Some Good News
What a week! Busy, productive, and satisfied.
The last couple months have been rather frustrating, as my search for a new and interesting employment opportunity has been rather tiresome. Although there have been plenty of jobs to apply for, it has taken incredibly long for to hear responses, arrange interviews, and get results.
However, last night I officially accepted a position. Although I was initially uncertain about the capacity of this organization to undertake the ambitious projects they are pursuing throughout the world, I have come to the conclusion that their ambitious work is backed with by a talented, brilliant, and dedicated staff whose objectives correlate greatly to my own. I am quite pleased to join the team, and look forward the further expansion of this partnership.
This NGO approaches international development and aid from a different perspective than might be traditionally assumed. Rather than giving aid, they give work. In their words, it is a micro-work organization, that brings computer based work to women, youth, and refugees living in poverty. Over several years, I have witnessed individuals within an array of companies work hard to acquire skills necessary to participate in the global economy, yet with few opportunities to put these skills to use, these efforts have remained unmerited. It works to target the locations where skilled populations with limited economic activity are located, and collaborates with various institutions and business partners to generate income facilitating activities by means of online data entry, research, or product testing. Samasource is a global operation, pursuing projects throughout Africa, Asia, and low in-come communities within the United States, such as within rural south-west Mississippi.
I will now oversee all projects within Kenya. This includes 18 projects located within Nairobi, 2 within the Dadaab Refugee Camps, and the potential expansion of camps within other towns or nearby countries in the future. This is a very exciting opportunity for Samasource, the Kenyan and Refugee populations, and myself.
Pursuing development within a protracted refugee settlement is a complicated issue. In the classic model of humanitarian aid, the disaster happens and international agencies show up to dump lots of stuff on people - food, skills development programs, micro-loans, building materials, security, and clean water. Certainly these things are important, because we have a responsibility to help one another in the world, and no problem can be solved if people are dying of starvation, sickness, and war. But after awhile, new problems emerge. The infusion of food aid, might undermine the ability for the food markets to recover. For example, as free sugar will always cost less than the locally grown or sold product. People who might have made a living growing, shipping, or selling sugar, will no longer have a livelihood and will need to find new methods to stay afloat. Such problems have a way of spiraling out of control. Clearly at a certain point, adding more stuff is no longer the answer. The trick is to then start identifying strengths and to work toward removing the obstacles that keep these strengths from blossoming. Problem is, so far no one has been able figure out how to determine this 'point of transition.'
When I was in Dadaab I noticed that the construction of a
cell-phone tower had become a major strength within the development of these camps. After is was constructed, thousands of individuals scraped up whatever money they could find to get some sort of cell phone. Maybe several families would buy one together, while others could be purchased through loan programs. With a cell phone, refugees could stay in contact with relatives abroad, make arrangements for money to be wired, learn about weather conditions before grazing animals and a multitude of other advantages. Money began to flow into the camps, and then new businesses emerged.One man would purchase an electric generator and re-charge your phone batter for a fee, while another would get hold of a used computer and provide email access via the cell phone network. Next another man would start a business teaching computer classes so that interested men and women could expand their opportunities. Keep in mind that people living in circumstances of conflict induced displacement are not 'poor illiterate farmers.' These people had livelihoods and professions in their nation of origin. Many were carpenters, lawyers, truck drivers, secretaries, and mechanics. Seeking to improve their livelihood and support their family, people always seek to adapt to market demands. The problem with a refugee camp however, is that government policies restrict viable economic growth. Although someone might acquire an array of computer skills and have access to a computer, it does not necessarily translate into having a job. Someone else will need to provide that.
By giving work, they are providing a means to for individuals to help themselves. By opening the door to the global economy, a major obstacle on the pathway toward stability and development has become available to that population. Projects such as those undertaken by Samasource might be the essential element within overcoming the gaps between humanitarian relief, development, and a functioning stable economy. I am grateful to have this oppurtunity to work on the forefront of such a project, and look forward to a healthy and vibrant experience in the near future.
I will be relocating to Nairobi within the next couple weeks.
The one quality that really distinguishes Nairobi from other cities is not necessarily the cuisine, the architecture, or even the hospitality of the people. It is the sprawling distance. I have repeatedly experienced the same conversation in which people give me directions from one place to another, specifically stating that I am 'very close' and while I can of course take a bus or a matatu (micro-bus), I can just as well walk.
