Had an exhausting 3 days on retreat – with roommates’ heavy snoring and insistence on watching TV until 1am and then starting again at 5am being the main reasons behind my tiredness. Running the event went well, but we ran out of time to do everything (not helped by everyone turning up 1.5 hours late, having stopped for ice-cream on the way!!) so we’ll finish off next week. I know that not everyone shared my opinion, but I was generally encouraged by what we were able to achieve. The trick will now be able to turn what is on paper into action…
Jun 012011
May 282011
Spent the last couple of days writing materials and organising the time for the forthcoming staff strategy planning retreat (Monday – Wednesday). Think I’m all set to go, but I think I’m going to have my work cut out for me (as the facilitator) to make it a useful time for all involved – much depends on the attitudes that people come with and how I manage the three days and the whole strategy process. Potentially, the meeting could set the tone for the work of the Trust in Huancayo for the next few years at least, so the pressure is on to make sure I manage it well.
May 252011
Up a little after 4:30am this morning to visit the tiny village of Quicha (key-cha) about 90 minutes bumpy driving away from Huancayo where the quality of their local clay is sufficient to make the combustion chamber that will be the heart of my stove project. I’ve got to go back next week in order to see a prototype, but thankfully an hour later!!
May 242011
One of the things I’ve been planning on organising before leaving is a staff retreat to think about the identity of the charity and to strategically plan for the future. I had originally hoped to be in the discussions myself but, since I am now leaving, I have become the facilitator which means that I have been very busy over the last couple of days putting together materials and a programme for next Monday-Wednesday. Here’s hoping that it proves to be a valuable time away…
May 162011
Been a bit quiet from me for the last couple of weeks since I’ve had my head down. While this has involved a few job applications, I’ve also managed to get 3 new business-related courses written for the Training Centre, so it’s off to the printers today and then picking up the teaching and text books on Wednesday, just in time to start teaching again on Thursday. I had some of my students last week tell me that they’re loving the way the course is put together (low on theory and high on practise), although that hasn’t stopped 4 of my morning class failing the course. Still, I don’t think the course (or the teacher!) can be blamed for that one – they are, coincidently, the 4 students who never/barely ever turn up to class!
I’m also now half planned for the forthcoming smokeless stoves project too. Should be going shopping this afternoon to look at prices and allow me to draw up a budget and then I’m getting up nice and early on Friday morning to head out to a distant village where a local producer could well be able to make the combustion chambers, the heart of the stoves, for me. Should hopefully have more of an idea by the end of the week about what the scope for this project is going to be and how it’s going to run.
Apr 282011
I subscribe to a few development job internet mailing lists. One of them encourages you to pay to receive notice of jobs by sending them to you free only at the last moment. So, when a job possibility (in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania) landed on my electronic doormat this morning, I had to drop everything that I’d planned to do and dedicate myself to that. The application is now completed and in, but it’s going to be a long night trying to get done all the things that I was meant to be doing today (the small matter of finishing writing one of my business courses, by adding in material for 3 more weeks of classes!!)
Apr 252011
It’s been noticeable since being back in the country that food prices have gone up and I’ve seen the odd article recently which says that this is not a phenomenon that is unique to Peru, but that around the world many more people are plunging into poverty. The families with whom I work are certainly noticing the increases, so we are all hoping that they do not continue to rise whilst work continues with them to try and find longer-term solutions to their economic problems.
Managed to get quite a lot done today on the business course I am writing, so I thought I’d send off another application whilst I was at it. So, there are now three irons in the fire, this one being in the Ecuadorian Andes in a job that sounds fairly similar to the one I am doing at the moment, although for a much larger and award-winning organisation.
Apr 142011
The problem with deciding that you’re going to leave somewhere is that all the work you had stretched before you over the next few months gets compressed into much less time. The start of the next module at the Training Centre is mid-May, by which time I need to have written 2 new business courses from scratch, both teachers’ books and textbooks. That’s going to be a tall order in itself, but add to that the need to get the toilet project and the home-gardening project with the families finished and a new smokeless stoves project started before June, then it’s going to be a very, very busy few weeks ahead!
Apr 132011
Being a teacher brings with it the inevitable marking. Well, in theory, at least. I’d spent last week teaching most of my students about how to design questionnaires and set them the homework of doing market research questionnaires for the products they are going to launch. From one of my classes, I only picked up one piece of coursework today (and not a very good piece at that), so I guess I won’t be spending quite so long marking as I thought.
With some time of my hands, I went out to see the Vegetable Garden I started with some families in one of the villages. I’ve been told that the families keep talking about it and are very proud of what they’ve been able to do (showing that it’s not just about improving diet, but self-esteem too). It was a bit of a surprise, therefore, to see that there were stinging nettles everywhere; it hadn’t been fenced in while I was away as promised and that something has been eating the cabbages. I’ll have to organise a workshop with the families to address some of these issues…