OCEANS Waste Management

Good morning everyone!

I was recently asked to make a short promotional video for LEAD. With no time to wait until our next trips to the outlying counties, Allen and I thought about clients in the Monrovia area that would be good candidates, and quickly came to Princess Kofa. Princess is the owner of OCEANS Waste Management and a participant in LEAD's mentoring program. Her business employs nineteen Liberians, and is doing a great service to the Mamba Point community where her garbage collectors are keeping in clean.

Check out the video here on Vimeo.com.

I filmed it with a digital camera so its a little shaky and the font sizes in the credits got changed with when the video was published, but it was a ton of fun to do. Oh yea, and a Hero Biscuit goes to anyone who can find the typo in the subtitles.

Sure, I know what you're saying. Derek is just recycling other material for his blog. Yup.

But this is a really great story and I think you'll all enjoy learning a bit about one of the clients LEAD is working with. Plus it makers me feel super accomplished about the blog, so give me a break.

Special thanks to Princess and all the OCEANS staff who were real troopers for putting up with me during filming.

Video tour!

Hi folks,

I've been somewhat absent from blogging recently but here's an easy tidbit for me to get me back into the swing of things.

My friend Sarah asked me to put together a short video on Liberian culture so I put together this one that touches on a few of people I interact with each day. No luck uploading it to youtube, so you'll have to download it from my googledocs page first and then watch it.

https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B4SQKeoSFfG6MWE3NzgwMWEtOGZjNC00YTUzLTgxNWMtYTljZGE2OGVhZmNk&hl=en

I hope you are all doing well in your respective parts of the world. This week I'm recovering from a bit of a staph infection (email me for pics if you're into getting grossed out) but I went to to doctor today and got some good meds so hopefully it'll clear up soon!

Take care,
Derek

Football, flat tires, babies and Welsh poetry

Happy New Year!

Where do I begin? Lots of newsy type details so I'll start from the beginning and work my way forward. After a long several weeks of travels to do loan disbursements I was pretty wiped out and was initially not too excited to trek 5 hours back up the road I'd just come down the last week, and then another four hours past that to Bunadin, the hometown of Allen Gweh, LEAD's National Director, and where I would be spending my Christmas break. After piling ten warm bodies, and plenty of luggage and gifts into the Land Cruiser (hereafter referred to as a 'jeep', because that's what we call all SUVs here), we took off on Christmas Eve day for Bunadin and survived the trip with only one casualty: a flat tire, but this is not unusual. After repairing the tire and continuing on, we arrived in Bunadin at 10pm where we were met with plenty of pomp and circumstance, warm greetings, and a few speeches under the main shelter in the community.

As it happens, Christmas weekend was also being used to re-launch a community based organization (CBO) which had been around since 1981, and had been responsible for building the gathering shelter we were under, as well as the community's med clinic, and several other projects. Allen and I would be staying in a house owned by his family and the following morning (Christmas Day) I slept in a bit, but then joined Allen's father Paul outside.

Paul Gweh, on the football field

After exchanging morning formalities, and then staring out across the yard for 15 minutes, I worked on establishing a rapport.

"So, what's the plan for today? Are there any big events going on?"

"Oh yes," says Paul. "We are doing it now."

We chat for a bit longer before I ask him to take me on a tour of the community. Paul has lived in Bunadin all his life, and seems to know most of the community's 1500 inhabitants by first name. He lays out for me the general landscape of the homes (each with its own unique pattern on the outside, made by covering the bamboo walls with mud, then 'painting' on decorations using mixing different colors of dirt from various areas around this community, mixed with water). He also introduces me to all sorts of community members, the school where Allen attended growing up, and the market which is deserted all days but Wednesday.


Two things struck me about the community.
1) There are almost no businesses. The largest is a video shop where you can pay 15LD to watch Nigerians soaps, US action movies, or that night's Chelsea game. All businesses are simply tables where women and children would sell 'small small': rice, margarine, salt, etc. in single serving sizes, as well as a small assortment of cookies, candies and cans of sardines.
2) The community has been around for some time now, and it was not likely anticipated to grow to the size it currently is. Houses are scattered about in no particular order. It really makes for an interesting feel. Few roads or cars get in the way, and fenced in yards would simply not work. In a departure from fenced-in and isolated rectangular lots in America, the four days in Bunadin were not spent with just a few close family members, but were instead a constant stream of friends and relatives, stopping in for visits and chats.

As it turns out, Paul was holding back. He failed to mention the traditional Elders Vs. Youth Annual Football Match, where Allen and I were graced with the honor of playing on the Elders' team, which boasts a perfect record in the history of this tradition. I threw on some basketball shorts and a t-shirt, tightened the laces on my sneakers, and carried my bottle of water out to the field. Shortly after starting the game, it became quite clear as to how the elders have been able to maintain an unblemished record. Anyone not currently playing (hundreds of folks) stood behind/in front of the elders' goal, blocking any shots on net. Additionally, the ref (who looks EXACTLY like a Mano version of my Oakdale Christian fourth grade teacher Gary Warners) called everything in our favor. Once the youth figured out that they were not going to win, we beat them handily, 4-0. I had a blast, and the crowd was very forgiving and even considerate of the fact that I haven't played on a 'soccer' team since 10th grade. They cheered me on as I thwarted a few oncoming youth (I played defense) and even encouraged me after wiping out when I lost traction on the 'field's' gravel. Allen did well too, and was happy to be playing on the elders' team for the first time.

Friday evening was low key, but Saturday was scheduled as a fund raising event for the CBO. Scheduled to start at 10, we waited around until 2:03 PM when the event finally kicked off. As per official white-guy-in-Africa guidelines, I was expected to sit stage center, rubbing shoulders with actual big shots like the Paramount Chief and the Minister of (?), and shook hands with most every citizen of Bunadin. The fundraiser was successful and plenty of money was raised, including a $10 bill luckily found in, and dug from, my jeans' back pocket while I delivered a short 'speech' after being called to the podium and asked how much I would be contributing. Myself and most of the the other VIP's up front slipped out while the money was being counted, just after 6pm.

Me, being welcomed by the dancers (who otherwise do wear shirts!) who don't stop until you tip them. Anthony (second from the right) is the Paramount Chief of the region.

Sunday morning we loaded up the jeep with our luggage and 16 warm bodies (if you include a few chickens) and began our trek back to Monrovia. Another 9 hour trip - two flats this time - and we were welcomed back to to the city with the smells, sights and noises of the city.

The remainder of the holiday season has been spent around the greater Monrovia area. The LEAD offices are officially closed between Christmas and New Year's, but the work is plenty and we spent a few days in the office, taking care of details and catching up on emails. Now that our apartment is connected to the central power grid, I borrowed the jeep and purchased a water storage bucket, and a mini fridge so I can now do much more cooking at home (and save the leftovers).

Nursing a bit of homesickness with two good friends and some Mac & Cheese. (My new fridge allows me to prepare slightly more adventurous food than this)

New Year's Eve was spent in high class at the RLJ Kendeja Resort, Liberia's single finest establishment and workplace of my friend Andrew who is the GM there and was a huge winner when he let me stay over in his guest suite instead of riding back to town in the dark.

New Year's Day was spent replacing the temporary fix of yellow electrical tape which has been holding on my motorcycle's loose brake light and turn signal, and also getting an oil change. Liberia's roads are unforgiving for vehicles, and I'm regularly reminded to tighten bolts by rattling noises or the tinking along of metal parts on pavement behind me. I'm currently experimenting with ways of using that same tape to strap my camera to the front of my motorbike, to give all you folks a video tour of the streets I run each day.

This morning I stepped out of the shower (yes, running water this morning!) to notice a missed call. Apparently my house back in Grand Rapids, affectionately known as 'the Neland Estate', was broken into last night. My tenants report a few thousand dollars in goods missing, and I'm sure a bit of frustration. Its a clear reminder that the world is in fact still happening back home and that, the poor everywhere can be lead to destructive behavior in desperate economics times, both in Liberia and back home. That last line is of course in reference to getting jumped and roughed up a bit about two months back. On the bright side, I logged into my online banking account this morning and was happy to see a pop-up article which explained that Midwestern business owners believe the recession will be over by the fourth quarter of this year, or early next year! Keep up the good work folks; I expect a booming economy when I return.

Finally, the latest exciting news is this: (not exatly in chronological order but I wanted to save it for last) I'm happy to announce the birth of my nephew Dylan Thomas Vander Ploeg! I received a text from by brother Isaac while hanging out with friends by the pool on New Year's Eve, announcing Dylan's birth. Everyone was quick to ask if he is named after the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (he's not) who I had never heard of. Dave and Karen are taking him home today to join his older sister Kendall as the fourth member of the family. Dave emailed me a few photos and so far I was able to download the one below.

Mom, VERY happy with the situation.

Thanks for reading! A prayer request for the day: I have an infection on my left knee which is causing me a surprising amount of pain that just won't go away. I'm off to the pharmacy (where meds are cheap and easy to get) for some antibiotics, so I'm hoping it clears up soon.

Three Million Dollars

Loan disbursements. This is the business end of the 'access to capital' aspect of LEAD's four-fronted approach to development which includes business training, mentoring, advocacy and well, you guessed it, access to capital. This is also the activity that has dominated our schedule for the past several weeks.

After completing business training classes and saving the required amounts, LEAD clients receive loans relative to the amount that they have saved. This process is not a simple one. In order to get the physical cash-in-hand to our business clientele, we must first secure the said funds. This is perhaps the most difficult aspect of the process. Most of our loans are given out in Liberian dollars (68 of which are worth 1 US dollar, as of today), however, in order to get our hands on the necessary cash Allen, our National Director, and AB, our Finance Officer, have spent many, MANY, hours at the banks, trying to get enough cash.

LEAD's Buchanan staff Prince, Massa and Matthew prepare for a long day of disbursements.

Its not a simple matter of running to the bank and picking up a cashier's check. Instead, we must find a bank with enough actual money (which can take days, even at the main branch office in Monrovia), find a parking space close to the bank's doors, count up the Liberian dollars (a few million for each disbursement) in 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 dollar bills and pile them into suitcases and rice bags, load it all up into the waiting car, and then speed off into the sunset.

AB with one of the rice sacks full a' dough.

Ben, lookin' good, while he waits for the next client.

After arriving at whichever branch office, my job has been to work with our clients to get the appropriate loan agreements signed. Once this is done, they are called in for an interview with Allen, before continuing on to another room to receive further instruction on how to repay the loan, and to get the actual funds from Ben and AB.

Pastor (okay, I forget his last name) receives a loan to expand his bakery.

The atmosphere is understandably tense. For LEAD clients, these loans mean the difference between continuing on with life at the status quo, and expanding their businesses in order to better provide for the livelihoods of their families. Furthermore, in an impoverished country like Liberia, to travel with any large amount of cash on hand is never advised.

Two LEAD clients hire a moto-taxi to take them and their loans back home.

Finally, receiving a large amount of cash right before Christmas is a very trying undertaking. The holiday season in Liberia, like anywhere else, is a time when friends, family and employees have expectations to receive gifts, party invites, and year-end bonuses. The social pressure to 'invest' loan funds in things other than business is enormous, and LEAD clients must be credited for being quite diligent in separating their personal and business finances.

The LEAD staff must also be given huge props for their hand in all of this. Between recruitment, screening, training, interviews and preparation, each county office has an enormous amount of legwork to do before the national staff arrives at the door with the bags-o-money. The national staff also have a great deal of work when they (myself included) undertake the exhausting travel away from home to each of the county offices.

I've really appreciated these trips as a way to grow closer to Allen, AB and Ben, our IT officer. Debates over the merits of Chelsea vs. Manchester United football teams, or conversations of the legal implications of allowing the international community to prosecute former president Charles Taylor have been a great way to learn about and bond with my coworkers, and are a great way to test if you are still able to understand Liberian English while concentrating on dodging enormous potholes, in the dark, with one headlight.

These trips are not without their downfalls. After drinking some bad water, or perhaps some bad grilled 'street meat' (or was it that mosquito bite?), I got quite sick while helping to disburse loans in Ganta. With only a 'squatty potty' and limited toilet paper, I was not a happy camper. On the way home we took a quick break at Paulma's Guesthouse, an establishment owned by a LEAD client, where I decided fruit juice would be a good choice to calm my stomach: a mistake. I'll spare my readers the details, but it was an uncomfortable five hour drive home on the bumpy roads.

Waiting on my pillow at the guesthouse in Buchanan (actual size, but evidently not living).

Today is December 23. Two days to Christmas and the official due date of my sister Karen and my brother-in-law Dave's second child! I definitely miss home but Allen has invited me to his home town (five hours back up north!) for Christmas. I'm beginning to make some good friends here in Monrovia and its feeling more like home.

As they say in Liberia, "Benefits of the season."

Take care folks,
Derek

Ducor Hotel

A few shots of/from the Ducor Hotel, a former 5-star hotel crowning Liberia's capital atop Ducor Hill.


I had a bunch of great wordy and (what I thought were) insightful thoughts on how the present state of the hotel could allude to a metaphor of lofty aspirations of greatness that were undermined by violence but how Liberia is now poised for a slow but steady comeback,

but I proof-read it and decided it just looked like I was trying too hard. Ha!

-Some kids having fun sliding down to the deep end on plastic 6 gallon water jugs

In any case, a few weeks after arriving in Monrovia I thought I'd venture to Ducor Hotel because I heard it was the best place to catch some bird's eye view shots of the city. The Nigerian UN peacekeeper guarding the entrance encouraged me to climb to the top where I could then see the ocean to the south, as well as the peninsula on which Monrovia rests stretching out to the east, and the outskirts reaching out past 'New Bridge' off to the north and west.

The Ducor Hotel, I'm told, used to be a bit of an icon for Liberia as it hoped to serve as a figurehead of progress and development in West Africa. The wealthy and influential would come from the surrounding countries to stay, have meetings, do business, and relax. Unfortunately, during the war, the hotel was repeatedly looted, with its 300 rooms eventually serving as homes for squatters.


Rumors have been spreading for some time now that contracts have been signed which will allow the hotel to be rebuilt but other than the eviction of the squatters, there is no evidence that work will begin any time soon.


Okay, so I'm still trying to draw lines between the Ducor Hotel and the greater Liberian situation in general... so how about this: 25 years of political instability can do a shocking amount of damage. While the situation is changing, it is estimated that it will take much longer to rebuild than it took to tear the country down. There is much work to be done but Liberians are hopeful for change, and that it may come as soon as possible.


Tomorrow is the runoff election for the Montserrado County senator position. Monrovia is buzzing with energy (and we all get the day off!)

18 Mountains

Last night, after 10 days on the road, it was great to make it back to my home in Monrovia. Last Sunday, Renita Reed (the West Africa Regional Facilitator for Partners Worldwide) and myself left for Danane, Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) where we would be holding a training session for a new Partners Worldwide affiliate organization called ACLCP. Similar to LEAD, ACLCP will be offering business training, loans, mentoring and advocacy. What sets ACLCP apart from LEAD is that it is located in in the rural 18 Mountains region of Cote d'Ivoire and at least half of its clients are involved in either agricultural or animal farming.

Allen dropped Renita and myself off at the parking station for taxis on their way to the road leading north. We took taxis to Ganta, and after staying the night and stopping to visit with the LEAD staff there, Renita and I made our way to the Ganta parking station for the road leading to the Cote d'Ivoire border. After negotiating for seats in an old beat-up 4x4 (Renita graciously let me sit up front) we set out on the four hour trip on what proved to be the single worst road I've ever been down. Our driver's name was Dodge, so I asked him if he'd been given the name for his ability to avoid potholes. 'Haha, ah..... no." was his answer.

After negotiating our way through customs, we were met by Dea Leiu, the National Director and ACLCP's Treasurer Luc. Another hour's drive got us to Danane where we met Dea's family, many of the ACLCP staff and Gert and Machteld Kollehonven, a couple from Ontario who served as translators and teachers for the week.

Our main objectives for the week were to provide trainings for the Board as well as for the staff who will later be teaching ACLCP's business training classes. The classes were great and appreciated by the staff (and I learned a few things myself). A highlight of the weeks training was when the ACLCP staff took turns role playing as teachers and businessowners which was naturally a bit entertaining. I played the role of ignorant businessowner who intended to build a cement block making enterprise in Danane but did not have a real understanding of the local customers who actually prefer mud blocks which are cooler in the hot sun (and stop bullets, unlike their cement counterparts).

Another highlight was our visit to ACLCP's training farm. This farm is owned by the local church denomination but has been training local farmers how to raise chickens, escargot and grasscutters (imagine a large groundhog) and also grow rice and other crops. The farm is currently under reconstruction after it was looted by rebel soldiers in 2002 but it is easy to imagine how amazing it must have looked. With a building for classroom, a house, dorms, and several barns, etc. this place is all set to go to do the oh-so-important work of equipping Liberian farmers. Pictures simply don't do justice. Any French speakers wanting to learn about agriculture in Cote d'Ivoire while living in a spectacularly beautiful setting must check this out. AMAZING!
After a great week, it was time to head back to Monrovia. On Saturday evening Machteld ceremoniously named 'Mother of ACLCP and the 18 Mountains Region' while Gert and myself were each given the honorous title of Brothers. Machteld was given a dress and Gert and I were given shirts, the name of which means 'shirt worn by the chief as he rides triumphantly on his horse'. I'd like to think that means I should wear it proudly while cruising the Monrovia streets on my bright green minibike.

After attending Church on Sunday morning Dea gave us a ride to the Liberian border. A little bit of context here: Cote d'Ivoire is currently suffering from political instability. The conflict began in 2002, and while the fighting slowed down after 2004, promised of elections have routinely been delayed. While there is little active conflict presently, the country is still divided with much of the country (Danane included) under the military control of rebel forces. The rebels don't cause too much trouble but they are a nuisance, demanding money a checkpoints and the boarder, and while they are the acting police force, they provide little security for the Ivoirian citizens.

I was understandably happy to see Bangladeshi UN troops observing the crossing, as it made for a much easier passage. Unfortunately for Renita and myself, there were no taxis waiting on the other side.... Instead, our bags were strapped to the back of 125cc minibikes which carried us, our bags and our drivers back to Ganta (the aforementioned worst road ever in my life, etc.). To say Renita and I were exhausted and dusty by the end of it would be a rude understatement. We took much needed showers before cashing in for the night. After leaving Ganta the next morning, we stopped in at the Gbarnga LEAD office to audit some files before trekking back to Monrovia.

I find that trips like this are often better told with pictures rather than words. Check out my picasa account (to the right) for more photos.

Mentoring Program Provides New Opportunities for Business Development

Feeling both guilty for not having posted anything recently, and yet a bit lazy on my day off (Liberian Thanksgiving), I thought I'd post a story I wrote for the upcoming Partners Worldwide newsletter. Check it out.



Isaiah Teah sets his cell to speakerphone and leans in to make himself heard more clearly. Outside, workers shovel sand off the back of a dump truck as he prepares to begin his second mentoring phone call.

“The plan of the business is to grow large and be able to serve the public and then have branches at strategic areas where I will be able to do my business better. I have a few questions for you and I have some things that I have trouble with in the business and I need you to please help me, to give me some ideas, because there are some things that I apply but that are still not easy for me.”

On the other end of the line sit Don Teitsma, Isaiah’s mentor, and Theo Ndawillie, the mentoring coordinator for LEAD’s Grand Rapids affiliate. Don, a business owner of five years, is eager to put his business experience to work in a mentoring relationship.

“When the mentoring opportunity came up, I thought this would be a good fit. It only makes sense that we can help business owners over there get established and get a profitable business going. I realize that the different cultures may present some challenges but I am very open to learn myself and explore ideas that may work over there in Liberia. This is really a great mission challenge to allow the power of God to work in the lives over there and here.”

Isaiah owns Creative Joinery, a furniture company and cement block factory. Isaiah joined LEAD in 2007 and completed its 12 week business training course. “Oh I learned a lot of things and it is what I am now applying. I learned how to save. I learned how to manage my workers; to manage them to perform. I also learned how to talk to customers, and how to use business strategies to get into the market.”

In 2008 Isaiah used a loan from LEAD to purchase a cement block making machine and he now competes with Liberia’s largest block manufacturer. He has been able to attract plenty of customers, most recently through a contract with a Chinese company building low-income housing for the Liberian government.


As his business expands, Isaiah struggles to meet his cash flow needs because of the increased demand for his blocks. “If you check the book of Malachi chapter 3:8, the bible says that we should pay tithes and offerings and that God will open the door to heaven and bring down blessings. I do that frequently but sometimes I catch difficulties because sometimes I see more customers coming and I will then need more money to produce. I can be tempted by the devil to put that money into the block business to get more blocks to build the business up. So I’m praying; I want to use your strategies that you are using because if I do that I believe God will bring this business to the highest level. “

Isaiah is one of several clients participating in LEAD’s new mentoring program. Started in July, this program is connecting LEAD’s strongest entrepreneurs with North American businesspeople in mentoring relationships. These non-financial relationships give North American businesspeople the opportunity to use their business skills and experience to directly affect the lives of businesspeople in the developing world through encouragement, prayer and business advice, and provide some of Liberia’s most exciting entrepreneurs a person to bounce ideas off of and to grow alongside them in friendship.

Through bi-weekly phone calls, spontaneous emails and a weeklong in-county visit, mentors and mentees are able to develop a strong rapport. Members of LEAD’s mentoring program appreciate tapping into a wealth of insights and business experience that would not otherwise be available to them. Mama Sallie, a member of the program and owner of Paulma’s Restaurant and Guesthouse in Gbarnga is building a strong relationship with her mentors George and Monique Stevens and is now reporting increased profits of $50US per day.

Meanwhile, as Isaiah begins his mentoring relationship, he looks forward to building his mentoring relationship with Don. “As mentor, I want to ask you what strategies you are using to overcome these things so that I myself will be able to apply them. Mentor me so that I can be honorable to God because he is the one who has given me this opportunity.”