almost there

Whew, there's a lot to share.

On June 21st, we hosted a moringa conference in Mbabane. Representatives
from our partner organizations all came for a full day of discussion
about the future of moringa in Swaziland. We introduced our
organization, moringa technical information, market, and discussed
expectations and responsibilities from all parties. Attached are some
pictures. It was held on a Saturday and one of the reps (I won't say
who) complained about having to work on a weekend. If I didn't know the
organization well, I would have been hesitant to continue that investment.

These same reps didn't like the lunch we served. We hired one of the
local braai (bbq) guys from our neighborhood to serve grilled chicken,
salad, and mealie (corn meal). This guy is named Rim and we've been
trying to encourage him to start a braai catering service.

Other than that, the conference went smoothly. Everybody was well
interested and looking forward to beginning.

Here's the big news... we've got the permit for importing moringa! What
does that mean? That means we have the government's permission to import
and promote the non-indigenous moringa in Swaziland. After all the
negotiations and maneuverings since April, we've got it. Many of our
colleagues are surprised that we have been able to get it in such a
short time. Most of them told us that it would take no less than a year;
we would never be able to get the permits this summer.

We've officially opened the door for moringa utilization in Swaziland.

That was Monday. We just got back from up north doing site surveys and
building a demonstration leaf drying structure. This is a solar drying
structure that should be able to dry (moringa) leaves in a shorter time;
we're testing it out right now. The dark dry room takes about 7 days;
we're testing it now and shooting for 3-4 days. Attached are a few
pictures from construction and end product. There's a video we recorded
explaining how it works but its way too large to upload at this internet
speed. Such a drying structure would be able to really help folks
producing large amounts of powder. This is especially the case for an
organization like Cabrini Mission. They provide food supplements and
wants to include moringa powder into that supplement package.

We were hoping to go to Maputo this weekend, but we are just all
exhausted from working pretty much 12 hour days the last week. Between
traveling and working, we haven't had much of a break at all. We just
got back to our house in Mbabane to get our first baths in a week of sweat.

On a more personal note, I have been disappointed in that I haven't been
able to spend more time learning about the healthcare system. Thats
really my special interest; healthcare delivery, not nutrition.
Nutrition is important to be sure, but direct healthcare is really what
I want to work in professionally. Fortunately, next week I am headed out
for a field trip with a Baylor doctor doing some ARV/TB outreach program.

picture time

some pictures :)

Oye

 

I just got back from northern Swaziland today with the guys. A community development outfit was holding a farming workshop and we were invited to attend. It was an opportunity to meet with a moringa guy, Jon Nzira from South Africa and a chance for Alex and Abhi to see rural homesteads for the first time. Also, we had some trouble germinating the seeds here in Mbabane due to the altitude and cold so wanted to try at a friend's farm where it was warmer.

 

So, we traveled up to the area just north of Piggs Peak Wednesday straight to the farm. We immediately started building a small greenhouse to increase the temperature a bit more. Alex designed it on the fly and there was a lot of improvisation. It took us a day to build the first half. We chopped up some wooden stakes, secured them into the ground, tied a tarp over, and dug trenches to keep the sides down. It sounds easy and simple, but it was much more complicated and difficult. Ill attach some pictures of our greenhouse on this post.

 

Wednesday afternoon, we rushed to Vusumnotfo to catch the end of their workshop. One of the presenters was this guy, Jon Nzira from South Africa. He has been working with moringa for 15 years now and is currently doing it in Mpumalanga and Mozambique just across the Swazi borders on the western and northern sides, respectively. We talked with him for maybe an hour as he was in a rush to get back to Joburg. He gave us some excellent information on moringa's presence in southern Africa; how its being used, what the market is like, and the nuances of growing it in this region. My vision has been for moringa to ultimately become a local commodity sold at the bus ranks and small shops right alongside the bananas and oranges. Jon told me that this is already the case in South Africa (which is fantastic because it sets a precedence for demand and feasibility) and that moringa powder there is going for 5R (0.60USD) for just 2 tablespoons. That is serious income generation. That also means that market awareness is just next door and more easily be transferred to Swaziland.

 

On Thursday, Abhi and Alex went out with Moya Center and Vusumnotfo people as they went out for site visits for their joint permaculture project. This was their first exposure to true bush Swaziland. This region actually gets a fair amount of rain so its not nearly as bad off as the Lowveldt. But nevertheless, it is good to see how folks live. While they went out, I stayed at Vusumnotfo office to work on the official project proposal to be given to the government. My friend Kathy Gau, who has been doing community development for nearly 30 years now in Swaziland, had helped me prepare the document. That woman knows her stuff. She gave me great advice on our project and laid out pitfalls that many big-name ignorant organizations continue to make.

 

I should say that thanks to mentoring by teachers back home and here, my personal understanding, perspective, and judgement relative to international aid and development has been able to grow by leaps and bounds. Speaking with experienced NGO staff here, I can keep up in conversation and sometimes even offer constructive criticism (sometimes). To be sure, there is so much so much more to learn.

 

I was so intimidated. I was very nervous in telling them any details about our group and our project details. These are big name people; FAO, Save the Children, WHO, TechnoServe, Action Against Hunger, and so on. After discussing our proposal in depth with some close allies, it turned out we actually had a fair game plan that was sensitive to socioeconomic and cultural nuances. That makes me so proud, honestly. This proposal seems to be one of the few things in my life that I've gotten somewhat right :) Whoodathunk? Its amazing that nobody thinks we are a ridiculous bunch of crazies.

 

By Friday, we went back to farm to finish the other half of the greenhouse. Stayed the night and came back to Mbabane on Saturday with short stop in Manzini for Alex to pick up a guitar. The bus ride was 3.5 hours total.

 

Am just totally exhausted.

 

Something interesting, we've been picking up food mostly from street vendors and there's a slight difference in the food offered. In Mbabane, we get bananas, onions, potatoes, oranges, boiled maize (corn), grilled maize, grapefruits, peanuts, avocados, papaya, cornbread, and fat cake (I'll explain fat cakes in a moment). Up near Emkhuzweni in the north near the Mozambican border, they had all of the above minus avocados and papaya and plus taro and cassava and fish. Taro and cassava are traditional Swazi staple foods but have been neglected after the introduction of white maize (which is entirely inappropriate for dry climates). I don't know why taro and cassava was available there and not in Mbabane. The fish was a direct result of Mozambican influence and maybe even a Moz import.

 

It should be noted that people and things here don't travel much so there is not an even distribution of ideas. Because of this, seeing regional influences is very interesting. Seeing fish in the north sold at the bus rank means people like fish up there. Not seeing it in Mbabane suggests that people aren't a big fan of fish down here.

 

Okay, so the fat cake is basically a small unseasoned fried dough ball. It sounds kind of goofy, I know, but its totally delicious. Maybe its because we don't eat much greasy foods here so when we do, our taste buds just go wild for it. This week, we survived on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (Alex and Abhi), taro/cassava/fatcake (me), oranges, bananas, and pears. Okay, Alex loves them fat cakes too.

 

Oye, estoy cansado...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boys are Back

Just a couple days ago, I traveled to Joburg to pick up Alex and Abhi from Tambo airport. Had a big ol smile on my face when I saw my boys walking down the terminal with all their bags. Finally, my team is here and what a great feeling. Ive realized that Ive been working with them for so many years now that when we work separately, the project feels incomplete. Its wonderful to have colleagues to debate ideas with (emphasis on debate).

 

Made them dinner at the backpackers lodge and we left right away the next day for Swaziland. To save money, we used public transport (mini-bus). The mini-bus was packed with people; people sat on stools in the middle of the aisle! However, it was fast and it only cost 160 rand a person versus 400 rand per person on the backpackers bus. To be sure, given Joburg's reputation for being the murder capital of the world and recent escalation in violence with the "xenophobia attacks", we definitely took a calculated risk. But here at swaziAID, that's how we do.

 

I introduced them to the stesh boys (the guys hanging around the braai all day), taught them some elementary siSwati, showed them how to get around on the kombis, and toured around downtown Mbabane. We did a little work on the way; reserved the Emafini conference center for our first general conference for moringa trials in Swaz. We want to make sure that everyone has a clear idea of what we are going to do separately and together, what we will provide, and what kind of concerted action we can take to get the support of MOAC.

 

Yesterday, we went to Manzini to scout out the building and agricultural stores. We spend the day there and found pretty much all the materials we will need for setting up the plots; fencing, drip irrigation piping and heads, greenhouse building material, and all the tools. We found some good prices and will be able work with minimal costs but still make it all work well.

 

This coming week, we are setting up a low-cost simple greenhouse to start the moringa plants to seedlings. While we are not yet planting it on the ground, this is in preparation for MOAC's permission. Then we are heading up to Piggs Peak for a 3 day farming workshop hosted by Vusumnotfo. This will be Abhi and Alex's first trip to the bush and see the average rural Swazi farmer lives. This is a wonderful opportunity because it is the rural Swazi farmer that will benefit the most from moringa.

 

If you remember, we will be working with a rural women's group to produce and market some very nice handbags. We will apply what we have learned from Makers United to help them sell these hand-made bags. This is important for them because for most of them, it is their only source of income. The money earned from the sales put their children through primary school. Abhi, our business specialist, is going to spearhead this project.

In the pictures... two guys selling 2nd hand clothing from the US at the Joburg Wanderers station, of course, they were wearing an Ohio State jacket and an FSU jacket, unbelievable. and I was of course wearing my UF hat. Another picture is abhi trying out his new hemp at the hardware. also a stall at the Mbabane farmer's market.