So we're in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, and I have to admit that this is more what I imagined when I thought of Africa. South Africa in general is so much like being in England or the US, so it is really great to get a real feel for the city. Everyone is so friendly here and they really make you feel welcome. They're always smiling!

Wednesday we got to go to a Women in Microfinance Fair in a village outside Lusaka called Chongwe. The United Nations Development Program and the Grameen Trust sponsored a pilot in this part of Zambia where they gave loans of about $200 to $500 to women who wanted to start their own businesses. Most banks refuse to give credit to disadvantaged individuals because they see it as too much of a risk, but within this group of women not one defaulted on her loan. Because this program was so successful, the Grameen Trust is planning on becoming a permanent microfinance lending institution in Zambia.

It was really inspiring to walk around the little market that they set up and listen to the stories of the women who, because of their loans, were able to send their children to school, provide three meals a day for their families, and above all have a purpose in life. You could see it in their faces, how proud they were of their accomplishments, and that in itself was the most incredible part of the experience.

We have just returned from a three day safari at a private game reserve about seven hours south of Johannesburg called Phinda, which is run by Conservation Corporation Africa (CCAfrica). The game reserve itself is gorgeous but before I get into that, CCAfrica is unique in that it invests a portion of its profits in the surrounding villages as well as employing inhabitants from those villages, who make up eighty percent of their staff. The money they invest goes to three different types of projects: education, primary healthcare and income generating activities, which is awesome because their faith in the community has fostered a great relationship between CCAfrica and the local villages.

Our home base was a camp on the northern part of the reserve named Bayete and we had our own personal guides named Nicky and Ross who took us on five game drives throughout our stay. The experience as a whole was unparalleled. Every day we woke up at sunrise and drove around the reserve in these big Land Cruisers with open tops searching for animals. I would say "Ross! Find me some elephants!" and then we'd drive around following elephant tracks and then stumble upon a herd making their way to a watering hole. Our guides knew everything there was to know about the reserve and every animal in it and I found myself asking them so many questions, trying to soak up as much information as possible. It turns out that Nicky is the sole female ranger on the reserve and only one of four employed within the whole of CCAfrica. She has so much enthusiasm for her work that working in a completely male dominated profession doesn't even phase her, which is pretty impressive.

It is insane how much we saw. Saturday Nicky led us to a pride of lions and we spent all morning with them, just watching them lounge in the shade. Then by chance we saw a family of rhinos grazing in the long grass on the way back to camp. I caught a glimpse of a cheetah drinking from a pond not one hundred feet from the place where we ate breakfast every morning. Observing the animals was only half of it though. The landscape itself was truly inspiring: the rolling hills; the wind blowing softly through the long grass; the peaceful ponds with water lilies dotting the surface; and majestic forests made up of knotted grisly trees that are still oddly beautiful. However the piece de resistance was the sky. I can't really explain it but the sky in the bush is different than at home or even in Johannesburg. It seems to vault up over you until it hits the horizon when it merges with the ground. During the day its as blue as the sea; at night its an inky black canvas dotted with the most magnificent display of stars, and sunrises and sunsets are dramatic displays of color and light. Its incredible.
Never in my life have I been so content. I would ride in the car with the silliest smile on my face because I couldn't believe how much I was enjoying myself. I am so grateful Phinda was incorporated as part of our trip because it has expanded my appreciation for the phenomena of nature and alerted me to just how precious and fragile it all really is.

I have had so many amazing experiences so far. Today I had a chance to play soccer with some Zambian kids. At one point in the game I stopped and looked at the beautiful sunset. Then I realized how crazy the situation was. I was in Africa playing soccer with some Zambians under an awesome sunset. How many people can say they’ve done that?

Last week we spent three nights at a safari called Phinda. I’m going to work there after I graduate from college (I want you to hold me to that). We saw giraffes, rhinos, impalas, nyalas, zebras, warthogs, wildebeests, elephants, lions, cheetahs, and others. At one point I was disappointed to see zebras but now I realize how absurd that is. It was amazing being around such a beautiful nature and majestic animals.

We have also had the chance to meet with a number of organizations that are working to improve Africa. Many of these are utilizing microfinance to increase the livelihood and income citizens. It has been really inspiring to hear about people who have started programs just based off of an idea.

Last Monday we met with a man named Fred who founded the African Leadership Academy. He told us about many of the students who will be attending his school next year and their accomplishments. One student managed to make a windmill for his community based off pictures in a textbook. It made me realize that my age is not a limiting factor on my ability to act. If this high school dropout could make his own windmill then I could achieve great things.

This trip has been extremely fun but also educational and inspirational. I have really enjoyed my time here.

Weezie Post:

It's always surreal to get on a plane for 18 hours (even though it does seem like a lot) and get back off the plane and be on a totally different country, one you always hear about in the news, yet in the back of your mind you don't expect to be there anytime soon. Yet here I am, in Johannesburg, and just yesterday I was riding along in a massive open-aired jeep, searching for a cheetah in an African veldt.

In 2004, my mom and I went to Zambia, where the poverty rate was extremely high, and the level of development was pretty low. Mud huts, run down cars, and beggars were common. So, when I arrived at the South African airport, and saw the sleek, clean floors, and when we drove to our hotel, everything we saw pass by our window was extremely modern and developed. It didn't feel as if I had left the United States. I think that people, even I, underestimate and prejudge the level of development in Africa. People claim that giving or investing money to Africa is a waste, yet they have no right to say that until they have been to the continent, and have seen what has been done here already. It's pretty advanced in some areas, and with effort and help, the under-developed areas can achieve that same level of development.

On the first day, we attended an introductory meeting with the Umsobomvu Youth Fund, who is hosting the Microfinance Conference we will be attending in Cape Town. It was amazing when they shared their statistics that demonstrated the change they had created within South Africa. We visited a loan receiver, a young woman in her twenties who was opening up a spa and had received a loan from Umsobomvu. She was so happy and proud of herself, and to think that some people doubt the ability of Microfinance institutions was crazy. You knew it had made huge impact on her life. Riding back on the bus to the hotel, I thought more about how this new concept of microfinance was still a little-known movement, and so many people back in my town and in the US always wonder what they can do to help a person in a less-privileged spot. Microfinance is so sustainable, and the difference it makes is tremendous.

Weezie

John Post

So far our trip to South Africa has been great. We have seen that the country is much different from what Americans typically think of Africa to be like. Don’t get me wrong, we have seen our share of straw houses and extreme poverty. The big difference, however, is that the people are considerably different than what we imagine Africans to be like. Miserable, uneducated, and militant- as Africans are portrayed to be in many films (Blood Diamond, etc.)- are three adjectives absolutely do not describe the people who we have met. Instead, the people are thoughtful, optimistic, hard working, grateful, and, most importantly, happy.

This does not go to say that the more superficial stereotype of Africa as a poverty stricken land is universally true either. We are staying in a very nice hotel, among other nice hotels, across the street from a booming mall, with a bowling alley, a movie theatre, and enough shopping outlets to make a 14 year old girl feel like she is in heaven. The streets are lined with advertisements for cell phones, luxury cars, and computers. The fact that places such as Johannesburg exist in Africa was surprising to us. We were expecting to instantly see a part of the world which is completely foreign to us at home. In a way, we were surprised that we were not surprised.
My new impression of the typical African, or at least South African is best exemplified by the people that we have met. We met people from a group called Umsobomvu who funded young entrepreneurs in starting their business. My sense was that the primary mission of this group was social improvement. Unlike banks, which make loans because they collect interest, this group really wanted to advance the southern region of Africa. This, however, was only one of many such programs in South Africa. The Safari we just got back from donates part of their earnings to the local village. This funding goes towards building schools, hospitals, etc. When we visited the village we saw that the people (as a result of this funding or not) seemed to enjoy life in a way that Americans don’t. We realized that these people don’t need our money to be happy. Happiness does not come from what we have. Instead, happiness comes from living sustainable, meaningful, and energetic lives.

The final example of how Africans are proactively seeking to help themselves, which I found most interesting of the three, is the work of a man who introduced himself as Fred. Fred emphasized to us that a relatively small number of people have shaped the world. Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, and now we can sit in rooms with light. The Wright Brothers invented the airplane, and now we can take cool trips to Africa. MLK and Gandhi both started human rights movements which have created the path for how our world has changed in a recent context. Fred has started a school to educate the people who will help shaped Africa. He believes that in two or three generations, Africa can be a major force in the world – comparable to Europe or America. I thought that his goal was very inspiring. The Africa School is just getting off the ground, but surely we will hear more from this school in our life times. Fred struck me as one of the few people who really can change the world. (ps. I am embarrassed that I don’t know his last name)

So far, our trip to Africa has changed my perception of the world. I look forwards to seeing Zambia in the next couple days.

John

It’s bizarre to think we’re actually in Africa. I think it has to do with a lot of stereotypes about Africa, like that it’s all desert, hot, tribal, and impoverished. I have yet to see any of these characteristics since arriving, though we are, admittedly, in one of the safer and more upscale parts of Johannesburg. We’re sleeping at a hotel, the weather is cool and overcast, the attire is generally similar to America’s, a great deal of people—all of those we’ve encountered so far—speak English, and we’re next to a mall. I’ve already seen the ultra-monster globalized businesses, McDonalds and KFC, on the street.

However, I have the feeling that this is the exception rather than the rule. We are in an area concentrated with tourists and this looks to be a more affluent area. But right now, I’m just relieved to be here and ready to go. I’m not even as tired as I thought I’d be. We’re staying in the Courtyard Hotel, in the Rosebank. I should sleep soon, since tomorrow we’ll be visiting the Umsobomvu Youth Fund, which trains youth in business skills.

I’m not tired yet, but I have the feeling in my gut that I will be, and frighteningly so, before this day is over. I slept through nearly the entire CA to NY flight after having stayed up last night packing. Time is so strange right now. Today is actually tomorrow, last night seems really recent… too hard to think about right now on 5 hours sleep. I’m on the plane right now, killing time.

I was reading through the packet of articles provided to us, and a few really stuck out to me. The first was a packet discussing the impacts of clean water access for the straight-forward reason that I hadn’t realized how much affect it had on developing communities (not to mention how much water developing communities consume), and how the lack of it can be crippling. For example, there is the raw fact that a child dies every 15 seconds from a water-related disease.

The other articles that caught my eye were an FAQ about microfinance, an column criticizing it, and a letter to the editor rebutting the column. Each of the three opened a microfinance a little more. The first introduced me ot the finer details of microfinance, such as that it doesn’t just refer to loans, but to insurance, saving accounts, and other financial tools. It also showed why microfinance works and why sometimes it doesn’t. The column elaborated on the second concept, pointing out that it is such a small scale and aimed only at creating one person businesses that don’t create jobs and thus produced little impact. Then I read the rebuttal, which pointed out that the system was not just designed to produce income, but to also empower the poor, especially women. I agreed with both. Microfinance has its function, but not enough attention is paid to medium-sized businesses which can create jobs.

The common denominator between these three microfinance articles was that they showed facets of microfinance not portrayed by mainstream media. Admittedly, microfinance is very hyped, though not without reason. But the problem is that its shown as a miracle tool. But microfinance, like any other tools, needs to be used with care and only where it will function properly. Idealism is a driving force, but blind idealism can get in the way more than it helps.

That’s it for now. My next entry will be from South Africa!