One of the closing speeches at the Skoll World Forum for Social Entrepreneurship, held at Oxford University, was Larry Brilliant, CEO of Google.org. Larry’s speech was perhaps the best of the conference, possibly because it has been delivered many times since Davos, or perhaps because he had interesting stories to tell and was aided by a top-notch Powerpoint.

After beginning his talk with the case for pessimism: global warming, HIV/AIDS, malaria, increases in income disparity, Larry continued with his speech with the case for optimism and why he will always be an optimist. Larry spoke passionately about his work eradicating small pox and argued that if the world could come together to end such a horrifying disease, we were capable of anything.

Listening to the speakers at the Skoll Forum, learning about the projects of the Skoll awardees, and meeting a diverse group of practitioners, donors, academics, and students certainly reassured me that there is a case for optimism. As Bill Drayton of Ashoka mentioned, we are now seeing “unlikely bedfellows working together” to address the world’s biggest challenges. At the conference, we saw involvement from a range of players, from GE Capital to Barefoot College and from Nike to IDEI. Plenary speakers were as diverse as the attendees and showed the growing interest in the field of social enterprise. We heard Mohammed Yunus, Queen Rania of Jordan, Peter Gabriel, and Jeff Skoll talk about the new capitalism, the need for the three sectors (public, private, and citizen) to collaborate and for their hopes that social enterprise will become as far-reaching and well-known as microfinance is today.

Blog posts about the Skoll World Forum on Social Edge
Video highlights of the conferece (scroll towards bottom of page)
Article on the forum from onPhilanthropy
Article on the forum from The Chronicle of Philanthropy
My photos from the trip

Last week, Acumen Fund convened the seven fellows in Oxford for a three-day mid-year meeting prior to the Skoll Forum on Social Entrepreneurship. We had an opportunity to tell stories about our work with the investees, discuss our career plans, plan our work for the next three months, and generally reflect on our experiences to date.

On the first day, Nadaa shared that the fellowship had changed her life. I’m sure that we would all agree. Her comment made me remember the taxi driver who said to me as I was leaving New York in November that I would “come back changed.” I’m still not sure exactly what that will look like, but I know it is true.

The fellowship has encouraged self-reflection. Acumen Fund’s culture is self-critical and I think we have all spent a lot of time soliciting feedback, thinking about how others relate to us, and working towards improvement.

In “The Inheritance of Loss”, Sai describes well this process of introspection and the importance of looking at oneself in many ways. “But how did she appear? She searched in the stainless-steel pots, in the polished gompa butter lamps, in the merchants’ vessels in the bazaar, in the images proffered by the spoons and knives on the dining table, in the green surface of the pond. Round and fat she was in the spoons, long and thin in the knives, pocked by insects and tiddlers in the pond; golden in one light, ashen in another; back then to the mirror; but the mirror, fickle as ever, showed one thing, then another and left her, as usual, without an answer.”

More photos from Oxford and London

As a continuation of our weekly book groups during the fall orientation, we were asked to read “The Inheritance of Loss” by Kiran Desai in preparation for the mid-year gathering at Oxford. As the title would suggest, “The Inheritance of Loss” is a novel about loss, but it is also a novel about love. At the beginning of the novel, the teenage girl, Sai, thinks about love, “Could fulfillment ever be felt as deeply as loss? Romantically she decided that love must surely reside in the gap between desire and fulfillment, in the lack, not the contentment. Love was the ache, the anticipation, the retreat, everything around it but the emotion itself.”

Spending prolonged periods of time away from my family and friends over the past three years, I can identify with Sai’s assessment. Later in the book, Biju, the cook’s son reflects about his father, “If he continued his life in New York, he might never see his pitaji again. It happened all the time; ten years passed, fifteen, the telegram arrived, or the phone call, the parent was gone and the child was too late. Or they returned and found they’d missed the entire last quarter of a lifetime, their parents like photograph negatives. And there were worse tragedies. After the initial excitement was over, it often became obvious that the love was gone; for affection was only a habit after all, and people, they forget, or they became accustomed to its absence. They returned and found just the façade; it had been eaten from inside, like Cho Oyu being gouged by termites from within.” While I don’t expect Biju’s prediction to come true for me, I do wonder what it will be like to resettle in the U.S. after spending so much time away.

Desai is a spectacular writer. Her descriptions of the natural and political landscapes of India are vivid as are her delves into the emotional lives of the characters. I highly recommend the book, both for the story as well as Desai’s narrative skill.

I was thrilled to see the recent Business Week article about Acumen Fund and even more excited to see the fellows' pictures and bios on the online edition. As we prepare for our trip to the Skoll Forum at Oxford the end of the month, I am reminded of how much I like and respect my fellow fellows. Hard to believe this fellowship is half over and that it's time to start thinking about next steps.

In other exciting news, ABE partner, Sanofi, recently unveiled it's new ARV for treating malaria which is less expensive and requires fewer pills than the current medicine on the market. This New York Times article does a good job explaining the new drug and its implications. ABE is playing a large role in the fight against malaria by increasing the supply of artemisinin which it sells to pharmaceutical companies like Sanofi. Read my full post on the Acumen Fund blog.

I also wanted to share the link for a short film on the use of DDT and indoor residual spraying to eradicate malaria. My friends, Becky, Chris, and Eric of Wanderful World, have interviewed many people in East Africa and Europe about the use of DDT and put together this fantastic video which does a great job outlining the complexities.

Adrien, Eric, and I decided to spend a long weekend in Zanzibar, the exotic island off the coast of Tanzania. While we had to splurge for the plane tickets ($475), it was well worth the trip.

Upon arriving at the Nairobi airport, we were told we had lost our seats. So, we were quite relieved when after a bit of arguing, we were let on the flight. After a 2 1/2 hour flight and an hour drive across the island, we arrived at Evergreen Bungalows around 11 p.m. Fresh fish and cold beer were awaiting us. After dinner, we walked along the beach looking at the stars and marveling at the beauty of the ocean.

Friday morning we took a long walk along the beach and into the nearby village of Bwejuu to buy hats and water shoes. While only partially successful in our quest, it was interesting to see the white sand houses of a Zanzibari village and meet children from the village on their way home from school. Read More...

Eric and I started taking private Swahili lessons from a woman named Rose who was recommended by a friend. Since I arrived in Kenya, I had wanted to learn Swahili but was a bit reluctant because I remembered how much I dreaded my French classes at Thunderbird. To my surprise, I've really enjoyed learning Swahili. We each pay Ksh 500 (about $8) for a one-hour lesson 2 - 3 times per week.

I've been trying to figure out why I enjoy learning Swahili so much more than learning French and identified a few possible reasons:
1. Swahili is pronounced exactly as it is written. Therefore, people always understand what you're trying to say.
2. No one expects muzungus (foreigners) to speak Swahili so people are thrilled when I say anything at all. I practice every morning and evening with my colleagues in the car on the way to and from work. They laugh when I say a new word and try to have conversations with me entirely in Swahili.
3. I'm not sure it's possible to be any more enthusiastic than Rose is. She cheers us on with "vzuri sana sana sana!" (very, very, very good!) and tells us during every lesson how smart we are. It's easy to stay motivated with so much encouragement.

Eric and I were quite pleased with ourselves in Zanzibar last weekend when we were actually able to communicate very basically in Swahili. We'll be speaking fluently in no time!

Just so you don't think my life as a fellow is all pleasure and no work, I decided to write another entry about my work at ABE. Acumen Fund has been working with ABE for the past several months to help them refinance and obtain additional capital for the expansion of their agricultural and artemisinin processing operations.

In addition to developing standard operating procedures and policies and strengthening the company's operations, I have recently been working on the financing side as well. I have spent countless hours struggling with an Excel model and preparing every conceivable scenario to reassure potential investors of the company's viability. It's been interesting to learn about what goes into a due dilligence process and see how much time is required on the part of the investee to respond to the requests of the investors.

Because I don't think I've done a particularly good job explaining ABE's business, I've included links to a short video a created and a photo essay and website developed by my colleagues which I think better illustrate the work that we're doing.

Video
Photo Essay
Website

Keely arrived in Nairobi from Arusha, Tanzania on Saturday afternoon. On Sunday evening, I overheard her exclaim on Skype, “Nairobi is just like New York, Mom!” Since they arrived a couple weeks ago, Eric and Adrien (Acumen Fund colleagues and friends) and I have made the same comment to each other. To explain how we could possibly say something like this, especially when everything you read in the U.S. papers about Nairobi indicates the opposite; I will recount the activities of the past three days.

Friday morning I was picked up by the ABE driver at 7:45 and brought to the office, 20 minutes away. I took a lunch break with my colleague Lisa to pick up some groceries and try on a few clothes at a cute new shop at the mini-mall close to our office. I left the office around 6:30 p.m., got a ride home with the driver (stopping on the way to buy some lilies on the side of the road). After resting a bit at my apartment, I walked over to Eric’s apartment (a block away), with my English neighbor, Matt to have a glass of wine before driving with my colleague, Lisa and her friend to a party across town at Erin and Elana’s apartment. There were about 30 people at the party, and I found almost all of my friends there. We drank some rum and cokes, ate a bit of pita and hummus, and danced to Shakira. We left the party at about 12:30 for Casablanca, a Moroccan-style bar and club where we spent the next couple hours drinking Tusker beer and dancing to hip hop. Home by 2:30 a.m.

Saturday morning, I walked to Eric’s apartment for breakfast and spent the morning running errands in the neighborhood. We returned to his apartment and swam laps in his pool for about half an hour before Keely arrived. After catching up for a bit, we walked a block to Sarit Center to pick up some iced coffee before our one-hour Swahili lesson at 5 p.m. After class, Keely and I went back to my place to get ready and went to About Thyme for dinner, a cute continental-style restaurant with tables outside. We then met my friend, Erica, at the Serena Hotel for a bit of salsa dancing, which was followed by a bit more dancing and another Tusker at Klubhouse, a bar/club designed like a treehouse. Home by 2 a.m.

Sunday morning, Keely and I were out the door by 10 to go to the gym in Eric’s apartment building. For lunch, we went to Java House, an American-style coffeeshop and restaurant, where we ate huevos rancheros and breakfast burritos. Our afternoon included a visit to the giraffe sanctuary followed by a bloody mary at Talisman, a quiet outdoor restaurant in the Nairobi suburb of Karen (named after Karen Blixen, the author of “Out of Africa”. We took our taxi, which had been with us for the day, to the Arboretum, where we met several other friends for the Cape Town Opera’s performance of Porgy and Bess.

To be honest, my life here is not much different, in many ways, than it would be in the U.S. When I lived in Hyderabad, I felt like there were many sacrifices I had to make and life was much more difficult than I was accustomed to. Nairobi is much easier and it truly is possible to build a very comfortable, enjoyable life for oneself here. As always, visitors are welcome!

More photos here.

Before I left for Kenya, I bought a pair of Ecosandals off the internet. Before shipping the flip flops, the Kenyan sandalmaker, sent me an email introducing himself and explaining the story of Ecosandals. I was excited to hear about another Nairobi-based social enterprise and replied to the email asking if I could visit the project. Several emails and a few months later, I had the opportunity to visit the sandalmakers in their workshop and see their homes.

Ecosandals was started by a few Kenya-born U.S. residents and their friends. They managed to get media coverage very early on and started selling their handmade sandals made from recycled tires to the U.S. and European markets, mainly over the internet. After having some trouble keeping up with the demand and delivering on-time, the company refocused their efforts on the local market and downsized from about 30 to 6 sandalmakers.

The sandalmakers are young men and women from the Korogocho shantytown on the east side of the Nairobi. They learn how to make the sandals and take continuing education classes in the evening and eventually earn high school diplomas. The sandalmakers develop business skills and now run the enterprise themselves. Sales are currently low, but the products are great and I see real potential for this company to grow.

I returned home after my visit excited about the project and interested in finding a way to help. After a few additional conversations with Becky, one of the board members, I decided to volunteer a few hours a week and write grant proposals and try to increase sales in the U.S. or at high-end Nairobi shops. With even $10,000, Ecosandals could expand their production capacity and increase sales.

I know that most people are not thinking about buying flip flops at the moment. However, I encourage you to check out the website and order yourself or someone else a pair. The profit for the sandalmakers on each pair is significant and truly does improve the lives of their families and community. To find out more and order sandals, click here.

Picture below of Ecosandals board member, Becky, Director of Sales, Roselyne, and sandalmaker Michael and his grandmother at their house.

The first full weekend Adrien and Eric were in Nairobi, we decided to take an overnight trip to Lake Nakuru. Our original plan was to stay at Lake Nakuru or Naivasha, but we found the lodges in those areas to be quiet expensive. We decided to save some money and stay at Lake Baringo Club, which while further than Naivasha or Nakuru, our travel agent assured us was only 3 1/2 hours away (maximum). Eight hours later, we finally arrived at Lake Baringo. Fortunately, we were able to entertain ourselves quiet well with itunes and crazy car games created by Eric.

The geysers and flamingos at Lake Bagoria, the hippos and crocodiles at Lake Baringo, and the rhinos, giraffes, buffalo, and other game at Lake Nakuru were spectacular and certainly worth the trip. The drive through the Rift Valley was beautiful and we were even able to stop at the Ecuator to see a "water demonstration" showing the gravitational pull at north and south sides of the Ecuator.

Check out the photos.

A couple exciting pieces on Acumen Fund's work have appeared in the media recently. It's encouraging to see the mainstream media picking up these types of stories.

Click here for a story in the Financial Times.
Click here for an NPR interview with Jacqueline Novogratz.

Advanced Bio-Extracts Limited (ABE) has spent the past two years planning and building a state of the art factory in Athi River, about an hour outside Nairobi. The factory opened two weeks ago and has now produced about 750 kilograms of pure artemisinin.

ABE contracts with more than 7,000 farmers in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda to grow Artemisia alongside their maize, tea, coffee, pineapples, etc. The Artemisia is shipped from the collection points throughout East Africa to the factory in Athi River where it is processed from dried leaf to a pure, white powder. The powder is then packed into plastic containers and sent to China where it is used in ACTs to treat malaria. ABE currently produces 50,000 – 100,000 malaria treatments each day.

I’m proud to be part of a company that is making a difference on such a large scale. There are 300 – 500 million of acute cases of malaria each year, resulting in more than a million deaths a year. About 90 percent of these deaths occur in Africa, mainly in young children. The World Health Organization recommends the use of artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs) and has initiated an aggressive program to accelerate the transition to ACTs. Natural artemisinin is a key element in the production of low-cost, effective malaria treatments and the need for artemisinin is rapidly growing.

Some things are easy in the developing world. In my experience, finding an apartment seems to be one of them. Last week I moved into a fully-furnished studio apartment in Westlands, a great neighborhood in Nairobi. I looked at several places and on Tuesday called this one to ask if I could move in on Wednesday. No problem. I called the manager of the apartment where I had been staying to tell her I was moving out the next day. No problem. Wednesday evening, I moved my suitcases across town and picked up the keys after signing a short lease agreement and paying one month’s rent. No deposit, no background check, no application. Easy.

While one could describe the new apartment as dingy, I love it. The combination of the wireless internet and landline at home and being located 3 blocks from a large shopping center with a grocery store, gym, movie theater, and restaurants makes me feel much more connected to the world and happier to be in Nairobi. The swimming pool in the middle of the complex certainly doesn’t hurt, especially since the weather is so beautiful; it’s a real treat to spend time sitting outside reading on a weekend afternoon. And, that, is exactly what I did on Saturday and Sunday.

The new apartment

My former employer and one of my favorite social enterprises, Scojo Foundation, was recently featured in an article in the Economist which does a good job describing its innovative model. In two years, Scojo Foundation has figured out how to deliver reading glasses to people in India, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, and Bangladesh who really need them to maintain their livelihoods (weavers, tailors, electricians, etc.).

Click here to read the article online.
Click here to read a pdf of the article.

The new year has brought some changes for me in Nairobi and I have decided to move from SHEF to Advanced Bio-Extracts Limited (ABE), another Acumen Fund investee. Recent leadership changes at SHEF meant that the opportunity to receive the mentorship I was looking for was lacking and that the impact I could make during this transition period might not be as great as I had hoped.

I am now working with ABE (also in Nairobi), an agribusiness that grows and processes Artemisinin, the primary ingredient in malaria medication (ACTs). My assignment is to develop ABE's standard operating procedures and do some work with the financial model. More information about ABE and Artemisinin here.

I started at ABE on Wednesday, and so far things are going well. I am now looking for a new apartment closer to the office. Fortunately, I have become very accostomed to change since I left DC, 2 1/2 years ago, and am actually excited by this turn of events.