A Break from the Bum Life: Chartered Planes and Safaris

Okay so I may be a bit behind schedule on this blog thing, so I’ll have to catch you all up with these next couple entries.

Christmas Vacation Part 1: Father-son Bonding

In early December, my dad came to visit me. I was extremely happy to see him again and show him a slice of Ugandan life. After a couple days at the factory, we did what all good tourists do when they go to Africa: go on safari. There were two distinct types of safaris; first, we had the savanna safari (see ‘The Lion King’) and the other was in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest to see the mountain gorillas (see ‘Tarzan’).

Other than living out my childhood dream of being in a real-life Disney movie, we also got a chance to go whitewater rafting on the source of the Nile River. We capsized more than a few times (our boat was quickly nicknamed ‘the swim team’) and had a blast doing it. It was father-son bonding at its finest.

Passing through the equator with pa!

Christmas Vacation Part Deux: Tanzania

The length of my vacation bordered on ridiculous since my dad’s visit went right up until our factory shut down for the holidays—meaning two vacations! This time it was off to Tanzania to meet up with Kathy and John (of SPOUTS) and an army of Peace Corps volunteers. After a day traveling alone in a Swahili-speaking country (my Swahili is limited to ‘Hey, how are ya?’, by the way) without a working cell phone or email I managed to find our group in a small coastal town. We boarded the ‘ferry’—I use that word loosely—and we were off.

The ferry (in the distance) and the dinky boat taking us to shore

Our destination, Mafia Island, lacking any connection to Italian gangs that the name might suggest, was an adventure. Approaching the island, we noticed it was lacking a pier. The ferry stopped and we were shuttled onto dinky fisherman’s boats which then dropped us off in a couple feet of water. With our luggage on our heads and pants rolled up to our knees, we waded the 100 yards to shore. The Peace Corps group was great and we even got to see whale sharks (the largest shark in the world) up close and personal. The island definitely had its deficiencies though. In addition to a complete lack of seafood in a place entirely surrounded by ocean, there was the whole issue of getting off the island.

Trying to book our tickets for the ferry, we learned that it hadn’t left the day before since it was too windy and the weather wasn’t getting any better. With the ferry out of the picture, we had to find another way back. We didn’t have many options so we did what all broke entrepreneurs and volunteers do—charter a single-engine aircraft to Zanzibar. After stepping off the plane and mourning the loss of a hundred bucks, we were astounded by the island paradise we saw before us. Soon, we were surrounded by great sea food, incredible spices, fresh fruits and juices, and beautiful architecture. Zanzibar was simply amazing. I would highly recommend it.

The Peace Corps crew next to our plane

Kathy, John, and me, about to board the plane

To get back to the airport in Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania, we had to take yet another ferry. Our complaints about the overpriced ticket were silenced when we laid eyes on the Kilimanjaro IV. This ruby red, dual-hulled, streamlined craft was no ferry; it was more like a giant luxury speedboat.  Inside, we found business class seating and a/c on full blast (the coast of Tanzania is crazy hot). Liking the trips progression from barely-seaworthy ferries to chartered planes to a quasi-yacht, I leaned back and watched Captain Phillips fend off Somali pirates on the flat screen TVs overhead.

Zanzibar at dusk

Needless to say, the vacation was incredible through and through. From a low-budget, unpredictable adventure to an island paradise—this trip had it all. I sure am one lucky guy. Now I’m back to work and things are going well. Factory is running smoothly and we’ll be filling our first orders soon enough!

First Firing!

We just finished firing our first batches of test filters—over 500 filters—so it’s an exciting time for SPOUTS! With the help of Sammy, our kiln master from a Kenyan ceramic filter factory, everything went smoothly. After unloading our wares, our employees were proud to see the near-finished product. A photo-op was a must. And, of course, we can’t wait to get back to it after the Christmas break!

Our kiln master at work

To make the week even better, my dad came to visit! He tagged along at the factory and I gave him a taste of the good life—eating posho and beans for lunch every day and riding Ugandan public transit.

Posho and beans. Mmm...

It is safe to say my dad hates riding the bodas

I must say that he passed with flying colors; hiking the Appalachian Trail for a month back in August got him pretty used to a minimalistic lifestyle. Other than a flea epidemic of sorts which prompted a thorough cleaning of the puppies (and ourselves), things went off without a hitch.

 PUPdate:

The puppies are healthy (and now flea-free, we hope) and gnawing on anything and everything. Having eight puppies at my office is kind of like a dream come true for me. Eight full-grown dogs, however, would be a bit too much for us to handle. Luckily, our kiln master offered to take 5 pups back to Kenya which means we have happy homes for all the puppies! Phew! I was starting to get worried…

Jesus Beard:

Being the only white guy in town means I get some attention. Being a white guy with a beard in a country full of Christians means I have a new nickname: Jesus.

Here I am about to get my first haircut from ‘expert hair stylist’ and SPOUTS CEO Kathy Ku. I have to say, it wasn’t half bad.

The next few weeks I’ll be off exploring the touristy side of Uganda and spend Christmas with my pa: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest to see mountain gorillas, Queen Elizabeth National Park for some savannah action, and a bit of white water rafting on the Nile! I can’t wait!!

Puppies!!!

John, my co-worker, barged into the office with concern written on his face. He stopped in the doorway and said, “We have a problem.” My mind was racing. Is the engine on fire again? Is Kathy covered in more fleas? Is anyone hurt? He quickly led me to the abandoned shack on our compound and flung open the door. And there they were, eight furry little “problems”. We had puppies.

             

Stray dogs are fairly common in the neighborhood, and when it rains, they don’t have many places to go. More than a few times we have had dogs roaming around the compound, so when we saw another hanging around for a couple of days, we didn’t think much of it. Little did we know that this one was pregnant. There she was in the corner, looking feeble, hungry, and covered in fresh pups. How could we not let them stay a while?

So the puppies are pretty awesome. Whenever possible, they prefer to be piled up on top of each other. I mean who doesn’t appreciate a good snuggle? These little guys just have their priorities straight. 

When they aren’t in a giant heap of cuteness, they are either fighting for the best feeding spot (there’s stiff competition for that), gnawing on each other’s ears, or exploring the new world around them.

We've starting calling the mama dog Mom. Hey Mom, how ya doing? How are the pups, Mom? Not quite a replacement for our own mothers but she does the job alright. She spends most days scouting out food for her family, but we feed her a little extra when we get the chance. I don’t know what the future holds for Mom and the pups. We can only handle a couple new SPOUTS mascots, unfortunately. We’re on full alert for potential puppy owners, however, and are hoping for the best.

Who could resist those eyes?

Between long hours spent gawking at the fuzzballs, we also make filters on the side (just kidding). In all seriousness, filter production has been fantastic at the new factory! We have a great crop of new employees and we are really hitting our stride in production. Right now, we’re still in the experimental phase of our work—we have to determine the right ratio of ingredients to get the filters just how we want them—but we can’t wait to start churning out filters for sale!

To Shave or Not to Shave…

It’s not even a question—I’ve gotta keep this beard going strong! I can’t say that there have been many positive reviews of my appearance, but when is the next time I will be able to get away with this? I figure I’ve got to take the chance while I’ve got it.

Success Road

Our time in Kumi was filled with great people and hard work. It was our starting point, our foundation, in an attempt to build our social business that fights the all-too-present waterborne diseases in Uganda. In Kumi, we were constantly reaffirmed of our mission—the demand for our filters was overwhelming. Our fledgling factory simply couldn’t keep up with demand. We needed to scale-up—and fast. It’s never easy to fly the nest, but we had outgrown our home and we had to fly. We were forced to say farewell to our friends at Kumi University and begin anew.

Kajjansi, our new location, is directly between Entebbe, the int'l airport, and Kampala

When searching for a new location, we knew proximity to raw materials, specifically clay, was our first priority. So what better place than Kajjansi?—which literally translates to “full of clay” in Luganda, the most widely spoken local language in Uganda. It doesn’t hurt that it is also only 15 kilometers (metric, I know, I’ve been brainwashed) or 9 miles from Kampala—the capital and by far the largest city here. This means now we have cheap clay, smooth roads, and access to the biggest market in Uganda. Let’s go.

Welcome to our new home!

I am not a superstitious kind of guy, so if I were to see a black cat while walking under a ladder and happen to break my arm later that day, I’d call it a coincidence. But when I noticed that our new factory was located down “Success Road”, I hoped beyond hope that I had been wrong all my life. This was indeed a good omen.

Co-founder John Kye supervising some welding work

Our lot doesn’t look like much at first. Where a chicken farm once stood, only a few vacant—excluding the mice, fleas, and cockroaches, of course—buildings remain. But we see immense potential. Our clay storage here, our kiln there, and oh, the long building on the left is perfect for an assembly line! It’s out with the old and in with the new. Out with the pests and in with the people. SPOUTS has a new home.

Filters and Facial Hair:

So happy to be using our Kumi filters here in Kajjansi. Both the beard and the factory are making good progress!

Now Now

When it rains here things shut down. Dirt roads become mud roads leaving vehicles spinning their wheels—so people wait. In Kumi, electricity inexplicably shuts off for days at a time. You buy a generator to keep the business going if you can afford it, but some can’t—so people wait. Public buses can’t make enough money unless they are crammed full of people. If a bus is empty, it won’t leave any time soon—so people wait.

'Licensed to carry 14 passengers' reads a taxi carrying 20

In country of unpredictability like Uganda, delays are going to happen, so people have gotten accustom to waiting. It’s no wonder that there is a culture of tardiness; the unexpected is always expected. After living here for a few months, I’ve come to understand this so-called ‘Ugandan time’but that doesn’t make it any easier to operate a small business with a built-in delay. Sometimes we need things done now—or should I say ‘now now’.

These roads get real slick when it rains...

‘Now now’ has to be one of my favorite Uganda-isms. Let me show you what I mean…

Me: “Moses (a popular Ugandan name), could you get a truckload of clay for the filters?”

Moses: “When?”

Me: “I need the clay now.”

Moses: “Now now?”

Me: “Now-nah-now-nah-now-now.” (what I want to reply because I still find the phrase ‘now now’ hilarious)

Me: “Uh huh, now now. Thanks.” (what I actually say because the above reply would be rude haha)

My next favorite Uganda-ism is ‘well done’. This phrase may seem rather ordinary but here it is quite the contrary. In Luganda (the most prominent local language), people greet others with the word ‘jebale’ which literally translates to ‘well done’ in English. Needless to say, I was deeply confused for a couple weeks wondering what exactly I had done worthy of praise, but if you want to improve your self-esteem, Uganda is the place to be—people congratulate you on sight!

Work at the factory has been going well, but big changes are coming soon at SPOUTS. I’ll tell you about it in my next entry! Get excited!

Mountain Man:

Since my dad recently completed hiking the Appalachian Trail for a month, I thought I’d reserve this week’s beard update to the mountain man himself, Steve Raseman. Congrats dad!!!

Why Am I Here?

Amidst the factoids, pretty pictures, and beard puns, it dawned on me that I have given you little to no context regarding how or why I chose to be working for a water filter manufacturer in Uganda. Why social entrepreneurship? Why water? Why Uganda? I think these are important questions for me to answer so people can understand the motivation behind my decision. First things first, I wanted to address problems and learn more about foreign aid—what works and what doesn't.

This past weekend, I had a great discussion with a nurse named Lily from KOICA (Korea’s equivalent to the Peace Corps) about the many pitfalls of foreign aid—ineffective or unsustainable programs, acquired dependence on aid, and disrupting local businesses just to name a few. Most of these problems come from a top-down approach in which a solution is applied broadly to fix a problem. For instance, HIV/AIDS is a terrible problem in Uganda and Africa, in general, and deserves the world’s attention and resources. To alleviate the problem, a Dutch non-profit built a beautiful HIV/AIDS center at Lily’s hospital in nearby Soroti. Soon after construction was finished, the Dutch gave themselves a big pat on the back for a job well done and packed their bags for the next flight back to Amsterdam. Today, that once shiny HIV/AIDS center collects dust—it serves mostly as a storage facility when it is used at all.

Dutch-built HIV/AIDS center left unused

Sadly, stories like this are all too common. Non-profits from around the world swoop in to save the day with surefire solutions—HIV/AIDS is a problem; let’s build a hospital and people won’t be sick anymore! Often interventions lack is an in-depth understanding area and local people with skin in the game. When you add these missing ingredients (easier said than done, of course), a specific, comprehensive solution can be developed in which local leaders take responsibility for the project and proper follow-up and critical evaluation can be carried out. Fortunately, the field of international development is progressing to meet these goals and radically new systems have been developed. Social entrepreneurship is one such system that has shown great promise.

Acumen, a pioneer in social ventures, aims to “help build financial sustainable organization that deliver affordable goods and services that improve the lives of the poor” and has done so successfully by helping over 100 million people and creating 60,000 jobs. (Thanks, Wikipedia) This business-charity hybrid is successful because there are built-in mechanisms that constantly test the efficacy of the enterprise. Bad business goes bankrupt. Too often there are no repercussions for bad charity. I believe that social ventures are a step in the right direction which is why I have chosen to work for one now. But that’s not the only reason I ended up here at SPOUTS of Water. Long before I had even heard the term “social entrepreneurship”, I knew that I wanted to work with water.

“No one knows the worth of water until the well runs dry.” – Benjamin Franklin

As we all know, water is essential for everyone on the planet, but as Benjamin Franklin famously observed, “No one knows the worth of water until the well runs dry.” Due to population increase and climate change, wells around the world are running dry and the world is learning exactly how much water is worth. As water resources dwindle, farmers are unable to irrigate their crops, people are forced to drink from unclean sources, and tensions surrounding water ownership rise. I knew I could not tackle all of these issues effectively, so I have decided to focus on clean water with SPOUTS. But why is clean water so important and why Uganda?

Kathy Ku, the founder of SPOUTS of Water, was inspired to address the issue of clean water when she was a medical volunteer in Uganda where 1/3 of its citizens lack access to safe drinking water. At the clinic, Kathy saw that time after time people sought medical help for preventable water-borne diseases, such as diarrheal diseases, which are responsible for about a 1/5 deaths in children around the world each year. Fed up with treating symptoms, she wanted to stop these diseases at their source. After Kathy learned about ceramic water filters and their proven efficacy and affordability, SPOUTS of Water was born.

In short, SPOUTS not only addresses the critical need for safe drinking water but its social entrepreneurship approach offers more potential for sustainable aid than traditional charity. That is why I am working here today. 

The Thinker

The only possible explanation for the profundity of this post is that my beard is finally long enough to stroke pensively. 

The next post will be fun again. I promise! Thanks for bear(d)ing with me.   

Census 2̶0̶1̶2 2̶0̶1̶3 2014

A census, as you likely already know, is when government workers fan out across the country to collect demographic data. These occur on regular intervals of 10 years—err 11—let’s make it 12 years and call it even.

The 2013 census that never was...

The Ugandan census was originally scheduled for 2012 but the funds set aside for the program magically disappeared. To really wow the people, the Amazing Vanishing Money Act happened again in 2013—I can almost hear the shouts from the street corner now: ‘Come one, come all to see you tax dollars stolen right before your eyes!’. Apparently, third time’s the charm though because the 2014 census is finally up and running. Corruption over here is on another level… What is an organization in Uganda, doing good things, and corruption-free? SPOUTS of Water, of course!

This past Monday I traveled to 7 hours to the Namayingo District to make my first delivery to ACM Ministries Water Project. It would have taken 4 hours to get there but we needed to go VERY slowly since we had a truckload of fragile filters on dirt roads with more holes than Swiss cheese. I’m telling you these roads were holier than the Pope! But I digress…

Transporting the delicate filters

ACM Ministries and their students

The filters made it there unharmed and the good people at ACM were overjoyed to see the filters come in. After purchasing the filters, ACM will sell our filters to customers at subsidized rates. It is part of our mission to make sure that the end user purchases our filter so they treat it as an investment and not a handout. Handouts do not inspire the same amount of care as a carefully planned investment does and we want these filters to last as long as possible.  

PB n’ Beard

I think this is the first time in my life that I can legitimately say that I have beard. I remember last summer trying to grow one but people had to be a few feet away to even notice there was some semblance of facial hair there haha. This next pic is a twofer: beard and homemade peanut butter.

This past weekend we made peanut butter from start to finish. It took 4 or 5 hours but now we have a liter of peanut butter! Oh and I had to make some peanut butter cookies, of course, to share our American favorites with the world.

Lots of exciting things happening over here! Please visit again soon!