Promoting change: boosting productivity in Kenya
VSO volunteer Annabelle Encabo encountered resistance when she began helping workshops for people living with HIV and AIDS in Kenya’s Rift Valley Province to develop their commercial potential. But persistence, and some flexibility on her own part, have begun to pay off and have given her cause to believe that progress will continue, even when her placement has ended.
“I have always believed that where people are differentiated by cultures, they speak the same language when it comes to business. I was wrong.” This is VSO volunteer Annabelle Encabo’s sobering assessment of managing workshops with people living with HIV and AIDS in Kenya. Here, she explains in her own words the challenges she faced, and reveals why she now has reason for cautious optimism.
Encountering resistance
Progress involves change of some form, and that’s what makes it a daunting proposition. In a place of ingrained habits and a mix of tribal cultures, there seemed to be no place for change. This was my challenge as a Business Advisor for Imani Workshops in Eldoret, Kenya, where I dreamed of making a difference.
Imani Workshops started with the mission of providing hope and livelihood assistance to patients with HIV and AIDS who are fighting stigma and poverty. Since its inception in 2005, a steady stream of artisans has come and gone, but social enterprises are not always run like profitable enterprises and I felt that there was an urgent need for change at Imani.
A few home truths
However, whether rearranging the workstations, improving productivity or making bold steps in marketing, I encountered reluctance at every turn. This tested my patience and I found myself praying that I would meet at least one willing soul who would be open to new ideas.
I soon realised that this resistance to change was connected to my role as a volunteer who would eventually leave – just as other foreign volunteers before me had arrived with new ideas but had left only confusion in their wake. Without continuity and growth, change is simply disruption.
As time passed, I also grew to understand the trauma of having lived a marginal existence complicated by HIV and AIDS, and I learned to adjust my approach accordingly. I explained that change is not easy but sometimes we have to do it because we need to grow. I also found that simplifying things made change much more appealing.
Hope for the future
In September 2009, the first work-at-home programme was piloted in Langas, a community in Eldoret. A small team worked successfully to fulfill an order of beaded papyrus bowls. I plan to expand the programme, providing livelihoods for at least 30 people and bringing in 20 more with disabilities who will be taught skills through the Imani Training Institute.
One experience illustrates the highs and lows of my placement. I was coaching the women assigned to the stockroom on a simple inventory system. After I explained the need to maintain a computerised inventory, they threw their hands in the air and claimed that such a complex system was beyond them. My response was to show them that a computer is just like a big calculator or a mobile phone with lots of different uses and features. At first they struggled, but when I saw the twinkle in their eyes, I felt a sense of satisfaction.
Education is an indispensable tool for change and at VSO knowledge is our most powerful tool. However, “there is no hurry in Africa”, as they say, and it took me some time to truly understand the value of patience. I know now that even after my placement has ended, my friends at the workshops will retain the desire and the confidence to embrace change.
Challenge
In Kenya, workshops employing people living with HIV and AIDS offer opportunities for development, but suspicion of new business practices is impeding progress.
Catalyst
VSO volunteer Annabelle Encabo uses new methods and learning to adjust her own approach.
Result
A blend of patience, persistence and creative thinking is boosting productivity at Imani workshops.
