march meeting madness

Although March is just beginning, I feel like it is already over! Well, lets just say, there is a lot going on and continues to be a lot of meetings and commitments on the schedule in the upcoming weeks.

me, oscar and ruth

Last weekend was the annual meeting for ACDIM and so we had a lot of things to prepare. Oscar and I gave a presentation on the current project with the 4 women's groups and a financial report. A new board of directors was elected and we organized new committees for intercessory prayer, development, agricultural projects, etc. Of course, moments like this are important for any organization and it is exciting to see progress. This is the first meeting of the "general assembly" of ACDIM in a very long time. But, after almost 18 months in my assignment, my optimism is also tempered by a good dose of reality!

Why so skeptical, you ask? First of all, Hondurans love meetings! They love free food at meetings (well, who doesn't ) and they are very intense about following the legal procedures for carrying out the meeting of a given organization (whether it be church, civil society, schools, private orgs, etc). It seems that many Hondurans feel that simply by filling their schedule with meetings, they are accomplishing a lot.

My problem with this is that I fail to see the "rubber hitting the road" from all these meetings. There are books and books of minutes, committees listings, and who voted for whom as the treasurer...but who is actually making something happen? When is there time outside of the endless meetings to get things done that you decided on?

I hope that this will not be the case for the new year of ACDIM. I hope that our current work motivates people as they see we are moving forward with the project; that they understand our need for other people to be a part of what we are doing. I hope that there will be new volunteers and fresh ideas for how ACDIM can continue in this project or in other new projects.

the new board of directors for ACDIM

multiplication

My co-worker Oscar often shares with the women's groups how God is God of multiplication--not division or subtraction. He references the parable of the talents and how we are called to multiply what God has given us.

As an organization, we were able to take part in this multiplication by taking a blessing that was generously given to us and through it, bless others. And isn't that what God is all about? Blessing us, to make us a blessing, to be able to bless others, so that others bless him?

Since the beginning of the project through MCC, the women's group in Vertientes has expressed interest in having a sewing business. Their community is the most remote, and they would like to be able to make school uniforms and other basic clothing items for a small profit. We wanted to support the women in this, since it was their own idea, but for a long time thought the initial investment beyond our capacity. How would we be able to get more than a few machines for the group of 16?

Through talking with other colleagues and making some connections, I found out Proyecto MAMA (another MCC supported project of the Honduran Mennonite Church) had 6 sewing machines that were unused and collecting dust. A few phone calls later and we found out they wanted $250 for 5 treadle machines and 1 electric machine. It seemed feasible, but we didn't really have extra funds outside of the project budget.

Then (seemingly) out of nowhere a good friend said her sewing ladies at church wanted to donate the money for the machines, and she wanted to put up some extra for the repairs. What a generous gift! We were very excited and planned a trip to check out the machines and see what condition they were in.

They turned out to be very good machines, only missing a few parts that we hope will be easy to replace. When we paid the amount to the women who work for Proyecto MAMA they told us they were so excited because they never thought anyone would ever want to buy these machines and now, with this cash we gave them, they will be able to buy an industrial-size gas stove to serve bigger groups at the retreat center which generates more income for their projects in children's health and education.

It was such a joyful moment! We took a monetary blessing that was given to ACDIM and invested in something to bless the women's group and their future business while tangentially blessing Proyecto MAMA with funds to buy something that serves their needs and generates income for the children and families they work with. I couldn't have dreamed up a better chain of multiplication, but I guess God knew he had it all covered.

shopping

As with most things in my life, they never end up as simple as one thinks they should be.

My co-worker and I have to collect a large amount of groceries for a 2-day cooking class for each of our women's groups. This means I will get to have this lovely experience 3 more times.

First off, in Honduras you NEVER buy in quantity...that would make too much sense in a logical, North American kind of way. Buy a large amount of spices, divide into 4. done.

No, tita....we must buy for each time, individually. Oh, and one-stop shop? Forget it! You have to stop at least 3 places and make sure you are getting the best price. Regardless how many people tell you the same price over and over and over again.

Our first stop, the Despensa. A no-frills, basic grocery store. And when I say basic, I mean basic for Honduran cooking. Don't expect to find your Philadelphia cream cheese or pomegranate juice here. With Oscar's wife trailing behind us to confirm every selection I made, we made our way around the store. Of course, I wasn't an authority on anything (though I can cook) so we kept checking in, retracing our steps...then, in random fits of decisiveness, O would tell me "no, I'm sure we can buy that in another place cheaper."

Paying, putting things in bags, a spilled bag of oil (yeah, oil in a pouch), getting the cart to the car...I mean, it's hard to describe it to you, but nothing is as streamlined as the process you know in your cushy North American grocery store...just trust me on this one. I almost went chasing a cart down the cobblestone hill from the store because it is just. not. simple.

From there we dropped off the wife, went to another place to buy cheeses. Of course, they didn't have everything we wanted. Then to the downtown market. First to the lonely stalls on the outer ring where we bought one bunch of cilantro. Then to another lady outside the market to buy one bunch of spices. Then to another store to buy more dried spices. Finally, to the big market (my idea) to finish up. But if I ask for prices they jack it up for the gringa. So I try to make Oscar do it, but he doesn't know what he's doing. By this time I was about out of patience.

Back to another store to buy more cheese. Then back to the market to get one more kind of meat. I mean seriously, it was a lot of here and there and back and forth.

More than anything, I wanted to go to one big grocery store and buy everything at once. Is that asking too much? In this town it seems to be. But as always, in my frustration with doing things not my way, I learn a lot about patience, humility, having a sense of humor, and just going with the flow. It was not efficient, but did we really have a lot else to be doing? Not really. Did we get it all in the end? Yes. Will it all come together tomorrow? Probably even better than I think it will.

But believe you me, next time around, that list will be organized sequentially according to each aisle of grocery store, with check boxes, color-coding and a separate list of "market items." Watch out Oscar. I will bring method to this madness!!

for the birds...

The last week of March I had a good friend who works for MCC in Tegucigalpa, Kathy Troyer, come to Santa Rosa to live with me for a week. Kathy has a lot of experience in gardening projects and worm-composting so we invited her to come and share her knowledge with ACDIM's women's groups.

 We planned a whole week of time to prep the training, do a demonstration with me and my coworker, and then visit the 4 community groups to teach them how to create worm composting beds in old tires.




It was a busy busy week with lots to do and lots going on. Kathy and I had quite a time wrestling old tires and trying to turn them inside-out...lets just say, we decided the difference in "space" wasn't worth our time!

Kathy gave us lots of great resources for learning more about worm composting and other gardening techniques. Together we put together a 10 page lesson covering the basics of worm composting, organic fertilizer, what the worms need to produce the organic fertilizer, and how to create a pleasant atmosphere for them in a tire. As we went to each of the women's groups, Kathy took the lead on the training and I was there to back her up and fill in some of the blanks.

After each lesson in "theory" we did a demonstration and left some starter worms in each community.

they were not to sure about touching poop with bare hands, like Kathy does :)

I learned A LOT more than I ever wanted to know about worms in this week and saw the passion Kathy has for her own worms :)  More importantly, I learned how they can really make a difference in the lives of women who care for them and reap the benefits of a nicely fertilized garden plot. Kathy has witnessed the change this kind of project has made in the lives of her friends and neighbors, and we are hopeful the women we work with with get excited about the possibility of family gardens as well.

Oscar...he is one of a kind

What I did not anticipate was having to care for my own crew of worms. The idea is to have a supply  for when women in the groups want more worms...and I thought for sure my co-worker (who purports to be expert in all things related to agriculture) would jump at the chance to take ownership of the worms--boy, was I mistaken!

I now have my own pets, living it up in collected excrement and coffee pulp. Not only did Kathy leave behind her beloved worms, but also a healthy fear of needing to protect them from the elements and predators (even fishermen who want to steal them for their hobby!). It has gotten to the point that I have found myself running around in thunderstorms with flashlight in hand to protect the rain-soaked worm bin from flooding...and wondering "what the heck have I gotten myself into?"

Overall, it was a productive week and a great chance to spend time with Kathy before her time with MCC wraps up this summer. It was good to show her my life here and share a week together, the ups and downs of life at ACDIM, living in a tiny apartment, and sharing some good laughs too.

the indirectness of it all...

There are days when I wonder how I will ever adjust to working in a North American office setting ever again...
...where you don't get to take breaks for baleadas whenever the urge strikes
...where friends don't stop by to plan the next soccer game or discuss church happenings, never concerned with what "work" they might be interrupting
...where delivery trucks and their fumes don't give you a headache on a regular basis
...where stray dogs can't just wander inside
...where women selling lorocco and tamales pass by several times a day
...where people can speak directly to one another and not beat around the bush.

Some days, I don't know how much more of the indirectness I can handle.
Here is a transcription of one small example of my life in the office of ACDIM:

(O is my co-worker, I am C)

O: "charissa i think i need to buy an envelope. do you think I might be able to find an envelope around here? ...i think i need an envelope."

(C produces envelope from drawer)

O: this is a good envelope. exactly what i needed.

O: "but i mean i mean do you think we can put the name on it, or i mean...how...? no you probably can't use the printer, right? i mean, how will we put his name on it?"

(2 minutes of hmmm, what can we do...how will i do this, etc...)

O:"i guess we should just write the name on it, no?"

C: "yep."

(2 more minutes of personal debate, aloud)

O:"maybe you have better writing than me, don't you think?"

C: "...yes. do you want me to do it? i will do it. tell me how you want it."
(proceed with 3 more minutes of directing my exact placement of the words on the envelope, questioning how it should be addressed, then when i give my suggestion changing it anyway...then telling me my capital letters aren't capital letters and maybe we should re-do it.)

I think after 15 minutes, we had a simple white enevelope, with a very complicated title, that some municipal officer will not even notice, and probably not even read the letter inside. awesome.

some days...I just can't take it. so I have to blog-it-out :)

the finale

Last Thursday was the last class for the pilot course “Valores Empresariales” or “Business Values.” Each week, one of the loan officers in the Income Generation Program took turns teaching one of the 8 lessons. Each one included a devotional, some kind of activity or “dinamica,” and the main lesson, with a variety of teaching, discussion, and group work.

It has been rewarding  for me to see this project finally come to fruition. I have worked on the curriculum for awhile now, so helping my coworkers prepare for class was really good and often gave me even more ideas to add to the lesson.  Personally, it was a good way to connect with my coworkers and be more involved in the day-to-day activities of the office.

Yet the most exciting thing for me was to see the women of the bank program come out of their shells a little bit more every week. They were fully engaged in all of the material and seemed to enjoy a chance to have some fun together. Often consumed with the work of running their business and their household, it was cool to see them doing something for themselves and really soaking it all up.

The topic for the last class was “Boundaries of your Business.” The idea is that one’s business is a separate entity from themselves. The business does not have aunts, uncles and cousins asking for money. The business does not have children, nor does it get sick. Instead, the business owner must be careful to separate personal needs from the business needs; protecting the capital of the business and not diminishing the investment needed to grow.

This was a tough lesson because it directly negates what the women believe about running a business. Culturally, this idea does not make a lot of sense. If you own a business, and you have cash on hand, when your family asks for assistance, it is your duty to help. How could you turn away family in need? This idea created a lot of discussion among the women…I only wish we would have had more than an hour to discuss it with them! They were definitely considering the implications of this idea, and how it would affect them personally and in their business.

Freddy, my coworker did a really good job with the lesson. He was well prepared and did not even seem flustered when some of the women disputed the main idea of boundaries in your business. He also prepared some excellent visual aids for the lesson…complete with a bucket of little paper crabs to illustrate a story. I was so excited about his class!

So after the final lesson, we invited the women to return at 5 pm for a dinner and certificate for successful completion of the course. I was in charge of the certificates and the final verbal evaluation of the class at our closing ceremony. It was not without its glitches, and stress, but I think it turned out pretty well. Each woman was so excited to receive her certificate, and the responses from the discussion I led indicated they learned a lot to help them be better business owners. So…I think it was a success! In fact, I’ll even dare to say it was a great success…much learning and fun was had by all!

One feisty old lady who was never shy about sharing her thoughts stood up at the end and thanked everyone who helped prepare the lesson. It meant so much to her that these young guys (most of the loan officers) would take the time to prepare the lesson and show a real interest in teaching the women such important things. She was grateful for the way everything was rooted in biblical lessons and that it was good information for them personally and in their business life.  My heart was warmed by her kind words :)

 

It hasn’t always been clear what my role is here, but after this class I am feeling good about the small amount I can contribute in my time here at MCM. Maybe we won’t end up developing an official business school with 3 trimesters, offering 2 courses a month and 4 classes per week like my boss initially hoped (ambitious, I know :)…but we are at least starting small, and we were successful in offering 1 course, with a lot of important topics. I can’t even tell you how exciting it is to achieve something that seemed so difficult only 4 short months ago. It is also fun to see several of my coworkers who were afraid of teaching accomplish their task, and with great success. I keep asking if they are ready for the next time around…they claim they aren’t. But the difference now is I have full confidence in their ability to do it.

mas cumpleaños

Here are some photos of me with my coworkers (who are a little crazy, i might add)...

We were celebrating my birthday and Karina's birthday (lady sitting next to me).

no Honduran party is complete without a few 'dinamicas' or games...

we had to do this stupid egg on the spoon relay