Live Blogging from DRC!

Hi All,
Thanks to everyone who participated in our first live blog today! We on this end got to do a little wrap up/post-session-debrief, and though it was imperfect, the women were very encouraged by your enthusiasm and the brainstorming we have started.

We look forward to the discussions, ideas, and collaborations that will come from this and future sessions!

In the meantime, I wanted to paste the text of it here in the main blog site so you don’t have to click anywhere to see it. For those of you who did not get to participate — here’s your chance! Put up any questions, comments, shout outs you like, and Mapendo I, Georgette, Mapendo M, Esperanse, Amani, and I will reply. Tomorrow, I’ll try and edit this post to add a couple of pictures as well!

Here it is, for all posterity.

Till next time,
-VPT

Live Blogging Session #1,
Aug 26th, 2011,
3 PM Local Time, 9AM ET

9:05 Resolve – Hi All! Welcome to our Live Blogging session with four pioneering women we are lucky to work with at Resolve! Georgette, Mapendo M., Esperanze, and Mapendo K. will be on shortly! Translating will be Amani Mataboro, facilitating will be Vijaya Thakur, and playing the role of “Fixer” will be Chloe Manchester, Intern Extraordinaire!
9:06 Resolve – Wow, way too many exclamation points in that post above. Can you tell we’re excited?
9:06 Resolve – Amani: Hi Bethany, it’s nice to “meet” you too – thank you for all your hard work!
9:09 Resolve – Hang tight for just a minute. We are working out the kinks over here — as I keep hearing, “TIA — This is Africa!” It’s a cheerful reminder that we always figure it out, but it’ll take us a sec.
9:10 Resolve – Beth, can you help us see how the Twitter interface works? Give us a shoutout with twitter hashtags #ResolveWomen or #MicrotoMacro
9:13 Resolve – Hey Teddy! Great to see you — we just have a couple kinks to work out, sorry for the delay. We’ll be on in just a few moments.
9:14 [Comment From Bethany]
Hey guys! Congratulations on your amazing businesses! You all rock, you’re truly an inspiration and I’m so excited that we’re just starting to create these amazing things together.
9:15 [Comment From Bethany]
hey Amani! So nice to “meet” you!
9:15 [Comment From Bethany]
so tell us about yourselves! What kind of businesses do you run, how’s it going, and what do you hope to accomplish?
9:15 [Comment From TMS RUge]
Hey everyone, sorry joining you late! How is everyone?
9:15 [Comment From Bethany]
haha trusting Beth with the Twitter feeds, and the testing no less…ballsy move, lady
9:15 Resolve – Haha, we have faith in you, Beth. We believe in your Resolve! 9:18 Resolve – Aaaaand we are live!
9:18 [Comment From Eric]
Hey Resolve! How are your projects going so far?
9:19 [Comment From Lola]
Hi Ladies! Hi Vij!
9:21 Resolve – Georgette: Hi Bethany, Teddy, Eric, and Lola! Thank you for joining us today!
9:22 [Comment From TMS Ruge]
No worries. Bushcasting for the first time is always tricky. Were you guys able to get a live signal strong enough for a video feed? 9:22
cholya1966 – RT @mukouda_michiko: あああ！わたし見切れてる・・・画面右後ろでごそごそしてゴメン！ RT @yusaku_nakajima: MicroToMacro「ハネモノ／ブルー・ヘブン」公演終了後のインタビュー映像作りましたー！ http://t.co/Wq06jxh

9:22
mukouda_michiko – あああ！わたし見切れてる・・・画面右後ろでごそごそしてゴメン！ RT
@yusaku_nakajima: MicroToMacro「ハネモノ／ブルー・ヘブン」公演終了後のインタビュー映像作りましたー！ http://t.co/Wq06jxh

9:22
sagaderisa – so excited to be live-blogging with women on the ground in the Congo! join us at http://t.co/XHEAzHF #ResolveWomen
#MicrotoMacro

9:22
yusaku_nakajima – MicroToMacro「ハネモノ／ブルー・ヘブン」公演終了後のインタビュー映像作りましたー！ http://t.co/jpyu0U6

9:23 [Comment From Bryson]
Hello to all in DRC! Vijaya, I was wondering what some of their village dialect is, so that maybe we can write hello or thank you to everyone using their words?
9:24 Resolve – My name is Esperanze Mapendo. I am 41 years old. I am mother of three children, a nurse, I am a member of Resolve Network and ABFEK (Action Kivu) programs here.
9:25 Resolve – Esperanze: For my business, I sell corn and beans that I buy in Kaminyola, that I grind, and then sell as flour.
9:25 Resolve – Now for an introduction from Georgette!
9:26 Resolve – Hello everyone! I am Georgette. I am 45, I am a mother of five children, only four of whom are alive. I proudly started my business to sell fried fish, and I am also a farmer woman!
9:27 [Comment From TMS Ruge]
Bryson, that is a brilliant idea! I want to learn too!
9:27 [Comment From Bethany]
*applause, applause*
9:28 Resolve – The ladies are tickled by the idea of teaching you their language! They say “Hello” or — Asinge!
9:28 Resolve – They speak Mashi, which is a dialect from Mumosho and all the territories of Kabale.
9:29 Resolve – And thank you, they say I should tell you since I already know it and it’s become a bit of my nickname — “Koko!” 9:30 Resolve – A brief introduction of our other two participants here — we’re joking about calling them Mapendo & Mapendo, or Mapendo Squared.
9:31 Resolve – My name is Mapendo Isabelle. I am 37 years old. I live in Mumosho. I am a mother of nine children! I am happy to be a member of this great project through Resolve and ABFEK (our wonderful partner on the ground)
9:32 Resolve – My name is Mapendo M’Sanduku. I am 47 years old, I was born in Mumosho. I am a mother of nine kids as well.
9:33 [Comment From Lola]
It is wonderful to meet you ladies!
9:33 [Comment From Lily]
Asinge!
9:33 Resolve – Asinge to you too!
9:33 [Comment From Bethany] and (sorry for the idiom but I’m blanking) if we want to learn a good “jumping off” language so we can pick up Mashi quickly when we come to visit, what should we learn?
9:34 Resolve – Mapendo M’Sanduku: I sell bananas, but every day before starting my business, I have to go to the farm in the morning. 9:35 Resolve – Ladies: Yes, we all go to the fields first thing in the morning, often after morning services at our church.
9:36 Resolve – Mapendo M’Sanduku: I started farming when I was 10 years old! 9:37 Resolve – Mapendo Isabelle: My business is selling cassava flour. I buy my cassava at Bukavu beach, take it back to Mumosho by truck ride, and I have them ground into flour at a mill near the Peace Market.
9:38 Resolve – Mapendo Isabelle: Because I have a smaller amount of cash on hand, I have to walk to Bukavu Beach at least twice a week, but it is worth it!
9:39 Resolve – Mapendo Isabelle: I also go to church and love to sing in the church choir! I understand there is someone else on here who sings in their choir?
9:39 [Comment From Bethany]
how far are the fields? (Is that the 3 hr trek Vijaya mentioned?) 9:41 Resolve – Bethany, we plant some small plants near our home, but for us – Esperanze and Georgette – our fields are 2 hours away. 9:41 Resolve – Mapendo Isabelle: I am lucky, my field is close to my home, so I don’t have to go far.
9:42 Resolve – Mapendo M: I walk an hour to get to my farm. 9:42 [Comment From Bryson]
Please ask them to pass an “Asinge!” to the rest of the women in the village! And also – how long are the walks to the different markets around them? And yes, I do sing in my church’s choir, too!
9:43 Resolve – The women are clapping, Bryson. They say, “Ndio” — yes! 9:43 Resolve – Maybe we will all sing together someday!
9:43
TheBrysonTurner – Psyched to be live-blogging with women on the ground in the Congo! 9-10:30 est at http://t.co/aoND40T #ResolveWomen #MicrotoMacro

9:44 Resolve – We are about to get to Bethany’s big question — “What do you hope to accomplish?”
9:45 [Comment From Stephanie]
What time do they get up in the morning to go to Church?
9:46 Resolve – Mapendo I: I am very exciting to start growing my business, I am planning on starting a bakery! I want to diversify my business so I can school my children, build a secure house. To raise my children, I have to grow my business.
9:47 Resolve – Mapendo I: This year, my first child was not able to get his secondary school diploma, and I do not know if I will be able to finish his education. I must grow my business for him, for my children.
9:49 Resolve – Did we lose the feed?
9:50 [Comment From Mrs_Daly]
I’m not sure what to say here I just wanted to say what Resolve is doing for these women is phenomenal.
9:51 [Comment From Bethany]
no, I think you’re still here
9:52 Resolve – And we’re back! Thanks for your patience.
9:52 Resolve – Thank you to Mrs. Daly! We are very proud to be a part of the this great endeavor.
9:53 Resolve – Esperanze: I think health is a very important issue in our community. I want to start a pharmacy to make sure everyone’s needs are addressed.
9:54 Resolve – Esperanze: Many people in our communities die because of a lack of health care, even for easily treatable diseases. This should not happen, and we can fix this.
9:55 Resolve – Esperanze: No one should have to go without
healthcare. I am working hard to save to make sure I one day accomplish this dream.
9:56 Resolve – Georgette: I thank God that you all are coming to my house, in this way. Right now, I have a daughter in University. 9:57 Resolve – Georgette: I want to make sure that all my children can go to university in the future.
9:57 Resolve – Georgette: Every week when I make profit, I save half of it for their school fees. That is my biggest life goal, to send my children to university.
9:58 [Comment From Bethany]
Esperanze – let’s talk “offline”/later about what you need to make this happen. We’d be thrilled to help however we can.
9:58 Resolve – Georgette: To do this, I also have to expand my business. Ladies love shoes! I want to start selling shoes for women. 9:58 Resolve – Also, many children do not have shoes — it is important for their health that we provide these.
9:59 Resolve – Georgette: School is starting up soon, and that will come with joy but also with its own troubles — school fees. It will be a hard time to make sure we can afford it, but this is what we work for.
10:00 Resolve – Mapendo M: I also want to grow my business so I can build a safe, secure house for my family.
10:00 Resolve – Mapendo M: That is a basic need that a mother must provide. 10:01 Resolve – Mapendo M: For my children, I want to make sure I expand my business and I EXPLODE onto the scene!
10:01 [Comment From Bryson]
What type of shoe is best for when you live? How far do children have to walk to get to school? And how many children go to school / help with businesses / are not able to do either?
10:03 Resolve – Bryson, great question. Let’s ask the expert, Georgette! 10:04 Resolve – Ladies: Our children have to walk at least an hour to get to their schools.
10:04 Resolve – Georgette: We need strong leather shoes, because the rainy season is coming up and the roads will get muddy.
10:05 Resolve – Georgette: Good leather shoes, or sneakers. 10:05 Resolve – Esperanze: Plastic sandals during the dry season when there is no rain, that is good for within the village while children are playing.
10:06 [Comment From Eric]
What are some of the health issues that you face? Are they supplies or the experienced people?
10:06 Resolve – Another great question, Eric! We are discussing the health issues. In the meantime, can you clarify what you mean by the second part of your question?
10:07 Resolve – Esperanze: Malaria is one of the biggest problems people face here regarding health. People, especially children, are having worms — another reason we need the shoes. Malnutrition is another major issue.
10:08 Resolve – Esperanze: Water born illnesses like diarrhea is also a big issue, especially come the rainy season.
10:09 Resolve – Mapendo I: Measles for our kids, meningitis. Tuberculosis is also a MAJOR issue.
10:09 Resolve – Mapendo M: Yes, tuberculosis — one my neighbors just died from it.
10:09 Resolve – All the women are in agreement that Tuberculosis will be a major issue during the rainy season, which starts in September. 10:10 Resolve – Esperanze: For older people, that is also an issue, along with arthritis.
10:10 Resolve – Esperanze: But if we can conquer malnourishment and get safe access to drinking water, that will be the biggest step toward a healthier community
10:11 Resolve – Esperanze: “*organize safe access to drinking water,” she corrects herself.
10:11 Resolve – Georgette: We should also discuss HIV/AIDS — although malaria kills more people, it is still significant. 10:12 Resolve – Esperanze: Yes, I definitely want to provide access to contraceptives through my pharmacy. I volunteer with a local hospital, but I can never get enough supplies into my community. 10:13 Resolve – Esperanze: The hospital has started education programs on family planning, but just on how to monitor ovulation — not condom use.
10:14 Resolve – All women: If Resolve can help us to organize this in our community, it would have a major impact.
10:14 [Comment From Bethany]
So let’s put our heads together, or at least get the wheels
turning/start thinking about this. What do you need to be able to combat those things? And how can we *sustainably* get that to as many people in your community as possible?
10:15 Resolve – All: Bethany, we love how action oriented a woman you are! Yes, let’s discuss.
10:15 Resolve – (You would fit right in in our village!)
10:16 Resolve – Esperanze: To fight malaria, people need to have access to mosquito nets, first and foremost.
10:16 Resolve – Mapendo I: Yes, and we also need to build better draining systems and clean water.
10:17 Resolve – Esperanze: Yes, and we can organize awareness raising projects — it is easy to go door to door in our communities! 10:18 Resolve – Georgette: Yes, and you have seen the latrines we have. We are trying to build a sanitary latrine near the Peace Market, but need more funds.
10:19 Resolve – Esperanze: Yes, and raising awareness on available vaccines is also very important. Things like polio, meningitis. 10:20 Resolve – VPT: Chloe, our intern, is very curious to learn where Esperanze learned so much about public health! I will transcribe the conversation.
10:20 Resolve – Esperanze: It is a gift. I saw the needs in my community, and knew I had to do something.
10:20 Resolve – Esperanze: I wanted to help, so I went to nursing school for three years.
10:22 Resolve – Resolve: VPT: Chloe, our intern, is very curious to learn where Esperanze learned so much about public health! I will transcribe the conversation.
10:23 Resolve – Esperanze: It is a gift. I saw the needs in my community, and knew I had to do something.
10:23 Resolve – Esperanze: I wanted to help, so I went to nursing school for three years.
10:23 [Comment From Bryson]
Agreed, Esperanze sounds like a woman with a great gift for helping others. If Mapendo I. is as good a baker as Esperanze is a health worker, then I look forward to one day shopping at her bakery. : ) 10:25 Resolve – Mapendo I: Koko, Bryson!
10:26 [Comment From Bethany]
Esperanze – can’t wait to work with you to make your dream come true. I work for the biggest health care union in the US, and I’m already trying to figure out who to talk to to get our nurses (and other health care workers) on board to help too.
10:26 Resolve – Esperanze: Go Bethany, Go!
10:26 Resolve – All Women: Clapping.
10:27 Resolve – Mapendo I: May God Bless you and keep you strong! 10:27 [Comment From Bryson]
What are the women’s dreams for their children post-university? what would they hope their children get to do, if they are able to get a more formal education?
10:28 Resolve – We want our children to be the leaders of our nation! 10:28 Resolve – Mapendo M: Yes! We are doing out part to guide the country in a better direction, use peaceful means. Our children will build on that foundation.
10:29 [Comment From Bryson]
Is the issue of malnourishment purely an issue of not having enough money, or is there more that could be done to help the situation, perhaps on a more communal scale, (i.e. something we could try to facilitate?)
10:30 Resolve – Georgette: Malnourishment is an effect of the poverty that war brings.
10:30 Resolve – Mapendo I: Yes, as we build our businesses step by step, we contribute to peace because we are able to feed our children three meals a day, send them to school. These are all the effects of poverty and war.
10:32 Resolve – Mapendo M: Yes, we do not see as many malnourished children in the city, in Bukavu because more people have means. Rural poverty is backbreaking in a different way. Before this program, no one was reaching our community – we were on our own. Now, we can tackle these issues working together.
10:32 Resolve – Chloe is asking if they would rather move to the city. 10:33 Resolve – Mapendo I: No! We are not going to give up, we will build up our communities — make them beautiful, thriving communities to live!
10:34 Resolve – Mapendo M: It may be a slow process, but we are doing it step by step. There is a lot to be done, and much that we need to “put our heads together” about as Bethany said, but we believe we can do it.
10:34 [Comment From Bryson]
I love the idea of your children being the voices that bring that message to the rest of the nation. I hope we are all taking the first steps toward that.
10:35 Resolve – All: Ndio!
10:36 Resolve – Georgette: Yes, Bryson — God Bless You!
10:37 Resolve – Georgette: We are going to work hard and make sure we achieve our goals and dreams. Working together like this, that is what will make the difference.
10:37 Resolve – Mapendo M: It is the only thing that has worked so far. If we have our Resolve, we do not need any big projects from the UN — we can do it ourselves, us together!
10:38 Resolve – Well said, Mapendo, and everybody, great questions! That’s a wrap on this session!
10:38 Resolve – Since health was something we spent so much time on, maybe we’ll organize a special one on organizing the Community Health Care Program?
10:39 [Comment From Bryson]
That sounds like a great idea – Ndio!
10:39 [Comment From Eric]
So, as a follow up question to the health related issues, is the problem more that there is not enough medicine/supplies to combat the diseases, or it is not having enough people who know how to
use/distribute the supplies?
10:39 Resolve – Eric — we’re going to have to wrap for now so women can get home before dark. You wanna open with that at the next live blog?
10:40 [Comment From Bethany]
sounds good. Let me know – and Vijaya, can you work with Esperanze on a business plan for her pharmacy? (or a feasibility study, so we know what we need?)
10:41 Resolve – Great! Beth, we should make it a part of our Community HealthCare Program! Will discuss.
10:41 Resolve – G’bye everyone! Happy Fridays!
10:43 [Comment From Eric]
sure sure! I love getting to know the issues better so I know what I can do to help, looking forward to it next time!

Live Blogging from DRC!

Hello, World.

Welcome to our live blogging session with four amazing women of Resolve!

At 9AM ET, you’ll have a couple different options for how you want to view bios and participate.

For the Regular Live Blogging Session, click:
Live Blogging from DRC!

To get the WordPress/no iFrame link, click:
Click Here

And here’s something to do with the RSS feed that I do not claim to understand: http://rss.coveritlive.com/rss.php?altcast_code=21dd35b26f

Twitter Hashtags: #ResolveWomen, #MicrotoMacro, #DRCResolve

See you soon!

Mapendo’s name means “Great Love” and you can always hear it in her voice, whether she is teaching a harmony to her church choir, or brainstorming with women in her village microfinance coop. It is the
same love and passion for raising up her community that drives her. As one of 50 women helping us expand microfinance into women’s home villages, she sets her sights beyond being a successful businesswoman: Mapendo is a social entrepreneur. Her vision is to empower women to build a powerful community, step by step.

I was already impressed when she started telling me her business plan¬—she used her $50 microloan to start a successful cassava flour business that she wants to grow into a bakery. She is saving up, and will start by making donuts to sell on the side of her stall. She’ll use the profits to buy bricks from Justine to build an oven in a shelter in her yard. She’ll start baking bread, muffins, pastries, and sell them in the city.

Her face lit up as she pictured her hand-crafted treats. There was an electricity to her as she leaned forward to explain the facts and figures to me. She knew every detail.

Amazed by her vision, I said, “Wow, you really have a flare for business!”

She laughed and shook her head, “No, my business has helped me find my real passion. When we were alone, we tortured ourselves behind closed curtains to make ends meet, to afford the smallest things—a tin of oil, a half bar of soap. Since we united in our groups, we support one another to grow. We strategize about our businesses: where to buy, what price to sell, what the best market days are. We’re not guessing by ourselves, we have information from our sisters. We work hard, knowing our work means something. We walk into the market with confidence—our shoulders broad, our head high. We demand a fair price for our goods, our hard work. We return home knowing we can feed our family, that we have our children’s school fees for another week.

We support one another.
We work hard.
We walk with confidence.
We demand a fair price.
We return home knowing we can.

“It’s been three months since we started our microfinance group, and we have saved enough to start work on an irrigation plan to get water to our fields. Not just ours, but the whole village’s – we will be able
to grow more vegetables: add spinach, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, eggplants, cabbages. Can you imagine? Every family will have enough food, all year.

What one woman alone could not do, we can achieve together.”

Returning from her vision, she turns to me, trying to explain, “You see? I am so excited by the change we are building, I want all the women in my village to take part. Right now, it is just us five in my
village, but I have already seen such an enormous change. Already, there are new possibilities for my children, my community, our future. Can you imagine what we will do when all the women of my village
unite?”

“Yes. Thanks be to God, I have realized my true passion, my calling.”
She says more slowly, a determination in her voice, “I will teach other women how to unite as a group, to help each other grow. My group is already planning how to help other women start their own businesses, and I will train the new women how to unite, to be of support to each other, how to multiply our successes together. When we act together, it is like when we sing in church—all the parts come together to make something big.”

“We can raise up our entire community when we join voices.”

21 August, 2011 16:36

Live Bogging Test

Why Are We Here?

Maybe the more important question is “why haven’t we been here before?” I’ve met some world-shaking bloggers in the past two years, and yet I’ve been mule-headed about this. At first, it was because I thought it was self-promoting. But I’ve seen plenty of examples of the opposite since then, and still I’ve resisted. Even after I launched Resolve, where our entire essense is about grassroots action, cooperation, and dialogue, I still didn’t tap into this resource.

Let’s face it. The answer as to why is because I’m a scardy cat. Scardey cat? Either way, you get the idea. I’ve been afraid of how to talk about something I love so much.

Grassroots peacebuilding seems so small when you first talk about it. At least, it did to me — I’m from the policy community where my motto was “wholesale, not retail.”

How can it make a difference if 25 women start a microfinance coop in the middle of what’s being called “the worst place in the world to be a woman”?

Today, in less than an hour, I’m headed to the first village where women pioneered our programs, taking microfinance to their home communities just a year after our pilot project in the capital. I’m going to see their work on the Peace Market, the site for the school they want to build, the sustainable irrigation systems they’ve started building for their fields.

I’m going to meet the women who have resolved to build peace from the ground up. I’ll meet the women who have taken $40 loans and turned them into small farms, businesses, and factories. I’ll sit under the tin roofs they’ve secured over their heads and watch them cook the three solid meals a day they’ve earned for their families. I’ll hold their kid’s first pencil in my hand.

If ever there’s been a time to step up and not be a ‘fraidy cat, well, I guess it would be now.

So then, why are we here, here as in this blog?

Because I believe it takes a village to build a community.

The more of you that are a part of this conversation, the more of you that take part in this grassroots discussion about peacebuilding — brainstorming new projects, evaluating existing ones, scrapping the ones that don’t work and pushing further on the ones that do — the better our community will be.

If conditions and my USB modem allow, I’ll log on with the women from the village tomorrow (about 10AM EST, Aug 17th). I hope you’ll be with us.

If I’m unable to log on from the village, I’ll post what the women write when I return to Bukavu, and bring back your comments and messages to them. It’ll take a little longer, but we’ll get the conversation rolling and work to find better a solution to keep it going.

-VPT

Let’s see if this works…

Vijaya, here.

And by “here,” I mean Bukavu, South Kivu, DRC! At long last.

Trying to set up blogging via email so that tomorrow, you can talk directly with women in our programs!

Me and my trusty laptop are headed over to one of the first villages where women expanded our microfinance program. Now, they’re busy working on building a Peace Market, organizing safe access to drinking water, sustainable irrigation, education programs for their kids — this is peacebuilding at its most grassroots.

I am pretty much giddy to see it in person. Hope we can geek out together.

Till tomorrow,
-VPT
—
Resolve:
Build Peace from the Ground Up
http://www.resolvenetwork.org

Welcome!

Resolve empowers the women most affected by conflict to start their own small businesses, enabling them to reclaim their lives and begin rebuilding their communities by creating, participating in, and perpetuating their own networks of peace.

Find out more about our organization, our events, or how to contribute to our cause at ResolveNetwork.org. Look for a site update soon!