Fall 2020 Blog Post 12

Who am I?

 

I am the product of immigrants chasing “the American dream”, on my own pursuit of a dream that has been defined by their sacrifice. Drawing upon the experiences of my family is one of my biggest motivators and I feel much of my direction has been molded by them; as I reach a point in life where I am becoming more independent, I look to preserve and represent them wherever I go in life. I am passionate about my friends and like to maintain a small circle around me. I appreciate loyalty and I try to practice this trait in my service to others. I tend to be more reserved, however I get the most gratification from helping others with any issues they may have. I am hoping that after I leave Bethlehem, I can grow and learn about myself without the influences of being in my hometown and being around family. Maybe then, I will have a better answer about who I am. 

 

How am I going to change the world?

 

I believe the most important way I can change the world is through refining myself and how I build relationships with others. For a long time I used to believe that greatness was a measure of the individual and their strengths/accomplishments, but I have come to believe that great individuals often foster or allow others to see the greatness in themselves. The work I have accomplished in GSIF works towards this idea by empowering mothers through an entrepreneurial setting and though I have yet to see it come to reality, the satisfaction I have felt thus far trumps other projects I have been involved with. My personal and professional relationships thus are the most important drivers that may allow me to change the world in some capacity; as an individual actor I am limited, but by involving other like-minded people I can create the change we aspire to see in the world. At the moment I cannot offer an answer on what my change will be, however it will begin by trying to make the network around me working towards that goal great.

 

What would I like for my epitaph to read?

Everything that I’m not made me everything that I am.

Fall 2020 Blog Post 11

Living an Impact-Focused Life

What’s your Why?

I believe I was put on this earth to:

To reach a level of security that is beyond what my family has achieved; with this privilege, I want to cement a new standard within our line and work to be able to impact others. Traditionally, the work my family has been involved with has been in service of others; I intend to change this through ownership and integrating sustainable practices to serve others.

 

 

My purpose is to:

Build bridges and do what I can with what I have until I have more.

 

 

I believe (my core values):

I believe in keeping family close, loyalty, and working honestly. I also believe that adaptability and keeping an open mind are some of the best ways of removing limits for one’s self. In any case, risks that can be taken should be taken because even in loss, we can learn lessons that reinforce our own humility and lead us to higher personal echelons.

 

 

The one thing I must do before I die is:

I must move out of Bethlehem, PA; I loved growing up here, but I am ready to represent it as I experience and grow in a new environment!

 

 

My advocates and supporters all believe I:

I am unique in my upbringing and because of my personability and patience, I should be the one to lead a different path to professional and personal success.

 

 

The evil I want to eradicate in this world is:

I would like to reduce wasteful consumerism.

 

 

I want to work in order to:

Live a life where the time I share with people is as meaningful as the impact I have created in the work that I do.

 

 

Walk the Talk – Your How

If you are truly committed to your Why, you show it in your everyday behavior. It is all air until you do it. Working from your Why, How do you prove that you are true to your Why in all you do?

 

I always:

I am always self-reflecting on how I could help others better and how things connect. I like to write on notecards to remind myself of quotes, lessons, and ideas I’ve had throughout the day as well as to organize different aspects of my life. It has helped to reinforce the immediate feeling I get from these things and further reflect on their relevance.

 

I never

I never do anything I do not want to do. I am more than willing to get uncomfortable considering my curiosity which I believe has always helped with experiencing new cultures.

 

My work style is:

I like work at my own pace; I maintain a routine throughout the week that can accommodate for other responsibilities in my life and try to leave time free at the end of the week to make up for any lost from them.

 

I try to treat people:

I try to enter conversations with people with zero expectations; I believe the best way to get authentic responses from people is by being able to identify and be open to the surprises and ideas there are out there. I like to be respectful and use humor when appropriate, however am willing to be assertive to fulfill interests beyond my own.

 

I approach problems by:

Identifying the problem and how it affects me and other parties / situations. If I can impact the problem through my own action or other mediums, I assess the consequences and outcomes before I choose the solution. If my problem is not solved afterwards, I may exhaust the other options before rethinking the problem at hand and refining focus.

 

Victories are time to:

To reflect on the lessons that helped lead to victory; everyone always wants to talk about their wins, but no one ever wants to talk about their losses.

 

If another attacks my point of view I:

Allow them to do so respectfully; their baggage is none of my business and it is their right to inform me of how they feel about my ideas. Rather than ignore, I seek to listen to them and would rather wait for their emotions to settle to create discourse instead of attacking back.

 

If I fundamentally do not agree with what an organization or person is doing, I will:

Try to make it known that I have an opposite opinion, but I seek to be neutral; whether that is by submitting a complaint, directly addressing the person or party responsible. Sometimes I feel that drawing lines can divide too quickly and rather than cut that person/party off, I would rather hear what they have to say and let them decide. I am p however, intend to work without bias for the sake of the goal / task at hand.

 

 

 

Your Credibility – Your Whats

You have just spent some considerable time at Lehigh, and specifically in the Global Social Impact Fellowship, on many whats. Your whats include lab research, formal presentations, writing research papers, engaging with people in other cultural contexts, building prototypes, designing and building systems, raising funds, hiring employees, etc. The whats you have collected along the way are critical to your credibility when you are entering the workforce or applying to the best graduate and professional schools. They signify a credible currency to which organizations can assign value. Create a list of your Whats that are truly reflective of your Why & How.  You did these things because you believe (Why) and you acquired them in the following (How) manner. These are examples you can use in interviews.

What Have I Done List of Experiences, Accomplishments, and Lessons Learned
Degrees, Minors, Certificates, Fellowships Global Citizenship Initiative, Global Social Impact Fellowship, Mountaintop Summer Certificate

 

Research Experiences

 

 

 

 

Using Social Media to attract First Generation College Students

Transcribing videos of Spanish-speaking mothers and their children

Using Locally Sourced Crops to Create Food Products to impact Childhood Stunting in Sierra Leone

 

 

 

 

 

Inventions and Innovations

 

 

 

Moringa-Fortified Bouillon Cubes

 

(Social) Entrepreneurial Ventures

 

 

 

Newtrition

 

 

 

 

 

Publications

(Formal and Informal)

 

None yet!

 

 

 

 

 

Formal Presentations

(at Lehigh and Beyond)

 

 

 

GELH

Mountaintop Summer

Awards and

External Recognition

 

 

 

Grant for Experiential Learning in Health

 

 

 

 

 

 

Articulating and learning from GSIF-related Experiences. For each of these prompts, we want you to identify one and only one specific and compelling event/incident/experience/moment and identify exactly how you grew personally and professionally through that moment.

Teamwork Experience

(and Lessons Learned)

 

 

Lehigh Expo was a challenge since it involved two mediums of presentation, however I became more confident in my abilities to present research in alternative media forms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conflict Resolution Experience

(and Lessons Learned)

Meeting with Dr. Roberts has helped solve the issue of sourcing Moringa, which was a problem that was raised last semester. Through meeting with Dr. Roberts, I’ve practiced using some business acumen as she has exposed me to the supply chain aspect of the work we are doing.

 

 

 

 

 

Leadership Experience

(and Lessons Learned)

 

 

 

 

Meeting with Dr. Gueye was my first time meeting a professional who was experienced in Bouillon production; though there were some communication problems during our call, I learned a lot about how I should articulate and convey the ideas and concerns I have relative to my work and the venture as a whole.

 

 

 

 

Dealing with Chaos, Ambiguity, and Uncertainty (and Lessons Learned) Researching how to speed the production of bouillon has been slightly frustrating since it is a matter of financial and resource constraint; being open to DIY solutions and aware of resources such as Lehigh’s work shop have helped overcome this issue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Personally Challenging Experience (and Lessons Learned)

 

Getting out of creative walls; the best thing I have found is to discuss my research and issue with others for some inspiration and perspective. Within this team setting, it has helped a lot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cross-cultural Experience (and Lessons Learned)

 

Meeting with Dr. Gueye came with the challenge of understanding English with a thick French accent; coupled with connection problems, I learned how preparing with certain questions or sending them in advance could have helped with getting the information I needed in a more secure, clear manner.

 

 

 

 

 

An experience that helped you connect your GSIF work to your discipline / major.

 

Conducting taste testing trials and analyzing the nutritional content of ingredients

 

 

 

 

 

A moment that boosted your sense of agency and self-efficacy – you felt like you can speak for yourself, get stuff done, take on the world and make it better.

 

Meeting with Kiki Chan to discuss designing a DIY extruder.
A moment where you felt like you truly have a strong sense of purpose and belonging in this dynamic, globalized interdependent world.

 

Mountaintop Final Presentation

 

Fall 2020 Blog Post 8

If you are the Chief of Police for Afghanistan, what solution would you develop to pay the cops that are actually working, reduce corruption, and boost their morale?

    • To first compose a solution, facts should be identified within the police department in Afghanistan to analyze the problem and create an effective solution:
      • Low salary
        • Commanders get a cut from their salaries
      • Poor working conditions, there are not enough police officers for the population present
        • 35 million people are in Afghanistan and there are only 250,000 policemen
        • Extreme corruption
      • Unfair and unreliable selection of policemen
        • There is hierarchical corruption
      • There is a low literacy rate among police officers
        • 27% literacy rate
      • In crises, there is little trust from the public for the police officers
    • The problem: There is poor morale, law and order crises, and little public trust.
    • To achieve such a solution with multiple goals, there needs to be numerous different components to see reform among all current and newly employed police officers. These components include:
      • Boosting morale: Reestablish salaries, incentives, and the budget at the police station
        • Have offerings such as bonuses or extra days off for working cops
          • Salaries should be reestablished to fairly compensate police officers, which will also motivate police officers to continue working at their establishment.
        • Money the police station has should be used to improve working conditions to make the officers have a higher morale and appreciation for where they work
      • Reduce corruption: Increase monitoring and regulation of policemen
        • Monitor policemen and their progress. If they don’t meet expectations, tell them you will lower their salaries until they meet expectations. If after this they still do not meet expectations, terminate them from their position.
      • Education: Have the chief of police supervise training to ensure police officers are aware of their responsibilities and rights as police officers
        • The new police officers should be trained to be aware of the policies enforced to ensure that there is no corruption among themselves or the cases they are working with to ensure that all laws are followed.
          • Their duty and role in Kazakhstan as a police officer must be clear.
        • The chief of police should lead or supervise this training to make sure that the new police officers are aware of how they deal with law enforcement, which could also increase their relationship and trust with the public.
      • Public trust: There should be a system in place to allow the public to build a relationship and communicate with the police station
        • The public should also be educated about what actions by the police officers are allowed and what is not allowed to know what they should report to the police station.
          • There should be formal publications or documents stating these terms, which would also decrease corruption.
        • There should be a system in place to allow the public to give anonymous tips or comments to the police station so they can report any corrupt activity.
        • The police should increase their interactions with the public during different events or festivals to build a friendly reputation and relationship with them.
    • Systems thinking analysis:

 

  • Differentiation

 

        • The police station should have a different office or sector in their station in which people do not work as officers, but those who handle claims of corruption among officers and who are involved in training newly employed officers.
        • Having a different sector in the police department separate from officers who work there is important to ensure there is an unbiased and different set of employees that can enforce these rules.

 

  • Interdependence

 

        • In this solution, the police officers would have to take responsibility for each other when it comes to reports regarding corruption. They should be able to report each other if there is any suspicious activity involved
          • The chief of police should also delegate punishments or consequences for corrupt behavior if present

 

  • Holism

 

        • In this solution, the police officers, department working with regulating officer, and chief of police should be in charge of working together to make a system with less corruption

 

  • Multifinality

 

        • By the police officers being better trained and meeting expectations, they are meeting the goals for their department. The system as a whole is the community, which will have increased safety, public trust, and less corruption.

 

  • Equifinality

 

        • To achieve the ultimate goal of less corruption within the police, which also consists of the underlying goals of boosting morale and creating public trust, officers are going to be better trained and monitored. With corruption being reported, the cases will go down since officers know they are being watched and will be compensated based on their performance. Officers will also be offered incentives based on their performance. Through training, monitoring, and incentivization (different inputs), we achieve the same desired output of less corruption.

 

  • Regulation

 

        • The department of employees that is in charge of dealing with claims from the public of police corruption and overseeing such issues within officers will be an unbiased figure of regulation to make sure corruption is not present.

 

  • Abstraction

 

        • Narrowing it down to the root of the problem: corrupt officers. They are what lead to many of the other issues – poor morale, defection to the taliban, law and order crises, and a lack of public trust.

 

  • Leverage 

 

      • Since police officers will know that they are being paid fairly and know that they are being compensated with their hard work, they will not use tactics to earn money in any bad manner since they are content, and enforce the elimination of corrupt actions more too. Bonuses, days off, or any other incentives will lead to better performance from the officers, impacting community safety since the police force is stronger. The threat of losing their jobs if they do not cooperate also adds to leverage.

If you are the entrepreneur, what multi-final solution will you develop so that you succeed, your venture succeeds (takes water hyacinth off the lake), and the people living along the lakeshore also walk away happy. Please be specific on how your solution might function and precisely whom you would work with. For example, refrain from including vague stakeholders like entire communities.

  • Problem
    • Lake Victoria is infested with water hyacinth, which blocks fishermen from accessing the lake as well as spreading disease.
  • Proposed Solution
    • Entrepreneur uses the water hyacinth to create compost and briquettes with the help of employees responsible for removing and processing the hyacinth
      • This is effective for two weeks until the supply of hyacinth detracts from satisfying the demand for compost and briquettes.
      • The profits from the venture are all for one, leading to employees being blocked from accessing the lake by the community against the exploitation of their natural resources.
      • The community’s desire for a hyacinth-less lake for health and economic reasons contradicts the entrepreneur’s need for hyacinth to maintain her business. 
    • To remedy the entrepreneur’s problem, we must look at how to satisfy the demands met by both the business and community in question. This lies in the fault of interdependence.
      • The community or system in question must be identified fully. In the scope of this problem, we have an environmental hazard that is causing social and economic distress within the system. The environmental hazard is the water hyacinth, while the social and economic distress is reflected in the confluence between venture success and community health. Water hyacinths and their profitability are a leverage point which can be used to argue for either outcome.
        • For the entrepreneur to save their business, the hyacinth value chain must be more inclusive and mindful of the surrounding community. The profits made by the venture do not directly benefit the community aside from its removal. The dependency in the business’ need for sourcing hyacinth implies that some hyacinth present is acceptable as long as some of it is removed. This notion undermines the community’s concern for hyacinth infestation and equates their struggles with one’s success. Redirecting how funds benefit hyacinth workers, fisherman, lakeshore residents, and the community as a whole can help reframe the approach as something that is more considerate of local needs and desires. An example of this can be reinvesting profits into provide fisherman and lakeshore residents tools to participate in the removal of hyacinth; the current employees can be promoted to a position that is more managerial and oriented around teaching while new workers are commissioned for their work, such as one boat full of hyacinth equating 30% of profits paid out to the worker. Additionally, by expanding the workforce, the entrepreneur can invest more in marketing the products made from the hyacinth to increase interest both in the removal and processing.
      • The ownership over the lake and local land must be reinforced by community members. The entrepreneur’s current business model does not identify any legal obstacles that contributed toward approving the establishment of the venture; considering the reaction by the community, it is likely that the entrepreneur does not have the legal and/or social permissions to manage their hyacinth intervention appropriately. To understand the local sentiments, surveying the people who blocked the employees from accessing the lake could be a starting point to understand their frustrations further. After hearing directly from them, the entrepreneur may have to take more administrative actions to further understand and discuss the problem at hand. Meeting with local town and district councils to discuss their business proposal and seek whether they are aware of potential partnerships that the Ministry of Health or Agriculture would be interested in. Through this, the venture can be regulated to reduce overexploitation and has the potential to regain the trust of the local community. This can be in the form of issuing a permit which allots the entrepreneur permission to remove hyacinth within a certain area or time period. To be able to satisfy the long term goals of the community and venture, it may be more appropriate for the entrepreneur to be contracted by the government to remove hyacinth in Lake Victoria and other bodies of water given Victoria’s success; this may refocus the venture towards hyacinth removal over processing, however it addresses the community’s needs while giving the venture an opportunity to scale. By tapping into the political groups that can validate and provide relevant resources for the venture, the community can rest easier knowing that this business has the approvals from positions of power responsible for the safety and livelihoods of lakeshore residents.
      • While the proliferation of water hyacinth has negative implications such as complicating boat travel, its absence may have environmental impacts that have yet to be identified. For example, some of the fish that are consumed by fisherman may be part of a bigger food chain that depends on the consumption of hyacinth. Communicating these concerns to the Ministry of Health, Environment, or Commerce can allow for planning and allocating resources to monitor the presence of fish and other life in the Lake over time to observe the impacts regulated hyacinth removal has on the fish supply available for fishermen. If the entrepreneur can coordinate removing the hyacinth at a rate faster than its current growth rate, they can moderate the amount they remove to control its proliferation. Once the control of hyacinth proliferation is in the hands of the venture, they can coordinate with the government on the decision whether to remove all of the hyacinth, or to remove enough to maintain optimal fish supplies and allow for smooth boating.

In summary, concentrating on fulfilling the venture’s legality and reaffirming standings with the community and government alike will allow for the venture to shift in accordance with the needs that concern their neighbors over their consumers. Recognizing the strength and benefits that is brought by the venture can lead to refocusing the goal surrounding profits towards improved social well-being. By refocusing their goal, they can also change their approach; instead of maintaining full-time employees, offering independent contracts to lakeshore residents and fishermen can allow them to profit off the same natural resource that disincentivizes fishing. By coordinating with the Ministry of Environment and local universities, the effects of hyacinth removal and fishing can be studied to ensure there are minimal adverse effects that accompany the steady decrease in hyacinth infestation. This can allow for the venture and the government to decide upon whether the permanent removal would ultimately benefit community members, or if contracting the venture for hyacinth control annually may prove to be a more beneficial, sustainable option for all stakeholders. Ideally, by the end of this process, fisherman will be able to fish more due to decreased hyacinth presence or can recoup lost fishing profits by working for the venture to remove hyacinth. Autonomy over the lake’s resources can be restored through concrete discussion and planning, which should ease the community relative to the organization that has been put in place to allow for safe, sustainable hyacinth removal. The venture will be able to expand their scope if they refocus on hyacinth removal over processing, or are contracted to pursue maintenance / control in the event hyacinth is crucial to the surrounding ecosystem. The system, as a whole, will have increased inputs that contribute towards the output of hyacinths removed from the lake and profits generated by the venture and fisherman alike; by decreasing the presence of the environmental hazard, the social and economic distress felt by the community should decrease as well.

Fall 2020 Blog Post 7

Describe at least 5 partnerships with individuals and/or organizations that have been formed to support your project and impact the success or failure of your venture.

 

  1. World Hope International
    1. The partnership we have with World Hope is on a Lehigh/GSIF Level
    2. The partnership with World Hope began when Lehigh University and Professor Khanjan Mehta partnered to spin-off different technological social ventures, like the Ukiweli test strips
    3. World Hope International supports our venture by providing us with amenities when traveling in-country like transportation, internet, some meals, office space, and a place to stay.  They also help us form additional relationships, such as Betteh Bakery.
      1. We help World Hope because we are an example of one of the social ventures they partnered with. When we have a successful outcome with our venture or write research papers, it reflects World Hope and their partnership with us, and gives them a good reputation 
    4. Our partnership with World Hope is less of a symbiotic relationship because we reap more from their benefits and indirect funding when we travel in-country to Sierra Leone and stay to conduct research. The only benefit they receive from our partnership is an improvement in their reputation, but they already have a built and positive reputation, so they do not really need us as much as we need them
    5. To strengthen our partnership with World Hope, we could continue to progress and strengthen our venture to have a successful outcome when implementing NewTrition in-country, and publish more research papers to contribute to their reputation. In addition, our team can also communicate more with specific employees from their organization to tailor our project to what they request or need in regards to childhood malnutrition
  2. Betteh Bakery
    1. Betteh Bakery is a project by World Hope, and it is a partnership on a Lehigh/GSIF level
    2. The partnership with Betteh Bakery was established with the help of World Hope International.
    3. Betteh Bakery is allowing us to use their facilities for the creation of our food products, and our venture creatures more jobs and business for them. 
      1. We help Betteh Bakery by giving them more business and jobs to women, which helps strengthen their business
    4. Our partnership with Bettah Bakery is a symbiotic relationship because we both benefit from the partnership, with our team giving them an opportunity to have more jobs and business by selling our muffins, while we use their workspace and location to make these muffins and other food products for them to benefit from
    5. The relationship will be strengthened once we are able to conduct fieldwork and get more involved with the people there by making a personal connection with them.
  3. The Moringa Community
    1. The partnership we have with the Moringa community was on a team level. To be completely clear, we communicated temporarily with The Moringa Community. While we are no longer in touch with them, the communication we did have with them helped us further our venture.
    2. We reached out to The Moringa Community via email because we saw they had canning initiatives in West Africa.
    3. By speaking with The Moringa Community, we found out that introducing canning techniques to West African communities is a lot more difficult than it seems, since it is hard to properly educate them. Their experience was that West Africans were hesitant to listen to them and ignored safety precautions.
      1. The benefit that the Moringa Community had from us was the opportunity to make a partnership with a venture related to their subject, which was Moringa and food preservation. If they wanted to make more relationships or grow their credibility by supporting an organization, we were there.
    4. Our partnership with the Moringa Community was asymbiotic because we benefited more from their information and experiential knowledge they provided us, when they had little benefit to provide us with such information and we were only an option with them to expand their credibility 
    5. The communication between us and The Moringa Community helped us decide that it was not a good idea for us to pursue implementing canning at this time.
  4. Dr. Eva Roberts
    1. She is the CEO of MorVigor in Freetown, which produces and sells moringa powder. The partnership is on a individual level.
    2. We came in contact with Dr Roberts when Robert communicated with her through email.
    3. Dr. Roberts may be our main supplier for moringa and is able to meet our lower limit and upper limit demands, as well as provide the transportation to Makeni. The wholesale price she has offered us has cut the cost of production in half. She has a cassava farm in Makeni which she is interested in collaborating with Betteh Bakery to provide high grade cassava flour. We put her in contact with Allieu and Joseph and she has provided a sample. 
    4. This is a symbiotic relationship because although we have yet to establish business operations, we have been communicating with one another to discuss how we can leverage her moringa production in exchange for providing cassava for Betteh Bakery to use and produce bread with.
    5. Moving forward, this partnership can strengthen if we are able to coordinate sourcing moringa from MorVigor, as well as creating a value chain through the bread Betteh Bakery sells from the cassava farm. 
  5. Adrian Erlinger – American Councils for International Education
    1. The partnership we have with Adrian Erlinger was on a team level, we communicated with him during the Mountaintop Summer Experience in 2020.
    2. During the Mountaintop Summer Experience this July, he had requested a meeting with our team to learn more about our project and what it entailed, and that is how we connected with him.
    3. Adrian gave us information about his connection with his work with the U.S International Public Affairs. This information helped us understand how we could improve our project and its system, specifically through distribution of our project’s resources and applying for grants tailored to our project
    4. We had an asymbiotic relationship with Adrian because the only benefit he got from contacting us was feeding his interest in our project, but we benefited more from him when we explained him what our project entailed and gaining connections through our interactions with him
    5. We can strengthen our relationship with Adrian by keeping in touch with him through email and inform him of what our project’s future achievements our, since he was interested in our project and might want to hear more about what we do.

 

With the help of a visual, describe a coalition you will build to address the larger problem you are trying to address. List the (kinds of) organizations you will bring together, how the coalition can be transformative for the issue, and how you might provide leadership and coordination for the coalition.

 

   Visual created by Professor Lori Herz

 

The two key figures in our integrated system are farmers and food producers. The other players are (1) vocational schools, which provide technical and business training, (2) the extension service, which helps farmers implement new methods, and (3) the banks that provide financial services. New opportunities have stimulated a culture of entrepreneurship, while access to electricity and the internet enables efficient operation. In 2050, families enjoy nutritious and locally produced food.

 

The coalition can be transformative for malnutrition because it seeks to establish value chains based on locally sourced, nutritious produce. The farmers we are able to partner and source from will have bigger markets to sell to. For example, by partnering with MorVigor, we will provide the company a new market to sell to in Makeni as well as future locations we open operations within. By bringing together the manufacturers we need for our products, we are able to expand their markets and lower our cost of production. After we have created our products, we can leverage market vendors to distribute our products to reach our target consumers.We may also partner with local governments to reach schools that may cook with and distribute our products to children and families. This creates another avenue for nutritious food products to reach our target consumer, as well as increasing the demand which will ultimately increase the profits of stakeholders and lower our production costs.

 

The leadership and coordination that we may be able to provide can be exhibited in how we manage and communicate with our different partner organizations. Since we will not be involved with the groundwork, we can provide support in the form of data collection, business plan implementation, networking, and corporate relations. Meeting with our stakeholders to monitor their progress will allow us to keep an idea of how we are doing across the board, which will help us reduce our risk. 

 

Kinds of Organizations:

  • Schools
  • Government
  • Banks
  • Agriculture
  • Manufacturing
  • Markets/Vendors
  • Transportation

 

Fall 2020 Blog Post 6

Team name: Malnutrition

10 lessons and changes to teamwork and cooperative approach since starting research

  • Since becoming fellows, we have each taken on specialist roles relative to our strengths, weaknesses, and interests. This approach has felt most comfortable and has challenged us to ensure that the team learns and is aware of the individual progress we make so we all are on the same page in terms of progress and future direction.
  • We have kept a group message where we communicate about our work and the progress we have made. This has made up for our change in meeting together as a group of students.
  • We have maintained the same meeting schedule with our faculty advisor since we first started.
  • I feel that my communication skills have improved since being a part of this team; as our personal connection with one another has grown, I feel more comfortable discussing with my team struggles within the realm of the project and outside of research. This has helped establish more of a cohesive, transparent understanding of one another so we know how we can support one another.
  • The people you network with help contribute to the goals of the team by acting as plants; their expertise and experience can help with finding more questions and problems to solve relative to our project.
  • Hand in hand with communication is planning; by improving our trust and communication with one another, I feel we have been better about coordinating together on our tasks.
  • Ideas are diverse and plentiful in an interdisciplinary team setting; meetings can act as a source of inspiration or direction that has personally helped me refocus during periods of stagnancy.
  • Feedback in a team setting is crucial for understanding where you are going and the progress you’ve made
  • Critique of your role or work is not reflective of your efforts; instead, it challenges the areas of improvement you can still make.
  • The use of google drive has helped organize our data and research so that we maintain transparency and access to our work.
  • Goals
    • What are the personal goals (small g) of each member on this team? (Team Member #1, #2, #3, etc) Make sure they connect to the DREAM on the Individual Profile. 
      • Gabby Alves
        • My personal goals for our project are to create business models for each of our products and to help out wherever else I am needed.
        • I’ve created tentative business models for the sweet potato muffins, mango muffins, and bouillon cubes. The other recipes are currently still works in progress, so the business model for those will be worked on once those recipes are complete.
        • I have also done research on food preservation, specifically canning, and by creating a business plan for that possible venture, we were able to conclude that it is too costly with us to move forward with. Our hope was to can nutritious fruits that are not in season all year.
        • Currently, I am doing research on methods of cool preservation, to extend the shelf life of nutritious products in SL.
        • These goals all lead to the overall purpose of our project, which is to treat the issue of malnutrition prevalent in SL.
      • Samantha Cardenas
        • My personal goals for our project are to create new recipes and research food preservation techniques
        • The new recipes I create for our venture incorporate the micronutrients that are missing in the children in SL’s diet. These micronutrients include:
          • Iron
          • Vitamin A
          • Iodine
          • Zinc
        • To achieve my first personal goal, I use creative and innovative methods to develop snacks and foods similar to what people in SL would consume and are familiar with, and incorporate these foods to make one nutritious recipe.
          • In addition to this process, I choose ingredients that are locally sourced, available, and inexpensive in SL.
        • The first personal goal I have is relevant to our DREAM because it directly provides a solution for childhood malnutrition in SL by providing foods to incorporate these missing nutrients into children’s diets
        • To achieve my second personal goal, I am reading through different research articles about inexpensive food preservation techniques that can be incorporated into SL as a sustainable system
        • My second personal goal is important to our DREAM because there are many nutrient dense foods in SL that are only available seasonally, and when they are available in their off-season, they are more expensive due to their limited availability. The second goal I have provides a solution to make these nutrient-dense foods available year-round through inexpensive food preservation
      • Rob Corvalan
        • My personal goals for our project are to finalize the development of moringa fortified bouillon cubes. These are one of the new food products we aim to introduce in Sierra Leone.
          • My personal goal relates to our DREAM because it is a food product that provides 50% recommended daily amounts of vitamin a, iron, iodine, and zinc which can be consumed by adults and children alike.
          • I have conducted taste testing with different ingredients and compared them with commercially available bouillon cubes to create a similar profile. This achieves the goal of introducing a food product that is familiar to our consumers.
          • This semester I have been researching how to automate the production of the cubes and networking with suppliers. To finalize the development of the cubes, I am aiming to identify sources for my products, speed up the production process, and improve the business model.
    • What is the Project GOAL (big G) we’re all committed to achieve together?
      • To finalize the development of the food products, business models, and identification of viable food preservation techniques that our venture intends to introduce and implement through fieldwork.
    • Is our Project Goal scaled to our resources (dreams, materials, skills, differences, etc.) and constraints (assignment, time, skills, etc.) 
      • Our project goal is scaled relative to the overarching vision we have. We have been limited in taste testing our new food products and have yet to begin business operations. We are still researching about food preservation techniques since cost and the environment are constraints on the shelf life of our products, as well as contribute towards the post harvest losses of subsistence farmers. 
    • What are the metrics for success for what we’re producing?
      • Our metrics for short-term success depend on if we are able to achieve the sales projections we have created for each of our food products. Prior to being able to taste test and sell in Sierra Leone, our metrics of success will depend on the development of recipes and identifying viable food preservation techniques to introduce during field work.
      • In the long term, the success of the business will depend on scaling production according to our demand. However, the impact our business intends to have will be measured by assessing the reduction of micronutrient deficiencies in children correlated with the consumption of our food products. Using metrics like height and weight over a long period of time will help identify the effectiveness of our products.
  • Roles
    • Who is responsible for which deliverables?
      • Creating new recipes and their corresponding nutritional facts: Samantha Cardenas
      • Creating business models for each recipe: Gabby Alves
      • Research on food preservation techniques: Samantha Cardenas
      • Research on cold systems for food preservation: Gabby Alves
      • Research on Moringa and Bouillon cubes to develop a recipe to incorporate into our venture: Rob Corvalan
    • Which deliverables that require collaboration, subgroups & individual work? Who does each person depend upon to succeed?
      • Most of our project is each person doing individual work and bringing it together to create a venture. We all depend on each other to achieve this.
    • Do we need a project manager to coordinate?
      • Not necessarily, as we are in a way project managers of our section of the project.
    • What are the deliverables each person is accountable to produce?
      • We all work together on the presentations we have to present for midterms and finals.
  • Procedures
    • Decision Making – What process shall we use: consensus, majority rules, deference to expert, default to the loudest, or?
      • For decision making, our team aims to reach a consensus on decisions we make to be sure to include everyone’s voice in the direction our venture goes
        • However, if there are many differing opinions on a subject, we attempt to use a majority consensus when making an important decision for our venture.
      • We also consult with our advisor, Lori Herz, who is also included in the team when making decisions or having a majority opinion
    • Effective Meetings – Focus on key, timely decisions together vs. status/update (offline)
      • We have formal meetings every week on Mondays at 5:00pm to discuss weekly accomplishments and progress towards goals in our venture with our team advisor
        • During these meetings, we maximize productivity by writing a weekly brief that highlights these accomplishments and progress to know what we discuss at each meeting.
    • Meeting roles: scribe, facilitator, time keeper
      • Since we have met, we have never established roles for our meetings. Our focus is on reviewing and informing one another about the individual progress we have made to be able to reassess and determine the direction we need to head for the future. Each member presents to the team what we have learned and accomplished, to which we conclude with summarizing and finding areas that need improvement or collaboration if the tasks are not manageable by the individual.
    • Communication – FTF: frequency, time, location; type of technology: (Google docs, Hangout, etc.);expectations for responsiveness; ‘best time to work’ (AM, PM, weekends?)
      • We meet every week on Monday at 5pm, which was decided by making a WhenToMeet to find out what time worked best for our whole team
        • We meet through Zoom and always expect for each member to sign onto the meeting at the scheduled time unless otherwise specified previously 
      • We use Google docs to work on our briefs, and put all of our research together in a team drive, categorized by different aspects of our project. 
  • Relationships
    • Team Diversity – What is the diversity on our team? Disciplines to tap for solutions;  individual learning styles for the stages of invention;  overall team learning style strengths and places to supplement;  cultural backgrounds , work experience,  dreams to leverage for scope & impact of goals, new roles, better procedures;  languages for more diverse customer set, bigger market
      • Our diversity is evident in our team when one observes our academic interests. Gabby’s business expertise has helped with the development of rudimentary business models and determining the viability of different food preservation methods meanwhile Sam and Robert’s background in health has allowed them to focus more on product development.  We all have polar, interdisciplinary interests that feed into our venture’s goal
    • Listening – Notice my binary thinking, auto-rankism, and go beyond it. 
      • We acknowledge each other’s roles and trust one another to communicate what we have learned, keeping us updated as a venture on where we are going and how we can help each other.
    • Team Name–What’s a team name that captures who we are and what we’re going to do?
      • We are Newtrition and reducing Malnutrition is our mission.

Fall Blog Post 5 2020

Questions We Could’ve Answered Better:

  1. How are you planning on marketing the sweet potato muffins to mothers?
    1. Mentioned the stickers and posters and the director of nutrition, but should’ve specified we meant the country’s director of nutrition
    2. Also forgot to mention that we are relying heavily on word of mouth as means of advertising 
  2. How is your research on food preservation technologies relevant to your venture?
    1. For this question we needed to have a set concrete system in place along with having the knowledge of which technology we are going to use in our venture. We need to be very specific with who are we distributing these technologies with, especially with its use with either farmers or the production of our food products
    2. Since our venture is working with locally sourced produce, we need to have a method of being able to preserve our products to reduce the amount of food waste that is present with limited resources such as electricity and refrigeration. By identifying a food preservation technology we can use, we can teach and distribute to other subsistence farmers that can benefit from having 
  3. Pretty interesting that you guys are looking to use moringa…is it something you have been considering to use since last semester?… And curious, as to what the source will be for that.
    1. Could have answered in a more concise manner when identifying World Hope as an initial, temporary source for moringa, as well as local markets until we found a partner to purchase wholesale moringa or moringa powder from. Careful of generalizations with the use of terms such as“obviously” 
    2. Is it available as a commodity crop or something small farmers will have, or both?
      1. Should have been identified as a specialty crop. Undermined credibility by saying “I believe both”; Market availability may vary depending on if it is sold raw or processed into a product such as powder or oil. 

 

Top 20 FAQs:

  1. What are the leading causes of malnutrition in Sierra Leone?
    1. In SL, malnutrition is caused by a micronutrient deficiency in Vitamin A, iron, zinc, and iodine.
  2. How many kids are affected by malnutrition in SL?
    1. In 2013, a study in SL found that 38% of children did not fully grow or develop due to malnutrition.
  3. How did you choose what ingredients to use in your foods?
    1. A programming code, AMPL, was used in the beginning of our venture to optimize what ingredients were best to use. This was especially helpful in the development of the sweet potato muffins and banana pudding. 
    2. During our 2019 fieldwork, we found common foods people in SL consume daily, and incorporated some of these nutrient dense foods into the new recipes we have developed
  4. What products are a part of your venture? 
    1. Products that are 100% completed are the sweet potato muffins and the banana pudding. The business model for the sweet potato muffins is also completed, but not for the banana pudding because we still do not know the logistics of its distribution. We are in the process of finishing the recipes and business models for the Moringa-fortified Bouillon cubes, nut butter bites, mango muffins, porridge, and banana biscuits
  5.  How are you going to distribute your products?
    1. As of right now, we plan on distributing our products through purchase at Betteh bakery, our kiosks, and through street vendors.
  6.  Where are your products going to be made?
    1. Currently, we have a partnership with Betteh Bakery in Makeni, so we plan on having our operations run there in the beginning.
  7. How much does it cost to make the sweet potato muffins? How much do you plan on selling the sweet potato muffins for?
    1. It costs ~$0.0662 to manufacture one muffin, and we will be selling them for ~$0.15. Our goal is to price them at an affordable rate so more people will purchase and consume our product.
  8. How do your food products compare to your competitors?
    1. Our current competitors are plumpynut and Bennimix. They have both tried to immerse themselves into SL, but their products were too costly for families to afford. Our products are affordable enough for daily purchase. During fieldwork 2019, mothers were asked how much they typically spend on snacks for their children, and our price of ~$0.15 per muffin is within their budget.
  9.  Who else is involved in the venture outside of your team members?
    1. We are partnered with World Hope International, which is well established in SL, Betteh Bakery in Makeni, and have government support through Sierra Leone’s Director of Nutrition.
  10.  What motivated you to start this venture?
    1. The country’s Director of Nutrition, Aminata Shamit Koroma, requested for us to start this venture due to the high rates of malnutrition.
  11. What is the reasoning behind using Moringa as a new ingredient in your food products?
    1. During the last research group’s fieldwork, moringa sparked interest after being identified as a “superfood” high in vitamin a and iron.
  12. How do you plan on marketing your products?
    1. In SL, advertising is very simple. We plan on marketing our product with visuals such as stickers and posters, and will also be relying on word of mouth, as it is a predominant method of advertising in the country.
  13. What is the source of Moringa for the bouillon cubes and how do you plan on distributing it?
    1. At the moment we are looking to temporarily source our moringa from World Hope and purchase it raw at the local market. We have identified potential partners for moringa powder such as from MorVigor and the Binkolo Growth Center and are in the process of evaluating who would be most viable based on our production needs and costs.
  14.  How do you know people will purchase your product?
    1. During 2019 fieldwork, taste testing was conducted with mothers and their children. There were over 400 participants. The sweet potato muffins had a 98% success rate, and the banana pudding had a 97% success rate, with the success rate meaning that the mothers would purchase this for their child. We plan on conducting more taste testing with our new recipes once we are allowed to travel to SL.
  15. How will you increase demand among people in SL for your food products?
    1. There is existing demand for nutritious food products in SL due to high childhood stunting rates, but we plan on increasing demand through increased marketing and exposure to our products as a substitute for snacks that mothers already purchase in the market
  16. What kind of equipment is involved in the production of your food products?
    1. We minimize the equipment used to produce our food products to make them inexpensive. We only use an oven to bake some of our products, measuring tools, and bowls to mix the ingredients used in our products
  17. What is the technology behind how the clay pot refrigerator works?
    1. The clay pot uses evaporative cooling to cool the foods or produce inside it. There are 2 pots used in the clay pot refrigerator, one smaller than the other one. The small pot inside will contain the produce or foods it is keeping cool. The heat from the small pot will evaporate away from it, which goes through the sand in the middle of both pots and the large pot giving away the heat from the small one
  18. Why did you decide to research food preservation technologies?
    1. We has a meeting with 2 connections we have from World Hope, Musa and Allieu, and they expressed the need for food preservation techniques to extend the shelf life of nutrient dense foods
  19. Do your food products use any preservatives and if so, what are they? 
    1. We are using ascorbic acid as the preservative for the bouillon cubes and the banana pudding, and sodium propionate as the preservative for the sweet potato muffins.
  20. How does your venture plan to address food preservation when resources such as electricity and refrigeration are limited?
    1. With the use of food preservatives and low cost technologies such as pot in pot refrigeration, we will be extending the shelf life of our products and educating farmers about how they can reduce post harvest losses with their use of technology.

Fall Blog Post 4 2020

In a certain region of East Africa, the growth of ~35% of the children is stunted due to poor nutrition. Traditionally, maize and bananas are the items most commonly made into a gruel and fed to infants beginning at ~2 months of age. The gruel is integrated into a child’s diet to complement breastfeeding until they are ~24 months of age. Mothers in the area firmly believe that the gruel is highly beneficial for their children, but scientific research has shown that it does not provide some key nutrients. HIV/AIDS is very prevalent in this region. The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding until an infant is six months of age, but the longer a child nurses when the mother is HIV+, the greater the chance that the virus will be transmitted to the child. You have received a grant to establish a women’s cooperative in this region. The donor’s intent is to simultaneously improve the nutritional status of children and improve the livelihoods of rural households. The grant for the women’s cooperative has sufficient funds for the women’s group to process and market a nutritious, shelf-stable porridge made from a large mix of locally grown produce. The nutritious porridge is intended to wean children off of breast milk at about 6 months of age. Approximately 500 women from three contiguous sub-locations have indicated their interest in joining the cooperative, in hopes of improving their livelihoods. However, they are skeptical of the porridge and its use as an early weaning food. Cash crops as well as subsistence crops are grown in the area, including maize, sorghum, cassava, several varieties of legumes (dried beans), French beans, coffee, pineapple, bananas, pumpkins, tomatoes, carrots, kale, white (Irish) potatoes, and sweet potatoes. Pesticides are typically used in growing some of these crops and can result in adverse health implications for infants. How would you address the ethical health issues associated with prolonged breastfeeding in an area where there is a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS and few women are tested for the virus, very early introduction of supplemental foods to the diets of infants, and the possibility of pesticide residues in foods developed for infants and young children. 

 

Step 1: Facts of the Situation

(Facts + Clearly point out the ethical issue)

Ethical Issue: Finding balance between either feeding the kids food grown with pesticides or increasing their likelihood of contracting HIV due to prolonged breastfeeding

  • We’ve received a grant to establish a cooperative in East Africa
  • ~35% of children in this area have stunted growth due to malnutrition
  • Mothers typically feed infants a gruel made of maize and bananas starting at ~2 months to supplement breastfeeding. This gruel is missing some key nutrients
    • Mothers are confident in the health benefits in the gruel they feed their kids
    • WHO recommends children are receive exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months of age
  • HIV/AIDS is very prevalent in the region
    • Testing is rare and not readily available
  • The longer an infant breastfeeds the higher the risk of HIV transmission to the child (If the mother is HIV+)
  • We aim to replace the gruel with a shelf-stable nutritious porridge that will meet all the nutritional requirements and will be made from locally grown produce
    • Many of the crops are grown with pesticides
    • Mothers are skeptical of the use of the porridge
  • Porridge aims to wean children off breastmilk at 6 months of age
  • There is a high number of women (500) interested in the cooperative’s porridge idea
  • 90% of people with HIV know they have it, Antiviral medications introduced with milk

 

Step 2 + 3: Stakeholder Motivations

  • Entrepreneur/Researcher
      • Good publicity and credibility
      • Build up a track record of successful projects
      • Aiding the decrease of stunted growth rates
      • Improving the nutritional status of the children
      • Support livelihoods of the mothers
  • Children (secondary)
    • Too young to have independent motivations; desires reflected in the motivations of their mothers
  • Donor (secondary)
      • Recognition/ Good publicity
      • Improve nutritional status of children
      • Improve livelihoods of rural households
  • Government (secondary)
      • Reduce prevalence of HIV by preventing transmission from mothers to children
      • Improve health of population by giving children access to proper nutrients from infancy, reduce stunting rates
      • Promote agricultural biodiversity and the development of value chains for produce
  • Women/Mothers
    • Professional
      • Want to improve their livelihoods without risking the health of their child
      • Increased income
    • Personal
      • Want to source food that is pesticide free / safe to consume for their infants
      • Want to stick to traditional breastfeeding practices
      • Reduce risk of HIV transmission to their children

 

Step 4: Three Alternative Solutions

(Solution, Ethical Principle, Pros, Cons for each)

  1. Minimize additional ingredients so the gruel is still familiar
    1. Ethical Principle
      1. Beneficence – Attempting to reduce harm potential by adding ingredients that will address nutritional deficiencies that result in stunted growth. 
      2. Non maleficence – balancing risks and benefits of promoting the new porridge that may increase exposure to pesticides with reducing risk of potential HIV transmission.
    2. Pros
      1. There is still a sense of familiarity, which makes the mothers more inclined to try it
      2. Adding in foods that specifically target the nutrients that are missing from the traditional gruel ensures proper supplementation
      3. May decrease the opportunity for pesticide exposure because the variety of produce is lessened
    3. Cons
      1. The pesticides will still be present in the gruel
      2. Mothers may still be reluctant to use 
  2. Involve community health workers, local religious leaders to establish trust and educate women in a culturally-appropriate manner about prolonged breastfeeding and the difference between gruel and porridge
    1. Ethical Principle
      1. Autonomy – we are providing the information they need to make an informed decision. We are involving key community members to help inform our venture and provide information in a culturally appropriate way 
    2. Pros
      1. They help validate our intentions and can communicate to women better about our project
      2. Parents receive the information they need to make an informed decision about risks of both options (i.e., HIV transmission vs. pesticide exposure)
      3. Community health workers can teach about nutrition and how it impacts child development
    3. Cons
      1. There might not be a community health worker/ leader
        1. Already do not receive pay, may be more costly to involve them
      2. The porridge may cause worse issues for the children
      3. Despite being informed, may stick to traditional breastfeeding practices
      4. Additional financial costs that were not originally planned for 
  3. Introduce and offer the porridge at 3 months of breastfeeding, explaining that it will help to cut down on the risk to exposure for HIV. The risk for increased pesticide exposure will be addressed as a result of transitioning.
    1. Ethical Principle
      1. Autonomy –  allows mothers to take into consideration their experience and make informed decisions
      2. Non-maleficence – no harm is caused by informing the women of how their current practices may impact their children; information is provided on how we recommend reducing the potential for harm on account of the child and how the mother feeds it.
    2. Pros
      1. Women can make informed decisions and compare the benefits between their traditional practices and what our solution may offer.
    3. Cons
      1. If the women do not start with using the gruel, they may be less likely to transition to using the porridge.

 

Step 5: Additional Assistance

 

Step 6: Best Course of Action

I believe that a mixture between solution 1 and 2 can help to develop the cooperative. The women may not understand the concept of “weening food”; however, if community members they trust can communicate to them the benefits of the porridge, they can have a better chance of persuading them to feed their children something that is familiar to them, meanwhile reducing their risk for exposure of HIV. Trace amounts of pesticides are concerning, but are not guaranteed to cause abnormal development whereas HIV as a chronic condition is riskier and more likely to impact the livelihood of the child. Involving community health workers is a viable option for finding people educated in maternal health, however the scope of workers that are available or willing to help may be limited; additionally, the funds we have are meant to develop the venture, not address externalities that are created by its presence.

 

Step 7: Implications of Solution

Economic: By focusing on creating value chains for the crops that will be used toward the porridge, farmers will benefit from having a dependable buyer for their produce. 

 

Social: Women are empowered to make informed decisions on how they can better care for their children; the prospect of nourishing their child and reducing HIV exposure should be appealing and motivate mothers to consider how nutrition impacts their children, as well as the cooperative’s role in increasing the availability of nutritious food products.

 

Environmental: The porridge may motivate agricultural biodiversity since the cooperative will create an outlet for women to sell their produce towards something that will benefit and be consumed by children in their community. 

 

Part 2

Six months after launch, the efforts of the women working in the cooperative you established are paying off, and business is thriving. The women work for about nine hours every day and earn KES 300 (about $3). Besides the wages earned, they have the opportunity to sell the produce grown on their small farms to the cooperative. This transaction is done at the prevailing market rate and helps the women make a little money on the side. The women like this arrangement because it saves them a trip (time + money) to the village market to sell their produce. The women enjoy working with each other and are happy with the cooperative; they have a strong sense of community and identity. However, there is one big problem. When a woman brings her hardearned money home, she has no choice but to turn it over to her husband, father, or brothers. Rather than using the money to support their families, the men waste it on alcohol and frivolous things. Though the cooperative is thriving, it is not achieving the twin social outcomes of improving the nutritional status of children and the livelihoods of rural households. As the entrepreneur who helped establish the cooperative, you are pained about the situation. Though you are loved and respected by the entire community, you do not have a direct say in the cooperative’s functioning. You are one of the seven members of the leadership committee that oversees all operations. The committee is elected on an annual basis and you have six months left on the committee, after which you will practically leave the cooperative completely. The other six members of this committee are local women who understand the problems and want things to change. They are not necessarily opposed to the men taking away their money but are upset that their hard-earned money is not used to feed their children. They are convinced that nothing can be done about it because that’s just the way it works in their community. 

Step 1: Facts of the Situation

  • The cooperative is successful from a business perspective and the women who sell to the cooperative are able to make extra income by selling produce to them instead of traveling to market
    • From an impact standpoint relative to the livelihoods it is aimed to impact, it is not creating the intended outcome
  • Women are happy with their relationship with the cooperative
  • Men spend the extra income their wives have been making on non-essentials
  • Women are upset about what happens to the money they earn since the men spend it on themselves instead of their children, not who has it
    • Women do not feel that they have the autonomy to change the cultural norm with how men handle the finances

Step 2 + 3: Stakeholder Motivations

(Copy-paste from earlier and differentiate between personal and professional. Don’t forget additional stakeholders such as the men and the six other members of the leadership group. Also think of ways in which men can be engaged for tasks (like driving, heavy labor) that are almost always done by men.)

  • Entrepreneur/Researcher
    • Professional
      • Want to ensure that the cooperatives intended outcomes occur and the money generated benefits children instead of the men
        • Improving the nutritional status of children and the livelihoods of rural households
      • Want to cooperate with the committee members for the remaining 6 months without overimposing self
    • Personal
      • Want to aid women with 
      • Improving the nutritional status of the children
      • Support livelihoods of the mothers
  • Government (secondary)
    • Professional / Personal:
      • Reduce prevalence of HIV by preventing transmission from mothers to children
      • Improve health of population by giving children access to proper nutrients from infancy, reduce stunting rates
      • Promote agricultural biodiversity, subsistence farming and the development of value chains for produce
  • Women/Mothers
    • Professional
      • Want to improve their livelihoods without risking the health of their child
      • Increased income
    • Personal
      • Want to earn income to feed their children sufficiently
        • Want their children to grow up healthy
      • Want to stick to traditional breastfeeding practices
      • Reduce risk of HIV transmission to their children
  • Leadership Committee
    • Professional:
      • Want to resolve the issue of where finances are allocated after the women earn them
      • Want to go into the next election with a framework that the next elected leaders can navigate smoothly, without the presence of the entrepreneur
    • Personal:
      • Want to address the issues of men’s spending habits without acting in a manner inconsistent with the cultural norms
  • Men
    • Professional
      • Want to maintain their autonomy as head of the household, in charge of the finances
    • Personal
      • Want to spend the money earned 
  • Government
    • Professional / personal
      • Reduce prevalence of HIV by preventing transmission from mothers to children
      • Improve health of population by giving children access to proper nutrients from infancy, reduce stunting rates
      • Promote agricultural biodiversity and the development of value chains for produce
  • Children (secondary)
    • Personal: Too young to have independent motivations; desires reflected in the motivations of their mothers and the intrinsic need for nourishment & financial support
  • Donor (secondary)
    • Professional/Personal
      • Recognition/ Good publicity
      • Improve nutritional status of children
      • Improve livelihoods of rural households

 

Step 4, 5, 6: ONE optimal solution

(How solution meets twin outcomes, Pros, Cons, how it saves face for all stakeholders, short-term and long-term implications on relationships and the venture. Also include additional assistance you sought to identify the one best solution)

  • Solution
    • The cooperative will consult with local male leaders to discuss and address the issue of men’s spending habits. Considering that alcohol is a common expense amongst the males, partnering with local barowners can help with addressing how men spend their money. The purpose of this partnership will be to create a bundle that the women can pick up to bring home to their families porridge and alcohol to satisfy the desires of both children and men alike.  To come to an agreement that can address this, the cooperative will revamp their payment system to create a  “Porridge, Play, or Pay” system. Instead of earning every KES 300 everyday, the pay will be reduced to KES 200 while the remaining 100 is withheld into a personal savings account. When the women sell their produce, they can decide whether they would like to be paid out at the prevailing market rate or exchange their produce for the porridge. At the end of the work week, women will have the opportunity to withdraw from their savings accounts or decide to continue saving them. For the remaining 6 months of the leadership committee, they will be focused on stabilizing this system and potential candidates for election will have the chance to shadow the positions they will be filling. This will allow for candidates to be familiar with the work they are being elected for and to ensure a smooth transition.
  • Pros
    • Men are still able to have financial responsibility with the income that is brought
    • Women can save through the cooperative, giving them autonomy
    • Children are able to receive porridge on a regular basis
    • Leadership committee involves the cooperative with other local stakeholders
  • Cons
    • With the cooperative taking a more active role in financial management, this may irritate the men who are do not approve of this system or of the reduced income they are receiving
  • How does it save face?
    • Mothers are able to retain financial autonomy meanwhile being able to provide the nutritious porridge their children need for healthy development
    • Men are not excluded due to their bad habits; instead, keeping them involved and aware can create transparency between women, the cooperative, and them
    • Children will have more access to the nutrients they are missing because of the porridge, will no longer be mired by the vices of their fathers
    • Donors’ support the nutritional needs of the children instead of the men’s cravings for alcohol
    • The Entrepreneur addresses the issue of nutritional status and financial allocation through a manner that is non invasive, and addresses the desires of women, children, and men alike.
    • The Leadership committee involves women and men who may be affected by the cooperative in some manner; their solution works in consideration of their thoughts and opinions which coincide with their motivation to improve the nutritional status of children in a culturally appropriate, non-invasive manner.
  • Short term implications on the venture
    • By distributing the porridge more frequently, the venture fulfills its goal of improving children’s nutritional status. Livelihood improvement cannot be seen in the short term, except based on anecdotes and accounts of women who are pleased with the changes at first.
  • Long term
    • The venture may improve nutritional status widespread for children and increase the income and net benefits the women receive as it scales.
  • Short term implications for the relationships
    • Men may be confused and disapproving of the changes made
    • The mothers will be less upset when less of their wages are being used and consumed by men
      • They will be happier to be able to feed their children
  • Long Term
    • The leadership committee may become an increasingly important outlet for women to voice their social and economic concerns
      • Local businesses may be interested in partnering with the cooperative as another outlet for business
    • The mothers may see an improved relationship with men and the cooperative alike if there is an improvement in nutritional status
  • Additional assistance
    • The concept of savings may not be understood well or practiced in this community; since more income may incentivize more spending and less income may not address the needs of the men, finding the middle ground between providing income and products desired by the family all around I feel is the only way of satisfying the twin outcomes of improving nutritional status and livelihoods. Increased income does not necessarily equate to improved livelihood, however improved autonomy of income can offer an avenue toward improving livelihoods based on the ability for women and men to spend on what they need, not what they want.

Step 7 Specific step-by-step process to implement the proposed solution.

  • Meet with the leadership committee to discuss the idea and gauge their opinions; bring in any relevant stakeholders and invite women and men alike to voice their concerns to understand how this can be implemented efficiently
    • During this time period, addressing future leadership will be important. The conversation of election will be brought up, and the committee will draft a set of principles that committee members are committed to uphold with their position. As well as establishing principles, finding out who in the community may be suited for the position can help with easing the transition for the next cohort of leadership. Women will continue to represent the leadership.
  • Meet with local bar owners who are willing to partner, explaining that the intention is to help get the porridge to children and create an outlet for men to receive their alcohol. They can benefit from selling their alcohol at a reduced rate for a share in the cooperative; their share will entitle them to a weekly bundle of porridge at first and as the cooperative scales, a bundle that includes porridge and other food products.
  • Once women are beginning to take reduced pay and receive the porridge, survey and evaluate how they feel about the new system. Interviewing men to understand their feelings and potential rooms for improvement can be found through this.

Fall Blog Post 3

Jack is an American student who lived at a youth center in Kenya while working on a social venture. In this role, he lived and interacted with the children at the center and worked closely with the staff. One Saturday evening, kids under the age of 14 years were to receive presents that were sent by an international donor organization. A staff member at the youth center had picked up all the gifts the previous weekend and they were finally going to be distributed this Saturday. When it came time to give the gifts out after dinner, the staff members called Jack up to the front – as he was a guest – to assist in the gift-giving ceremony. The staff members had allocated the gifts for the children and labelled them – Jack’s job was to hand out the gifts to the kids. The only problem was that four children did not receive gifts and the staff members did not appear to be concerned about the four forgotten children. As kids began leaving the hall, they thanked Jack for the gifts. The kids were convinced that Jack had gotten the gifts for them. Jack felt a little awkward but at the same time reflected that a good relationship with the kids would help him in several ways during his five-month stay at the center.

At the bottom of the boxes containing the gifts, there were a few black hats. The kids that did not get a present were brought over to the box and given a hat. However, they were upset about the fact that they were not given the hat as ceremoniously as the other kids. The staff gave them their hat and shooed them on their way as if they had some fault in this situation. As one of the little boys who did not receive a gift left the hall, he walked past Jack holding his black hat, and gave him a stare that clearly indicated that he blamed Jack for not receiving a gift. Jack met with the staff and discussed how the four kids were very upset and felt ‘left out’ after the incident. The staff did not acknowledge the problem and were a little piqued that they were being blamed for such a trivial matter. They were convinced that Jack was making a big deal out of the situation and were concerned that Jack would become a ‘children’s rights activist’ and create unnecessary problems for them. The only response they gave Jack was – “If you think there is a problem, then you go ahead and solve it”. If you were Jack, how would you proceed?

Step 1: Determine the facts in the situation:

Implicit facts:

 

  • Jack’s identity as an American makes him “special”
  • Black hat has negative stigma attached to it (might invalidate solution 2)

 

Explicit facts:

  • 230 kids between the ages of 3 – 16 live at the center and so do the rest of the staff
  • Only one child said they blamed Jack
  • The children (4 of them) did not receive the same treatment as the rest of the kids. 
    • Received black hats instead of toys
    • No ceremony provided for hats 

Delicate issue: Jack is an outsider who feels awkward that he is being somewhat blamed for not having gifts for all the kids and he wants to have gifts for the 4 kids who were left out. The organization staff feel that they are losing face because Jack is criticizing them for the problem.

  • Staff doesn’t identify with the children or Jack; separates their role and presence in the organization.
    • Staff cares about saving face
  • Jack is not there for the long term, he is there for 5 months
    • His temporary role makes him especially important for developing and maintaining a positive relationship with the children due to their vulnerability
      • Jack’s authority being undermined by being a “Children’s rights activist” versus the authority of the staff responsible for gift giving / running the venture
  • Jack does not belong to the organization, he is an outsider who is criticizing the organization who doesn’t really understand what’s going on
  • The organization gave Jack face in having him present gifts in the ceremony
  • Jack benefits from being viewed as the gift bearer
  • The staff are nice people according to Khanjahn, assume that people have good intentions
  • Open criticism doesn’t save face of the locals and organization staff
  • Different cultural point of view from the staff members because they have had different experiences than Jack with resources, if they don’t get a gift this time, they’ll get a gift next time
  • Kids are between ages of 3-15, generally assume people are happy to receive gifts
  • Donor organization has no planned process of inventory of gift donations, it is very casual
    • Assumed kids would feel good receiving the gifts from Jack being the American 
  • Donor organization from America (secondary stakeholder)

 

Step 2 & 3:  Define the problem and the stakeholders; determine and distinguish the personal and professional motivations of the stakeholders 

  1. Kids who got gifts: 
    1. Personal: Want to be included and acknowledged
    2. Personal: More indifferent to the issue because they don’t see a problem as it doesn’t affect them
    3. Personal: They might tease the kids who did not get the gifts
  2. Kids who did not get gifts:
    1. Personal: Want to receive a gift like everyone else
    2. Personal: Be treated the same as the rest, not feel like they did something wrong to not receive a gift
    3. Personal: Be acknowledged so even if they’re receiving black hats, they receive the hats ceremoniously
  3. Jack: 
    1. Personal: Doesn’t want to be the face of disappointment for the children or resented
    2. Professional: Wants everyone to be happy because it will impact the quality of his stay & professional work
    3. Personal/Professional: Wants to maintain positive relationship with the organization staff since he works with them
  4. Staff:
    1. Personal: They are both trying to save face and care to maintain a smooth running organization. Maintain their status in the eyes of the kids and continue running operations smoothly.

 

Step 4: Formulate (at least three) alternative solutions:

  1. Jack could pay out of his pocket to get gifts for the children & give the staff/organization credit for it too.
    1. Ethical Principle or code- 
      1. Duty Based Thinking: Jack thinks that the right thing to do here is to get gifts for the four kids since they did not receive the same gifts.
      2. Ethics of Care: Jack is trying to foster a good relationship with both the kids and the staff members. 
    2. Pros: 
      1. Solves the problem himself; saves face for the staff/organization
      2. Allows him to fix his relationship with the staff and children
    3. Cons: 
      1. Set precedent for having Jack solve problems personally, be viewed as someone who can be easily pushed around
      2. The kids already experienced not having the ceremony, can’t undo the damage in a way
      3. Paying out of pocket can escalate situations by invalidating the effort of the donor organization. It is impersonal in this context to use personal funds.
    4. How does it save face of those involved?
      1. Jack covers for the mistakes made by the donor organization, saving the face of himself in front of the children and the staff that made the mistake.
      2. Children who did not receive the gifts will feel involved by having the toys that everyone has.
    5. Implications on the venture
      1. Short-term
        1. Jack eases tension and may proceed more comfortably if the relationship with the children and/or staff improve.
      2. Long-term
        1. May not have visible long term effects; this is only one day out of a long stay, and will most likely not be the biggest conflict that Jack encounters. 
    6. Implications on relationships
      1. Short-term
        1. Kids receive the gifts that were missing.
      2. Long-term
        1. Youth staff may be impressed by Jack’s commitment so as long it does not backfire on them, allowing Jack to save face and potentially improve the relationship with the children who didn’t receive the gifts initially
  2. Reframing the use / purpose of the black hats by engaging with the 4 kids in an activity
    1. Meet with the 4 children with the hats and convince them they were chosen to perform in a skit/dance performance for their center. 
    2. Ethical Principle or code
      1. Ethics of Care- Jack is trying to foster a good relationship with both the kids and the staff members. 
      2. Consequence based Thinking: Jack doesn’t want his relationship with children or staff undermined by his choices.
      3. Moral imagination- Jack could reframe the way that hats are viewed by making up some sort of an activity involving the four kids and the hats so that they feel valued. This would also make Jack interact with the kids that he will make his stay more pleasant.
    3. Pros:
      1. Fixes relationship with the kids so they don’t feel like they were not acknowledged equally with the other kids
      2. Provides sense of ceremony to their gifts so it doesn’t just feel like a shoo away
      3. Jack can lower tension with organization staff by giving them credit for the idea, it will boost his image with the staff because he is giving them face and the staff will gain face from the kids
      4. Giving the hats a sense of value so that the kids don’t feel like they’re being looked down upon
    4. Cons
      1. Children still do not have toys like everyone else
      2. Jack changing the value of the hats could prompt the other children to feel left out, create possible tension over not having these hats
      3. If this is an explicit activity that the staff found out about, they might feel concerned that Jack is going out of his way to solve these types of problems when there is really no need to (he’s actually making the situation a bigger deal than it actually is)
    5. How does it save face?
      1. Jack does not exert effort that complicates the staff’s job
      2. Children that did not receive the gifts have an opportunity to showcase their hats and themselves in a positive, innovative way that may change how their peers seem them/the black hats.
      3. Staff’s mistake is leveraged into something entertaining for them and the children.
    6. Implications on the venture
      1. Short-term
        1. Jack can show he can fix the issue without the direct involvement of the staff; they may be impressed by his effort and it could improve their relationship moving forward.
      2. Long-term
        1. Staff may not care to correct all of the mistakes they make when they are on a small scale such as 4 children out of 250 not receiving a gift.
    7. Implications on relationships
      1. Short-term
        1. Shows he cares for the children left out and addresses their concerns in a way that can change their feeling about the hat. 
      2. Long-term
        1. More trust may be established for Jack and the black hats could become something that he is remembered for by staff and children alike.
  3. Pay more attention to the 4 specific kids next time/ give them more care over time and acknowledge the situation with the organization staff that he acted in the heat of the moment. Reduce the feeling of blaming the staff and give them an out.
    1. Ethical Principle or code
      1. Ethics of Care 
    2. Pros: 
      1. Saves face for the staff/organization because Jack is not openly criticising them
      2. Makes the kids feel important, reconciles them to the fact that they seemed to have receive the shorter end of the stick with the gifts
    3. Cons:
      1. Might not completely ease the relationship with Jack and the kids
      2. Staff may not see Jack’s actions the way he sees it as giving them an out
      3. Organization staff may see that Jack is a pushover if he apologizes
    4. How does it save face for those involved?
      1. Jack saves his own face by addressing how he is not accustomed to dealing with these kinds of issues in the center and that he just wanted to do what he could.
      2. Staff saves face by the situation de-escalating and hearing from Jack about his decision to correct himself
    5. Implications on the venture
      1. Short-term
        1. Jack shows the staff that he understands where they come from, acknowledges his own biases and does not complicate the staff’s relationship with him or the children.
      2. Long-term
        1. Jack may improve the trust he has between the staff and children alike.
    6. Implications on relationships
      1. Short-term
        1. Jack may help the children forget a bit about the mistake by actively attempting to improve his relationship with them.
      2. Long-term
        1. This may be brushed over by Jack, staff, and the children alike if they move on from this moment as the staff initially requested.

 

Step 5: Seek additional assistance, as appropriate – previous cases, peers, reliance on personal experience, inner reflection 

Staff in a foreign country can be sensitive to the expectations and perceptions that volunteers have, especially when the volunteer may not be familiar with the culture in this country, or as Khanjan said, “they don’t understand how things work” in the context they were in. 

 

Personal experience: From my experience tutoring, I have had to act as a mediator between the children I work for and the staff I represent. It can be difficult satisfying all children when there are limited options available; I have found success in reframing the situation to make sure the children are acknowledged and empowered. For example, if a student doesn’t receive a snack that they enjoy, telling them that they can pass out snacks the next day, ensuring they get first choice on snacks the next day, or giving them extra attention during recess helps to remediate the situation to get them to focus on an incoming positive over a negative. Children can be prone to hold short term grudges but this can be remediated by making it known to them that they are acknowledged and you care for their well-being, especially when they may not have many individuals like yourself in their life. For staff, it is even more satisfying to know they hired someone who is capable of conflict resolution and is creative enough to make something out of nothing. “American” identity can be played into to reframe perspective, although I am afraid that the overcommitment of Jack to correct the mistakes of the staff could reinforce that perception in their eyes.

 

Step 6: Select the best course of action – that solves the problem, saves face and has the best short term and long-term implications for your relationship and venture. Explain reasoning and discuss your solution vis-a-vis other approaches discussed in class. 

  • I believe options two and three are the most ideal for Jack being able to solve the problem and save face. By reframing the black hats and giving them a sense of ceremony & speaking with the staff to give them an out, I believe that Jack can leverage this issue to become more involved with the organization and further his relationship with the children.  Although Jack could easily purchase the gifts that were missing, it goes beyond the purpose he is there for and could be seen as offensive to the staff, making them look bad. In terms of effort for everyone involved, Jack can set a precedent for him to take on more labor that the staff is responsible for which could take away from his commitment to the social venture. Mistakes happen and while this issue could be brushed off as they suggest, I believe Jack can uplift the children in a way that can change how others perceive them for receiving the hats instead of the toys.  If they do not approve of his request for increased involvement, it atleast shows Jack was earnest about his concern. 

 

Step 7: List the sequence of actions you will take to implement your solution.

  1. Reframing the way that hats are perceived amongst them by coming up with an innovative and engaging activity. This can be planned for the next gift giving ceremony.
    1. Jack can speak to the staff and ensure that they did not think he meant to criticize them. Instead, he can ask them about being more involved with the next ceremony.
    2. Jack begins to wear a black hat around children to spark interest, playing into his American identity that could change the perception of the black hat.
    3. Write out and organize a dance, skit, or game to be performed with the children who received the hat.
    4. During the next ceremony, before gifts are distributed, Jack announces that the children and him are going to perform in their black hats. Afterwards, they distribute the gifts and invite children to wear the hats and perform. By involving the audience of children in a group-wide performance, it can change how the children feel about the black hat and their reflections of being left out during the last ceremony.