Well first of all, I really should apologise to Brenda – turns out she is not a matronly like pensioner with an ample bosom but a beautiful funky petite American of Mexican descent – I probably only get points for the fact that she is a woman – other than that, not even close!
So today I want to tell you a bit more about the communities that we work with as well as our sales meetings. We work with 2 cooperatives – the Isangano and the Duhirwe. The Isangano Cooperative consists of 187 members who are HIV infected. Members live in the rural impoverished areas in Gisenyi. Isangano, loosely translated, means “happy people who invite others to join them.” This name was chosen by co-op members in order to reduce the stigma associated with having HIV and to increase community support for those who are infected with HIV. Meetings are held at the Murara Health Clinic which is also just north of Gisenyi. Working together and meeting at the clinic is a way of increasing a sense of community, as well as increasing self-sufficiency through small business development.
Members work together on income generating activities such as making beads, jewellery, laundry soap, and farming. When items created by the cooperative are sold, the money goes back into the cooperative and the group decides collectively how to spend the money in a way that will best benefit members. Profits may be spent on purchasing school uniforms, health cards, livestock, food, assisting financially destitute members, and other needs as they arise. In addition to the work they do amongst themselves, the Isangano Cooperative also collaborates with the Duhirwe cooperative, learning new skills for creating crafts and farming and increasing the sustainability and skills development across an even wider area.
The cooperative has been creating and selling products on a small scale level since 2007. Not only does the cooperative work to improve its financial stability, members have also been active in increasing community awareness about HIV. Members travel to neighbouring villages to educate communities about HIV and do home visits to provide support for one another, provide care and comfort to those who are ill, and reduce isolation simply by being present. Members report that the community they have created helps them to feel physically and emotionally stronger.
The Duhirwe Cooperative works similarly and consists of approximately twenty women who have experienced gender-based violence and are currently living in or near Gisenyi. Women who have experienced interpersonal violence often feel a sense of shame and isolation from their community. Being a part of the Duhirwe Cooperative provides women with a chance to connect with their community, increase self-esteem, and to increase their financial stability through small business transactions. The Duhirwe women currently make all of their products by hand including dolls, baskets, beads, and jewellery on a small scale.
One of the aims of working with the co-ops is to help them find avenues to sell their products and also to develop skills and confidence in doing so. So we have been working with Olive in looking at a number of the hotels in the area as the market for many of these products is primarily tourists or out of towners.
So today we had 2 appointments so was a big day! So you may well know how it is – you have an important meeting and you want to be all spangly for it. And I know that it is important to have some perspective on these meetings but it really did feel very important because the success thereof really will change lives: any money that is made from the ventures will help children go to school, buy livestock as well as provisions and really improve the lives of those in the co-ops that we work with.
So usually you imagine a hot shower and then selecting an appropriate confidence inspiring sales outfit – right? Well it was kind of like that – NOT! Unfortunately we had no electricity which I know normally would mean that your boiler may well not work. Luckily we don’t have a boiler! But we do have a kettle that we couldn’t boil – so it was a cold shower to kick off. Given that I succumbed to the hedonistic pleasure of kettle boiling to add a little hot water to a bowl to ‘shower’ with to diminish the hyper ventilating, going back was painful – probably quite like child birth except that nothing like enough time had passed for me to forget how horrible cold showers are! But some semblance of non French inspired personal hygiene completed, was time to choose an outfit. I did think about trying loads of things on and then discarding them but that would probably have taken me all of about 3 minutes! So plummed for a non manky top and most respectable jeans. And had to allow my tommy hilfiger plimsolls to stick as did not think walking on the lava roads in my Jimmy Choos would work – cos obviously I bought all my pairs of those!!
So Olive said that we should say 8am if we needed to be ready by 10 to meet the ladies so I left early and as the walk was earlier than usual and gave rise to another, possibly not frequent, pre big meeting concern. On one street that we walk down, one of the great morning pleasures is being greeted and hugged by some of the young kids as they shout Muzungu as we walk past. My personal favourite is ‘Snot Bucket’! Actually I don’t know his name in Kinyarwandan but he is so named as I think there has only been one day when his face has not shone with goobly snot! But I love him – he runs up so incredibly excited with open arms and it is just delightful. Sometimes he falters and stumbles as he gets close whilst rushing on the lava rocks which obviously means that either my trousers or my shirt then take on the mantle of a tissue! I consider it all added value and it does not bother me usually but was sure that I had read in the good sales manual that showing up to an important meeting snot-ridden may not create the best impact! As I was early today, I missed him – which I was both sad and glad about!
The ladies turned up at about 8.30am and off we went to the Gorillas hotel which is a relatively new hotel also on the lake. We met the Kenyan Manager who was just fabulous. He was really keen to support the idea of helping the co-op support itself and asked us to make some sample baskets with the Gorillas Hotel logo on which he then said he would sell to the other Gorilla hotels in the country. What was so lovely was his understanding and desire to help as well as help the ladies sell to his other hotels. We came away with a commitment to make 3 samples. He then talked about trays as well as menu covers so I think, assuming we do a good job initially, that this is exactly the kind of sustainable activity that will really help them.
We then went to the Serena which is probably the largest and arguably most ostentatious hotel in Gisenyi. Unfortunately they were not as welcoming and very concerned about price. The price that the ladies are marketing at is very reasonable in comparison to local prices. They wanted us to sell to them for about half the price even though they put a 100% mark up on it. And because it is more expensive to buy from their hotel shop, it is mainly tourists that buy there who do not want to brave the market. We wanted to get across the idea of supporting the co-ops which is the why for doing it but they were not very interested. Shame really as I think they are in an ideal position to really help the local community.
But was a good day overall and I am glad that we have helped in a manner that will definitely help one of the communities and am sure we can start looking for other opportunities to find other venues so more market research tomorrow.
So have a fabulous Xmas – or Noheti Nziza as they say in Kinyarwandan. I am imagining you all wishing you had shopped earlier because one always does but may be more important now as you may be snowed in a tad so rushing round to make sure all is tickety boo for Saturday. Here things are less manic and we are mainly concerned about the Xmas dinner we have planned and the cooking thereof. So if any of your Xmas dinner does not go exactly according to plan, spare a thought for us chasing our chickens around the garden to kill them as well as trying to cook them on a charcoal barbecue! Be fair to say that it is likely to be more minimal than at home which is good because they don’t already have a stash of glossy mags talking about how to take off those Xmas pounds! So may be similar albeit it may be a dip in the lake for us and building a snow man for you! But have a fabulous one and do text and say just how difficult it is to move in the afternoon and how good the Queens speech is! Loads of love…xxxx
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