Financials

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=rCzxAXrrI3B5m1OO3g9TkNA

Link to Business Plan

I've shared a document with you called "Divine Providence Children’s Home":
http://docs.google.com/a/testkitchens.com/Doc?id=dgps83nv_254vdgkfvcq&invite=1718620194

Days Seven, Eight and Nine

We've been so busy that it's been difficult to post to the blog. The product of efforts is a business plan that's still being worked on as I type.

Looks like chicken farming may work - and the reason is that MoMo will be covering all start up costs. Otherwise, the up-front costs of a chicken farm make it impossible to be profitable for a very longs time. It's an ideal situation - we supply the start-up funding and the market is in need of eggs because most farmers have opted out of chickens primarily due to the high cost of feed. I am having problems getting links to the financials and business plan into the blog - but promise to work these things out soon. I really want your suggestions ./ comments, etc.

More soon - I promise!!

Day Six

Things finally got off the ground today.

While walking to the orphanage this morning (about a 2 mile walk), I saw Rowland (from Village Enterprise Fund) in his car trying to get my attention. I am so used to cars beeping their horns or people yelling out Mzungu at me that I totally ignored him at first. It's tough being one of few Mzungu around - you can't go anywhere without being looked at or people saying things to you like, "Hey, white lady" or "Look everyone, there's a white lady" or "Do you want a ride white lady" and so on and so forth. You develop this ability to filter out the world and their comments. It has to be experienced to be understood.

OK - moving on. When we arrived at the orphanage, Sister Pena and Sister Vane were ready to have start the meeting. Good start to the day.

We talked at length about the frustration with getting land for the dairy, and finally they decided that a dairy just didn't make sense. In quick summary, the cost of land has escalated ($5K+ per acre), and transport cost of the Napier Grass would be no less than 1,500 shillings a day. Currently, they pay 20,000 shillings a month for milk. Anyway you work it - the transport cost + cost of land basically ruled out the viability of a dairy. But don't despair - I think we came up with a potentially better business, although we'll be running the numbers in the next few days. It's a chicken farm! Yep, that's right, a kuku farm (chicken in Swahili). Reminds of a time when Lali and I were in Kenya and I could not stop laughing at the Kenyan KFC-equivalent's ads that say "CooCoo for Kuku." That's just too funny (at least I think so).

So, we spent the day (me, Rowland and Sister Vane) driving to Kisumu and talking to the Kenchic folks - a local purveyor of all things kuku. I have a pile of materials that I was given to read through tonight. If this is the business selected, we'll have to build a kuku house. More good news - they have the room for that on the orphanage compound. And perhaps the best news of all, there's a shortage of eggs around here, and 'broilers" are in demand as well (that's the chickens used for meat). We're hopeful that the numbers will look good - financials to be worked on and shared in the next day or so.

For those of you that have known me in the context of being a vegetarian, you must be laughing.

Sigh. And to top it all off, Rowland said that once we get the business plan done and all lights are green, he'll kill one of his turkeys in honor of progress for a feast. He asked if I would like to be the one to kill the turkey. Made me think of all our ancestors that did these things - why is it so difficult for me to think of doing such a thing?

I digress. Back to kuku farming. So, for branding we had the great idea to get a rubber stamp that had a logo (to be designed) that said that the purchase of these eggs would benefit the children (shorter version needed). They'd actually stamp each egg. And, we had some fun with the design of the kuku house - we'll be looking for ways to leverage our branding strategy there as well - like painting it a recognizable color. How fun!

I did stop in on the babies today. Tried to grab Monica so I could feed her during the meeting, but Sister Pena told me she had to go back to the nursery (you know me, always breaking the rules).

Before the meeting was done, somehow I was commandeered into agreeing to buy a cow + a digital camera for the orphanage. Sister Pena is good - she looks at you and says things like, "Well, I am sure you will want Monica to have milk when you go back to your home, especially not that we are not going to do the dairy." You may ask how will they take care of the cow, given the issues related to the dairy. Apparently, one cow they can easily keep here on the orphanage compound, and it can graze on the kid's soccer field (oh, yuck - poop on the field). So, tomorrow we're off to buy a cow.

Signing off to read about kuku farming...and start on the bones for the business plan. Let's hope we can get this idea off the ground.

Day Five

This is so Africa. I show up today at the orphanage, expecting to meet with Sister Pena (who I referred to as Sister Pias by mistake in a previous post) to talk about business ideas, and was told, that she just was not going to be around. Perhaps tomorrow. Having worked in Africa for many years, I half expected this, and decided that cultivating a hakuna matata attitude is probably a good thing - for me. So, I made my way to the....you guessed it.....the baby wing, and reported for duty.

Waiting for me were all 7 amazing little beings, some of whom had amazingly stinky diapers. Today, I was handed a baby and told that I was to do the diaper change. Mind you, I have not done diapers for almost 18 years. Here they use two towels that you tie around the kid, and then a pair of plastic pants that also has some weird worn-outVelcro securing device, followed by two more pairs of under pants (all with failing elastic and often holes). Needless to say, leakage is a big problem.

You'll be pleased to know I diapered numerous kids today, but was not yet up to the task of poopy ones. Tomorrow?

Monica, the darling little 11 month old, was feeling a bit out of sorts. All the older kids and staff referred to me as her Mama. Felt kinda nice to be someone's Mama today. Baby Matthew (who is now 3) decided today to reveal his inner devil child. Whenever I got close to him he would smile really big and then....spit in my face...and then smile again. It was never a big old glob of spit, but rather a nice little spray. Clearly, it got a rise out of me - and so he repeated it whenever possible.

The situation in the baby wing is pretty sad. Yes, I was a bit sad today. It's tough when you're traveling alone and you don't have anyone to sit around and talk to after a long day. I just saw a day's full of kids that really needed 1:1 attention and weren't getting it. Not because the orphanage doesn't care, but because it's just not the way things are set up. Mama Vini, the day staff person, is truly over-worked. She's the epitome of motherhood, though. Clearly, she loves the kids - you can tell by the way she scolds them - never too harsh, and always with a sign of affection afterward.

I know that next week, I get to leave, but these kids don't. And this is just one spot on the planet like this - there are many more. OK, so today I am in a funk.

Had a lucky break, though. While I was outside with one of the babies, I spied a nun coming in that looked like she might be Brazilian - she was moving fast and clearly intended to dash into a room to avoid talking to anyone. Needless to say, I quickly realized this was Sister Pena, aka Pias, and jumped at the chance to talk to her - and even managed to pin her down to a meeting tomorrow to review business ideas. I texted Rowland promptly- and remain optimistic that tomorrow we'll get down to business. It's amazing that we're about to give them $10, 000 and no one really seems to care that much - or at least today that's the impression I was given.

So, ends another day of working in the non-profit arena. As I walked back to the Sheywe Guest House in the pouring rain, I had one of those moments where you start to ask the big questions of life.

To be continued.

Day Four

Finally made it to the orphanage this morning with Rowland (our Village Enterprise Fund staff person helping us with the project). BTW, Rowland is incredible - and we're lucky to have his help. We spent a few hours talking to Sister Vane, one of the nuns that runs the orphanage. Sister Pias, the head of the nuns, was not available today.

Our conversation went to the heart of the matter quickly. The idea of a dairy requires the purchasing of land to grow Napier Grass (food for the cows). While you can buy Napier Grass, it's expensive and the supply is not guaranteed. The cost of land in the last year has sky-rocketed ever since they announced the University will be opening a campus here. It may not be possible to acquire the land with our current budget. We suggested that she and the other nuns think about alternative businesses that they may want to start. She agreed and we're to meet tomorrow morning to discuss further.

While Rowland had to leave, I opted to stay and play with the babies. Two of the babies we played with in previous visits were still there - and five more. I'll give profiles on each in the coming days, but save it say, that it was a wonderful day filled with lots of cuddles, messes, and moments of so many babies crying at the same time you wish you had 10 arms.

Judy, Matthew and Lali may remember two babies that are still there - Kelly and baby Matthew. Kelly's legs were bound in a cast when we saw him in 2006. He is now three, and his legs are not functional, but no longer in a cast. In fact, he is a vigorous crawler, but has to drag his legs. I am not sure what the issue is, but I wish we could get him evaluated in the US. Despite his legs, Kelly is amazingly happy and very smart. The other is baby Matthew. He's grown up a bit, but has the same funny little grin. Matthew craves attention. It breaks your heart. He wants that 1:1 love so badly.

The newest addition to the nursery is a 11 month old baby girl named Monica. What an amazing child. She's incredibly alert, and very, very, very bright, as well as strong. With a smile that will win over just about anyone, Monica seems to be completely unaware of the fact that she has absolutely no one in the world that will be there for her in a big way. Sister Vane made a point that many of the kids have some distant relatives in remote villages, but Monica has no one. Yes, I know. It made me want to scoop her up and take her home.

In the nursery, most of the care during the day is provided by Mama Vinie - or Evelyn as others know her. After 6 PM, it's just the older girls that keep an eye on the babies. Needless to say, it's not enough.

With more to come later, that was just a little introduction to 3 of the 7 babies in the nursery. There are 75 other older children living at the orphanage.

Day Three

It is Sunday here, and it has just finished raining - as it seems to do in the late afternoon everyday. I finally finished Paradigm Found by Anne Firth Murray. Her experience is priceless in what it means to birth and run a non-profit. I was heartened to read that she started The Global Fund for Women at the age of 52.

Anne said that at the beginning she wanted The Global Fund for Women to say and mean to all women all over the world, "We believe in you and your dreams. You are not alone." For MoMo I would like to say to each child that finds themselves in an orphanage, "We love you, and are here for you. You are not alone."

Martha, thank you for your encouraging words on how to reconcile the mission of MoMo - starting up a business to help with self-reliance + change the way we take care of children in orphanages. I've been busy reading up on Half the Sky, my inspiration for 1:1 care for children. I looked at their financials and learned that they have a very large operating budget. I think they are funding the programs within the orphanages through donor money. My concern with that is the reliance on donor money. So, the idea of starting a business to fund key initiatives, like a 1:1 infant program, may be the way to go. I am getting excited about the idea of marrying caregivers to a way to pay for them. It's a tall order.

Moving along. Anne states, "Be clear about what you want to do and why." This will be a key focus for me in the next few weeks. Tomorrow we have our first meeting with the staff from the orphanage. More to come on this topic.

Another thought - Anne encouraged me to write about the situation in orphanages to raise awareness. I never thought of myself as a writer, but am contemplating the idea. Anyone heard of Yensine Larsen? I met her a few years ago. She launched a magazine that voices the situation of women and children in poverty-stricken areas. May be a good start. But first, to write the article!

It's getting late and tomorrow I have to be at the orphanage early. I will end with a quote from the Talmud that I recently found...

Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, neither are you free to abandon it.

Day Two

I was given the weekend off to settle in, and so I've decided to put my time to good use. Right before I left I went to see a documentary on Betty Makoni's work with girls who have been raped to "cure" HIV/AIDS (a must see film - more on that in a later post). While there I bumped into Anne Firth Murray, one of the founders of the Global Fund for Women, and the author of Paradigm Found. I wanted to share some of the insights she provided as I told her what I was about to do.

First of all, Anne is an amazing person, as anyone familiar with her knows. I told her about MoMo and that I was leaving for Africa the next day. She gave me a number of suggestions for funding, but then looked at me and said that she was not sure she could support the idea of MoMo because it was perpetuating the institutional model of orphanages. This was a profound moment for me because I had been doing a lot of thinking along these lines for many years, but wasn't sure how to go about changing the way orphanages are run.

Some background is vital at this juncture. Children, particularly babies, need 1:1 care and support that's always available to them, and totally reliable. This is how we learn to bond with others, to trust and ultimately to love. This 1:1 care does not have to be a biological parent, just someone that responds to their needs - holds the baby so it can hear / feel the caregiver's heartbeat, and maintains eye contact in a loving manner.

Basically, the brain has to feel that another human being is there for them - and it needs to feel it repeatedly as a baby / child to avoid the total human catastrophe of an attachment disorder. Many, but not all, children that live in orphanages develop attachment disorders to varying degrees. Later in life they write poetry that talks about how they feel like an island in the world, alone and detached; it's a tragedy that can easily be avoided. Unfortunately, most orphanages don't understand the importance of consistent care and 1:1 attention.

About 5 years ago my friend Rebel Rice pointed me in the direction of an organization based in Berkeley, California that works in China called Half the Sky. This group has been on my mind for some time - ttp://www.halfthesky.org/work/ourprograms.php. They have developed programs that employ women from the villages to serve as consistent caregivers - around the clock - their approach provides the love and support that a child would get in most circumstances.

So, you see, Anne hit a vital nerve. Yes, MoMo helps orphanages to start businesses to decrease reliance on outside funding sources, but can MoMo also change the way we take care of the children until they are adopted?

Something to ponder.

A final thought - and that is that adoption is, of course, the best solution to the orphanage situation. I am a firm believer that all the children in the world are OUR children and that if we don't take care of them, who will? As you may know, many children are not adopted.

I invite insights and comments.

Arriving in Kenya

It's great to finally be here, although I wish that my dear friend Judy Severson, the co-founder of MoMo, could be here with me. The seeds for MoMo were planted about 3 years ago when Judy and I (along with our kids and others) visited Kakamega as part of a Village Enterprise Fund Vision Trip.

Orphanages in Kenya are brimming with children, many of whom lost their parents to HIV/AIDS. The actual idea for creating MoMo didn't really happen until the next year when we came back to Kakamega to find that many of the babies we had grown to love had perished for a variety of reasons, including lack of safe milk.

Inspired by the work of Village Enterprise Fund, Grameen Bank, and Kiva, among others, we had the idea to help orphanages start businesses as a means to reduce reliance on outside funding sources. In the case of the orphanage in Kakamega, a dairy seemed to make the most sense - providing much needed milk, while also creating an income stream from the sale of surplus.

With the help of amazing people like Lyndsay Holly, as well as Julia Hack-Dave, Wilson Peru, and Rowland Amulyoto from Village Enterprise Fund, today I start the process of moving MoMo's first project further along. We've had some set backs, but more importantly, we've had a lot of people step forward and support our efforts. That's why I am here today.

My goal in the next few weeks is to chronicle the process of developing a business plan to utilize $10K in seed funding (to be given as part grant, part loan). I invite you to become part of the process. Suggestions and advice greatly appreciated throughout the journey. Each day I will be posting the latest - two weeks here in Kenya.

This is an experiment in capitalism of the heart....please stay tuned!