Friday, April 15, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
What's up with Gbagbo?
This afternoon we held the fifth class of the current NEI training course which was delayed one day due to yesterday's staff meeting. We opened with a brief discussion on the Biblical basis for mentoring, which is intended to deliver two messages: 1) God calls us to the act of mentoring, and 2) there are many examples from scripture of mentoring that can inform us of lessons that still apply to modern day mentoring relationships.
We had 25 minutes of discussion where we talked about how these examples teach lessons like the importance of the mentee driving the relationship (Elijah and Elisha), the importance of mentors instilling trust and confidence in mentees (Moses and Joshua, Paul and Timothy), how not all mentoring relationships always go smoothly, or end well (Barnabas and Paul), and the importance of developing a culture of mentoring so that mentees go on to mentor others (Jesus and the disciples, as well as many of the others).
You can tell its lively discussion because Aaron is standing up. (Okay, fine. It was posed).
Matthew stands in from the of diagram of how many businesses get drained financially. The proper diagram has the business paying "ME", and friends, family and relatives money coming from the entrepreneur, not the business.
Week 5 of the NEI class is always the most lively, and probably the most valuable: Boundaries. This class teaches entrepreneurs to separate their personal finances from their business finances. Participants should put themselves on a salary (instead of just taking off the top of the profits). In order to figure out what their salary needs to be, they need to figure out their monthly budget and INCLUDED in that monthly budget is money set aside for the very common requests for money.
These requests come from family, friends, relatives or even strangers and they come as a result of a wedding or other celebration, there's a funeral to pay for, maybe medical expenses; the list goes on. However, the class teaches that the money for those expenses should come from the limited personal budget funds. Then, when that money is gone, the entrepreneur can honestly say "That money is finished-o", allowing them to not dig into their business' money.
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In other news, it seems incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo is or has already surrendered to the forces of the internationally recognized winner Alassane Ouattara. But then it also seems like he's not so much incline to surrender, but also has made it clear he does not want to be a martyr. So really, I'm not exactly sure what's going on, but you can read some of the latest details at:
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Finally, not to go overboard with mentioning it, but yes, I'm still in need of fundraising support. According to my calculations, I need to fundraise just shy of $2,000 in order to reach my intern budget ending at the beginning of June.
Got some extra tax return funds coming in? Not sure how to spend all that dough? Consider brightening my day by donating a (tax deductible!) portion of that by going online to PartnersWorldwide.org. To get directly to the donor page go to:
Just be sure to click on the 'choose a type- box and select "people" and then click on the -choose a program- box and select "Derek Hoogland (Liberia)". Thanks!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
weekend, staff meeting
Its been a week since the last post and I don't have anything particularly enlightening to post so I thought I'd share a few photos from last weekend. The raft is coming along, with all the barrels in place, and the bracing is done. This week it gets another coat of rustproofing and it slides into the water on Saturday. From there we'll install the deck, railing, motor mounts and all that. During today's three hour staff meeting I made drawings of the pieces I to (try to) weld together a 'Danforth' anchor.
The meeting was quite long, but not unproductive. For my part, I had the Program Managers summarize the activities of the mentoring relationships in their respective counties. I talked about how the peer mentoring launch is coming along, and I reminded everyone that all the counties will be doing the same program next time around. Next month, on the Monday before the first Tuesday of the month staff meeting I'm trying to get all the Program Managers and Education Coordinators in town for a train-the-trainers session to cover the mentoring program handbook.
I'd like to find an air-conditioned, quiet and remote location; one where I can provide lunch and make it feel professional so that I can have the attention I need to go over the whole program. Its the subtle efforts that make all the difference! I wouldn't have wanted to go through all that effort a year and a half ago, but sometimes its really worth it. My hope is that the Montserrado County guys can cover the lessons we're already gone through together in the NEI class, and I can fill in the rest.
Brett on the barge.
The view looking up the St. Paul River, with the Unity Conference Center off to the left.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
A bit of an update, a bit of a request.
Hi folks,
I'm nearing the end of this current 7 months with LEAD but I still have a ways to go before I reach my fundraising budget and I'd like your help.
Last week I dropped another $350 into the LEAD jeep (and again this morning it refused to start...), my April stipend is working its way through the system, and my March expense report will be due the first week of April, meaning: I'll have a number of draws on my account these days.
My math says I have enough to cover all of these expenses, but not by much of a margin, and I'm trying to look ahead to the end of April when my May stipend (my last) goes though.
Finally, until Partners is registered in Canada, funds from my Canadian supporters are still crossing the border with the help of CRWRC, which means those funds can take up to 3+ months before they reach my Partners account, and suffer a 10% processing fee.
If you're a regular reader of the blog, if you've enjoyed keeping up on the details of this journey, if you're already a regular contributor or if you've never given before: please consider how a small dent in your monthly budget of $25, 50 or $100 will help facilitate my work in Liberia.
Partners has just re-vamped its online giving platform, meaning you no longer have to type in my name manually and you can even setup monthly giving without having to call the office.
Simply click on the -Choose a Type - box and select "People". Then click on the - Choose a Program - box and select "Derek Hoogland (Liberia)".
I genuinely appreciate all of your encouragement and support. Thanks for your consideration.
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Now that we've taken care of the fundraising stuff we can move on to more interesting things. This afternoon we finished up week four of the Montserrado County business training course. Jacob Blamo taught "Business Foundations (continued)" which covers figuring out how to name your business, how to develop a mission statement for your business and a few other things.
Since we're linking the 12 section mentoring program handbook, it was my turn to cover section 4. Its the shortest of all the sections, so we whipped it out in about 15 minutes. For those curious, its exactly this:
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4. WHO BENEFITS FROM A MENTORING RELATIONSHIP?
Mentoring is often perceived as one person benefiting from the skills and the knowledge of another. While it is true that the mentor imparts his/ her knowledge, experiences and skills on the entrepreneur, it’s also true that the mentor has a lot to gain from participating in a mentoring relationship. Listed below are a number of benefits that have been cited for both mentors and entrepreneurs.
| MENTOR | ENTREPRENEUR |
| Sense of mission | Being listened to and heard |
| Feeling useful | Improved business growth and productivity |
| Exposure to new cultures | Access to new networks |
| Opportunity to share expertise | Affirmation and new confidence |
| Chance to create a legacy | Emotional support and growth |
| New friendship | New friend and role model |
| Greater appreciation for others | Clear plan for progress |
| Emotional support and growth | Greater knowledge of technical aspects |
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Yup: quick, easy, and to-the-point. I had someone read out the first paragraph, and then we went through the benefits for Mentors and Entrepreneurs, respectively. Next week is section 5: "The Biblical Basis for Mentoring".
Lets see, in other news, last weekend we installed the remainder of the 36 barrels on the river raft under construction over at a friend's house. Next weekend new intern Brett comes down from Nimba where he's been working on LEAD's research farm and we'll spend Saturday installing the bracing and whatnot.
Anyways, its 3:15pm here and I need to take care of a few things yet today so I'm off. Thanks for reading, Derek
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Libya ≠ Liberia, but...
I'd like to thank everyone back home for their concerns; however, I can assure you that I live in Liberia, not Libya...
West Africa, however, does have concerns of its own.
I'm quite safe in Monrovia though, over four hours from the Ivorian border.
Program Launch - Peer Mentoring
For the past 18 months my main priority has been to work as LEAD’s Mentoring Program Coordinator. A few months before I arrived, LEAD had connected its first client in a mentoring relationship. Mama Sallie of Paulma’s Guesthouse in Gbarnga was connected with husband and wife mentors from the US. Together, they all worked on practical means of improving her business by problem solving challenges in her business such as having extra wasted food at the end of each night, improving her customer service, and creating promotions such as the idea of having customers drop their business cards into a bowl for a chance at winning a free meal.
Since this first mentoring relationship we have been connecting many more clients with mentors, and have been learning from the experiences to refine LEAD’s mentoring program. I first created a mentoring program handbook about a year ago, and its undergone many revisions as we learned more about the subject.
Everything you need to know about business mentoring.
Not to say that we haven’t had challenges. All relationships go through phases, and take concerted effort to keep going. Mentoring relationships can fail due to logistical communication difficulties, cultural and personality differences, failure to understand the potential benefits or an inability to make the relationship a priority, but we’ve found that by focusing on a particular area of the entrepreneur’s business and encouraging both scheduled and spontaneous communication, the relationships can flourish.
Now, especially as I near the end of my time with LEAD, we are more than ever concentrating on making the program something that will last into the future and be accessible to as many entrepreneurs as possible. About eight months ago we heard about a peer mentoring model that was being developed by the Hopeline Institute in Ghana, a fellow affiliate organization of Partners Worldwide. It seemed like a great model and we were eager to learn about it.
I met with Hopeline Executive Director Fanny Atta-Peters in October while attending the Partners Worldwide conference in Michigan. We chatted about the prospects of bringing the model to Liberia and I decided to pass through Ghana on my way back to learn about the logistics of the program and to hear the stories of Hopeline clients who had been matched with mentors – and were also mentoring others – from within their own graduating SME business training class.
Renita and Fanny at the Hopeline office in Accra.
Fanny arranged for three of Hopeline’s mentoring program participants to share their experiences and I was impressed by what I heard. Ravina and Amma are both artisans making bead crafts and jewelry. Ravina is technically mentoring Amma to help her expand her product line, but it was very clear that they are both benefitting from the relationship. They cooperate together to buy materials when they hear of someone going to Guinea for materials. They have become inseparable friends and offer prayer and encouragement to each other. They are even sharing books, and such as the one they showed me on how to handle the stresses of being a busy businesswoman. The two have become so close that Ravina sells Amma’s products in her shop if she doesn’t make them herself, and vice versa.
“I told Amma about the corners of Accra where you could get materials for less.” – Ravina
“I didn’t have anyone to talk to, but with her I share ideas.” - Amma
Prosper is a furniture manufacturer who is mentoring fellow graduate Daniel on marketing his business, and is also being matched with a mentor from abroad to mentor him. Prosper feels he and Daniel are both benefitting from the relationship. He says he gets a lot of enjoyment out of helping out a fellow entrepreneur and the two have become close. Prosper is well networked, so whenever Daniel goes into a new area of greater Accra to do work, Prosper gives him contact numbers of good people to get in touch with. The two encourage each other over the phone and in person.
Upon returning to Liberia, my colleagues and I began laying the foundation for LEAD’s version of the model. We decided to test out the program with the Montserrado County NEI business training class that would start at the end of February. We included an updated copy of LEAD’s mentoring program handbook in the back of the Partners Worldwide business training curriculum that everyone in the class gets, and we decided to teach one of the sections during each of the twelve weeks of class. Then, with representatives from Hopeline coming to Liberia to attend the Africa’s Marketplace Revolution conference, we invited them to share some of their stories and best practices with us, and help us continue to work through the logistics of planning such a program.
Fanny, Martin (Partners Worldwide), Andrew, Matthew, Charlesetta and myself discuss share ideas on operating mentoring programs.
Now that the conference is over, the class has begun and yesterday we taught the third session. Mentoring is not exactly a well understood concept in Liberia (in most parts of the world, for that matter) but there is a lot of excitement being generated among the participants. The idea is that business mentoring is a way for entrepreneurs to improve upon an area of their business that they particularly need help in. I don’t expect everyone will opt to join the program, but we’re hoping a large percentage will. Of those who do, most of them will be matched with a mentor from within their class who possesses the business skills they want to develop, so it’s therefore likely that we will also be asking them to mentor someone else from their class who needs help in an area where they themselves excel.
This guy sports a new LEAD embroidered polo shirt (love it) and puts some Liberian English to work as he explains Section 3: "The Tiered Mentoring System".
For those who need help in an area of business that no one in the class can mentor them in, we will create an entrepreneur profile and show it to graduates of previous classes and to other businesspeople from Liberia, elsewhere in West Africa, and North America. In this way, the peer mentoring program essentially encapsulates LEAD’s entire mentoring program.
By linking the program to the NEI business training course we can be assured that everyone going through the program will have the opportunity to be mentored, and also that the program will continue to cycle forward. Once we test out the program in Montserrado County, LEAD’s Asst. Director, of Operations Matthew Davis, with the help of Montserrado County Program Manager Andrew Davis and Education Coordinator Jacob Blamo, will be spreading the model to the other 4 counties currently offering the NEI course.
Monday, March 21, 2011
(no subject)
Lots of work-related stuff lately on the blog (and photos); probably because that’s been much of my life this past two months, but I’m happy to be rejoining the Liberia social scene, and enjoying the company of some of the best people I've ever known.
I’ve been doing a bit more surfing these days. I’m definitely not good at this yet, or perhaps as committed as I ought to be, but each time I go out I feel myself edging closer to the ‘aha’ moment…
The sun rises in Congotown after an early morning surf. SKD (football) Stadium's lights can be seen on the horizon.
This week should be a bit quieter than last week’s busy work week. Just following up on a few more post-conference details, and pulling the peer-mentoring program together (more on that soon). Tomorrow is our third class and we’ll be discussion lesson three: the “Tiered Approach to Mentoring” which I’m sure means nothing to you now, but will be explained in the next blog post – yea, really hyping it.
In other news, I’m told that today we’ll have the remaining 55-gallon oil drums needed to complete the barge under construction at a friend’s house. Okay I’ll be out with it, it’s going to be a fairly spectacular raft for cruising the St. Paul River. When you don’t have cable TV, bowling alleys or movie theaters you have to get your weekend kicks somehow. Specs: 16’ wide x 19’ long, floating on 36 55-gallon drums, pushed by 2 40hp 2-stroke outboards, hosting a modest bar and thatch roof; maybe toilets. It should hold over 20 people, and would take a calculated 15,000+ lbs to submerge….
Not a small project. LEAD's agricultural intern Brett Pfister is quite the skilled welder.
Longer term, I'm beginning to think about what comes next: this first round of the peer mentoring program will be finished at the end of May, and I intend to fly back to the US at the beginning of June. I've loved my year and a half with LEAD, but I struggle if I should stick around longer - an option - and see what else I can offer the organization, or if I should move on. I have other employment options here in Liberia (paid ones, my faithful, beloved and appreciated donors will be happy to hear), and the idea of sticking around is enticing but again, I need to weigh out the benefits of sticking around and moving on. I'm exploring what other options may be available for me in the future, both in North America and internationally, but those conversation haven't matured yet.
Taking Bush for a walk to the neighbors' isn't something you can do in suburban GR. Skimpy jealously watches on (ears).
It opens up larger conversations too; like is the development field one I want to continue to participate in? What are the long term impacts of the work I'm doing? Do I still want to live overseas? Just how much of the Gauntlet summer sailing season am I really willing to miss...?
Today I'm doing a bit of work across the street at Evelyn's, the restaurant where I go when I need internet if the office internet goes down. Blog posting, catching up on three days of emails, updating the LEAD website and emailing out conference attendee contact info for post-conference networking. This afternoon we are planning tomorrow's class and then I'm chasing down my jeep, which is back at the mechanic's for the usual assortment of chronic problems.
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