It’s easier to make sense of Rwanda if you erase the human element of the Genocide that happened here fifteen years ago. If we could just pretend it wasn’t actual people who perpetrated the one million unthinkable acts, it would simplify the dynamics of the country. Afterall, if we acknowledge that it was not only [...]
Posts Tagged as ‘microfinance’
March 19, 2009
How Do You Run a Shop in a Neighborhood with No Cash?
I’ve always been curious about what happens when microfinance clients open businesses in places where there is very little capital. Many operate small shops of household necessities but the placement of such stores is generally based more on proximity to home than a strategic evaluation of which part of town is most profitable. [...]
February 12, 2009
Head of the Class Meets Head of the Household
Every month, Kiva sends an electronic newsletter to its 400,000+ users. In each newsletter is an article by a Fellow about a client he or she has met in the field. This month, I wrote the feature article. As many of you don’t receive the newsletter, I wanted to share my story with [...]
February 10, 2009
There’s No Such Thing as a Routine Commute
I’ve gotten in the habit of saying ‘hello’ to everyone I see. It is the only strategy I have come up with that successfully mitigates the stares that I receive from just about everyone, and I enjoy the surprised smiles and return greetings I get when the gawkers see that I am able to [...]
February 4, 2009
Another Look at Training Staff
I recently posted to the general Kiva Fellows’ Blog about some of my experiences as a trainer over the past 6 months. I know that I have already covered (quite thoroughly, some would say) my work as a trainer at BRAC Tanzania, but if you’re aching for more, check it out here.
Stay tuned for [...]
February 3, 2009
Spreadsheet Purgatory
In the last installment, you learned a little bit about my role as a trainer at BRAC Tanzania. Now, I’d like to add to the mix another element of my time there. In order for the Kiva process to work and for the Journal Update requirement to be met, the partner MFI must [...]
January 30, 2009
It’s Not All Fun and Games
Some people say that my blog is amusing. That makes me smile and I thank those of you willing to stroke my ego. I am, however, aware of one of the blog’s major shortcomings: I habitually fail to inform my readers about the specifics of the work I am doing. Looking [...]
December 17, 2008
An Attempt at Brevity (does it work for me?)
The comparisons/contrasts between Rwanda and Tanzania, Vision Finance Company, S.A. (a partner of World Vision International) and BRAC Tanzania are plentiful enough to merit a blog entry of their own. Perhaps some day I’ll get to that. In the meantime, I’d like to give you a bit of background on VFC. Rather than write [...]
November 25, 2008
A Day in East Africa’s Biggest Slum
Many have heard of Kibera. The name is synonymous with “slum”, and nothing like it exists in North America. Located in Kenya, it’s known as the largest slum in East Africa, the second largest on the continent behind Soweto in South Africa. When visiting Nairobi, some foreigners go there out of curiosity, [...]
