Hamna shida!

Arriving home from the safari, I think it was safe to say we were all exhausted. Three days is definitely enough time to see all (well almost all) the animals. We saw many wildebeests, zebras, and antelope, which in the beginning of the trip was so exciting I probably snapped close to 50 pictures of each. Further into the park, we had Lions walk right past our vehicles and our driver even took us to a tree that had a family of cheetahs lounging just below. In the Crater we were lucky enough to spot a rhino, although it was far away, it was still exciting to see. Unfortunately, we did not see any leopards, which I had really wanted to see (ideally sleeping in a tree), but there is always next time.

After sleeping in the Ngorongoro crater, I honestly couldn’t remember a time being more chilled even back in Canada. We had been warned just how cold it could get, but no warnings could truly prepare us for it. We (and by ‘we’ I mean the boys) attempted to make a fire, but the wood was wet and would not burn, so we befriended a group that had managed to get one started. That night we also had two striped visitors playing right in the midst of the pitched tents and an elephant standing off in the bushes. On the third day driving home there was nothing more I could want than an actual bed and a warm sleep. That night was probably the best sleep I’ve had yet in Africa.

The next morning we started back to work. We went to the kitchen to see how sales had been from the previous week, hoping that the graphs and previous meeting had motivated them to get out into the markets. The numbers were looking better, although it was only a week and we will need to monitor to see whether these changes are sustained. In order to make these changes stick after we leave, we will be reviewing the constitution and having them enforce the consequences for not showing up to meetings, not going to market to sell, etc. They also suggested changing up the distribution of Mama’s had our last meeting. With following up, we found they have implemented changes and have even begun looking for more Mamas to cover the shifts in the chapatti kitchen and Junior Mamas to help go to Market. They plan to have 1 TWG Mama at the chapatti kitchen with one of the new Mamas they have found. At the yoghurt kitchen they will have two Mamas working and there will be a Mama to supervise both kitchens. The remaining, they are hoping about 10 Mamas, can go to the Market. At each location in the Market they are hoping to have two to three Mamas. Each team can bring about 15 L with them and if they were to sell out would mean a significant increase in sales. After seeing a short term increase in sales, our last meeting revealed they were now purchasing an additional 20 L of fresh milk. After explaining that despite increasing sales by around 20 L, purchasing 20 L more would still cause them a loss in profit. We are going to have them purchase a set number of litres starting at 50 L. Until they sell out, which should be feasible within the next few weeks, they can begin increasing how much they purchase from their milk suppliers. Milk is also starting to come in from their own cows, although the numbers are around 1 to 2 L per day only. To break even to cover the costs of having the new site they should be bringing in about 7 L of milk per day. Unfortunately, one of the cows is sick and the Mamas do not have the money to dig a pit required to bring in the feed that is supposedly better and can increase milk yield. We will have to wait to see if anything changes with the cows and look at other solutions to increase milk being produced or ways to cut costs associated with the new site.

Milk supply from the Mara region is also being investigated. In Mara, milk is considerably cheaper to purchase and even with the transportation costs, Esther is estimating that milk would still be cheaper. This option would really help to cut costs for the Mamas and can hopefully be implemented before the summer is over.

Yesterday, I went to the Market with three of the Mamas to their usual spot. Walking from the kitchen in Mabatini to the Market took about a half an hour. It was very hot and the buckets of yoghurt were quite heavy. I tried to help carry them, but got tired quickly, so could only help in short bouts. The Mamas are able to carry them on their head, which makes it a little easier, but I would imagine it is still tough. My balance is not good, so I did not attempt to carry the buckets on my head and risk spilling all their yoghurt (although this skill would be something useful to learn)! This is one area that could be improved to make transportation of the yoghurt less difficult for them (or perhaps they are much tougher than I am and don’t find it that difficult). This will be something to discuss at our next Monday meeting.

Other interesting things about the Market was that they set up in a shaded corner and from there take a smaller bucket, scoop and cups to the stores. Mainly the yoghurt purchases were from the shop keepers themselves, though they did really seem to love it. One of the shop owners purchased two of the half litre packages and finished both! This was also the first time they brought the sealed, labeled and packaged yoghurt with them. It was interesting because despite the owners being familiar with the yoghurt, they were able to read the label and learned the name “Fiti” for the first time. Marketing of the yoghurt would be greatly helped by increasing brand recognition, so even having some with labels could help spread the word. Other marketing strategies will need to be looked at as well.

In the Market they brought with them sugar and spoons to stir it in. I don’t believe they do this for everyone that comes into the kitchen in Mabatini, but a lot of people seemed to enjoy the taste with the sugar. I am unsure of what the added cost would be, but if it helps sales, I think this is a very smart idea. All in all, this day was very interesting and after discussing the observations with the other interns, the Mamas and Esther, we can hopefully help improve sales, increase brand recognition and make it easier for the Mamas to get yoghurt to the market.

We have also received a report from the interns in Kenya regarding potential reasons for the difference in quality between the sites. We have reviewed the notes; some of the biggest concerns are contamination from flour, potentially introducing yeast and causing the gas build up. Also, we have been informed that the Mamas do not have thermometer or lactometer. The thermometer ensures that the pasteurization is done properly, as well as the bacteria grow best at 37 C. If it is too hot when the starter cultures and probiotics are added they may be killed and the fermentation process would be affected. The lactometer ensures that the milk is not adulterated. It measures the density of the milk, which is especially important during dry season when some milk suppliers may add water to the milk to meet demands. This is something the Mamas will need to purchase. Lastly, the Mama’s should be using bleach to disinfect, instead of just soap and water for cleaning. We will need to review these areas of concern at our next meeting.

Our search for a new women’s group is going well, but finding funding is presenting a greater challenge. We would like to look at funding through loans, as this creates an ownership and accountability mentality from the start. We met with the City Community Development Officer this past week and despite his concerns over starting a new group with the previous one being somewhat weak, he does seem optimistic about taking the approach of loaning money. Money given can be more disabling than enabling when it creates dependency.

Last Friday we met with the Mamas from Buswelu, a small area just outside of Mwanza. It is not too far, but you get the feeling it is its own little town. It has a city centre and it is a growing area, which means it will be an ideal market to sell in. The Mamas were really welcoming and the meeting ran smoothly. They currently have a small business making oil from ground tree leaves that is therapeutic for the skin, especially helpful for those living with HIV/AIDS. They have applied for a TASAF grant to purchase cows, which originally was solely for the purpose of having additional income, but would be very complimentary to the yoghurt project start up. We are still looking into other groups, but these Mamas seem promising; they are motivated and very interested.