In the Tanzanian Bush

We were discussing how grateful we were that it wasn’t the rainy season when the offshoot path from the main road would have been impassable. Perhaps, we should have knocked on wood. A few minutes later, we found ourselves stuck deep in a muddy section of the cleared bush several kilometers “off the beaten track.” No traction could be gained no matter how hard the driver pressed on the accelerator. If anything, the vehicle was sinking deeper with each attempt to propel out, almost comparable to attempting to break free from a constrictor’s grip (alright, not quite that comparable). As villagers passed by on foot or bike, they dropped their buckets of water, machetes, or whatever other livelihood or household-related good was in their arms and proceeded to help dig out the vehicle from the mud. In the end, 9 village members had banned together, and three hard attempts and 10,000 Tanzanian shillings later, the vehicle was pushed out and parked before the mud pit. To avoid the risk of plunging back in, we continued on by foot. As we approached the village, we heard several women singing in Swahili at a high tempo. They approached us one by one with massive smiles spread across their faces, shaking our hands with the traditional 3-grip movement as they welcomed us into their village.  The laughing, dancing, and singing continued through the coconut tree “forest” and through the village until we reached the place of their weekly meeting. I suddenly felt as if we were lone travelers who had lost our way and had suddenly come upon a lost society that had decided to take us in. It was sort of an Indiana Jones moment….but, not really.

The optimism of the savings group members we’ve met this past week doesn’t cease to amaze me. Their song and dance help them to forget their hunger and other daily struggles. They feel empowered as they adopt ways to carve out a better future for themselves and their families. This is especially the case in Lindi region, where poverty and food insecurity are far more prevalent. As I visited villages, I was taken aback by the sight of starved children with massive tummies, evidencing the intense malnourishment. Savings groups in these villages were some of the youngest in the program we were evaluating, and much of the greater program’s interventions hadn’t yet reached this region due to low population density, highly dispersed villages, and extremely poor infrastructure.

CBSG group in Masasi District celebrates their first shareout



Heading into a CBSG meeting



Client of a savings group

Child of a savings group client in Lukuledi District, Lindi

Where the program’s interventions and outputs had had sufficient time to mature, the impact was inspiring and noteworthy. Men and women came together into groups, met and saved each week, accessed loans that supported their livelihoods, agriculture production, paying of school fees for their children, and purchasing materials to build a new or improve an existing home. These were the most common purposes for credit. Concluding each 12 month cycle, savings (the deposit handled as a purchase of value-assigned share(s)) are added up with the interest paid on loans, and members celebrate the momentous shareout of the accumulated funds through festivities comprised of music, song, dance, and an extravagant meal of pilau, meat, and potatoes. It is the day, especially after the first cycle, that a member has held the most amount of money he or she has ever seen in a lifetime. It is long-awaited and enthusiastically anticipated, as if a lottery-winning moment. Members use the massive wad of cash towards bulkier purchases that they would never have been able to save up for had they not been members of the group. Some used the cash to purchase a small plot of land for agriculture production, while others applied the fund to start a microbusiness, or again, invest in constructing a new home altogether. We were fortunate to have some of our group meetings coincide with shareout festivities. We were invited to give speeches and take part in the memorable event that I will cherish for a long time to come. On one occasion, after I was introduced as being from the United States, the Tanzanian music instantly transitioned to Rihanna and Akon’s newest hits. I watched with so much enthusiasm as village children got down and dirty to the beats. It was incredibly adorable! My translator colleague, Alfred, whispered to me, “I think they’re trying to make you feel more at home by playing these songs from your country.” I was, to say the least, amused.



Children getting down in Masasi District at shareout festivities



CBSG members



Fishing in Mnazi Bay during the low tide





Big brother brings his brother along to enjoy in the dancing festivities




Shy to dance





Shareout in Kilwa District



Almost stranded

During Mtwara visits, each night required a different accommodation. We felt like nomads traversing through southern Tanzania. We typically had no access to food during the day and energized off of water, warm soda, and cashew nuts or bananas bought along the roadside. I was glad to reach Lindi and learn that I would have the main town as my central base for the subsequent 4 days of visits. It’s difficult to cohesively weave the many experiences and unique events, traditions, and people I met along the way. One person who comes to mind is the Italian-Ethiopian man from Rome, who moved to Tanzania 20 years ago for what he anticipated would be a 6 month getaway. He fell in love with a mountain top of Lindi town and opened a small guesthouse offering some of the best Italian food I’ve had in a while. Every time I passed through, he would say, “Ah, Luxury, my dear! Come see me tomorrow, and I will make a pizza for you. No charge!” I didn’t have the heart to correct him.

Well, I’ve returned to Dar as of this morning, and what a contrast. But, I will stop here. It’s time to get back to my assignment.  Over and out. ;)



Boresha Maisha! Weka Akiba! (Keep Saving! Making Life Better!)

Life is once again moving at a faster pace than I can keep up with, especially through blog posts! Let’s hit the pause button on the narrative of my recent travels through the western Balkans and head straight into my latest, most spontaneous adventure to date, at least with regard to work. I was aware as early as September that a trip to Tanzania in October was possible. We had submitted our bid, waited patiently, and come October 1st, hadn’t yet heard back from the client on the assignment scheduled to begin that very day. Come Thursday, October 4th, after a few joyous moments of celebration having learned that my proposal had won the competition, the panic and chaos roared in as we were subsequently notified that my colleague and I were required to be on a plane that weekend for our first meeting in Dar es Salaam the following Monday morning. With a pending presentation on microfinance and inclusive economic growth to be given that Saturday morning in Baltimore, it became unfathomable. Airline tickets were bought in a rush on Friday afternoon just before close of business, and after some negotiation with the client and delivery of my presentation, we found ourselves on the first plane out to Dar Sunday morning. And, well, here we are, on day three of our month long consultancy.


It has been over four years since I last visited Sub-Saharan Africa, and I have missed it dearly. I deboarded the Emirates flight with tremendous enthusiasm to be back in Africa, Tanzania, and always, “the field.” My colleague and I are here to conduct a midterm evaluation of a community-based savings group project that is a part of a larger program to enhance the quality of life and social wellbeing of households in Lindi and Mtwara regions through sustainable socio-economic interventions in food security, income generation, health, and education. Have I lost you yet? To put it simply, access to finance and reliable livelihoods in the poorest regions of Tanzania (Lindi and Mtwara) was practically nonexistent until the commencement of this program. As an introductory step to increasing the access to financial services for the poor living in these rural, quite disconnected parts of the country, informal savings groups are being established throughout the regions to promote a savings habit, financial literacy, social cohesion, and access to credit that is primarily invested into expanding small businesses and agriculture production. There are several methodologies in practice today to promote similar groups, the most common being Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA), the model we are assessing on this assignment, and Savings for Change (SfC). Our assignment entails conducting a qualitative and quantitative analysis of these groups and assessing whether these truly have increased access to finance in a sustainable way for the poor, understanding in what ways membership has impacted lives, assessing and then advising on the potential for self-replicability of savings groups, and finally assessing and helping devise means to create synergies between this and other livelihood/agriculture programs in the region.




Children of clients in Masasi District in Mtwara






A savings group meeting in Masasi District, Mtwara






Female savings group member in Tandahimba District, Mtwara



Child in Tandahimba District, Mtwara

Savings group models are quite simple and typically involve groups with 15-25 members, who are required to establish a governance committee and meet once a week to engage in small financial transactions --- savings deposits and loan disbursements. All transactions are recorded in individual passbooks, and funds are kept in a box secured by three locks, for which three different keys are kept with three different group members exclusive to the governance committee. All transactions are done with particular transparency in front of all members as each individual transaction is announced multiple times to the group. Though simple, this model has truly changed lives by building the financial literacy and confidence of members. Through small loans and the cash received at the end of each annual cycle through the payout of shares, members have had the means to send their children to school, build a new home, and as I learned today, even purchase small plots of land to grow produce and supplement their household income. It is absolutely fantastic. Irrespective of how many savings groups I’ve observed in my career, I can never tire of seeing how well some of these groups function and the positive impact they have on the lives of the poor, especially women. I adore the welcome songs, dancing, and clapping we are greeted by and sent off with, and the exchange of smiles and handshakes meant to strike a sincere human connection.

Savings group in Masasi District, Mtwara



Waiting for his turn to deposit savings






Child of a cashew growing client waits for the meeting to end



Money counters each count and announce all funds

Children in Mtwara town



How adorable is she? Another child in Mtwara town






One of two male clients in a savings group in Mtwara town






My colleague showing clients their photos on his iPad!






Another client in Mtwara



Mtwara and Lindi are located along the southeastern coast of Tanzania and considered the poorest regions in the country, largely due to lack of infrastructure and investment. The region is most known for its production of cashew nuts, sesame, and rice in which most households are engaged. Newly discovered offshore deposits have recently attracted oil companies to drill and extrapolate this high demand commodity. This has led to the advent of recent construction of tarmac roads (a few) and a bridge that now connects the two sides of the Rufiji River, a once impassable obstacle during the rainy seasons that further limited the transportation of goods, services, and people. Still, our field work these last few days and for another week more continue to take us down dusty, bumpy dirt roads through sparsely populated remote areas with irregular access to electricity to reach our target areas. How I truly do miss the Hotel Serena in Dar es Salaam at this moment! But, as much as accommodation admittedly does stress me out, particularly difficult bathroom situations and the balancing acts that ensue, field work is where my heart is. It is where I find the most happiness and satisfaction. It really is where my livelihood most becomes my soul food.


Stay tuned for more updates and lessons we are learning out here, of course, access to internet permitting!

And another client in Mtwara



Treasurer of a group



The gorgeous Indian Ocean in Mtwara

Black Mountain of the Adriatic Coast

We had been traveling for nearly two weeks down the Adriatic Coast, beginning our adventure in the Croatian capital city of Zagreb, and from there, moving inland to hike through the seven richly hued blue and green lakes of Plitvice National Park, before finally reaching Zadar, the first of many port towns, from where our coastal journey would continue. The western Balkans is another phenomenal region of the world with such a rich and dynamic yet haunting history, due in large part to the war that led to the dissolution of former Yugoslavia. The region was tenuously pinned together under Tito’s Communist rule, and upon his death, the complex ethno-religious frictions that had been brewing for decades erupted into ten long wartime years --- the War in Slovenia in 1991, the Croatian War for Independence from 1991-1995, the Bosnian War from 1992 to 1995, and the Kosovo War  from 1998-1999.  The wars largely pit the Serbs fighting for a Greater Serbia on one side against the Croats and Bosniaks on the other, but these alliances blurred quite often as the wars crossed borders. The wars rose to notoriety as the first classified as genocidal since World War II and with an overall death toll estimated at 140,000.  While physical and psychological remnants of the war were apparent during our travels, varying, of course, from country to country, most individuals we spoke with seemed to prefer to memorialize their heroes while avoiding dwelling on their violent and dark past. From the literal ashes of war, six new countries --- Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Slovenia, Montenegro, and Serbia --- and two autonomous provinces --- Kosovo and Vojvodino --- became recognized. Reconstruction has come a long way in the form of restorations of the charming Old Towns or ‘Stari Grad’ of the port towns, a revived tourism industry, and flourishing wine countries. And, Montenegro, the smallest of these new nations located on the Balkan Peninsula, has come to be known as the pearl of the Mediterranean.

 
Montenegro is a tiny but gorgeous country sized at 14,000 square kilometers and with a population of an approximate mere 676,000. We started our journey from Dubrovnik in southern Croatia by car, and due to the odd borders established around the new nations, were required to go into Bosnia and back into Croatia before crossing into the official borders of Montenegro. We took a ferry on our way into the country to cross the Kotor Bay, which was absolutely gorgeous. Its edges are lined by the many little towns surrounding the bay, studded with church spires and cathedral domes. We passed through many of these gorgeous little towns, the bay on one side and seemingly black mountains towering on the other, before reaching our base for the three days in-country. Sveti Stefan is a charming town, famous for its namesake island resort connected to the mainland by a guarded isthmus. The island was once a fisherman’s town before it was converted into a high-end retreat frequented by the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren. During the war, the island lost its luster as an “Adriatic playground” and was only recently reopened as a part of the luxury Aman Resorts. On our last night in the town, we treated ourselves to a fine dinner at the island’s only restaurant and enjoyed some of the most delicious red wines of the region that accompanied our meal of lamb chops, fig spread with focaccia, cheese-stuffed peppers, and seafood stew. It was divine!

 

 

Sveti Stefan Island

We lost nearly a day of our trip when the rare event of a thunderstorm struck the coast. Our plans to visit the quaint town of Cetinje were scratched as we remained harbored in a traditional Montenegrin restaurant with lit candles, hot chocolate, and all! As the rain subsided by the afternoon, we made our way to the towns of Budva and Kotor. Like all the port towns of the Adriatic coast, these, too, have charming, fortified old towns full of little stores selling trinkets, restaurants in cobblestoned squares, and churches. Kotor was certainly our favorite. Overlooking its port and old town is the Illyrian Fort, lodged and well-camouflaged into the mountainside. It was an impressive architectural feat.

Ancient Venetian Fortifications of Kotor

Door inside the Kotor Stari Grad

Cathedral of Saint Tryphon- Kotor's Landmark

Restored painting from the Cathedral
 

One of many interesting depictions of the crucified Christ

Serbian Orthodox Church of Saint Nicolas

 

 

Church of Saint Mary

A local of Kotor

An unusual depiction of la Pieta

Atop the jagged mountains surrounding the coastal towns of Montenegro are several churches, both new and old. As we visited some of these on our final day, we enjoyed some of the most spectacular panoramic views of Sveti Stefan and the Adriatic coast. On our way back to Dubrovnik, we visited the smaller towns of Perast and Risan full of Roman ruins and magnificent villas built by the captains of the 17^th and 18^th centuries. Seven dazzling little islands dot the water of Kotor Bay --- Saint Marco (Sveti Marko), the island of Mamula, the island of Our Lady of the Rock (Gospa od Skrpjela), Saint George (Sveti Djordje), the island of Milosrdja, the island of Flowers (Ostrvo Cveca), and the smallest island of little Mother of God (Mala Gospa). These islands and the Durmitor Mountain give us plenty of reason to revisit this less discovered gem of a country.

 

 

Church of Sveti Sava

A view of the Montenegrin Adriatic Coast

One of many old palaces in Kotor

Boat in the Bay of Kotor

 

 

Our last night in the western Balkans was spent in lovely Dubrovnik but with heavy hearts. We were sad to leave the beautiful Adriatic and the peace and calm that came with it. Upon return to the States, it was back to a reality that hit hard when I awoke the following morning to not find the shining Adriatic Sea outside my bedroom window. ‘til we meet again!

Charming Sveti Stefan