So apparently my online Journal has developed quite a following, it’s a neat feeling. With all the compliments I feel compelled to write more… that is good for both of us.
Speaking of pressure, my first week as a spread intern was overwhelming. Not only was I trying to adapt to a strange culture, but I also wanted to give 110% as an intern. The people I work with are nothing less than awesome, going out of their way to make me feel at home, so that has helped. Let me provide you a little background information. I am interning or working rather on the international development project called SPREAD or Sustaining Partnerships to Enhance Rural Enterprise and Agribusiness Development. SPREAD targets rural Rwandan agricultural enterprises involved in high value commodity chains, such as coffee and provide them with appropriate technical assistance and access to credit and health related services that results in increased incomes and improved livelihoods.
In the case of coffee, what SPREAD has done, is it has brought together small farmers from across Rwanda and formed cooperation. This has allowed farmers to become organized into cohesive groups providing them with greater power as decision makers as well as making it easier for specialist from across the United States to teach Rwandan farmers how to refine their coffee production so that it is certified as specialty coffee. Through the formation of coffee cooperation’s, farmers have been provided skills and technology that have given them access to international markets, whereas before SPREAD that access was limited.
This explanation is watered downed, it would take me two journal entries to really do it justice, which would cause me to lose readership, so this is what you get. Drop me a note and I will gladly pass on further information about this development initiative.
I have two primary objectives as an Intern:
1.) Assess the assets of the Muraba coffee cooperative and determine an economic value for the cooperative itself, then using that data to determine a share value for each of the members.
When I first heard my assignment I was a little frightened. Anyone who knows me knows, that I do not get along with numbers and numbers do not get along with me, this fact coupled with the fact that I am not an Ag Business/Ag Economist major left me a little worried as to how this task was going to shake out. Sitting in a room, in the center of the ring, all eyes on me just like a circus, expecting me to know the answers was over whelming. It is at this point that I had to keep my composure, and remind myself that I have been here before. You see there is more power in saying “I do not know “ rather than trying to fake it, well at least for me, I am an awful liar. Knowing this I went and did the research, finding that this is a common practice in the states and with a few financial documents I could have this task well on its way to completion.
On a side note acquiring the documents has been more challenging than the actual assignment; I am running up against developing country issues such as transportation not being available, and transportation breaking down. This is where I have to be a little forward and see that it gets done sooner rather than later.
2.) My second task and this is more a personal mission rather than intern related, this is to conduct my thesis research. I want to know how projects such as SPREAD have impacted the livelihoods of these small farmers who are members of the coffee cooperatives that were started under this project. I have my interview questions prepared, but I have found several challenges first my research objectives are not meshing with my task as an intern, so I feel like my research is more a secondary issue to my counterpart rather than something they are interested in, the challenge here will be trying to find some middle ground. I remain optimistic, it’s only my first week and furthermore I can’t afford to return to the states empty handed, it would not be good personally and even worse financially.
My second challenge is the language barrier, everyone speaks French and Kinyarwanda. I had my first interview on Friday with the manager of the Muraba Coffee cooperative. While it was successful, I realize I may have gotten lucky, because while he had a hard time understanding spoken English he could read written English without a problem. So my interview consisted of me handwriting the question and the gentleman reading them, then repeating the answers back to me. My bread and butter is with the small farmer and based on this initial interview there is a high probability that there English will not be as good. I suppose my survival depends on finding a temporary translator and getting creative with the way I organize my questions.
About the language, there are three spoken in this country, French, Kinyarwanda, and Swahili.
My French is getting better every day; I can order a cold beverage, a shish kabob with fries and say your basic greetings.
My Kinyarwanda is limited to the basic greetings and ordering a cold beverage. Learning how to order a cold beverage in Kinyarwanda consisted of Israel (Domestic Helper) giving myself and Lenar (roommate) a two hour lesson on the different verb tenses. I can order a cold beverage and the rest was a little over my head, like my research I remain optimistic that this will get better in time.
Swahili, you can pretty much forget about it I was not even aware that this was a language inside the country until Friday. I have yet to recognize it when I hear it, but who knows, like my dialect in the islands, I may return to the states a Swahili speaking monster.
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