Lila Bring Hope

Lila’s:

It started out as a normal morning.  Our schedule said we would be going to a Jewelry and Handcraft Business called Lila’s.  When we arrived at the workshop, we were met by Gelila who began telling her story.  Five years ago she had just graduated from Nursing School and could not find a job in her field so she began working as a tour guide in Addis.  When she visited the TB Hospital and Dump Site she decided she had to do something.  Lila tells her story best:

www.lilaproducts.com 

https://www.slideshare.net/LydiaSorflaten/lila-74339269

After we visited Lila’s workshop, she offered to take us to the Dump where the landslide occurred.  Here is how NY Times described the scene on March 8, 2017. ‘It was not immediately clear what caused the landslide at the Koshe Garbage Landfill, which buried several makeshift homes and concrete buildings. The landfill has been a dumping ground for the capital’s garbage for more than 50 years.

About 150 people were there when the landslide occurred, said Assefa Teklemahimanot, a resident. Mayor Diriba Kuma said 37 people had been rescued and were receiving medical treatment. Two had serious injuries.

Many people at the landfill had been scavenging items to make a living, but others live at the site because renting homes there, which are largely built of mud and sticks, is relatively inexpensive.

“In the long run,” Mr. Kuma said, “we will conduct a resettling program to relocate people who live in and around the landfill.”

Around 500 waste-pickers are believed to work at the landfill every day, sorting through the debris from the capital’s estimated four million residents. City officials say that close to 300,000 tons of waste are collected each year from the capital, most of it dumped at the landfill.

Since 2010, city officials have warned that the landfill is running out of room and is being hemmed in by nearby housing and schools.

City officials have been trying in recent years to turn the garbage into a source of clean energy with a $120 million investment. The Koshe waste-to-energy center, which has been under construction since 2013, is expected to generate 50 megawatts of electricity when completed.

Ethiopia, which has one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies, is under a state of emergency imposed in October after several months of sometimes deadly protests by demonstrators demanding wider political freedoms.’

Now, an update.  We walked with Gelila.  She turned and said, ‘No pictures, there is a newly imposed ban on pictures.’  We walked through the area where she had first set up her workshop.  On the one side behind tall, thick walls are homes of rich, wealthy people.  On the other side of the road, living shelters made with any steel, cardboard or plastic people can find.  Goats were running freely.  Then we came to the area where they are actively removing 50 year old compost looking for bodies.  We were careful where to step because oversized dump trucks were hauling loads of debris away and dropping large chunks of black goop.  The stench was unbearable.  I hate it when flies crawl around my nose but my problems were minor!  Most dump truck drivers and back hoe operators were wearing face mask covers.  The army soldiers lined the walkways armed with long guns.  Two large fire trucks were parked on a side street.  They are still finding bodies.  There is a media ban.  Gelila said she heard the count is over 200 found.  In the write up above they mention a waste to energy center under construction.  This building is right at the top of the landslide site.  Allan asked if there might be any chance this mammoth structure might have made the land unstable.  No answer!

We said little.  Observed more than we wanted to see.  A school bus van pulled in and about 20 children, all in uniform got off the bus and were escorted down a side walkway past a family group huddled in obvious grief.  Each child carried a bamboo 15 inch candle wicked stick lit as they somberly walked.  We had to be very careful to stay out of the way of the big dump trucks whose main aim was to move quickly to destination to dump their load, only to return to the back hoe for more.  Gelila said that this situation has made people more aware of the plight of the garbage pickers.  She said lots of water has been donated for example.  Many have said the squatters should have been moved from this dangerous location a long time ago.  I felt the whole scene was one that humanity should not experience!  Never have I seen anything so awful.

The good part of this is there is a small way we can help.  More on this later after we work on documenting our research and plan and talk to the Rotary Club here.  In some cases, Rotary has place shelter boxes in a disaster area.  I don’t know the count on the displaced people who were really displaced in the first place but they did have shelter and garbage to sort through.  I do know the government has put the media ban on it.  I do know we are here on the ground and that the scene is awful.  

The Flood at the Hotel

The Washington Hotel 5th Floor Room

Our Little Table Before the Flood

The Side Door Where The Water Came Pouring In.

                      Hotel Entrance:  Front Desk in Background                           (Notice how clean the floor is!)

The Flood.  Well, it all started off quite innocently around 4:30 in the afternoon.  We were in our hotel room, 5^th floor when a torrential downpour started.  It seemed heavy and there was hail but we didn’t think much about it.  As it was time to head down to the ‘bar’ for our afternoon relaxation time, we did just that.  We chose our cozy two chairs and placed our usual order.     

Suddenly water began to flood in through the side doors.  What happened next was a sight to behold.  Waiters, bell hops, front desk people all came running.  They took their shoes and socks off and lined them up on the front desk, then rolled their pant legs up.  First the carpets got rolled up and put on the tables.  Then all mops and brooms came flying in along with buckets and pails of all sizes.  Then all 20 staff, dressed in their white shirts, bow ties and black pants rolled up to the knees, began pushing water toward the front doors.  From our perspective (sitting now on the high bar stools with our mouths open), all we could see were 20 elbows rising and pushing, rising and pushing.  Then water began pouring down from the second floor.  Allan wanted to move but where to?  Our drinks were sitting on the counter ready to be delivered so Allan acted as bar tender.  The whole scene went on for over ½ hour.  We still laugh with the staff about it because the situation was ridiculous.  They said it had not really happened that way before.  The rainy season is not due to start until June.  Climate change maybe?

 The third picture above shows the front desk in the far distance where all the shoes and socks were lined up.  In this picture you can almost see the x-ray machine at the front door where we are checked each time we enter.

We love the hotel.  As you can see, the lower area is cozy, the dining room quite elegant, the food in good and the staff is so friendly.  With all the kafuffle, no harm was done, the staff pulled together to be an awesome team and we enjoyed the entertainment!

Dondoors Textile and Handcraft Open A New Store in A Mall

Dondoors  

Aaliyah and her father, Mehamud took us to the Mall where Aaliyah has designed and is setting up a shop.  Aaliyah is in her third year of a degree in Architecture and obviously has a flare for Interior Decorating.  In fact, she is already designing interiors for businesses.  We discovered that many of the businesses are being financed by energetic people like Aaliyah, well-educated and doing contract work to support the development of their business.  Mehamud, Aaliyah’s father, established the business three years ago.  He graduated from the Ehtiopian Leather Industry Development Institute three year program a long time ago he says, then worked in the government textile industry as a factory floor supervisor. This new shop is a brave move because rental space in malls is very expensive.   The slide show at the end will show how Aaliyah is combining the traditional with the modern to develop the display areas.  Allan was impressed with her choice of his favorite color scheme, brown and gold.  The following Sat they took us to their factory site.

 Mehamud owns the building where their production factory is.  I loved the character of the entrance way.  They have 30 machines, do volume discounting for large orders.  He says they need to work on marketing their products.  The new store outlet will bring new opportunities for them they hope.  Orders mean work.  As their flyer says, ‘Thank you for helping us help them change their lives and the lives of their siblings.’

It was fascinating to watch the weaver at work.  Hand woven, a scarf takes 6 to 8 hours to weave.  Traditional is right, the loom is made of bamboo. 

It will be interesting to follow this business.  Although Aaliyah appears shy, I found her so enjoyable to work with in the development of a new product that we hope to hear more about as time goes on. 

Meet Aaliyah through the slideshow.

https://www.slideshare.net/LydiaSorflaten/dondoors-ethiopian-handcrafts

Ethiopia: Our Introduction To Addis and EWEA

We began Allan’s CESO assignment with EWEA, the Ethiopian Women Exporters’ Association officially on Monday March 20^th, 2017.  The introductory meeting was held in the office behind Hadia Mohammed’s grocery story.  Hadia is the president of EWEA. Together with a group of strong women committed to helping women grow their businesses and export internationally established EWEA in 2000.  Behind this is the desire to empower, inspire, create opportunity and employment to lift women and their families out of poverty.  The owners of these businesses who are are clients are from the upper middle class segment of Ethiopian society.  A positive approach in an environment of extreme poverty and pockets of affluence.  CESO Regional Reps were anxious to outline how the two weeks would be set up for the assignment.  It was quickly decided that there would be three full days of workshops Wed, Thurs and Friday of the following week.  CESO would arrange and pay for a meeting room, coffee breaks and lunch all to be held at the Washington Hotel (very convenient as this is the hotel where we are staying).   We would aim for a mini Trade Show on the Friday.  Allan will prepare a SWOT analysis for each business visited and Lydia will put a Power Point together so each business can present their business to the workshop participants.  The ideal number to attend would be 20-25.  We were ‘turned over’ to Workaferahu, our coordinator, who is arranging site visits to some 20 businesses of the 60 member organization during the first week, beginning immediately! 

Hadia (Pres EWEA) Belay, (CESO Rep)
Lydia and Allan (CESO VA's) Ziad, CESO

Belay, Hadia, Lydia, Workaferhu (Our Coordination) and Allan

The phone is the ultimate communication tool for action here.  Everyone seems to have a Smart Phone.  They say even the beggars have a phone!  Phone numbers are more important than addresses.  Texting is convenient because for us to understand a phone number or even to identify who is calling is so difficult if not impossible for us.  Workaferahu had prepared an excellent schedule with phone numbers, times of visits, etc for us.  One thing that has amazed us is the absolute promptness of the clients for the appointed time.  You just know when the phone buzzes that it is exactly the appointed time and they are waiting for us outside the hotel or in the lobby.  Workaferahu is like a mother.  She makes sure we are on site, then makes sure the next client is picking us up, then checks to see if we are there.  Amazing really.  It has worked like clockwork.   The one factor that cannot be controlled is traffic.  One funny story is a client came to the hotel to pick us up but his driver was stuck in traffic.  It was decided that we would get a taxi, preferable a ‘Lucy Taxi’ (they are named after Lucy, the Cradle of Civilization beginning).  Lucy taxis are clean (the seat belts work and don’t get your clothes filthy) and very reliable.  However, the traffic was so jammed that there were no Lucy’s.  After walking several blocks, our client asked if we would mind travelling with him in a Lada.  No problem.  Now that was a trip!  Allan and I were in the back seat with the client.  I don’t think it was our weight that made the back end sound like it wouldn’t get us there!  We managed the trip with lots of good laughs.

Another funny story was the last client of the day was to deliver us back to the hotel.  We headed out and after some time began to realize that they did not know their way to the hotel.  We were given a sheet that we printed out at home which gives the name of the hotel, phone numbers of CESO reps, etc.  So, I gave the list to the client.  The driver stopped beside a policemen who wasn’t any help.  The client’s phone had no time left on the card.  Fortunately we were able to give them the antique CESO phone and they were able to phone the hotel to get directions to the hotel.

In a city of 4 million you can imagine what traffic is like!  The main streets are four lane, crowded with a few real stop lights with a mix of donkeys, hand carts, the biggest double trucks that exist, people selling everything from mops to produce in homemade bamboo wheel barrows and more.  Drivers have to be aggressive to cut in, cut off, go around broken down busses, etc.  Line ups can be blocks long waiting for taxis, buses, the train that doesn’t travel very often, etc.  Once you manage to get to your turn off point, you head on to rough side-alley like paths.  Pollution is terrible.  Black clouds of smoke emit from exhaust pipes all around.  Some people wisely wear a face mask!  In our hotel room on the 5^th floor we have learned to open the door to the hall and have the wind blowing out instead of the pollution coming in.

 Each time we go to a site visit, I am always amazed at the atmosphere within the business.  Many businesses operate in a very confined space because it is expensive to rent space.  But, as you will see they do such a great job of using the space to advantage. 

Before we move on to specific business sites, a comment about begging which is something we encounter each time we travel.  There are different types of beggars and different approaches by our drivers to the beggars.  For our part, we keep our car windows closed and do not make eye contact.  Personally the situation that I find most upsetting is all the little boys coming to the window begging, some not a lot older than our little grandson.  Our client yesterday said that the government must address this because it is a breeding ground for raising boys to a life of crime and drugs.  She mentioned glue sniffing in particular.   So how do our clients and taxi drivers react to beggars?  A few keep small coins for older beggars.  Most speak in the native tongue and do not give.  Beggars are a symptom of a much bigger underlying problem of no income, so safety security net, hunger, victims of the drought moving into the city with no means to earn a living, no place to live.  The ‘other side’ is not pretty!  Our clients take a very positive approach.  Through sales, employment is created and people can live with dignity. 

 So, we were off to do two site visit the first afternoon.  Over the next few blogs I want to share with you stories of some of the businesses we visited.  Each is unique in its own way.  Overall, I want to say that I have never seen such quality cottons and rayon’s and such beautiful leather.  The cottons are so soft, all hand woven, the rayon’s have a sheen that makes me think it is silk.  The leather is beyond belief.  And the people.  They have opened their business and hearts to us, sharing with us the pride they have in their product, how they have managed to develop their business, the challenges they have faced and are facing.  In all of this I have to say we are so fortunate to have had this opportunity to be here and be so close to such wonderful people.

Love in Action: Family Cottage, Arima, Trinidad

The Family Cottage in Arima, Trinidad has met the challenges at each stage of the children they have adopted and sheltered.   The summary of the last 17 years is a good lead in to the Slideshare presentation linked below.  Heartwarming to feel the love and caring in the home environment. 

 

Homeless abandoned children, women with small children needing shelter:  over the years Auntie Leris and husband Garvin have met the challenges to fill the need.  Auntie Leris, some 18 years ago, was in hospital with her daughter when she discovered a number of little children homeless and living at the hospital.  She decided to take five of them home, not knowing how she would manage.   We became involved with the Orphanage 16 years ago when we were first in Tobago having a hair cut.  Procia, the hairdresser said, ‘You want to do something in this country, go visit the orphanage!’  There we met Auntie Leris, herself a registered nurse with her group of little children.  The little ones that the Rotary Club of Truro sponsored to go to preschool are now graduated from high school.                                                                                                                                                                           

The slide show follows the ‘orphanage’ from that first visit when they were living in Tobago.  Crisis hit when the landlord ended their lease.  Where could they go?  They needed lots of room!  Despite the small size of his family home, they decided to move to Garvin’s family home in Arima, Trinidad.  Boys slept in another location due to lack of space.  An addition was needed.  Pictures show the addition at various stages.  Our Rotary Club, working through the Rotary Club of Piarco bought building materials for the kitchen. 

 

Auntie Leris always has surprises for us each time we visit.  When the children were turning to be teenagers, they opened a takeout restaurant nearby to give the teenagers purpose, job experience and to create an income for the Family Cottage.

 

Then, two years ago as the teens were older, Auntie began taking in Mothers with their babies who were in crisis. One thing Auntie firmly believes in is keeping Mothers together with their babies.  Again, the teens had purpose, to help care for them!  Pictures show how the home has expanded to meet the needs at each stage.

 
Dec 2016, more changes.  The babies are now toddlers so they have set up a Nursery School!   Two of the girls, recently graduated from High School and are presently running a nursery program.  Tuition is free at UWI.  They will take the Early Childhood program if this is what they would like.   In temporarily sheltering mothers and small children in crisis, they were sheltering orphans needing a home!  Leris and Garvin have officially adopted another five little ones.  Good they are still young with lots of energy!  This is like a second big family!  So, the infants of 15 months ago are now 2 year olds, hence the need for preschool. 

 

When it came to choosing a category that the Slideshare would fit under, the only one that seemed appropriate was ‘spiritual’.  Love in action!

http://www.slideshare.net/LydiaSorflaten/family-cottage-arima-trinidad

Entrepreneurial Startups Grow to Reach the Community in Trinidad

Kathyann Beharry is a hearing person who volunteered at the Agape Center. As a result the basic jewelry training plus materials provided for start-up business, Kathy Ann has developed her own business.  In visiting her (March 2015), Lydia was most interested to discover how her business has developed and branched to allow her to become a community trainer working throughout Trinidad to help women come together to learn crafts and compete to win the yearly country competition for ''best community'. 

Probably the most important things that happen in these classes are the community spirit that develops plus the sharing of common problems that the women face. Each participant must compete 16 crafts in the 10 week session!  It is interesting to hear Kathyann describe how women emerge from low self confidence to better their individual life situation, just as she has over the years of being able to lift her family by developing her jewelry business and now teaching 'community classes'.    

Kathyann provides the ideas, mainly derived from ‘Pinterest’ on line.  So, how would this family have access to computer?  Well, a number of things had to happen.   Kathyann’s family as a result of income from her jewelry business was able to get electricity.  This made a big change in their lives as all homework had to be done before five prior to getting electric lights.  Then son Kyle, as with all students entering High School in Trinidad/Tobago, was given a Lenovo Think Pad computer by the government.  As well, a friend gave Kathyann an older IPad and the family (because of additional income) was able to get internet to their house). 

That is not all.  Water comes to their street once a week (if they are lucky) so Monday’s had to be dedicated to wash day because that was water day.  So income from jewelry sales bought water tanks one at a time for water storage.  Water still comes most Mondays so they fill all 7 black tanks hoping that the next Monday the water main will again fill to replenish their supply.  A real bathroom was put in.  Rooms were divided to give family member’s privacy.  The balcony was expended for Kathy Ann’s jewelry making.  Her dream is to have a room that she can dedicate to her jewelry and craft making.  

Children’s educations has always been priority.  Kamisha, now 23, competed the University of Trinidad and Tobago teacher training so tuition for four years, living and travel expenses plus books and supplies had to be paid for.  Clyde, Kathy Ann’s husband,  has a taxi business that pays the basics and not only Kathyann’s business but Kamisha herself takes on marketing of her mother's jewelry creations to help pay educational expenses, including helping her mother with creative displays.  Kamisha now has a contract as a teachers’ assistant to help a 7 year old boy who has never been to school before. 

Kamisha is pleased to see his rapid progress in learning to read.  Kamisha thought her salary was good until she began to realize how expensive it is to keep her fast growing son, Kaydon (7 months of age) in diapers and formula.  Kamisha and Kaydon, Kamisha’s son, share a room in the Baharry household with the crib right beside the bed.  Kathy Ann cares for Kaydon during the day.  Kamish takes over at 3:30 when she gets home from work.

Besides soccer (called football here), Kyle age 15 is interested in  music, largely developed through participation in the Open Bible Church in Siparia.  He played two pieces, a classical and a calypso for us.   He too intends to go to university.

Kathyann is so proud of having a job, being able to use her skills including the discussions that happen during the sessions that help sort out the problems the participants face.  Kathyann is paid by the hour.  Each session is three hours.  It takes some time for the pay check to come through but everyone knows how nice it is to have a pay-check to look forward to!

Now, to look at the development of Kathyann’s own business.  Kathyann Originals.  Something that has helped Kathyann with design work are the jewelry pieces that the Colchester Community Workshop has donated over time.  Kathy Ann has a special drawer in her plastic organizer where she saves designs from CCWS that she wants to study and replicate. 

I was really impressed with the quality of findings she uses; the best of wire, earring hangers, clamps for finishing and clasps.  She designs her own jigs to make designs she finds on the Internet, especially on Pincrest.   I love her way of storing all her ideas under folders on her Ipad.   I smiled when Kathy Ann told me that Ian (the jewelry maker from the Agape Deaf) tells Kathy Ann in sign language, ‘Don’t handle the findings until you wash your hands’.   The Agape Deaf still meet at the Agape Center each Sunday for church, just up the driveway from Kathyann’s.  Kathyann keeps in close touch with the deaf by cell phone and texting.  In last five years, several of the deaf have married, some have had babies (one deaf child, one hearing child in two different families both with two deaf parents).

Have a look at the slideshow to see how a little help has gone a long ways to help many people.

http://www.slideshare.net/LydiaSorflaten/rotary-helps-in-entrepreneurial-development-in-deaf-community-in-trinidad

Meet Kathyann:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E1v6w7gkkk

How Helping Small Business Persons In Trinidad/Tobago Has Helped Families: Jacqueline

Observing the development of an individual, a family, a business over 15 years has indeed been an inspiration.  Jacqueline was first introduced to us as a nervous but enthusiastic person with product over her arm to sell.  Discovering her situation:  five children, husband who worked for THA (Tobago House of Assembly) living in very humble circumstances (no running water, no electricity, no transport, land not tenured) was humbling.  We talked about possibilities.  Bingy, Jacqueline’s husband collected seeds from the rainforest and shells from the shore.  With these, they made simple jewelry.  They also tie dyed shirts and did some hand painting of t-shirts.  One night, we went to a hotel where a pan band played.  We set up a table near the band but the music was loud and people did not venture near.  The next week we returned and set up in the parking lot near the entrance.  Jacqueline began selling that night and has stopped since! 

Watching her emerge has been amazing.  No electricity.  We helped her write the letters required to secure the land where they had lived for many years.  Once that was done, they were able to apply for electricity.  That required buying a pole.  $800 Canadian if I remember correctly.  The Rotary Club of Truro said they would pay for this.  This allowed the children to study in the evening, to not have to light the kerosene lamp, dangerous for the children to do!  Jewelry sales were increasing.  Jacqueline was careful to invest in materials while taking a percentage of her earnings to help with household expenses.  Jacqueline and Bingy were resourceful!  When Turtle Beach said they could come to the hotel to display their jewelry, they told them they would have to bring their own table.  They went to the dump, found two old ironing boards and built a folding table.  Next, they built a car from used parts!      Then a pump and tanks for water.  Her dream to have a table where everyone could sit down together has been realized.  They slowly added a kitchen, a washing machine that could think but always putting children and their education first.

One year, when visiting, we helped Jacqueline do a write up to acquaint another hotel with her product line with a request for her to come to the Grand Courland to set up a table.  Demand has grown.  She has a busy schedule: Turtle Beach Tuesdays and Thursdays, Sandy Point Beach Resort, Grand Courland, the Hilton, Castara plus she has opened a shop at ‘Sunday School’ in Bocco (a popular Sunday Evening spot where they have a pan band, barbeque and goat races at Easter!) 

Visiting her family was an experience.  Their home is a hive of activity.  Their little grandson, age 7, greets us and says, ‘Here to see Jacqueline?  Come this way!’  What a dynamic family.  It was Joshua’s 25^th Birthday.  The music is cranked and they have been to Scarborough to buy a cake.  Bingy has made a big pot of soup (stew) and everyone is taking a big container for lunch! 

Near the road is a shelter where their son, a mechanic, has a shop.  The yard is filled with cars under active repair.  The next son up is planning on going to Denmark next year to take Architecture.  Although his tuition will be covered, money is being saved for furthering his education.  The youngest son is finishing high school.  A room has been added on for Jamie, the younger daughter who is in her fifth year of teaching Grade 1!  Jamelia, the oldest daughter is in England studying International Finance and Trade.  She has had a number of scholarships but Jacqueline and Bingy have helped her complete her CA in Barbados.  The youngest has just completed paramedic training for ambulance work in Trinidad.  Last week he took his chauffeurs’ license needed to make application for working on the ambulance. 

The whole family reflects Jacqueline’s bright spirit, creativity and motivation.  An unusual situation has been most helpful for the family.   Jacqueline was born in England and came to Trinidad when she was three months old.  She had no problem receiving her British passport.  With encouragement from her many friends whom she has met over the years through her business, she decided to take a trip to England.  The trip was wonderful.  She says she was treated like a queen!  Bingy, meantime, did his best to cover all the resorts!  Now, the problem arose when Jacqueline came back to Trinidad/Tobago.  Where is your passport for Trinidad/Tobago immigration wanted to know.  None?  So you are a British citizen.  ‘But I have been married 27 years and have had 5 children here and have lived all my life here.’  They finally stamped her passport ‘VISITOR’!  Since, she has been working on getting a passport for Trinidad/Tobago.  Her father, whom she has never known, was Trinidadian.  That would be helpful but all lineage is traced through the mother so she now has to find her father’s mother’s records but the building that housed them burned, destroying the records.  Knowing Jacqueline, she will find a way to solve this problem but meantime the problem is serving to help her children.  Tuition for education in Britain and Denmark is free for British citizens and because Jacqueline was born in Britain, two of her children to this point have and will be benefitting from her British citizenship. 

As Jacqueline sits briefly recounting this, she shakes her head and says, ‘We came from very humble beginnings.’  What a success story!  Should any of you come to Tobago, be sure to look for Jacqueline.  She is a person whom you will never forget. 

http://www.slideshare.net/LydiaSorflaten/update-jacqueline

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