2007.09.03: September 3, 2007: Headlines: COS - Senegal: Small Business: Washington Post: Paula Hirschoff writes: What I knew about entrepreneurship could have fit into the cap of my ballpoint pen, so I protested when the Peace Corps invited me to go to Senegal as a small-business consultant

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Senegal: Peace Corps Senegal : Peace Corps Senegal: Newest Stories: 2007.09.03: September 3, 2007: Headlines: COS - Senegal: Small Business: Washington Post: Paula Hirschoff writes: What I knew about entrepreneurship could have fit into the cap of my ballpoint pen, so I protested when the Peace Corps invited me to go to Senegal as a small-business consultant

By Admin1 (admin) (pool-151-196-34-10.balt.east.verizon.net - 151.196.34.10) on Thursday, November 29, 2007 - 5:48 am: Edit Post

Paula Hirschoff writes: What I knew about entrepreneurship could have fit into the cap of my ballpoint pen, so I protested when the Peace Corps invited me to go to Senegal as a small-business consultant

Paula Hirschoff writes: What I knew about entrepreneurship could have fit into the cap of my ballpoint pen, so I protested when the Peace Corps invited me to go to Senegal as a small-business consultant

"Now, many months later, my work with the people of Guinguin?o, in central Senegal, is thriving. I've drawn on hitherto unknown stores of knowledge about costing, marketing and team development, as well as some previously unrecognized strengths. Soon after arriving in town, I found both a delightful group of hardworking women in the neighborhood of Farabougou and a project idea: production of a highly nutritious porridge mix. The women longed to generate income but had failed at their only effort -- a vegetable garden -- because of the scarcity of water. The porridge project seemed feasible. Not only were the main ingredients (millet, black-eyed peas and peanuts) readily available, but the product was greatly needed to improve child nutrition. The women were enthusiastic and decided to call their product simply by the Bambara name for flour, Muuggu ni kung. Only a few of them speak French, and I was not fluent in their languages, Wolof and Bambara, but I found a fine project partner in Mamadou Wade, a local official who helped with technical training and translation."

Paula Hirschoff writes: What I knew about entrepreneurship could have fit into the cap of my ballpoint pen, so I protested when the Peace Corps invited me to go to Senegal as a small-business consultant

From a Mix of Skills, A Fine Porridge

By Paula Hirschoff
Special to The Washington Post

Monday, September 3, 2007; Page C04

What I knew about entrepreneurship could have fit into the cap of my ballpoint pen, so I protested when the Peace Corps invited me to go to Senegal as a small-business consultant. I'd been a teacher and principal during my first Peace Corps stint in the late 1960s, and subsequently my career had been devoted to writing and teaching. Returning to service almost 40 years later, I'd anticipated placement as a teacher again. "Business consultant" wasn't in my repertoire.

But my husband and friends advised me to learn Excel and let the Peace Corps do the rest.

That was in 2005. Now, many months later, my work with the people of Guinguin?o, in central Senegal, is thriving. I've drawn on hitherto unknown stores of knowledge about costing, marketing and team development, as well as some previously unrecognized strengths.

Soon after arriving in town, I found both a delightful group of hardworking women in the neighborhood of Farabougou and a project idea: production of a highly nutritious porridge mix. The women longed to generate income but had failed at their only effort -- a vegetable garden -- because of the scarcity of water. The porridge project seemed feasible. Not only were the main ingredients (millet, black-eyed peas and peanuts) readily available, but the product was greatly needed to improve child nutrition.

The women were enthusiastic and decided to call their product simply by the Bambara name for flour, Muuggu ni kung. Only a few of them speak French, and I was not fluent in their languages, Wolof and Bambara, but I found a fine project partner in Mamadou Wade, a local official who helped with technical training and translation.

Nonetheless, it took months of pushing and pulling before the project began to unfold. Twice, no one attended training sessions because of funerals; phoning to say you can't come is not a common practice here. To ensure good attendance, I started delivering notices the day before, with my phone number and a request to call if they had to cancel. Since Farabougou is far from my neighborhood, I usually hired a horse and buggy, rather than walk there in the 100-degree heat. Sometimes I imagined myself in a scene from the Old West as I galloped across the railroad tracks and down the dusty road.

For weeks we tried unsuccessfully to raise a small sum to cover startup costs. Then Ramadan and other Muslim holidays delayed us even further. Finally, the women decided to chip in for a trial production run, each contributing a portion of the main ingredients and lending oversize pots and other kitchen equipment. I paid for sugar and cooking gas and to rent scales and a sealing machine to close the plastic bags.

We washed and grilled the main ingredients, trying to be as sanitary as possible. Then they went to a nearby mill for grinding, the millet and peas into flour, the peanuts into butter. Measuring carefully, we mixed in sugar and iodized salt. Any moisture remaining in the Muuggu ni kung would have led to spoilage, so for two days, it dried on a rooftop beneath the scorching sub-Saharan sun. It was nearly nightfall on the last day before we finished affixing labels, filling and sealing the bags.

The mix tastes delicious even uncooked, so there had been many taste tests. We should have had perhaps 50 bags of 500 grams each, but the end count was 47.

Before marketing the porridge, we still had to set a price (cost of ingredients and materials per bag plus profit) and finalize a marketing plan. Or so I thought. The women were so excited about their product that they wanted to rush right into the nearly dark street to start selling it.

But they had to know what to charge first, I argued.

The women, backed by Mamadou, had a price in mind: only 300 francs (about 60 cents), because they were concerned poor people couldn't afford to pay more.

I protested that 300 francs would not even cover costs. My husband, Chuck Ludlam, also a second-time Peace Corps volunteer, and I insisted we develop a plan before starting sales. Meanwhile, several young men had burst in, clamoring to buy the porridge mix and snapping photos with their cellphones. Everyone was shouting, no one listening. The scene was chaotic.

In desperation, Chuck exclaimed, "This is why America is richer than Senegal! We charge a premium for a new and better product!"

With the group startled into stillness, Chuck grabbed the heavy basin of filled bags and made his getaway on horse and buggy, taking the Muuggu ni kung home until we could set a price and make a sales plan. The women seemed surprised but they let him go. I walked home with Mamadou to soothe feelings and rekindle a cooperative spirit.

By the time we met several days later, everyone had calmed down. Heeding my lessons about covering costs and generating profits, the women agreed to charge 800 francs ($1.60) per bag, enough for a nice profit. We sold out the first production run and embarked on two more, targeting health professionals who work with malnourished children and mothers of young children. We hope to arrange subsidies for those who can't afford the porridge. The group plans a bigger production run after the harvest in November, when millet, peas and peanuts are much cheaper.

The women of Farabougou seem to have acquired the confidence and skills to take on other projects, such as producing fruit juices. And I am astounded and gratified to have actually helped to create an enterprise that might become sustainable. I still don't think I'm much of an expert on business matters. But maybe practical problem-solving, optimism and perseverance, plus a bottom-line focus and occasional forceful intervention, are American skills that can help create an enterprise that will do some good in Africa.




Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: September, 2007; Peace Corps Senegal; Directory of Senegal RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Senegal RPCVs; Small Business





When this story was posted in November 2007, this was on the front page of PCOL:


Contact PCOLBulletin BoardRegisterSearch PCOLWhat's New?

Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers RSS Feed
Dodd vows to filibuster Surveillance Act Date: October 27 2007 No: 1206 Dodd vows to filibuster Surveillance Act
Senator Chris Dodd vowed to filibuster the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that would grant retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that helped this administration violate the civil liberties of Americans. "It is time to say: No more. No more trampling on our Constitution. No more excusing those who violate the rule of law. These are fundamental, basic, eternal principles. They have been around, some of them, for as long as the Magna Carta. They are enduring. What they are not is temporary. And what we do not do in a time where our country is at risk is abandon them."

Peace Corps News Peace Corps Library Peace corps History RPCV Directory Sign Up

November 12, 2007: This Month's Top Stories Date: November 12 2007 No: 1210 November 12, 2007: This Month's Top Stories
Chris Dodd's service began with Peace Corps 9 Nov
Matthew McCue called back to Iraq from Peace Corps 9 Nov
Tschetter Visits Turkmenistan 9 Nov
Lara Weber writes: Oprah Winfrey's stumble 9 Nov
Heather Thompson works with P Diddy 7 Nov
Karen Hughes' public diplomacy came to nothing 4 Nov
James Rupert writes: Musharraf seizes power 3 Nov
Martin Puryear is Man of Mysteries 2 Nov
Sarah Chayes says Taliban score major victory 1 Nov
John Sullivan runs Sudan Divestment Task Force. 30 Oct
Tom Bissell writes: Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro 28 Oct
Chris Shays to seek 12th term 25 Oct
Helen Dudley can't stop giving 25 Oct
Joseph Acaba named to STS-119 Shuttle Crew 22 Oct
Vince Floriani in USA Today's All-USA Teacher Team 22 Oct
Kelly J. Morris writes "The Bight of Benin" 20 Oct
Charles Shelan was Buddhist monk Wondam’s teacher 19 Oct
Peace Corps returning to Liberia 18 Oct
David Peckham started Village Bicycle Project 16 Oct
Alberto Ibarguen announces grant for "Project Impunity" 15 Oct
Campbell Memorial Park boosts ecotourism 15 Oct
Bowers Family keep daughter's dream alive 15 Oct

What is the greatest threat facing us now?  Date: September 12 2007 No: 1195 What is the greatest threat facing us now?
"People will say it's terrorism. But are there any terrorists in the world who can change the American way of life or our political system? No. Can they knock down a building? Yes. Can they kill somebody? Yes. But can they change us? No. Only we can change ourselves. So what is the great threat we are facing? I would approach this differently, in almost Marshall-like terms. What are the great opportunities out there - ones that we can take advantage of?" Read more.

Senator Dodd's Peace Corps Hearings Date: July 25 2007 No: 1178 Senator Dodd's Peace Corps Hearings
Read PCOL's executive summary of Senator Chris Dodd's hearings on July 25 on the Peace Corps Volunteer Empowerment Act and why Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter does not believe the bill would contribute to an improved Peace Corps while four other RPCV witnesses do. Highlights of the hearings included Dodd's questioning of Tschetter on political meetings at Peace Corps Headquarters and the Inspector General's testimony on the re-opening of the Walter Poirier III investigation.

Paul Theroux: Peace Corps Writer Date: August 15 2007 No: 1185 Paul Theroux: Peace Corps Writer
Paul Theroux began by writing about the life he knew in Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer. His first first three novels are set in Africa and two of his later novels recast his Peace Corps tour as fiction. Read about how Theroux involved himself with rebel politicians, was expelled from Malawi, and how the Peace Corps tried to ruin him financially in John Coyne's analysis and appreciation of one of the greatest American writers of his generation (who also happens to be an RPCV).

Ambassador revokes clearance for PC Director Date: June 27 2007 No: 1166 Ambassador revokes clearance for PC Director
A post made on PCOL from volunteers in Tanzania alleges that Ambassador Retzer has acted improperly in revoking the country clearance of Country Director Christine Djondo. A statement from Peace Corps' Press Office says that the Peace Corps strongly disagrees with the ambassador’s decision. On June 8 the White House announced that Retzer is being replaced as Ambassador. Latest: Senator Dodd has placed a hold on Mark Green's nomination to be Ambassador to Tanzania.

Suspect confesses in murder of PCV Date: April 27 2007 No: 1109 Suspect confesses in murder of PCV
Search parties in the Philippines discovered the body of Peace Corps Volunteer Julia Campbell near Barangay Batad, Banaue town on April 17. Director Tschetter expressed his sorrow at learning the news. “Julia was a proud member of the Peace Corps family, and she contributed greatly to the lives of Filipino citizens in Donsol, Sorsogon, where she served,” he said. Latest: Suspect Juan Duntugan admits to killing Campbell. Leave your thoughts and condolences .

He served with honor Date: September 12 2006 No: 983 He served with honor
One year ago, Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul (RPCV Kenya) carried on an ongoing dialog on this website on the military and the peace corps and his role as a member of a Civil Affairs Team in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have just received a report that Sargeant Paul has been killed by a car bomb in Kabul. Words cannot express our feeling of loss for this tremendous injury to the entire RPCV community. Most of us didn't know him personally but we knew him from his words. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. He was one of ours and he served with honor.


Read the stories and leave your comments.






Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.

Story Source: Washington Post

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Senegal; Small Business

PCOL38920
40


Add a Message


This is a public posting area. Enter your username and password if you have an account. Otherwise, enter your full name as your username and leave the password blank. Your e-mail address is optional.
Username:  
Password:
E-mail: