The Project
The work with the yoghurt Mamma’s has been less hands on as of late. Since informing them of their less then ideal financial situation, they have been doing a much better job of getting out to the market, and July has seen a noteworthy increase in sales and profitability.
There were two major issues regarding the internal relations of the kitchen, and the other interns and I think addressing them has and will continue to go a long way into getting the kitchen back on track.
First, due to the fixed schedule that resulted in the Mamma’s always working with the same people, two different “groups” formed, each under a different leadership figure. Both groups thought that either they were doing more work, or that the other group was making more money. This resulted in individuals not putting in the extra effort required, and caused overall productivity to drop.
Secondly, one of the two leadership figures in the kitchen recently decided to start up a second yogurt business of her own. While not really in competition with the Tukwamuane kitchen, it has created a lot of resentment from the other Mamma’s. Not only does it show a lack of commitment from the groups appointed chairperson, but it has also resulted in a sizable decrease in the time she spends working with the group. Interestingly enough, instead of using this to unite the remaining group members, the second leadership figure responded by starting another yogurt kitchen of her own. She has also been having the Tukwamuane buy extra milk to sell to her at cost, in some way shoving her other business in the face of her co-workers. In addition to the previously mentioned issues, Western Head East (WHE) is upset because the yoghurt these two Mamma’s have been distributing is not probiotic, the main reason they were given the skills to make the yoghurt in the first place.
While the first issue appeared to be having a larger effect on the kitchens operations, it has also been much easier to deal with. Since the Mamma’s have recently been spending more time at the market, they have been working in larger groups, and no longer with just the same people. Additionally, since the two “leaders” of the group have been spending less time with their fellow Mamma’s, the rest of the group has in some way bonded over the bitterness they feel towards the whole situation.
The second issue has been more difficult, as all Mammas’ are part owners of the business, and are therefore difficult to discipline. In addition, WHE has no legal authorization over the kitchen, so as interns we can only make “recommendations”. However, the apparent plan is to have everyone sit down together, and basically give the two “lone” Mamma’s an ultimatum in regards to which kitchen they plan to go forward with. In addition, they will be holding a vote at the next group meeting for a new chairperson, letting the two Mamma’s know that their power is not guaranteed. Finally, we hope to update the group’s five-year-old constitution, and make opening a rival business just cause for expulsion.
Changes
Intern’s success year to year hasn’t always been as great as many individuals hope. This has largely been contributed to cultural differences, and the Mamma’s unwillingness to change. But I have also found that a large reason is that many of the changes made are just changed again by the next set of students. The biggest example of this is bookkeeping, with each new set of interns trying to change it in some way. While there are many things I would have done differently from the start, I have to weigh any changes I want them to make against to likelihood that it will just do more harm then good.
The biggest modification I hope to make is in regards to their pricing scheme. Presently, there is no discount for buying larger amounts, and in many cases customers could buy multiple cups of the smaller sizes, and end up getting more yoghurt for less money. The problem with this change is it’s not just the Mamma’s who have to adjust, but also their entire customer base (many of whom are quite used to taking advantage of the pricing, as the better value sizes sell much better).
Expansion
WHE hopes to open a new kitchen in Mwanza in the near future, so working towards this goal has been taking up an increasing amount of our time. We have recently met with a one new woman’s group, and plan to meet with one or two more, at which point we will decide who we think is most capable of running a kitchen efficiently and effectively. However, before a group can begin operations, we will need to obtain start up funding to purchase the necessary equipment.
To do this, we have been looking through different local, national, and international organizations that give money to like causes. We have found many potential grant opportunities, but most will take at least a couple months (at best) to receive, meaning we would have to leave the finishing touches to future interns. In our favour is that we are also looking for loans of little to no interest in the place of a grant. Many times, when a group is given everything for free, they never understand the full value of what they have, and do not work as hard as then need to to be sustainable. When the money needs to be paid back, it lets them know that failure is a possibility, something we don’t think the Tukwamuane group has ever really felt.
Read more at: http://jesseheadseast.blogspot.com/2010/07/walking-on-wrong-side-of-walk.html
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