Farewell

Unfortunately, everything must come to an end..or at least a pause. And so has my Namibian adventure. Although, in the last weeks it did not feel like an adventure, I settled in too well in the new way of life, and started to feel pretty comfortable. I met a bunch of amazing people, learned a ton of new stuff, laughed enough to beat the longevity records and managed to get fairly far with the task in hand. Or at least I like to believe that.

So 6 weeks later, a pair of sunglasses and a laptop lighter, a few kilos and a ton of ideas heavier, here I am, in the BA lounge (it is very handy to have clocked up some miles till now!). I have got here from the point of arriving in a new, absolutely unknown to me country without knowing a single person or even where I was goign to sleep that night. I ended up living with a friend I made through my "adventure" at her house, and having a farewell celebratory braai (BBQ) organised for me on my last night by 6 + 1 (you know who you are - lucky escape due to the alleged work commitments ;) wonderful people , who had become my social life in the last weeks +It feels a little weird, as always, I did not want to leave. I have been away for almost two months, if I combine all the trips before Namibia, so returning home is something that I might start calling adventure in the near future. I had just spent 6 weeks in the sun and palm trees, and now imagining myself getting on the tube every morning is...brrr...

I have had an amazing time spent on an absolute high. I do however realise that 5 weeks was nowhere near what one would need to put in place all the initiatives and ideas. I have built quite a few foundations, partnerships and inititated a number of tendering discussions. It is now a combination of a waiting game - for the sponsorship committee meetings, budgeting cycles, responses and generally someone's good mood, and further work in following up on leads. Now, that I have spent some time in the environment, and have spoken to various people who are in the know, I have a better idea of what is what and how things work. If only this was not 5 weeks, but 5 months... I guess, I will just have to make sure that I am careful enough to not drop the ball and lose momentum now at distance.

I think this is typically the part where one starts saying thank you's and credit all those along the way. I am going to thank my luck - I think that lady has been with me all the way! There is still so much more that I want to do and see, so I have to find a way to return...

ATypical day...

It has been a while since I blogged, and I have started receiving complaints about that...so here I am.

It has been a busy couple of weeks... At the initial briefing by AFiD back in London, I was asked to describe a typical day of a volunteer. Well, as typical days go, mine are probably not very usual ones for AFiD volunteers - I do not implement processes, review reports or even impart my all important knowledge on those who I work with. I sell! Never thought I would ever put that down as a description of what I do, but I have realised that most of the time regardless of what we do, this is exactly the activity we spend out time on. We sell products, services, our knowledge, ideas, concepts, ourselves...And the market varies too - it can be a client, colleague, boss, stakeholder or a random stranger who you are trying to impress. I think my typical daily activities include all of the above! I sell the concept of microfinance, and the idea of women empowerment through capability building and creation of employment, I sell the vision of social development through economic activity. Almost like selling a vision of a robust governance structure to an emerging markets company wishing to play with the big boys on the London Stock Exchange! In fact, very similar - I am also asking for money in return for that great vision. Alongside, I sell those who will bring to life these bright future snapshots - the MLF foundation, and myself alongside - seeing I am the one excitedly reciting the pitch in front of those who were unfortunate enough to not be out of the office when I popped up at their door!  Just like when we include the credentials of the team in the proposal for a new bid. This is my take of fundraising. So really, the only difference between working here and in my regular job back in the real world, is the sunshine and blue Namibian sky...Well, almost only that.

So a typical day for my first week would be best described by a famous song from a Russian movie: "A yaaaa idu, shagau po...Winduk, i yaaaaa proyti eshe smoguuu...". It is a good thing there is no sound effect on this blog! ;) For those who just did a double take at the earlier sentence - a lot of walking around the city! Apart from the traditional approach of setting up appointments (how boring!), I decided to just go the offices of the target organisations and try my luck - either see someone on the spot or set up an appointment. That approach went pretty well for the first week - flip flops on my feet and heels in the bag and ready to go. By now I know the city pretty well, and some of the streets which seems reallllyyyy far turned out to be around the corner!!! It does help that Windhoek isn't actually that massive, so most offices are within more or less walking distance. I have also learned to direct taxi drivers to where I need to go if the distance does not permit flip-flopping along - they do not even dare to ask me for N$20 for a trip anymore (all short distance trips cost N$8 dollars, but if you are not local, the price often seems to go up - as in most places).

Glimpse of the city 

German church. It actually is very pretty - the gloomy sky is not the best backdrop.

Another important part of the "typical" day, is walking into Government offices and demanding to see the minister! Well, may be not quite demanding, but gently insisting on the opportunity to have a chat... Secretaries in the Ministry of Youth, National Planning Commission and Ministry of Gender, Women affairs and Equality know me by name now...In fact, I have even managed to get the aforementioned meetings, and these were quite positive..As positive as they can be given that no decision is made on the spot.

Other than that, in the last weeks I have been to/spoken to quite a number of various organisations, from ministries to banks to FMCG conglomerates. I have had 3-5 meetings a day, apart from occasional walk-ins. One thing I have learned, among others, is to call a spade a spade. I am used to trying to avoid any mention of finance in the very beginning of the conversation for fear of scaring people off from the core proposition and the value. I had come up with a number of ways to introduce myself and purpose for call/visit, however it all ends up pretty much the same way - "So you want funding? Let me put you through to Mr X". Yes, I want funding. Show me the money! The system here works differently and everyone understand that everything revolves around money and requests for funds from various non-for-profit are normal and expected. So now this is exactly what I say - I want grants, funding or financial support.  Makes life so much easier! I have also learned that the address books and google in this country do not get updated...African Development Foundation moved out to an unknown location two years ago from the address they are supposed to be according to the local Yellow pages equivalent!

This week I have taken a different approach...just because I am tired of walking and taking taxis! I call and get rejected on the phone rather than in person. I still have about 3 meetings on average set up every day, and in between I find a cozy cafe equipped with the phone book and research results from the night before, and make calls to the organisations to see if I can fix a time to speak to someone or get an email address to send the proposal.

Cozy cafes like this

The second shift of the day involves researching additional organisations that I could approach for funding or partnership, which from my perspective is as important as just the financial relationship. The stronger our offering, the better the chances of securing the funds int he first place, but also the better the support we provide to our women will be. This is where I get overly excited=)

At this point I have a list of 105 leads and 31 out of these are still more or less untouched. I think about 30 of these are very unlikely to even consider parting with any amounts of money, so I am leaving them for later....

Russian connection 2

And of course...Russians are everywhere! So I sit in a lovely cafe, after interviewing our potential Finance manager, when I suddenly hear familiar language...And it is not English!

So Ms N has lived in Namibia for the last 25 years, and he husband is a doctor. This is one of the most common routes - doctors moved to African countries to help improve the health system long time ago. She says that Namibia is a lovely place to live, and the life is easy - and the climate! I have to agree there - I would move for the climate!!. Turns out there is a whole community of Russian speakers (how do I always find them?), and right next door is a restaurant owned by someone from St Petersburg!

Long story short - I am now a member of that restaurant and enjoy amazing fresh juices at a 15% discount! To be continued...

Blending in...

So it has been a week of my life in the city, and I am quite used to it now, I feel a part of it. It has gone from the slightly unsettling feeling induced by all the scary noticed in the lodge, to a pretty comfortable daily routine of cris-crossing the city. I try to blend in! =) You see, that scary notice about the Windhoek experience mainly applies to tourists. Tourists are easy targets for all the obvious reasons: eyes down on the map, casual camping clothes, big backpack and camera on their chest..or something like that. I refuse to get out of my heels regardless of the country I am in, and I have had a few people ask me whether I was Namibian...of course that was before they heard me speak..But still, not bad!=) On a serious note, of course, one needs to be careful in every city, and word of caution never hurt anyone...

Blending in does not always work however...In Katatura, which is like East London of Windhoek, I was getting funny looks...But most probably because not many Windhoek whites go there, let alone foreigners. Another occasion when blending in does not work, is when I start talking to people and they ask me what I am doing here. They do not really comprehend why I would want to come all the way here to work for free and pay for it too! And the part where I am Russian but live in the UK just adds confusion to the mix. Some look at me funny, and do not ask any more questions as they can see that the voice of reason falls on deaf ears. Some get quite interested, and then we have a good discussion, and they welcome me to stay longer. I am now used to confused faces, and repeated questions WHY? But WHY?

As part of my blending in strategy, I have mastered the art of giving directions to the local taxi drivers! Ok, may be not mastered... Local taxi drivers do not actually know the local streets! The also cannot read maps, and so they move around based on the landmarks and main street names. So the way the conversation normally goes is: " I need to get to X". "Ok, will you show me where to go?"...I try! So far I am writing the blog and hence, my directions have been a success...nobody got lost!=)

Hustle and bustle

So I am in Windhoek. The journey on the way here was much less adventurous, interesting nevertheless. I woke up bright and early on a Saturday bracing myself for another bus trip. You see, under normal circumstances, I would have to take a taxi to Oshakati, the next town, find a service station from which the buses towards Windhoek depart (no pick up from my porch this time around was to be expected), get on that bus and wait until the bus gets full so that we can leave. This is also about 8am....Then on to the journey, a sample was described earlier in the blog.

Well, this would be under normal circumstances... I have been extremely lucky with people I meet so far, so instead of this scenario, my friend at the lodge ( I should really give them all names by now - let him be D) knocks on my door: "Can you be ready in 10 mins?". I can learn Chinese overnight if the exam is tomorrow..."Ok, get ready fast - I got you a ride". Yey!!! So no bus, and no angry looking ladies wanting my seat. One of the customers at the lodge was driving to Windhoek that morning, so I could join. So there we set off... My company turned out to be a lovely couple - he works at the Magistrate and she is in the Ministry of Labour. They have made this 8 hour journey 3 times in that week - Ongwediva and back to Windhoek!! So this time the journey was much more more pleasant and educational as we got to talk Namibian history, politics and culture on the way, and I got to take photos...While on the subject - I have to apologize, not many photos will be coming in the next weeks, as my internet connection has a data limit..=(( Boo!

I got to Windhoek much before sunset, and was greeted by this message on the gate of my new lodge: Try the Windhoek experience: Bring a bag into town and get mugged at knife point. Right.....
Needless to say, when I went out to explore the surrounding neighborhood, I somehow managed to stuff the content of my handbag in my pockets...

I went for a promenade in the surrounding area, which turned out to be the centre of the city, not far off from the main street - Independence avenue. This is where most of the offices I will be visited seemed to be, so it would be good to know my way around. Now this time, walking on the streets, it finally hit me...I am in a foreign country that I know not much about, in a foreign city, no longer a village! And I am on my own!! It helps that I know some people, so at least I can call someone  - I have been lucky so far. But! A big but! This is where I got slightly concerned...How am I going to turn up at various offices and organisations in this city with my fundraising campaign? Will I even be able to find these places? May be my friends are right, may be I am crazy......Besides, and this was the most worrying part - this is 6pm on a Saturday and this place is like a ghost town. Where is everybody??!!! Windhoek is supposed to be a busy city with the hustle and bustle...well, by Namibian standards...

After about an hour of wandering around, checking back to my map at every turn, I walked to PwC office!

Now I feel at home ;) Well, I shall visit them later.....

Turns out, most places are open from 9am to 1pm on the weekends, and then people go out in the night, but in a different part of town... Do much for the hustle and bustle!

Russian connection

Someone has mentioned to me recently that there is some kind of Russian theme threading through my blog. I did not actually intend for it to be there, but this is something I have thought about it. In small things. In fact, I seem to find some similarities with Russia in many cultures and countries... My housemate will understand what I mean here ;)

So Namibia, huh! I think the simple explanation for russian interest in Namibia is as it is with many natural resources rich countries - in this instance uranium! But this is very boring, instead I prefer to draw less obvious parallels...

So to start with – food! A very traditional Namibian dish - mahangu porridge with cabbage and meet stew. Cabbage! Previous volunteer had mentioned in her notes that she struggled to describe what mahangu looks and tastes like. Well, for me this one is easy – cold semolina porridge (mannaya kasha) tinted grey! Voila! For my Russian speaking comarades, this would be easy to understand. Many might cringe, but I still like “manka”. My mom was outraged by the comparison though – “Nobody eats it anymore!!” Well, my memories of Russia are 10 years out of date...:)

Next, the ladies’ fashion sense. I am sure many would identify with this one. Now, to put this into perspective – the weather is hot. Very hot. It is 32 degrees with 20% humidity and bright sun. Hot. Yet, most women around wear full colour matching and accessorised outfits, some with full length skirts, sleeves, cardigans, jeans. Heels are pretty much a standard, often on closed and pointy shoes. While queing at an ATM the other day, I saw a lady wearing full length long sleeved woollen (!!!!) camel dress with matching fluffy woollen beret!!!! I suppose camel is the colour of the season.... And she was not the only one wearing a beret to add that “je ne sais quoi” to her outfit in the last few days!

She is wearing boots!!! Thankfully, not the UGGs...

 Is this passion for fashion not what most people note when they meet Russians? Christie, your support is needed here!

Love for the most ridiculous foreign soap operas – I may have mentioned before that there was a soap of unidentified origin that seemed to play everywhere. Well, the mystery has been solved – it is from the great filmmakers of the Phillipines! So Phillipines to Namibia = Brazil to Russia!

Gender roles – men are invariably the head of the household, however the women seem to be the ones bearing most responsibilities and struggling to keep their families afloat. Women here (and in fact in many parts of Africa) are the ones who are considered more entrepreneurial and reliable in money matters, and are often targeted for development programmes. Do not need to look far – most microfinance programmes focus on women for these reasons! Men appear to often choose to drown their sorrows in a bottle when the going gets tough – there are a lot of “bottle stores” here!! Of course, I am generalising, but aren’t Russian women, and particularly from the rural areas, known to be strong, as a quote from a Russian literary piece goes “if needed, to stop a running horse, to enter a burning house...”. This of course has nothing to do with me, entering a burning house would mess up my hair!

And well, of course the key historical aspect – socialist regime that Russia tried to support implementing in Africa...That did not work out that well, but there is always uranium....

Taking stock...

Where does the time go? It has already been a week since I arrived in Ongwediva. And I am leaving this weekend to go back to Windhoek. This week has gone by really quickly!

So what am I taking to Windhoek: two arrangements for partnerships with local NGO's which would bring a lot of additional value to our women groups and their communities, 6 confirmed meetings, few interested unconfirmed contacts, a long list of organisations where I am planning to just turn up uninvited, a recruitment interview and a bunch of proposals already sent out and (would you believe it!!) acknowledged! In fact, quite a few of the speculative emails that I have sent out to various organisations requesting to meet, have not been ignored!!

I am quite used to sending out emails into nowhere, and then hoping that there is a person at the other end who at least clicks on the "Delete" button. In this instance though, people actually bother to respond to me and explain why they cannot consider us at the moment, but would like to see what we have to offer for future consideration! On the phone I have never been passed on to a non-existent number (ok, a couple of answering machines), but there was never a blank "Thanks, but no, thanks". I think this is amazing! I am feeling positive...but then again, let me not get ahead of myself.

I quite enjoyed this first week. It has been quite inspiring, and in looking through the organisation which we might potentially like to work with and just seeing how much is actually being done in the field of development and community work, one can't help but get inspired. It all seems to be a different world from where I normally live, one where people get motivated not by how much they would get from a new deal or how far that deal would take them in their career, but by how many more people they might reach out and support in some way, or by what new skills they can bring into their community and the village where they grew up.

Emilia and Anna - the Loan officers

The girl on the left does not actually work in MLF, but why not join the dreamteam!

In big cities people often try to almost forget where they came from, if that place was a small town or even a rural community. They are proud what they have made of themselves by getting out and reaching out to the bright stars of the fast and noisy urban life. Here, most of those who I have spoken to would love to have stayed where they were born, but acutely realise that the only way for them to have a good chance in life is to move to some place with better education and more jobs. Unsurprusingly, this means bigger towns. Yet, most return to their villages on the weekends, holidays and pretty much any time they can. It makes it that much sadder that the rural life is slowly disappearing, because the village life is not sustainable under current circumstances. But it could be! There are ways to help farmers use more sustainable practices, create jobs, retain youth... However, as with everything, someone very passionate about it has to do it, and someone very rich has to fund it! The combination is scarce in this world..

How did I get to this thought? It was all on the positive side...The sky is still very blue and the sun is scorching... So how is your weather, London? ;)