September 9 -15

Week of September 9th – 15th
For the remainder of the week I attended a workshop for all staff that was put on by one of CREADIS’ donors, AED. The topic of the workshop was the ‘Most Significant Change’ since 2007. I have never used such a method to measure progress, but it seems like a great way to evaluate an organization’s growth. The changes noted in an organization were broken into about 6 categories such as: financial, human resource, and public relations. For each topic, we would break into teams and write down any growth in the category since 2007, one topic at a time. After all changes were written down, the group would have to choose the MSC—most significant change—that had the largest affect on the growth of the organization. Since I was very new in the organization I did not add much to the conversations, but I received more information in those 2 days than I did from any orientation before that. For example, I learned that CREADIS was one of the most respected NGOs in Western Kenya, and funding from donors jumped from 2 million Ksh to 32 million.
When we broke from our groups, we took turns presenting our information to the other group, and they did the same for us. It took all day, but we eventually had a wall full of notes with significant organizational changes from the six different topic areas. By this time, I realized that my work plan was not going to be sent to the Coady Institute in time for the deadline on Friday because of this surprise workshop. I was starting to stress out about the work plan because I was feeling very unproductive and unprofessional by not meeting the deadline. I decided to just write down some ideas for work projects and hand them to Janet (the assistant director). She could either agree or disagree, but I had to get to work—I have been there for four weeks and had nothing to show for it.
The second day of the workshop was a great day for me. From the 2 groups, we each had one most significant change chosen for each topic area. The next step was to decide which group had the better MSC, to narrow the topic MSCs from 12 to 6. Then we took these 6 changes and each voted for which one we wanted, eliminated those which did not receive a vote, and voted again. We did this again until we came to just one significant change, which became the organizations Most Significant Change since 2007. The MSC we chose was the growth in community structures gained. Some people still saw the funding increase as the MSC, but for CREADIS, this funding only grew because donors saw how effective we were at helping communities to help themselves.
However, we were not done there. Instead, we looked once again at the changes in each of the topic areas. First we explained how it grew, and then offered suggestions to how we can make sure it continues to grow. Lastly, we looked at the limitations to each change. For example, CREADIS is well respected in the public relations topic, but our message is limited by the lack of an updated website, no facebook group, etc. This gave me a surge of ideas for my work plan. Before this workshop, I did not know what to do because I did not know where the organization was lacking. After the workshop, I was more motivated to work because I had many ideas of what to work on. For example, I can make a facebook group easily, I can expand the resource library from internet sources, I can help teach some staff on how to design and update a website regularly. It’s too bad I had this surge of ideas on a Friday afternoon, because I wanted to get back to the office and work on these things immediately.
The weekend was very relaxed in general. After the workshop on Friday I just went back to the apartment, watched some movies, spoke to some friends and family in Canada, and then passed out. Woo! Party animal, I know.
On Saturday morning I was woken up (as usual) around 7AM with the young kids running around laughing and trying to wake me up so they can play with me. Usually, back in Canada, I would be cranky that I was denied a chance to sleep in later. However, I think something changed in me. I woke up happy and wanting to go out and seize the day. The sun was shining, kids were playing, and I was still riding the wave of productivity from the workshop. So I got up and started doing all my chores. I opened the door so I could listen to music while I washed my clothes, and the kids came over and started speaking to me in Swahili. I replied, “Hakuna Swahili” and they just laughed, so I directed them to my computer and started the Pinball game for them. There was an older child with them so I was not afraid (as I usually am) about them messing up my computer—which is my lifeline here in Kenya.
I don’t think I am very good at washing clothes. Either that or I am doing it too good. The older child approached me, half embarrassed, and said, “Your socks are still dirty, let me assist you.” I realized my socks were still dirty looking, but my fingers were already raw and bloody in places, so I knew it was my technique, not laziness, that kept them from being clean. I watched intensely as she washed one sock, and it came out white as snow within a few seconds. I tried to imitate her with another muddy sock but there I could not for the life of me figure out her technique. I got frustrated and just went back to ripping my fingers apart with the clothes.
Later, Jerry came to visit while I was still washing clothes and again pointed out that my socks were still dirty. He went over the technique about 10 times with me and I finally figured out how to do it properly—by properly I mean the socks were clean but my fingers continued to become raw. Afterwards we went down to an outside bar in town and had 2 beers each. There’s something very relaxing about drinking in the African sun while watching people go by. I fell in love with the bar and it was hard to drag me away, but I knew I had to keep productive and not waste the day.
I spent that night at home again and did some work for my directed study. That’s kind of a lie. I DID do some work, but I spent a lot of the night relaxing once again. There is nothing important to note, no growth of change in myself, just a lot of episodes of South Park and MSN.
On Sunday, it was the same shit, different smell. I washed clothes, dishes, the floor, then made a trip into town for food. I was getting very bored of samosas and chips by this time so I decided to pick a random thing on the menu. It was called kuku pilau. Apparently that means rice and chicken—so much for an adventure. I apologize for this entry so far, but it didn’t seem like anything hit me as strange and wonderful—it was just a normal weekend in Bungoma. Maybe I am adapting really good to things, but I think it was just a slow weekend.
That night I finally talked to my brother on Skype. This was probably the most exciting part of my weekend—don’t laugh. It was the first time I saw a live Canadian face in 4 weeks and we told informed me on the news back at home. Before I tell this next part, I will give you some background info. All my life, I’ve loved certain music, but was never given the oppurtuinity to see them live because I’m from a small part of Eastern Canada. I always said I would give my left arm (it’s half lame anyways, who needs it) to see Megadeth and Flogging Molly. I actually made plans to drive down to Boston one time, but the plans fell through because other people did not want to go. I spent about 6 years hoping they were come to Halifax or Moncton so I could go see them. Guess what happened when I move to the other side of the world? Megadeth, Slayer, Machine Head, Flogging Molly, and Dane Cook are all coming to Halifax. Murphy’s Law, once again. I tell myself that this is the better opportunity, and God or Allah or whoever is just testing my commitment to my values, but sweet chocolate Christ why did all that have to happen in the 4 months that I cannot go to see them. Oh well, fuck Flogging Molly, I have lions and can smoke in bars. If anything, all those wonderful things happening in Halifax has only furthered my cause here in Bungoma. It’s hard to explain, but I have always been motivated to do good things when I was tempted to do the opposite. If my values were never put into question, I don’t think I would really value anything.
Monday, a new work week, and my chance to approach Janet with ideas for my work plan. I was supposed to go out to the field today to work on the gender equality project in again, so I decided that I would just hand her my ideas and be off. However, Janet found me first and told me to stay in the office to figure out my official work plan. Yay! Things are coming together. We spent the day going over some ideas for the plan, and I think we worked out a pretty good system of work for me. Some things are very intimidating and foreign to me, such as designing a database for the OVCs projects. I will stress out later; for now I am just happy to be put to work. I have never sat on my ass in an office and it was making me very antsy. Little did I know that the majority of my work will involve me sitting on my ass in a productive way. Once I realized that the majority of my work will be on analyzing reports and other documentation, I hit the books in order to get accustomed to their way of collecting data. When I was hired as a monitoring and evaluation associate, I assumed their M&E was piss poor, but I was wrong. Most of my work seems to be done for me because I could find very few mistakes from the few documents that I reviewed on Monday.
After work I did the usual thing of going to the Coffee Garden Restaurant (I am terrible at cooking, and it is hard to make a nutritious meal on my small propane tank). When I exited the restaurant to go back home, I saw a terrifying sight that I don’t believe I will ever forget.
Out of the corner of my eye a saw a boy spinning around and dancing in the middle of the street, with cars passing by him in a very unconcerned way. At first, I did not take much notice to him because I was getting used to the differences in pedestrian-driver interactions. I have often seen children playing in the street with goes rushing by but was no longer fazed by it. The boy appeared to be very poor, with ripped and dirty clothes, but once again that was no shock by now. What was shocking was that this boy (aged no older than 10) was holding a pint-sized liquor bottle—almost empty. I realized that this small boy was most likely ‘drinking his worries away’, but in a busy township with many wreckless drivers.
Seeing his drunken dance on the road, combined with the poverty-ridden situation surrounding him, gave me a sinking feeling in my stomach that is usually reserved for the death of a close relative. I stopped walking and gazed at him in astonishment and horror as the cars rushed by—this lasted maybe ten seconds. Before I could shake my paralysis, the boy had bounced down the street and was gone forever. What did I learn from this? I think I lost more in spirit than I gained in wisdom, but I’m not writing this blog to cop out on touch questions.
First, I learned that the desperate circumstances in developing countries have brought a sense of helplessness to communities. Instead of assisting this child, people passed by him as casually as he was a pan-handler in Niagara Falls. As I eluded to in an earlier entry, Westerners have also become desensitized to many images of kwashiorkor (extended bellies with frail limbs) or naked starving children, but Kenyans seem to be more desensitized to dangerous behavior and other indirect effects of poverty.
Secondly, I learned that one of these indirect effects includes psychosocial trauma that far exceeds my expectations learned from textbooks or documentaries. As my philosophy teacher would say, “you can be smart from books, but wisdom comes only after experience”. Tough questions; tougher situations; but my poverty lens is becoming clearer still.
On Tuesday I spent the majority of the work day reviewing M&E documents. I have heard from many CREADIS staff and donor representatives that the organizations M&E tools are better than most—looks like I have my work cut out for me (never understood that term either). I sat in the office—or as I affectionately call it, the cave, due to it’s lighting and seclusion—and painstakingly reviewed all the documents. I saw painstakingly not because there was so much to look at (which there was), but because I had to strain my mind just to improve their already stellar documents. Sometimes my comments offered little improvement but I felt obliged to write them because, well, that was my job. The day ended at 6PM and I crashed back at my home just in time for the heavy rain to come.
I did not bring raingear with me; so therefore I had little choice but to sit at home and relax with a warm cup of Kenya Tea. I have not had coffee in 4 weeks but I found a great substitute. Another night of ‘personal admin’—relaxation for my wellbeing.