Zambia Field Update: How Toilets Bring Sustainability

The capacity building efforts that Spark Ventures supports in Zambia run the gambit. This includes supporting professional development opportunities for the teachers at Hope Community School, lending the expertise of a Spark board member to conduct financial audits, and, most recently, funding the construction of toilets and showers at the poultry farm in Lusaka.

Why do toilets and shower facilities make us so excited? Because they directly relate to sanitation priorities at the poultry farm, which in turn affect the success and profitability of the business. As the poultry farm increases in profitability, more and more funds will be allocated towards the community programs at Hope Village, creating local sustainability for Spark’s first partner in Zambia. This means the education, nutrition and healthcare Hope provides to the vulnerable children in Ndola will be available for generations to come.

How does this all come back to the installation of toilets on the farm? When the chicks arrive at the farm as day-old, little yellow puffs, they are very vulnerable. They huddle together around the heat lamps keeping warm. At this point and throughout the six week growth cycle, they are susceptible to a number of diseases. Keeping the highest possible standards for sanitation at the farm is critical to keep as many chicks alive during the cycle as possible. More healthy chickens at the end of six weeks means more profits for the farm.

Better sanitation facilities also mean happier, healthier farm workers who can then focus their efforts on raising healthy broods each cycle.

And, that's how new toilets lead to healthier chickens, which in turn leads to sustainability for Hope!

Nicaragua: Partnership Next Steps

Whenever I travel, these days that being mostly for Spark, I tend to write quite a bit. Whether in an electronic format, paper journal, or leaving notes for myself in my iPhone, I carry either pages or fragments of information and thoughts. The last time I wrote mostly for myself was two weeks ago, on my layover in Panama, in the same place I’m sitting right now while waiting for my flight back to Chicago. It boggles my mind how fast time has flown and that our first Nicaraguan Partnership Trip just ended. So much to think about.

One of the things that I have been thinking about the most is how critical the summer of 2013 will be for Spark. In between all of the activities and excitement of our first Partnership Trip in Nicaragua, I had late night Skype meetings with candidates who applied for the Business Research and Development internship with us. The internship will be built around a small team of business and trade students who will be working with me and our partner both in the US and Nicaragua to research investment opportunities. The selected opportunity will ultimately be developed into a full blown business plan. The goal will be to come away from this summer with a fully vetted business that will become the blueprint for our partner’s social enterprise and future sustainability engine. If all goes as planned, we could be raising money for this new investment a year from now.

While the Nicaragua business team launches early this summer, a similar effort will be underway at the same time In Zambia, supporting the Poultry Farm owned and managed by our partner there. The business capacity building effort will include: research into the current poultry industry, assessment of scaling the Hope Ventures operation on an additional piece of land, looking into vertical integration in the poultry industry outside of broiler (chicken) production, as well as exploring other opportunities. The implications of both projects will be considerable, with fall 2013 being a time when Spark and our partners make some big decisions.

Despite the excitement I feel, I know we’ll have to move forward pragmatically and not lose sight of the contextual realities that may alter any plans considerably if not taken into account. Early this morning, as I was leaving San Juan del Sur, a small beachy town I went to visit for a day at the end of the Partnership Trip, the typically two hour commute to Managua took over four hours. The culprit? Massive strikes and road blockades all over the country staged by angry demonstrators demanding pension increases for senior citizens. The government had apparently promised the pension increases a while back but they didn’t come through, and with the swelling unemployment and large informal economy, basic survival is the daily bread of many of Nicaragua’s citizens.

As I finally made it through the gridlock of cars and people on the Pan American highway and we began to race towards the airport, my mind raced with questions, too. How might government gaps in social service provisions in Nicaragua affect Spark’s work? What will the political and economic climates mean for launching a new business in this extremely poor Central American country? And how can our experiences with our first partnership in Zambia benefit us in Nicaragua? These and other important questions will be priorities for me and the Spark staff and leadership in the coming months.

-Lucy

A Perfect Day in Grenada

If you ever fly United Airlines, their Hemispheres magazine has a great feature in each issue called “Three Perfect Days in…”. Each month they highlight a different city and recommend restaurants, hotels and activities that make for a perfect vacation in places like Toronto, Munich, Seattle or Capetown.

Here is my “Perfect Day in Grenada”.

At the close of our inaugural Partnership Trip to Nicaragua, we spent an incredible 24 hours in the colonial town of Grenada that is situated on the shores of Lake Nicaragua. We arrived Friday evening and checked into the beautiful Hotel Plaza Colon right in the heart of town. After cleaning up, we walked through the plaza that had trees strung with colorful lights and lots of craft and food vendors vying for our attention. In 10 minutes we arrived at the restaurant El Zaguan where we enjoyed great South American wine, live music and delicious meals including fresh fish, steak and even a very good vegetarian dish.

Las Isletas tour by boat

Mombacho from the lake

The next morning we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast buffet at the hotel overlooking the pool, which was very inviting considering it was already 85 degrees. We departed about 9:30am in an open-air vehicle for the base of the dormant Mombacho volcano, where we caught another vehicle that took us half way up the mountain to the Las Flores Coffee plantation. I will confess that I decided to enjoy my first cup of coffee in 10 years….it was worth the wait!

Next we joined about 25 other hikers in a big truck that took us up to one of the craters that over thousands of years had turned into a tropical rain forest. For the next two hours we hiked around the outskirts of the crater with a guide, who introduced us to animal and plant species and shared interesting facts and stories about the culture and history of Nicaragua. The highlight of the hike was definitely the look-out point mid-way through our journey that provided spectacular views of the Grenada and Lake Nicaragua below and the many coastal islands that had been formed when the volcano last erupted about 500 years ago.

Tour of the islets in Lake Nicaragua formed by Mombacho Volcano

After the hike, we picked up a quick but tasty lunch at Lilly’s…a small café off the plaza and then our group was picked up for a boat tour of those very islands we had seen from the top of the volcano. The islands were a variety of privately owned residences for the wealthy of Nicaragua, as well as some that have been preserved for their natural habitats. Learning of Lola’s pregnancy at Monkey Island and the discovery of a flowering Jilincoche tree were bonuses.

Monkey Island

Boat Tour

As our boat motored back to shore at sunset, we
had stunning views of the Mombacho volcano, where we had started our adventure that morning. Once at the dock, we walked just a few feet to our preset dinner table at Hotel Suyapa Beach restaurant bringing the perfect day to a close.

All I can say is….join us in October!

Rich

Carlos & the Best Job in the World

Of course one of the most important aspects of Spark’s Partnership Trips is the time that we spend with the children served by the programs. In the case of Las Tias, there are two centers that are run on weekdays: one for adolescents and one for children in primary school. We spent the most time at the projecto por los ninos pequeños - the Younger Children’s Project. The children here either come for about five hours in the morning before they go to school in the afternoon, or they arrive around lunchtime and have already attended school in the morning. Las Tias is a safe and nurturing place where they receive food, educational support, cultural lessons and emotional, psychological and healthcare support.

The staff indicated that one of the most useful things that our group could do would be to work with some of the children on their English. So Lucy created a conversational English lesson and each trip participant was paired with one or two of the students. Together we learned how to introduce ourselves, ask one another’s age and several other common phrases. “Me llamo Ricardo,” I would say…and the little guy I was working would reply, “Mi nombre es Carlos.” The children were eager to learn and quickly mastered the phrases. So then we moved on to flashcards with various words and numbers.

While the time spent with these types of activities is relatively brief, the impact is significant. It gives them a jump on their English studies and reinforces the importance of language skills in order for them to succeed in school and future work life. The children and educators alike are both so appreciative that we would take the time to visit, learn about their lives and support them in this small way.

 

From the English lessons, we moved on to crafts, games and the all-important meal program. Our trip participants helped to wash hands, serve the meal, and distribute tooth brushes and toothpaste. The meal program at Las Tias is high quality and very organized. Each child begins by washing their hands with soap and water, and then gets in line for the meal. As they enter the kitchen they are asked what size portion they would like and they know they are required to eat whatever they take. The meals are good portions and include a variety of vegetables, carbohydrates and protein. After they are finished eating, they go and pick up their assigned toothbrush and brush their teeth.

Just as I finished up helping to wash all of the kids’ hands for the meal, my English lesson partner Carlos came running up to me and presented me with a bead necklace. As I knelt down so he could put it around my neck I thought, I have the best job in the world.


-Rich

Dinner Numero Dos with Las Tías

Thursday night’s dinner will be one I won’t forget for a while. Our team of six had a full day- in the morning we had gone to the Younger Children’s Project and had a chance to spend several hours playing games with the kids, making jewelry out of beads and seeds, and holding a quick English lesson of commonly used phrases. Afterwards Magno took us to the massive market where Las Tías originated, stopping by to meet one of the organization’s founding Tías, a merchant who’s been selling fruit at the market for decades. A woman in her mid to late 60s, she was sitting in a plastic chair by her stall, wearing a Yankees baseball cap and sipping a Coke through a long straw. Impossible not to smile when you saw her.

After a stop at the Adolescent project, we were soon on our way to Corina’s. Our sixsome (not sure if that’s a real word) were about to cook a massive Nicaraguan dinner with the full Las Tías team. Can’t deny how excited I was to see them in a context other than meetings and carefully prepped activities. The minute we arrived, a series of incredible aromas hit us- the traditional Indio Viejo (a saucy stew of magic), pico de gallo, pulled pork, shredded chicken, fresh mangoes, and mountains of vegetables. The Tías pulled each one of us to a different area and minutes later Carol and I were rolling taquitos, Krupa was deep frying, and Ursula taking care of the pork. The gentlemen, ehm, hid in the corner by the fan ;)

For the first time since we entered into our partnership with Las Tías I felt like I really had the chance to get to know them better individually, one on one. We talked about their kids, family life, and the political and cultural differences between the local neighborhoods, as well as the presence of a powerful indigenous identity that is actively preserved and celebrated; from ancient recipes and medicinal plants to sadness over the loss of native languages.

Corina at the head of her table

When we sat down to eat I wound up sitting next to Corina, the founder and recognized leader of Las Tías, who was more quiet than usual. I asked her what was on her mind. Her response had to do with a topic I’ve been having discussions on with several people in the past three weeks- the growing number of farmers, many of them quite young, being diagnosed with kidney disease and subsequent kidney failure. The entity held responsible for the deadly disease has been the long suspected sugar cane industry, which uses dangerous chemical fertilizers to kill pests. The industry vs public battle has been getting louder and more serious, partially due to advocacy organizations calling attention to the problem.

I asked Corina what her thoughts were on this situation. Her response? It’s time to take this to the schools and universities, and grow the awareness campaign among younger people and those in academia. Not surprisingly, she then said she had contacts that wanted to collaborate in this effort and were ready to take the next steps. I don’t know what these next steps will look like, but if Corina is in the leadership team, I have high hopes for the outcomes.

Among serious conversations and lighter ones, all over incredible food that we had seconds and thirds of, the evening brought us all closer together. Looking forward to many more.

-Lucy

Pescado grande y los Educadores contentos

One important aspect of our Partnership Trips is to provide opportunities for trip participants and the local staff to interact in meaningful ways. Last night the entire staff of Las Tias (about 12 administrators, teachers and social workers) joined the six of us from Spark for dinner at a beautiful restaurant on the beach.

Leon is only a twenty minute drive from the Pacific ocean and an area where many Nicaraguans go to vacation. We arrived to a table overlooking the beach and our soundtrack for the night was the sound lapping of waves on the shore. As soon as we all got seated, we began to introduce ourselves. The staff from Las Tias was clearly excited to be enjoying an evening out…they were dressed up and could not hide the smiles from their faces as they stood and shared their name and position with the organization. Those of us with Spark introduced ourselves using our minimal Spanish vocabulary and that was met with great patience and even applause. The fun had begun!

Lucy had called in our meal orders earlier in the day and shortly after we were finished with introductions, the food began to arrive. Big fish platters were the selection of almost everyone. The fish were cooked whole and covered in various sauces. Las Tias’ Administrator Magno told me that they were red snapper and that they called these “pescado grande” or “big fish”. As he dug into the fish head (a delicacy in Nicaragua), he explained most families in Nicaragua would never see a meal like this and that his staff was incredibly thankful for the opportunity to enjoy such a fine evening out with the Spark team.

The next hour was spent eating the delicious fresh fish and amusing ourselves with attempts to communicate in English or Spanish, occasionally learning a meaningful fact about someone’s family or Nicaraguan culture. Then, people sat back in their chairs with hands on their bellies, or got up to go for a walk on the beach, and Magno leaned over and said to me “This is a table with educadores contentos,”…..a group of content educators.

As we walked out to the vans to take us back to town, Magno spoke on behalf of the group and expressed how much the evening had meant to them. Most could not afford nor had the time to take an evening off like this and go to such a nice restaurant and connect with one another outside of work. He said this type of activity strengthens their team, it will help retain their talented staff and they are very thankful to have us as partners.

Part of Spark’s role is to strengthen our international partners and much of our effort is rightly focused on strategy, financial processes, business planning and measuring impact. But last night reminded me that a simple team building dinner and the cultural interaction that happens between our partners’ staff and our trip participants is an encouraging and strengthening activity that ultimately will also benefit the children we are all committed to serving.

-Rich

Las Tías, Nicaragua: Partnership Development

Las Tías leadership

Arriving in Managua last week, Nicaragua greets you with a massive wave of heat and a medley of distinct smells and sounds. The capital is a combination of endless strings of honking cars, vendors selling everything from plastic toys to flags to fruit and weaving in and out of traffic, and pick-up trucks with workers or kids sitting in tightly squeezed groups in the back. Music, exhaust, burnt tires, locally devoured quesillos, and little plastic bags with juice everywhere. Bienvenidos!

Waking up to what’s considered the last month of summer and a nearing transition to both winter and the rainy season, I arrived at Las Tías’ children’s center early Tuesday afternoon and was greeted by a friendly woman who I didn’t recognize but who seemed to know me. She quickly introduced herself as the social worker, which then made sense. Back in the fall of 2012, shortly after conducting a Needs Assessment with the Tías team, one of the areas of need was strengthening both the psychological and social well being of the kids. These became two of Spark’s primary funding areas, beyond several others- supporting a full time psychologist and part time social worker to work with both the younger kids and the adolescents. Most of them come from poor, broken families, many victims of verbal, physical or sexual abuse, others of neglect. Among many of the things they learn at Las Tías is how to deal with and resolve conflict without the use of physical force.

The Tías began arriving one by one, greeting and catching me up on what has been happening that week thus far. Corina told me that she was hosting a single mother with two young children at her home, a young woman who fled from her abusive husband but had nowhere to go. The entire team was looking through their networks for help and to find funding for the woman to purchase a small parcel of land and build a casita. After building her a home, I wondered, how would she continue to live? Given that she had almost no formal education, what would she do for work? The challenges only compounded.

With the leadership team and several members of the Board present, we started our first meeting. It was an exciting one given the proximate timing of so many things on the horizon- Spark’s first Nicaragua Partnership Trip and the launch of the investment research phase being two of the bigger items. Both ideas and questions started pouring in, which needed a pause to first talk about long term goals of the future social enterprise and the likely level of funding it would need to generate in order to sustain itself as well as Las Tías’ operational costs. With that in mind, it was too early to talk about specific businesses- instead, the conversation turned to the upcoming process and structure development of the preliminary areas of research and factors that would need to be considered, such as current industry trends, and political, legal, and environmental considerations, to name a few.

Though the meeting was just the first one of many, the team and I outlined blocks of dates and what needed to be accomplished in various spheres in the next six months. A business research and plan development team has been in the works on Spark’s end, with exciting news to come by the end of April- the composition of the team. But till then.. the Partnership Trip is less than two days away! Excited to see everyone.

Hasta la proxima,

Lucy