Burkina By Bobby

This entry serves as a response to those interested readers who would like to
know what type of work my job actually entails. I hope I can provide this information in a readable if not a somewhat entertaining manner. I can think of no worse blog entry than that which offers a dry job description. Rest assured, there will be no mention of TPS reports or office politics. What follows is a general account of where I work, who I work with and the types of things I do; if I can convey the passion for my work in this entry, it should be a worthwhile read. Enjoy!

I work in an office. I have a computer. I have meetings every day. For better or worse, the Peace Corps can have a reputation for being incredibly exotic and unlike any type of work you might find in the States. There are cases of culture shock and local differences that can make life exotic, but in the end people are working for the same ends that we work for in the America. It follows that the modes of working are not always that far removed from the way we work in the States.

I work for the Union of Artisans of Gormul (U.A.G). U.A.G. is an organization that provides information and resources to all the businessman in the Eastern Region of Burkina Faso(Think of a region about the size of Central Illinois). An artisan is a loosely defined word that translates as almost any businessman. Everyone from Architects, home builders, carpenters and electricians to tailors, soap makers, weavers and restraunteurs are considered Artisans. My Job is to work with these Artisans in two ways:
As a consultant to U.A.G
Work as a business advisor to individual businesses and businessmen who have the drive to make their organization grow.
I am currently conducting an “Etude de Milieu” which means each day I conduct meetings with some of the following groups: staff members of UAG, local government officials, foreign development organizations and different groups of Artisans. After meeting with these groups I gain a better understanding of the business environment and the challenges that they face. I analyze the organization’s Plan d’action (Strategic Plan) and find a way to improve or help make some of their goals come to fruition. I am also learning the capabilities and histories of each organization, thus allowing me to make recommendations.

Here is an example of the challenges that face U.A.G:
For the past 10 years they have been financed by a Swiss NGO (non-governmental organization). They have grown dependant on the money given from the NGO and they have not developed a sustainable infrastructure. UAG is now in a position to become more self sufficient as the NGO is leaving/restructuring their relationship with UAG. There are currently no revenue generating activities conducted by UAG and there is not a cohesive/well functioning membership, thus, the benefits of the union do not reach the people they are intended to reach.

Here are just a few of the topics I cover with individual Artisan groups:
How do they communicate with UAG, Who are their clients, How do they keep records, Do they collect membership fees, Where does the money go, How do they save money, Do they work with the banks and take out loans for investing in their business, Do they market their product, what type of marketing do they use, How many members of the group speak French, how many members are literate, What do they think they need to improve their business. (Money seems to be a popular answer to the last question, but a poor answer that will not lead to a sustainable change in the vast majority of cases) This problem is ubiquitous in many aspects of the society. I frequently use the analogy of sand slipping through ones fingers as it relates to artisans who think their answer is more money. When one simply receives a donation it is like sand slipping through ones fingers. It is easy to think the solution to their problems exists as a grant or a handout from a foreigner. The last ten years have a rich history of guilty white people giving money to people without much planning. The money slips through hands, gets gobbled up in corruption and in the end helps nothing except for conscious of the beneficent giver. Start-up capital is certainly needed, but not without a satisfactory plan to make the money go toward something sustainable. Development is needed not charity.

In short, my job is to improve the way these organizations and businesses work; this is a daunting and perhaps impossible task. I am thinking big but picking reachable goals. I am finding motivated people to work with and I creating action plans. I am under no delusion that my time here will end in anything more than an improvement on an extremely micro economic scale, but I am learning much and I think that I can make an impact on the lives of businessman in Fada.