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.

On my first attempt at editing a video, I realized how difficult and time-consuming it is. However, I did have fun doing it and am sure there will be more of these in the future.

Thanks to the Petersmeyer Family Foundation, Acumen provided us with video cameras for the year. This short film is composed of footage from the field while visiting CFW Community Clinics.

CFW Community Clinics video

After spending 10 wonderful days in Amsterdam with my family wandering the streets, visiting cafes, and exploring museums, it was hard to come back to Nairobi where I still don’t feel completely settled. Fortunately, I had lined up another trip and as soon as I arrived, I left for Arusha to visit Acumen Fund fellow, Keely Stevenson. I arrived at Keely’s apartment after a five hour bus ride and we left for a safari to Ngorongoro Crater the next morning.

Keely and I brought in the new year at a campground on the rim of the crater. A group of Americans hosted an impromptu dance party around their campfire and we happily joined the celebration. We spent New Years day driving into and around the floor of the crater and spotting animals. With the steep walls and flat, bright green floor, the crater is truly a spectacular site. It was incredible to see the wildlife and explore such a magnificent place. After two days, I felt refreshed, invigorated, and so fortunate to be living in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Animals we saw on safari include: lion, buffalo, eland, wildebeest, white rhino, Thomson gazelle, zebra, grand gazelle, hyena, wild boar, golden jackal, cheetah, vervet monkey, hippo, baboon, hadada ibis, maribu stork, cattle egret, yellow-bill stork, flamingo, Egyptian goose, blacksmith plover, crown crane, hartbeast, guinea flowl, koribastard, black-bellied bastard, pelican, and dung beetle.

Photos from Amsterdam
Photos from Ngorongoro Crater

Two months ago, I posted information about the Treehugger and Slate Green Challenge and committed to reduce my carbon emissions.

I would like to report that I reduced my emissions by 14,090 pounds of CO2 over the past 8 weeks which is equivalent to taking 1.44 cars off the road. During this time, I reduced my emissions by 28%.

I encourage you all to sign up for the Green Challenge and join me in considerably reducing your emissions.