Things I've Learned

This is my last blog from East Africa. After nearly a month and a half, I've seen, heard, tasted, smelled and touched many things. Some of these things have either changed my perspective, reminded me of things I'd forgotten, reitterated my opinion, or completely opened my eyes. Here are a few of them (in no particular order):

Third world accounting can be very complex.
Over the past three weeks I've been working tirelessly with the accounts team from Bringing Hope to the Family (the org we work with in Uganda) to develop a better accounting system for the organization. The organization has grown so large that the previous system was not adequate enough. We have moved them from using paper ledgers to now using Intuit QuickBooks on the computer. I've been very surprised how fast they learned the program and how hungry they were to put it to use. The new system is much easier to use but...

Sometimes, in an effort to keep organizations accountable, funders/donors make it more difficult for non-profits to do their jobs.
The new accounting system we've put into place is only complex because of the special constraints put on some of the donations. Several funders/donors that our organization works with, require that their money be kept in separate bank accounts and that the org's receiving funds keep separate accounting records of the money being spent...Setting up these accounts has been very frustrating in that respect. We've had to develop special procedures just for these funders...I hope they feel special...we worked extra hard just for them.

Relationships are more important than the "mission".
Sometimes this one is easy to forget about. This job is about people, not about achieving a mission or having a feeling of accomplishment on the flight home. The goal is investing in individuals...investing in their future... The mission should be developing friendship and lives. Everything else is built upon that.

One by-product of the trust that comes from relationship is efficiency and effectiveness. The most difficult of tasks can be accomplished when people really trust each other. I think the problem is trust only comes with relationship and time...two things that many NGO's/people don't invest in.

Governments can be real stupid.
During this trip, this thought has passed through my mind more than any other. Then again, governments are made of people. But they can still be stupid. In so many circumstances on this trip, governments have impeded growth, stifled economic development, and stopped great ideas.

It's not only frustrating for us Westerners...(i know we have our issues, but) imagine visitors coming to visit you and telling you about an economic system with few barriers to trade...about a system that allows you to buy from whomever you want...you can sell to whoever you want, at whatever price you want...imagine feeling that your government, which is supposed to be a democracy working for the people, is the very entity prohibiting your success.

While we were in Tanzania, we discussed the coffee farming industry with a coffee farmer and the head of a coffee co-op. Their main question was "How can farmers get more money for their crops?" Unfortunately, the TZ government doesn't allow for farmers to sell directly to buyers...all coffee must go through the government...which means that the government sets the overall price of coffee because they are the final buyer. Economically, it's great for the government, but terrible for the peasant farmers. They can never get fair market prices, because the cap is set by the government... We explained that it was the government that was holding down prices, and that there was nothing that we could do to help them...we don't buy from government for this very reason...it's a stupid practice. Yes, in one sense, it keeps prices at a minimum...but it also keeps them at a maximum...it disrupts the whole concept of supply and demand...

(on a side note: i think this is one reason for idleness and unemployment in third world countries. it's not that people don't want to work, they do. It's because at some point the return on investment isn't high enough...if they are going to work hard, they should be paid for it...so they do just enough to get by...)

OK, so I'm getting off the soapbox and moving on...

People are people...even with all of our differences, we are SO similar.
This one is universal, not Africa specific. I've been thinking about this a lot. It's amazing that nearly all humans smile and laugh...use body language...enjoy relationships...feel sympathy...use their hands when they talk. But that doesn't mean we can assume we understand each other...different experiences create different perspectives...just something to think about.

~peace
david