ride.

** Postcript on Haiti: Haiti today is considered a “failed state.” In the fall of 2008, hurricanes killed hundreds of Haitians, and completely destroyed entire communities. The latest of a series of UN peacekeeping forces has been stationed in the country since 2004 (UN-Haiti missions date back to 1993), in response to continued political violence between the Haitian government and other forces vyying for power. Many Haitians who attempt to leave the country cross over to the Dominican Republic (a rather pourous border). As undocumented workers, much like in the United States, they become the cheap-labor source for cane-cutting.
The racial and cultural divides between Dominicans and Haitians is palpable. A textbook might narrate the complexities of Haitian history from its birth via the famous country-wide slave uprising (Haiti is the world’s oldest black republic) to years of occupation, dictatorship, violent political instability, and today’s profound poverty. Meanwhile, day to day life in the Dominican reveals deeply seated ideas of race—the common phrase“black as a Haitian” is one way to call someone unattractive. As a Catholic-dominated country, many Dominicans also come up with wild stories of Haitian Voodoo practice: from baby-eating to witch-curses. Concurrently, many Dominicans emphatically reject the idea that racism partly defines Dominican-Haitian relationship.

Santiago, DR

Romance languages are famous for invoking visual imagery, symbolism, and subtlety in phrasings and word choice. In the Spanish-speaking world, the language maps out like a watershed: tributaries flowing from Spain to the Caribbean, from California to South America, and everywhere in between. The bedrock of European Spanish has long since been covered and mixed with “New World” sediments; verbal gems from New York City, Santo Domingo,  Boston, San Juan, Miami, Havana, and Los Angeles streets have nestled themselves into daily Latin American lives. A casual “hello” today in Mexico may be meaningless (or perhaps offensive!) in Honduras. The art of cussing would make a fabulous encyclopedia series.

A Santiago Monument-I wonder if these lights are always on!

Learning Dominican Spanish means developing an ear for its accelerated tempo, truncated invocations, vague generalities, and regular references to God’s will. Need directions? Forget landmarks and right-left-north-south. It is hard to get beyond “back there,” “up there,” “nearby” “sort of nearby” and “ up there, far.” Similarly, many things happen “soon” but when, exactly, remains unknown.

When the lights go out here at the Esperanza-Santiago office (almost every single day)—we all chime in with “se fue la luz” the light left (went out). While in English we also employ “the power is out,” “se fue la luz” uses the same phrasing as to say that a person has departed. This always leaves me with the sense that the light left on its own accord—you know, it decided to take a break. It wasn’t “shut off,” or lost. It just, left.

The reality is that power problems are chronic in the DR. The power plants and other infrastructure is insufficient. To keep the Santiago office running (or a similar enterprise), it is necessary to buy a set of  back-up rechargeable batteries (inverters) to make up for power deficiency. Of course, the back-ups will fail too. The Esperanza office manager and I are often up to our ears in delayed data-entry and email tasks.

The streetlight lets us know if we have power...if not...protestors might burn a tire or two

Almost everyone here in Santiago is vulnerable to power outages, whether you pay your bills or not.  In a few neighborhoods, local tigres “street guys” will occasionally light afire a tire or two in frustrated protest. They and the police will also sometimes exchange gunfire, on particularly caliente days.

For Esperanza clients, electricity—lack of it—is part of the status quo. Microfinance businesses are adapted to the circumstances—I have yet to meet a client who needs regular electricity to do business. Entrepreneurs sidestep the risk of relying on the unreliable—and its monthly cost. Women who sew clothes do it by hand or with non-electric machines, women with colmados (small food stores) do not invest in fridge-needy inventory. Beauty product peddlers, shoe sellers, and the women with home hair washing salons—they don’t require electricity either.*

While the micro-businesses mostly keep electric problems at arm’s

A home based nail salon--no electricity required!

length—it also becomes clear that electricity is like a “limiting nutrient.” How far can a personal colmado grow before it needs to sell cold beverages? Or a food vendor needs to buy refrigerated goods? Ice? Of course, Esperanza and other microfinance organizations prove very effective at these critical points—poised to provide the extra $500-$1000 for the backup batteries, freezers, and refrigerators via the microloan process.

office inverters, aka backup batteries. Pricey.

Having a business that does require a significant power supply—is quite a statement. Having more than backup inverters, and consistent funds to pay the electric company. The only places that seem to operate with 100% reliable electricity are places such as commercial banks, large supermarkets, and Santiago’s fully-loaded mall. For everyone else, improved infrastructure and power plants are also somewhere in the government agenda— perhaps something will improve “soon.” Until things get sorted out, the light leaves when it pleases.

That’s all for now!

Questions? Comments? Post ‘em!

Up Next: Stories from San Pedro de Macoris!

Cuidanse, take care,

Kalie Gold

Kiva Fellow, KF6 Dominican Republic

To fund Esperanza International Loans on Kiva.org please go to:

http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&partner_id=44&status=fundRaising&sortBy=New+to+Old

* Postscript: Much more than electricity costs are out of reach for other Esperanza clients. In La Chichigua (the Kite) I met a brand new Esperanza village bank—who have named themselves Fey y Amor (Faith and Love). The community is planted in a verdant Santiago hillside—and is neighbored by a few luxurious suburban mansions. But La Chichigua remains outside of government oversight, the electric grid, and the city water pipes. According to a loan officer, this is one way to live cheap. La Chichigua residents risk mudslides and flash floods in order to live on squatted land, with a free hillside stream, and the “security” that they will be left alone.

Posted in Dominican Republic, Esperanza International, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class) Tagged: electricity, Kalie Gold, Santiago ]]> http://fellowsblog.kiva.org/2008/11/05/the-lights-went-out-for-a-walk/feed/ 5 kaliegold dsc00122 streetlight nail-salon backup-batts http://fellowsblog.kiva.org/2008/10/21/ingrids-house-contd-video-clip/ http://fellowsblog.kiva.org/2008/10/21/ingrids-house-contd-video-clip/#comments Tue, 21 Oct 2008 12:50:40 +0000 kaliegold http://kivafellows.wordpress.com/?p=1866 ]]>

For anyone who wanted more visuals, I edited some short video clips from last week’s project…enjoy!

Thursday, Oct 16th

Ingrid's House

Santo Domingo

At 2:30pm yesterday I watched the Caribbean ocean rush past the airplane windows as we descended towards the Santo Domingo tarmac.  After a quick bustle through customs, an exchange of US dollars for pesos  (oh and no lost bags!)  I was quickly collected by two Esperanza International employees.  Tricia, (Esperanza intern coordinator), had housing, dinner, and a stop a the supermarket already planned out for me.  She and I went off and ate burritos, talked about college experiences in the DR and US, and compared notes on what we are thinking of for grad school (Tricia, by the way, speaks English rather flawlessly, has an undergraduate law degree, and plans for further studies of international trade).

Tricia drove me around part of Santo Domingo (SD), accurately noting that the city offers pretty much the similar amenities you’d find in a US city: KFC, TGI Fridays, Kia/Honda/Mitzubishi dealerships, gyms, overpriced gas, supermarkets, an Apple-affiliate store, an upscale mall, and very nice housing for $550/month.  Unsurprisingly, SD has wealthy , poor, and middle-income neighborhoods throughout.

To my Boston and New York friends,  and even those who have seen Italians drive; Dominicans in Santo Domingo are in a whole other league of… well…let’s call it, “traffic navigation techniques.”  1) Flashing headlights means “you better know that I am NOT stopping for you, under any circumstances” 2) Merge now, look later 3) use your horn like your voice box  (they are cheery sounding for the most part), 4) the police at traffic lights might as well be on their lunch break. 5) Using your brakes is very wimpy.   Anyway, as far as driving goes, I give  WORST or maybe MOST TALENTED award to the Dominicans.  I am not sure which to call it…

Flash forward to 6:00am today, Thursday.  I get together some outdoor work clothes–jeans, sneakers, t-shirt.  Tricia has arranged for me to go out of the city and see an Esperanza project in action.  Co-worker Pablo (an Argentinian, previously with Habitat for Humanity) picks me and Mark (volunteer from Seattle) up by 7:00am, and we head out for a day of floor-building.

We drove about an hour outside of the city, to a small underdeveloped community where we met Ingrid: an Esperanza microfinance client (but not specifically a Kiva.org borrower).  Esperanza has just started to explore housing loan products within their micro credit operations.  Mark, who has been here for about two months already, explained that Esperanza’s most creditworthy clients (those who have regularly paid back different loans over several years) are now able to request housing-improvement loans.  These loans can be more risky for clients, since they do not add to small business profits.  However, these improvements are vital to family well being and health.

It is important to understand the state of housing in poor communities, such as Ingrid’s.  First,  the “best” accommodations, (and she described this to me) what one would aspire to, is made of concrete blocks, solid roofing, a cement floor and a small cement patio in the front.  Forget multiple stories, doors between rooms, indoor plumbing, or glass windows.   A good house is shelter, in this context, a shelter that will last and that can be cleaned at will.  No cement flooring means a dirt floor-for bedrooms, kitchen, and the infant who wants to crawl around. Cement, by contrast can be readily scrubbed, swept, and cleared of bugs and chicken poop.  As for concrete blocks, these are much more durable than the cheap alternatives: tin siding or wooden board siding.  Both tin and wood slats do not endure over time.  I recall how on my first trip to the DR, my host mother and daughter cleaned the floor eight to ten times a day–it was an amenity not at all taken for granted.  That family also had over time upgraded from tin siding to half-concrete block (bottom) and half wooden slats (top).  The roof, as I recall, was tin, and any rain that fell echoed like cascading gravel over our heads.

Ingrid explained that she feels cautious about the housing improvement loans–her past success with micro loans has meant quite hard and dedicated work.  She cooks and sells local fast food.  For her to now cover both her current business loan and a housing loan will mean a constant and careful consideration of her finances, and of course, lots more hard work.  She explained her vision as “paso a paso” or step by step–doing what she can as her means allow, and being careful.  Eventually, she hopes she can improve all aspects of the house, but for now, the floor takes priority.

Making the cement

Anyway, the floor construction began very quickly after our arrival.  A local mason, Ingrid, her husband, and between three and four of Ingrid’s fellow community bank members (all women) came to lend a hand and provide moral support.  Then three more Esperanza volunteers arrived (American) with two more Esperanza employees.  Esperanza volunteers worked in front of the house mixing sand, concrete dust, and water together for the there rooms inside–where Ingrid’s husband and the mason dumped and smoothed the mixture.  All the commotion in front of Ingrid’s house made for a constant stream of neighborhood visitors–most notably the local children who alleviated our down-time with dancing lessons and clapping games.

Smoothing the Concrete

At one point, an older grandmotherly woman also stopped by, and offered me her story with microfinance.  Unlike Ingrid, this woman had not  been able to continue beyond one micro loan (with a different organization) because her sister (and business partner) had fallen too ill to work, and soon after she herself had suffered thrombosis in her left arm–which now hangs useless at her side.  She told me that there was no way for her to ever return to a microfinance program, because it is impossible for her to work.  This woman watched the floor construction for a while longer, and then told me that with all her difficulties, she prays quite a lot.  Prayer, she said, is her lasting comfort.

What a view!

The floor work was done by 3:15, we had started at 9:00am.  As we said goodbye, Ingrid took the time to thank all of the Esperanza volunteers and employees.  She asserted, “It is just a floor, but for me, for a woman, this makes all the difference.”  I believe her words reflected an important observation in the microfinance communities around the world–women will work for the whole family, for meaningful and long term visions.

In all Ingrid’s project took only a few days to complete: Mark and Pablo had discussed the loan with her on Tuesday.  She had received the loan, moved her furnishings to a temporary location; the work was started and completed three days later.  Tonight, she and her family will let the concrete dry, and they will move back in tomorrow.  Imagine if remodeling your  own kitchen only took three days and less than $500.…I guess you just have to say “context is everything.”

As  for me, I head out tomorrow (Friday the 17th) for Santiago.  I’ll be staying there and initiating my Kiva work at the Esperanza-Santiago office!

More to come soon!

Cuidanse, que vayan bien

Kalie

Below is a video from Esperanza International (from YouTube), the MFI (microfinance institution) that I will be working with in the Dominican Republic. Enjoy!

Time until departure: ONE MORE WEEK!

Take care,

Kalie

Hello from Providence, RI! I can report that the New England autumn is rolling in right on cue. It is a time of year that I will be a little sad to miss; it’s crisp, completely refreshing, goes deliciously with hot coffee and your most treasured sweatshirt. The season, the city, my former college campus (as of this past May) will each receive their own “goodbye for now” before I drive back home to Washington DC and then fly to the Dominican Republic (departure: Oct 15^th).

As many Kiva Fellows have reported—last week’s training was a standout experience. Our time was well-stocked with key agenda items—from learning specific Kiva internet technologies to understanding the Kiva vision, experience, challenges, and goals. I came out of the training with more respect for Kiva’s model than any other service or non-profit model I have worked with previously—Kiva is a place for innovation, creativity, humility, self-critique, patience, and very, very hard work.

What I Do Know…

It remains to be seen how everything in this Fellowship will work “on the ground.”

I did volunteer work in the DR in 2002, and got a summer worth of nonstop Dominican Spanish, food, dancing, sights, and sounds. In this way, I am fortunate, since I am not going to a completely unknown place. That first trip was something I could not have done without: complete with little to no electricity, no English, no plumbing, and nothing urban. I pretty much culture-shocked myself silly back then, at 17. Fast-forward through four college years of liberal arts studies, wanting to change the world, theories of globalization, a dash of economics, international politics, and studies of sustainable development (oh, and not to be left out: playing rugby, lots of it). Pause. Now a 23 year-old college grad, sick and tired of all that theory and macro-level data (and eternally grateful for the rugby) who’d just like and everything to be as hands-on as possible. Time to DO, not sit, time to work face-to-face, rather than read. Well, thank goodness for the Kiva Fellows program! In this light, the upcoming “unknowns” are very much welcome.

In specific terms, I know that I will be spending a good deal of time at Kiva’s partner institution, Esperanza. This organization has several social interests and activities, including microfinance. Esperanza is also a religiously rooted organization, which I have never before experienced. I’ll wait and see how those dynamics play out—and of course, I’ll write about it. The main headquarters are in the capital, Santo Domingo, and branch offices are spread out elsewhere. I expect that I will spend times in all of these locations, if not more. Below is the start of my DR map (I’ll keep working on it), with some of the areas where Esperanza/Kiva entrepreneurs are–(make sure to zoom!)

View Larger Map

There will certainly be a good deal of traveling to do! Perfect. More to come soon.

For the partner info about Esperanza please go here: http://www.kiva.org/about/aboutPartner?id=44

For the independent Esperanza site please go to: http://esperanza.org/us

Take care!

Kalie Gold

Kiva Fellow (KF6)

Dominican Republic

Since arriving in Santo Domingo last month, I’ve been immersed in an array of sights and sounds, faces and families, handshakes and hugs, cooking and cadence, and countless other alliterative elements of Dominican culture.  It’s been a whirlwind so far, and for about a three-minute moment everyday – the most time I ever seem to have to reflect – I can’t help but think that my familiar life in the states is being lived by some alternate version of me, and that eventually, he’ll bring me up to speed on the events of the last few months and I’ll tell him he missed out on the chance to bring all of his ideas and ideals out of the ivory tower and into the world.  Maybe we’ll have a beer or play bocce ball.  Who knows?  Clearly, I digress.

Of all the incredible and wonderful facets of Dominican culture that I have had the chance to take in so far, one that I am reminded of everyday really stands out…. everyone starts decorating for Christmas very early here.  Like really early.  Like right around Halloween early.

It was a horrifying coincidence when Tropical Storm Noel made landfall during the first week of November, just as the first Christmas trees and candy canes were visible in shop windows.  Noel came with virtually no advanced notice, and even if their had been a better warning I’m note sure what measures could have been taken.  Granted, Noel pales in comparison with what has happened since in Bangladesh.  But the victims here would take issue, just as they should, with anyone who told them that their loss is somewhere near the bottom on a phantom list of priorities that the world’s aid agencies have to look at. 

I have not been able to speak with members of the affected communities first-hand, largely because Fundacion San Miguel Arcángel has asked me to work mostly in other communities.  But I have seen some of the damage while traveling near the Manoguayabo River in Santo Domingo near San Cristobal.  The river swelled twenty feet over its average height and literally swallowed the earth beneath thousands of people’s homes.  Debris from homes remains scattered across the riverbanks, and where many people had lived on an incline that gradually rolled down to the water’s edge, half their homes are now precariously suspended off a cliff – a complete vertical drop, twenty-five feet above the river.

In some of these communities, school has only restarted this past week.  The recovery of physical debris and the job of rebuilding homes and businesses are daunting tasks unto themselves.  Confronting the sickness and disease afflicting many of those who have already lost so much is likely to be even more challenging.  Local food stocks were rendered mostly unusable, water supplies are barely potable, and all kinds of pests and pathogens fill what remains of homes.  Anecdotally, some of FSMA’s clients have been falling very ill.  All of FSMA’s clients are women and most are mothers, as well.

With a presidential election just over six months away here, the incumbent’s government has recently revised the latest measurements of Dominican GDP, announcing a rise in the country’s income per capita.  I don’t plan on using this space to casually opine on a political situation about which I am almost entirely ignorant, but that announcement struck me as one with potentially serious consequences for Noel victims awaiting international support.  The president asked multilateral development agencies for aid after the storm, but many of these agencies have strict GDP per capita limits they adhere to when making aid decisions.  It remains to be seen what effect, if any, the announced rise in income will have on the flow of aid.  Also, the government has promised the construction of public housing in the most devastated areas.  While a good long-term idea, that does not sound like a solution to the immediate issues facing those communities.  In both cases, we’ll see.

These photos were taken by the FSMA staff, they show some of the damage near “Control de La Pared de Haina” and “Palavé” on the Manoguayabo River.  

FSMA is a relatively new Kiva partner and from what I know right now, none of those people who suffered devastating blows to their families and livelihoods, including death and complete loss of home, are Kiva clients…yet.  Now seems like a good opportunity to diversify Kiva’s client list within FSMA to include more of the areas affected by the storm.  I hope to be meeting these women soon, and giving Kiva lenders the opportunity to help them restart their businesses.