Business update

One of the first expressions I was taught when I arrived here in Tanzania was "pole pole". It means "slowly, slowly," and it's something of a mantra here (though not on the roads or in the markets). Another popular expression is "haraka haraka hena baraka," which means "hurry hurry holds no blessings."

Are you detecting a theme? Alex and I have had to take this pole pole attitude to heart in our business dealings, because otherwise we would have both gone crazy by now.

There have been many unforeseen and foreseen complications and delays. I won't bore you with a blow-by-blow account of everything we've done and all the little problems and successes. Broadly, though, we spent the last month planning the business idea, figuring out pricing, calculating the number of items the Mamas can produce per week, making promotional materials, writing a formal business plan for the tour companies, researching companies, improving the quality and consistency of the products, and finally approaching safari companies. It doesn't sound like a full month's work, but I promise it has been. Pole pole, remember?

The main obstacle, obviously, has been the language barrier. Mr Shija comes with us to translate every time we visit the mamas, but his English isn't perfect and I think sometimes we speak too fast, or the details escape him. We'll have to go over the same ideas a few days in a row sometimes, after discovering that our point was missed. I sometimes get the impression that Mr Shija agrees with us for the sake of it without fully understanding what we're saying, and it can be a bit frustrating. I'm not blaming him; we're all doing the best we can, it's just taking longer than it would if we all spoke the same language—Kiswahili. I really wish I had a better handle of Kiswahili, but even with my little book of language lessons it's slow going. I have a pretty good handle of a lot of food-related nouns, and basic phrases and greetings, but my business and handicrafts vocabulary are sadly lacking.

It hasn't just been the language barrier that's slowed things down. Our safari and my getting sick last week didn't help, and don't even ask about how long it took us to track down a printer with ink that could print double-sided). There's also been some more expected delays, like having to build up our stock of bracelets and coasters (oh, I wish I had photos—they're really beautiful) before we could formally approach the safari companies.

But despite all of this, after a month in Tanzania we've made a sale!

We will be selling the bracelets and coasters in batches of 30 (which is how many the Mamas can make per week), for 90,000 Tanzanian shillings a batch (that's about $70 US, I think). As an incentive, however, we've offered the first batch at a trial price of 75,000 Tsh.

This week, we spoke to two safari companies, both of which have good reputations for giving back to the community. The first one, Access2Tanzania, is run by a friend of Lema's. I had spoken to him informally about our idea a couple of times, and he was very enthusiastic. So Alex and I met with the office manager with our formal pitch—the business plan, a pamphlet we made about Mama Machumba Crafts, the wrapped and unwrapped samples—and she was quite receptive. We're waiting to hear back from the big bosses in the States.

But the second company, Maasai Wanderings, bought a trial pack outright, in cash! We met with the owner, a lovely Australian woman named Donna. Her company has a few other contracts for thank-you gifts, including Maasai beaded bracelets. This is good news, because it means that not only are they set up for this sort of business already , but it's unlikely that she'll be pressing us for more than we can produce.

As arrogant as it may seem, one of my biggest worries is demand outstripping production. The Mamas live busy lives, and right now can only devote an hour or two, four or five times a week. I hope that as the business becomes more successful it will become more worth their while to produce more and that they'll be able to rearrange their priorities, but right now it's an issue. We want these two companies to love the product and want to continue working with us...but not too much!

Assuming that one or both of these tour companies want to buy from us on a regular basis, we have our next steps tentatively mapped out. There is another group of Mamas, called the Nazareth group, who worked with the last set of volunteers in creating a little Tanzanian cookbook. It's been selling slowly in a hotel shop here, and those volunteers (Rachel and Rebekah) have been selling them at home in the U.S. But if this safari tour plan goes well, Alex and I have floated the idea of training the Nazareth Mamas in banana weaving and incorporating them into this project. It would increase their income and our output.

Alex and I also have to work on a monthly budget for Mama Machumba Crafts and creating a simple way for the Mamas to keep track of how many of each item they're each producing. That will be essential to making sure that they're paid fairly for their work, and that we get the right number and kind of products every week.

Even further in the future (and this may be a project that I simply take a few steps on and then leave for the volunteer who's coming this summer), we might be able to get the Mamas making lunchboxes for Maasai wanderings. Most meals on safari are eaten at the lodge or campsite, but there are a couple of lunches eaten at scenic stops during the game drives. Right now, MW uses plastic containers for their guests, but Donna asked us if we'd be able to produce boxes. It would take a lot of work and time to organize, but it could be a wonderful next step for the Mama Machumba business.

Anyway, that's what I've been up to when I'm not looking at lions, eating bananas, or complaining about the heat (good gravy is it hot here! I can't wait for the rainy season to begin, seriously). Thanks to all of you for your constant support!

Upendo,
Robin