Doing it for Dorothy

Since joining EWB, I've heard a fair amount about this person named Dorothy. She's the person that we are supposed to be working for, our beneficiary. But who is she? That's a very good question...

The truth is that Dorothy is a lot of different people, and means something different to everyone working within EWB. However, there is an important distinction that makes her unique. Dorothy is meant to represent a person working each day and struggling against the odds to get out of poverty. Unfortunately there are often so many factors beyond the control of those in poverty that it is extremely difficult for them to do this. That's why the work of EWB is aimed at the interests of people like Dorothy rather than those of CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency), the governments of our host countries or our donors.

Over the years, Dorothy has taken on many different faces, whether male or female, young or old. Most people who have been overseas can tell you a story about their Dorothy, some may even have several. All of them are people who we envision to be our stakeholders and the ones who we are fighting alongside to break out of poverty.

So who is my Dorothy?

There are a lot of people who I have met that are incredible and a source of inspiration on the days when I'm feeling a bit low. Coworkers, my host family and many of the IDE farmers, especially those within Mukobeko who I have had the most opportunity to interact with all resemble Dorothy in some way. The person I want to tell you about, however, is a little bit different. His name is Shaw Kabwe Chewe and he is a market agent in Kabwe. He is from Northern Province originally and is trained as a mechanic but has never been able to find formal employment in that field. Although he only completed up to grade 10, he puts a lot of importance on education, paying K3 600 000 (~$720) per year to put his three children through private school.

(Mr. Chewe with his son and niece)

Mr. Chewe has been working as a market agent in Kabwe since 1986. Market agents generally buy produce from farmers (sometimes providing transport) and then resell it at a slightly higher price. This provides the farmers with more time to spend on their farm and a source of information on market prices. But Mr. Chewe doesn't let his services stop there. When he first arrived in Kabwe, market agents weren't considered business people and also weren't trusted as many were known for cheating farmers out of their profits. Slowly, Mr. Chewe worked on building the trust with some of the local farmers by educating farmers about marketing and their rights as farmers and as Zambians, although some still end up bringing their own produce to town and selling at very low prices because they don't know what the market price is.

Some of the farmers that Mr. Chewe has built relationships with consult with him on issues related to packaging and marketing. Many farmers won't do a very good job of grading their produce, they will put the nicest, biggest fruits and vegetables on top of the crate or bag to hide the rest. Many of the market agents are trying to get farmers to do more thorough grading and packaging based on the size and ripeness of the produce. When the farmers are harvesting they will ask Mr. Chewe to come and advise on how to grade their produce properly and together they will decide whether to sell the produce in Kabwe or take it to a more distant market. Farmers who are looking for a bit of extra capital to help them through the last month or so of production can come to Mr. Chewe for small loans and he gives larger loans to those farmers who have shown that they are trustworthy with the money. These loans, although important, can sometimes get in the way of the funds necessary for sending his children to school. Last week they missed a few days of school because there wasn't enough money for them to go.

Although he has a good relationship with some farmers, communication is still a problem. Only about 50% of the farmers let him know ahead of time what produce they are bringing to the market. The rest simply show up with their produce with no warning, forcing Mr. Chewe to try to find somewhere to sell them even if the market is already flooded. Even so, he allows the farmers to set their own price and only lowers it when they give the OK. He's very excited for the possibility of the SMS system taking off so that he can inform farmers of what produce he is looking for and also see what farmers are currently selling.

The area where Mr. Chewe sells most of his produce is very open to the weather with no shade. As we talk, we sit on boxes behind piles of tomato crates to provide a bit of a relief from the hot afternoon sun. He dreams of having a structure to provide shade, both for increased comfort and for preserving the crates of tomatoes and other produce that he sells.

Another dream of Mr. Chewe's is increased education. He already has training in HIV/AIDS and provides counselling to farmers on that but is thirsty for more knowledge. He would like to have some bookkeeping training in order to be able to track produce and money passing through his hands. As he tries to provide farmers with some agricultural knowledge, he would also greatly benefit from training on agriculture production and farming inputs.

Right now capital is hard to come by and loans are all but inaccessible, but given the chance, Mr. Chewe would use some extra income to increase his capabilities to be a better business partner to the local farmers he is working to serve.

So to end this post, another question to consider.... Who is the main person or group of people that those working in the development sector (whether NGOs, companies, international institutions, governments or individuals) are working for and trying to serve? What are the benefits and dangers to this focus? How would one go about changing it?