empowering mobility

New M-Lab website!

2010-01-28T09:22:00.000-08:00

Pleased to announce the creation of the new M-Lab website. Thanks to Lia at Allia Studio for the initial design. Check it out: mlab.mit.edu

Animal Prints

2009-08-24T00:42:00.000-07:00

My last day in Nairobi in pictures.

A cute baby elephant at the David Sheldren Trust

Clumsy little things =P

More elephants...

Classic shot.

Baby rhino! Active little guy. He was jumping around and dancing...

Giraffe Center!

Up super close and personal...

They have purple tongues!

=)

Lions...

Baby cheetahs...

More lions! Oh my.

Yup, little Mathew is trying to pull on the ostrich's feathers. About two seconds after I snapped this picture, his mom, dad, and aunt rushed in and pulled him back -P

Fed this guy some peanuts.

Barack the monkey!

Apparently he arrived at the Nairobi airport during Obama's inauguration

This little guy was so funny Apparently he used to be in the animal orphanage, so he was visiting his friends.

He was perfectly content while peanuts presented, but as soon as anyone tried to pet him, he'd swipe at them.

I think he was my favorite =D

A little off the beaten path... feeding lions!

And again...

And he's a little protective of his food.

Pretty incredible, huh? This would never happen in the US... someone told me if you bribe the guard, you can pet the baby cheetahs, but making friends with a volunteer turned out to be much better =)

Irony in Government

2009-08-20T00:32:00.000-07:00

Ah, the Ministry of Health. Uganda is currently fighting for disability rights. The first week I was in Uganda, Fatuma and I went to the MOH for a meeting, but she was unable to get up the disability ramp because it was completely blocked by motorcycles, cabinets, and other random stuff. All said, Fatuma couldn't get by. She would have had to had a wheelchair that was about 10 inches wide to pass by. The people assured us it was temporary and would be moved soon.

My last day in Uganda, we went back.

While there was more room cleared, Fatuma's wheelchair was still a few inches too wide to pass.

There's the respect for the disability issues in Uganda...

There are always challenges you don't anticipate. There is a law that buildings should be accessible, but most of the time, there is no funding for it, and the government doesn't have the resources for or want to pay for it. When the ramp exists, it might be blocked. If anything, it's a lesson in remembering that there is far more to a story that what is on paper. There are challenges in policy, sure, but there are more in attitude, implementation, and sustainability.

Bus Rides & Gulu

2009-08-19T09:15:00.000-07:00

Bus rides in East Africa are always interesting. Between the sellers who come up to the bus practically pushing things into your hand and the interesting sites - you know you're in Africa. On one trip - my first bus ride - we passed a horrific three bus accident that left many people stranded. On another, a seller talked for 30 minutes straight about the merits of his herbal toothpaste, soap, and other items - in Swahili. From what I gathered with my limited Swahili, a lot of things had vitamins in them.

All of this pales in comparison to the epic bus ride to Gulu. Northern Uganda is recovering from significant civil unrest that orphaned many children and displaced many more. The place is rebuilding, though, and an economic boom may be in Gulu's future.

This story is fraught with drama and intrigue - why did the bus stop? (Clutch broke. No big deal.) What is in the sac next to the g-nuts (peanuts)? (That would be ants. Mmm... tasty. Apparently not great raw but yummy in stews.) Oh my... what was that sound? (Two live chickens. Yes, on the bus. Apparently being upside down keeps them reasonably calm.)

It has all the makings of an epic tale: Comedy - dozing off leads to jumping out of your skin when you hear SQUAWK and oh look, the mzungu is making faces at the baby.
Beautiful scenery - quaint huts line the road with neatly thatched roofs (although no signature thatch animals like in the UK's little Harry Potter town).

We finally arrived in Gulu and saw the JYRO wheelchair workshop. They are the only major wheelchair manufacturer in Northern Uganda and seem to have a good workshop. They are able to make pieces ahead of time which means that in five days, they can make 1, 2, or 20 wheelchairs. Not half bad.

Here are a few pictures from their production line.

And here is Zulfa (Fatuma's daughter) in our hotel room in Gulu. Pretty sweet, right?

OLPC

2009-08-18T23:51:00.000-07:00

There's always a comfort knowing that you have friends nearby. When I was in Kampala Uganda, my comfort came from the OLPC team: Kristen, Jeff, and Victoria. Traveling on your own is exciting. You can plan your own route, take life at your own pace. But, it's awesome to know that somewhere nearby, someone cares that you made it home or that you got over being sick. So, in honor of my OLPC buds, a little info about their project.

Kristen, Jeff, and Victoria are distributing 100 OLPC laptops to the Kampala Secondary School. They have taught the children in P5 and P6 how to use the laptops. OLPC laptops are about the size of your average netbook and loaded with educational materials, games, and Wikipedia. Keeping in mind the situation, the OLPC is designed so it has a high probability of surviving being dropped, is water resistant, and can be used outside.

While it's debatable how good it is to give a child a laptop when she doesn't have basic necessities, the laptop can, when implemented properly, be used to enhance learning and give children the opportunity to explore and learn on their own.

While I was there, I saw two classes. One use the matching game (you can create your own) to practice addition. 5+7 gets matched with 12, etc. There was an odd number of kids, so I partnered with one of them and it was pretty fun. While it was definitely good practice, I'm not sure how much the kids honestly learned, but they did get to practice their addition and work on memory skills. The second class made excellent use of the laptop's capabilities. The students were learning about interest, so first they looked it up on Wikipedia, then they used the calculator application to do some sample problems. I think that shows how the OLPCs, like any tool, can be a great addition to learning if used properly, which is why the OLPC team's work training the teachers and students to use the laptops is so important.

Me and Zulfa (Fatuma's daughter) playing with the XO

Alive!

2009-08-14T01:42:00.000-07:00

Crazy adventures and a ton of traveling visiting workshops, NGOs, and MFIs. Very limited internet. More updates to come!

Home Visits: Zenab & P5 boy

2009-07-27T06:49:00.000-07:00

The first person we visited was Zenab who has a small business selling tomoatoes and other vegetables in the Kalerewe Market (picture on the left). She is in a wheelchair because she had polio and has had a wheelchair for six months. Since she lives in a swamp area it's difficult to keep her wheelchair clean. Although she has a business and at first glance you may not notice that she is disabled (she scoots around while working), she is segregated from the other sellers. Her area is a blanket clearly distinct and in front of the line of vegetable sellers. Although many of them have shade and a table, she does not. While we were there Fatuma had a chat with the manager (apparently there is some organization to the chaos?) about that. She encouraged him to think of people with disabilities as a responsibility of the community. A very active lady, she would be interested in going into a group with some of the others and expanding her small business.

After visiting Zenab, Fatuma, Steven (Fatuma's driver) and I went to St. Jude Primary School to visit a boy who was in a wheelchair at the school there. Right now the place is completely unaccessible.

In order to even get up the step to his class he needs a bit of assistance. His chair also isn't very fitted. The cushion is good, though, so I suspect he's using that so that he can grow in the wheelchair. He's in P5 right now and seems to be doing pretty well for now, but his classes in P6 & P7 aren't remotely accessible. Fatuma talked to the headmaster about everyone contributing and helping.

Here he is with his class. He generally sits in the back with some friends, but when the kids crowded in the front I insisted on being able to see everyone. The kids were super cute. On the way out we moved at a snails pace with the car because all the kids wanted to wave bye and Steven was driving very carefully.

Fatuma is of the mind that disabilities must be supported by the community and it's admirable that she makes that effort. She was telling me today that she wants MADE to expand to also focus on advocacy in the times where it doesn't have a lot of wheelchairs to build. She had a meeting with the director of Disability Rights Fund. (ironically, located in Boston!) The advocacy would be for making private schools accessible. Public ones are mandated by law to be accessible (although law and reality are completely different), but there is less regulation on the private ones. Here's hoping Fatuma's application is successful! =)

And random: I saw this little guy outside my hostel when I got back from the home visits. I think he was greeting me. Now I just need a banana so we can be friends...

Fort Portal aka Monkeys!

2009-07-21T01:20:00.001-07:00

So this was definitely another fantastic weekend. Kristen (who is blogging this summer about her OLPC experiences) invited me to be part of her OLPC team (also blogging) for the weekend while they were visiting another OLPC team's project, which just happened to be in a national park. The person we were visiting was Ian, who lives in the Kabali National Forest research station. His dad is a Harvard professor who has been studying the chimps in the forest for years. (Small world, right?) Kabali National Forest is known for its chimps, baboons, and other primates. We went on a few nature walks led by Ian and got to see a ton of monkeys of different types. Baboons wandered through our camp and we saw red tails, blues, and black & whites in the trees the first day. The second we went to one of the crater lakes to swim. There were these funny fish that come up to your feet and eat the dead skin. Kinda tickled. Not so unlike these, except we paid about $1 to get into the crater lakes. As we were heading out, we got some fantastic shots of some red caspers in the trees around the lake. Without further ado, my weekend in pictures!

KWat & me

Me in front of a cool tree

KWat and a kid who goes to Duke who's working with Ian's dad this summer studying chimps

Jeff! In our first walk through the forest on Saturday.

Big tree! Smaller tube trees grow up the sides and eventually combine to form a super tree.

Kwat showing off the beautiful views we saw while we were walking between crater lakes.

Stoney - this strange ginger soft drink. Made by the Coca Cola Company. Fun fact: if you go to the Coca Cola museum in Atlanta, GA, at the end you can taste Coke products from around the world!

KWat getting a fish pedicure

Crater Lake! Do you see the money tail?

crater lake crew: Ian, Jeff, KWat, me

These are red colobus monkeys, three in this picture

Tiny red colobus monkey!

Two more =)

The Aid Debate

2009-07-20T02:18:00.000-07:00

On the way back from Fort Portal this weekend (more about that later!), I borrowed a newspaper from a fellow passenger and read this article by Dr. Ian Clark, The Aid Debate. It was an interesting article to be reading and made me think about several things.

Definitely read through, but the summary in a sentence: Aid by foreign governemts to Uganda is having little effect on the daily lives of the people.

I was interested that Americans were mentioned as primarily giving aid through their own organizations. Yes, it's more difficult, but real benefits can be measured.

"Donors put money in at the top, in the hope that the ministry will deliver results out the bottom, but sometimes all that can be measured are more four-wheel drive vehicles in the car park."

The article encourages the use of results and measurements in order to determine whether to give more aid.

Here in Uganda I've met with both the Ministry of Health (mentioned in the article) and smaller NGOs and I'm glad to see support for my decision to pursue the NGOs as a better option for donations. In addition to cutting the bureaucracy, it's more transparent and more possible to trace the money flow.

I also remember some outrage about the US cutting aid to Africa. Let me propose a different solution: instead of our government donating to the Africa governments, have that funding be donated to the local grassroots non-profits.

---

Extra credit: Desist from Racist Tendencies by Deo Kabwende

A very interesting article to read from the Uganda standpoint. While I do sympathize with the woman somewhat because she may have genuinely been concerned that she was a muzungu being ripped off (probably wasn't the first time), her behavior didn't help the situation in the slightest and displayed racist tendencies that could have easily been avoided.

NGO Profile: Action on Disability & Development

2009-07-16T12:16:00.000-07:00

I was fortunate enough to be connected to an NGO in Uganda, Action on Disability & Development. Fatuma recommended them as a trusted organization and so far, I definitely like what I've seen. I met Lugemoi Bongomin (cool name right!?) who is the "Fundraising and Resource Mobilization Officer," which basically meant he was the perfect person to talk with.

ADD has their headquarters in the UK and in addition to their branch in Uganda, have others in Tanzania, Ghana, Malawi, Mali, Sudan, Zambia, Bangladesh, and others. In the 22 years they've been in Uganda, they've worked at both the grassroots and national level to have interventions and mobilize the disabled to have a voice in their country. Fantastic group, actually.

A few organizations ADD works with: National Union of Disabled Persons, Mental Health Uganda, Association of the Deaf and Blind, Association of Parents of Children with Disabilities, Association of Disabled Women, ...

Additionally, they do research and field work. I'm hoping to go with them into the field for one of the upcoming weeks.

I told them about Worldwide Mobility's goals to connect disabled people to microfinance institutions (MFIs) only to discover they had a similar goal and are doing research into the topic.

ADD is interested in getting volunteers from Uganda, USA, and around the world, so if you're interested, let me know! With all their connections, they would be a great group to work with on a project!!

(PS - Sorry if a few British phrases slipped in. I've been hanging out with several here. Although it could all be in my head hearing the accent...)

Uganda!

2009-07-13T06:51:00.000-07:00

I'm alive and in Uganda. Flight over was decent, but expensive. There were about ten people on a plane for 100, so that might explain the price.

Staying at a fairly popular hostel, but managed to snag the last single! It's nice because they arrange trips, permits, etc. Hopefully will be going whitewater rafting with some other people from M-Lab who might come down one of these upcoming weekends!

Uganda seems pretty cool. Still having small "this is expensive... oh wait, it's ok" moments (US$1=1300 Tsh=2097 Usx) because of the difference in conversion rates but I'm sure that'll subside in a few days.

UPDATE: pretty excited to find something here I wanted to get for my brother, but at almost half the price it was in Tanzania!

Zanzibar: in pictures

2009-07-10T01:16:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday I took a walking tour of Zanzibar with a wonderful tour guide. I think it was probably my favorite thing that I've done so far. We saw the touristy things, but the real joy was seeing all the back allies and roads that I never would have traveled to on my own. (It's a crazy maze in there!) Without further ado, my favorite pictures:

As you walk along the road closest to the water, there is this huge metal fence much taller than a person. It's the public garden, currently being rennovated and hopefully opening up "soon." After passing this fence several times, when I went to the wrap-around balcony on the top floor of the House of Wonders, I was shocked to see this absolutely pristine garden. It's a little gem hidden by an ugly shell. It being closed made for a much better picture, but I would like to walk around there when it opens.

Three women in the hidden garden. They were three of about maybe ten people who could access it. I'm not actually sure what they are doing, but I like this one because of the colors and serenity of the scene.

Down below in the House of Wonders courtyard, many small shops are set up. Here's a bird's-eye view of the wooden wares.

Came across this guy while on the walking tour. He's hand carving a headboard. You can see the one he's actually been carving on the ground.

"Zanzibar 4 Obama" is pretty self explanitory. I even saw a Kanga with his face and "Hero Barak Obama" printed on it. (A kanga is a cloth that you can wrap around and make a skirt with, a shawl, a head scarf, anything really.)

St. Joseph's Catholic Cathedral - it was beautiful. I was able to listen to the choir practicing a bit too. They might just be visible in the front left pews.

I met this little girl as she was coming down the outside stairs. Not shy in the least, when she realized she was falling she grabbed my hand, so we walked down together. She and her sister were very happy with their oranges.

The red fruit that I saw EVERYWHERE - still don't know what it is. It's small, red, and spiky. White inside, I think.

This was in front of the open air market - craziness. This guy is bringing in fresh fish from a van.

Octopus. I tried grilled octopus at the food stands, not half bad. (Before anyone flips, it's not your typical group of food stands, and obviously I didn't die.)

Last but not least, my favorite picture! These kids are playing soccer (football) in front of a health clinic for children. The kids are super cute, and I love this action shot.

Home Visits: Linda

2009-07-09T11:09:00.000-07:00

Linda is in a very unfitted imported wheelchair that she got in Arusha. She had one of the Free Wheelchair Mission chairs, but only kept it for a day before exchanging it in Arusha for her current one. She said for washing and for indoor activities the wheelchair she has is ok, but it's difficult to transport because it isn't foldable. She found the footrests to be cumbersome when she maneuvered and went about her day, so she removed them and uses a piece of cloth instead. That can't be comfortable, but I guess at least it's easier to get around.

Several years ago, she discovered that she had a tumor in her back and since has been confined to a wheelchair. Last year, she got her wheelchair new in Arusha, but it looks much older. It's difficult to imagine that she's only had it for a year. The seat is literally falling apart and the wheels look like they need to be replaced.

She has one daughter, Matrona (5 yrs old and adorable), and is living with her mom. For income, she has a small business selling sunflowers and sewing. She's looking forward to having a better, fitted, foldable wheelchair, because she'll be able to use public transportation and expand her business. She will still need to rely on her nephew to aid in getting to the bus stop (when I say the roads leading to her house are ridiculous, that doesn't do them justice), but she will be able to go to town herself to buy things instead of relying on others.

She's hoping to obtain a microloan for 200,000 Tsh ($167) so that she can expand her tailoring business. She has a sewing machine in her home, but currently depends on customers bringing their own cloth. With the money, she would be able to buy cloth and have customers choose from her home. I hope these meetings in Dar Es Salaam go well this weekend, because there's a lot of potential growth. I've met several people who already have small businesses and have plans for expansion, but they need something to take them to the next step.

Tanzania Drivers

2009-07-08T23:16:00.000-07:00

...never went to Driver's Ed. I thought things were bad in Moshi, but Dar Es Salaam was worse.

So in Moshi, if you're in the middle of town, roads are decent enough. You can drive just fine. There isn't a single traffic light anywhere, but things work out well enough. There are lots of turnabouts, which cuts down the need for intersection lights and makes things very interesting for pedestrians. (There's definitely a reason why there's a high accident rate.) However, the second you turn off the main few roads, you're in all dirt roads, potholes that have their own potholes, and mini hills that make everything more interesting. Unsurprisingly, on these roads people seldom follow the traditional stay on the left to drive idea. (Yes, they drive on the left like the Brits.) Drivers become adept at locating the best place to maneuver next on the dirt roads and often even this is a bumpy circuitous route. Even on main roads, if there's no one else there, it's common to drive in the middle. There are few lines to speak of so people pass each other in the oncoming traffic lane. Seatbelts are common in the front but not guaranteed in the backseat. (So all in all, I see why people are in wheelchairs for auto accidents.)

Dar was worse. They do have traffic lights, but either they follow a pattern I can't fathom or people completely ignore them. (I think the latter.) It can be very confusing to see a red light and then under, a green arrow, and then your driver goes right through. That might be legal. But then there's seeing five people pass under a definitely all-red light... When I put my seatbelt on, my Dar friend said people don't use seatbelts in Tanzania. The roads are better in Dar, so they can drive faster. There are more lines on the road, but people often make their own lanes when they feel like it. Passing is a nightmare and drivers are crazy aggressive.

Then there are the traffic jams. I was taking a taxi to this hotel in Dar that someone wanted to show me, and we came up to a huge line of cars that were backed up maybe 30 deep. Unperturbed, our driver went into the oncoming lane and passed all of them... until he came face to face with a driver going the other way. As the traffic inched forward in the lane we should have been in, he edged in. However, some other cars had seen what our driver did and had followed suit several cars deep... so no movement in two directions. And people wonder why there are traffic delays. (I suspected that a similar thing had happened farther up in our real lane, but when we got there, I saw that it was the HUGE crowd of people that were far into the street waiting for the dali dalis/buses). We decided to turn around after that... the trip wasn't worth it, because what was supposed to be a five minute trip had taken 30 minutes to even just get to that point.

We may be providing wheelchairs, but I think we're missing the problem...

Dar Es Salaam

2009-07-08T05:20:00.000-07:00

(No pictures from this one... all of them are on my friends camera, so I may try to get those later.)

Dar Es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania. One short eight hour bus ride from Moshi, and you're being yelled at by taxi drivers who all want to charge $20 for a cab ride into the city. I took an early bus into Dar and just happened to get onto the "luxury" bus. It was only an extra 3000 Tsh (~$2.50) so I didn't wait for the next one an hour later. Wow - the seats were nice. You know how in American buses the seats don't go back far enough to sleep comfortably? These did and were very comfortable. I was rather surprised, actually.

One notable difference about Tanzania distance buses is that they do not have bathrooms on the bus. The bus would stop occasionally and a few people would quickly scurry off and disappear behind a house (I'm using that term loosely) or a bush. I had been asleep for about two hours when I looked out the window for the first time and was just blown away by the view. Greens of all shades winked down from the scenic mountains. No animals in sight, but it was a beautiful view. Every once in awhile the bus would pass a mini town with several shops and guys with baskets on their heads trying to sell things to people in buses. At one point, someone knocked on my window for five minutes straight, so I closed the curtain.

There was one stop about half way through the trip to a rest stop where we had twenty minutes to get food. The bathrooms there were quite literally a hole in the ground. (That type seems to be very popular.) There was a thing to pull so it would flush, but mine didn't work. They helpfully provide a bucket of water for when that happens. I was, however, pleasantly surprised to find that they had both soap and running water in the faucets.

Eventually, I got to Dar Es Salaam and was greeted by Sarah's friend's taxi driver. He had agreed to do the trip for 10000 Tsh (compared to 20000 Tsh that other taxi drivers were offering). We got to my hotel, New Continental, and suddenly the price had jumped to 15000 Tsh. Aie. My dilema: the guy had waited for me for a long time at the taxi stand so I had wanted to give him a bonus. However, you can't let people pick higher prices because it inflates everything from then on, so I told him I was only paying 10000, but I would call him later when I needed rides. (Which I did try to do when I needed rides on Monday, but his phone would reject my calls. Aie.)

I was met by Sarah's friend Muffy who showed me the real Dar Es Salaam.. the clubs. We got food at this place called Eater's that served real pizza! That was a very nice surprise. And then we went to this hotel called Sea Cliff Village. I was very skeptical because who hangs out at a hotel?? but it turned out to have a lot of people milling around and had a bar, casino, and shops. More like a mini mall than a hotel (although that was beautiful). It was right next to the water and even though it was dark, you could see the white tufts of waves coming in and crashing on the sand below. From there, we went to a club - Bistro, which was relatively quiet at midnight (things heated up around 1am). I was intrigued by the dynamics - white guys danced with far more attractive and younger local girls. I'm not entirely sure what to make of that, honestly. Colonialism might not be dead =/ Around 1:30, a lot of youngish professionals came in (30-35). It was sort of like they waited for the younger crowd to get things started so they could come when there was enough people. It was a nice set up. There was a dance area with small tables surrounding the floor, an area to watch cricket or football (soccer) games on a big screen, a quieter eating area, and paths around the open air club. Music ranged from English typical to Swahili with English mixed in. (Although, the English songs couldn't have been too new or I wouldn't have heard of them =P)

And then I went to Zanzibar the next morning. That's it's own post.

Came back from Zanzibar and immediately got to work calling MFIs and trying to set up meetings. The first place I went to was called REPOA, which is a research institute that studies poverty alleviation. They're currently doing a study on microfinance, so I'm looking forward to reading that one. He was very helpful and told me about another MFI called Pride Tanzania that is opperating in Moshi. (Pride was also recommended to me by Faustina at KASI, so I think they may turn out to be a good one to work with.)

Then I talked to the director of Tujijenge Tanzania, another microfinance place. Tujijenge is a Kiva partner, which is how I found them in the first place and they are planning to expand into Moshi in a few years. They have a great system and provide good training, so I'm looking forward to when that happens.

In between I went back to the hotel because I had a few hours so I talked with the manager of the hotel for awhile. Apparently he wants to come to America (Washington DC and California) so I was able to give a little advice for those places. I was also sure to mention that he definitely did not want to drive to CA from DC especially if he was only there for 10 days...

People in Tanzania are very nice overall. I had wondered how it would be as a female traveling alone, but what I've found is that people tend to be very helpful and do actually look out for you. When I wanted to go to an internet cafe after dark, the manager walked with me for several blocks and then waited 30min for me to finish.

The last meeting was with Pride Tanzania and I was able to speak with the Managing Director (his last name is Obama, which I thought was cool). He described the structure of Pride and how they operate. They're in a reorganizing process right now, but are looking into outreach into rural areas, which means great things for future people who need microloans. Hopefully I'll be able to speak with the Moshi regional director soon.

That night, my Dar guide showed me the other most popular club in Tanzania -
Maisha. It was Bhangra Night, so lots of fun. I didn't stay too long because I had a super early bus ride the next day, but it was fun. Met a few of Muffy's friends too.

Highlights from my 6am eight hour bus ride back:
- Met a Tanzania lady who lived in NY for five years (her husband worked for the UN)
- At one point, a guy stood up and talked for, I swear, 30 minutes straight in Swahili. He occasionally held up items like toothpaste, soap, etc, so it was clear he was trying to sell stuff to his very captive audience. I was amused. Every once in awhile I picked out the few words I know in Swahili or things like "vitamins."
- More beautiful scenery
- You know you're in a Muslim country when... you see "We Trust in Allah" on the back of a bus. (Nice variation to "In God We Trust")

ok I'm done. kudos to anyone that actually read all of that.

Life in Tanzania

2009-07-08T04:27:00.000-07:00

Just got back from trips to Dar Es Salaam to talk to MFIs (MicroFinance Institutions) and Zanzibar (for fun!), but I need to upload a lot of pictures, so in the meantime, here's a filler post since I haven't updated in a week.

There are so many things that are impossible to describe...

- Hearing people shout "mzungu!" as you pass by ("white person")
- Getting ripped off by taxis (they often start at a price two to three times higher than the actual price)
- Showing the slightest interest in someone's wares and having them follow you for a few blocks until either you buy something or you firmly say you're not interested at least three times
- Satisfaction of successfully bargaining down the price to something realistic
- Getting used to being the minority, then being in shock when in an area with a high concentration of wazungu
- Convincing the touts that their initial asking price of 10000 Tsh for something was actually worth 2000 Tsh (~$9 to <$2)

MFIs, Swahili, and Obama

2009-06-30T06:30:00.001-07:00

Majorly excited about the rest of the week. Tomorrow I'm going to visit the third recipient of a wheelchair. She currently has an unfitted, imported one so I think it will be very interesting to compare. Today was another research day, and I've identified several more microfinance places (ironically, and fortunately, many in Dar Es Salaam) so I think going to Dar is not only a fun idea (because of weekend plans to go to Zanzibar) but an important one. If we can partner with established microfinace institutions (MFIs), we'll be in much better shape. It's important to realize what you can and cannot do, and what you can delegate. Delegating the training and funding of people in wheelchairs to MFIs with significant experience is far better than trying to throw something together. I've focused primarily on finding places that have ties to Kiva because those loans are funded so quickly (average is less than two days) but may explore other options.

The best part about being here is the interactions with people. Hearing the other perspective on random topics helps to enable understanding on important ones. Moshi, and Tanzania, have significant Muslim and Christian populations, and they mix fairly well. I had lunch with one of the KASI guys today and somehow we got on the topic of the 9/11 attacks and the effects on the average American. The thing I remember most was reading about (and seeing) the discrimination that resulted. One (white) reporter spent a day wearing the Muslim shawl and described the interactions (from not so casual bumping to blatent comments) that she witnessed before people even saw her face. As always, it is vital to remember that one quality doesn't define a person.

I was initially surprised by the interest in American topics. The day Michael Jackson died, several people asked me if I liked his music or was upset. Almost everyone I have a long conversation with asks me about Obama. Unsurprisingly, my KASI friend (and most people here) like Obama, not only because of his Kenya heritage, but because he is trying to improve ties with other nations. (I'm sure this could be debated, but I'm thinking of his address to Muslim nations. Not saying it's perfect - but it's a start.)

Maybe it's just because I don't speak Swahili and don't understand half of what is said around me, but Moshi seems to have very little religious descrepancies. Mosques and churches coexist. Five times a day you can hear the Muslim prayer music (at all hours) and nuns walk around. It's encouraging to see and something I do admire Tanzania for. For better (or "worse" in one respect, more on this later), Tanzania has been relatively peaceful, especially considering its neighbors' history - no genocide, no major civil wars. Ironically, this means that there is less support for the disabled. KASI was the first such non-profit, but similar organizations in Uganda and Kenya expanded much more rapidly because the demand for disabled services post-conflict was much higher. The primary causes of injury are from falling out of trees and vehicle accidents. I couldn't understand why falling out of trees was so common until one of the people I met explained that men of the Chagga tribe take pride in raising goats. They climb trees to get leaves for their goats to eat. It's amazing what you learn that you never would think to ask.

Home Visits: Richard

2009-06-30T02:03:00.000-07:00

The second person we visited last Wednesday was Richard, someone who received a small business wheelchair from Tish's project a few years ago. In 2000, Richard fell from a tree (sounds familiar) and injured his T-12 vertebrae. In the past nine years, he has had two wheelchairs - one imported chair, and one locally made. The imported chair lasted from 2000-2003, and he was able to get it through KCMC. In 2003, the problems the wheelchair caused compounded: it was difficult to maneuver, broken, and couldn't go fast because its two front wheels fluttered. One advantage though, was the foldability of the wheelchair.

His second wheelchair that he got in 2003, has lasted these past six years. Yes, the paint is gone and it doesn't look brand new, but he has had relatively little trouble and a much better pay off. In the last six years, he replaced the bearings and got a new front wheel. Not half bad on this terrain. The major disadvantage of the locally made chairs is that that cannot fold up. Richard recommended that Worldwide Mobility should have a "what next?" focus as well, something I completely agree with. He said that once a person gets a wheelchair, he doesn't have a job and sometimes getting a wheelchair only means he can get out of bed in order to beg.

Richard is in front of his store in the picture to the right. It's important to have a plan. I think Tish's small business project would be an excellent companion to Worldwide Mobility. Even if we did not have separate "business" wheelchairs made, it is very important that we can provide people who receive the wheelchairs with some training to help them start a business. Tish's project is building a place for a training school. I think it would be fantastic if we could somehow merge the two projects, taking the best elements from each. From WM, raise money to help a person buy a wheelchair. Through kiva or some other means, acquire capital for small business loans. This would mean that people would need to demonstrate an ability and idea for a business.

While a small business would not apply to children, it is a good idea for adults. It may be important to make further distinctions in the future or stipulate that a child be able to go to school. Perhaps (only if necessary) another donation for school fees? There's a lot to think about...

The Wonders of Slow Internet

2009-06-29T06:34:00.000-07:00

Pictures finally up! It took longer than I care to admit, but the pictures are on the post now:

http://empoweringmobility.blogspot.com/2009/06/home-visits.html

Respecting Privacy

2009-06-26T05:43:00.001-07:00

Today as I was looking through Kiva microfinance partners in East Africa, I stumbled across a blog by one of the Kiva Fellows on a topic very relevant to Worldwide Mobiliy: the receiver's privacy. The post is thought provoking, and I'd be interested in your thoughts.

Is Kiva respecting the privacy of its borrowers?

Should people in non-ideal conditions sacrifice their privacy for the opportunity to get a loan? Can non-profits fundraise as effectively without showing profiles and creating that donor-donee link?

Travel Advice #3

2009-06-25T10:54:00.000-07:00

With so many options, it's difficult to know what to pick. A few of the options and their advantages and disadvantages:

Traveler's checks (American Express) - can be exchanged in any city or at the airport. Rates are better in $50 or $100 denominations. I learned that the hard way. Unfortunately, you pay a fee on both ends. TCs have worse rates than cash (USD$1 is 1200 Tsh in TCs, but is 1300 Tsh for cash - the difference of about $.10 cents adds up when you are exchanging $200 -> $20!), and they cost money to purchase. The huge advantage, though, is that if they are lost or stolen, you can get your money back. Security has a price.

Cash - since you are probably exchanging USD and Euros, and these are very common, you will be able to exchange them at any bank or exchange bureau. A good option. Better rates are available in $50 and $100 denominations than $20. Look around for the best rates. Often vastly different rates will be two doors down from eachother.

ATM - if you're in a large city, this is also a decent option. When withdrawing a large amount of money, this may be the most cost effective. You will pay a fee to your bank and to the ATM, so beware of that. (Usually a few dollars on each end) plus a currency conversion fee (2% at MIT FCU, 5% at Bank of America).

Credit Card - I haven't used this yet in Moshi, but it was very useful in the Amsterdam airport (buying internet time and insurance). If you absolutely don't want to carry around money, this is an option in cities. Visa is the most commonly accepted. Personally, I don't like the insecurity of handing over my card to someone else. It's much easier to make sure you're paying what you think when you are handling bills.

It's important to have a mix to accommodate different situations and try to anticipate which situations you will be in.

It comes down to how much money you want to carry with you, how secure you want it to be, how big your purchases are, and where you are. Big cities, you can get away with a credit card. I would recommend that for only large purchases. For small things, it is cheaper to exchange a larger sum of money and then siphon off how much you need in the local currency bills. That has served me very well in Moshi (a smallish city).

Many hotels will take cash. This has no exchange rate and is a good way to go. Watch out for different prices in the local currency and USD, though. Sometimes the USD amount is significantly more than the price in the local currency. A bit of that would be accounted for in exchange rates, but anything larger than 3% difference is they marking up the price for tourists.

So far my experience has only been in Moshi (large town - lots of small shops, many banks, few large/chain stores), so take the advice with a grain of salt. Once I have been to Kampala and Nairobi, I will update this with more info! =)

Home Visits

2009-06-24T21:00:00.000-07:00

The first guy we visited today fell out of a coconut tree in 1993. Since then, he has had three wheelchairs. Pictures of all three of them are below. Notice how the the first two are unfitted and don't accomidate rough terrain. The third is a three wheeled chair - much more stable in bumpy roads. (And there were a LOT of bumpy roads nearby) His most recent one is from March 2009 and is shiny and new looking. His first wheelchair came from KCMC via a program with a Netherlands church. He has one child and lives with his sisters.

He's very fortunate in that since he built his house after his accident, it is accessible in all the rooms. From the back. He can't go through the front because there's a big step, but it's easy access from the back. He likes the new one because he can go longer distances and it handles the rough terrain better. His house is pretty cool; they installed a solar panel for power on the roof.

His primary concern for people who are disabled is that they don't have or know how to manage capital. They definitely need ways to make money. He has been doing decently because he has a plot, and his business partner helps him manage the land.
Every week, they pay 7000 Tsh (USD$5.84) to rent a pump and hire someone to operate it. Pumps cost USD$300-350. I was initially concerned when he said he wanted a loan because if he used the money he saved to pay back the loan, it would take 60+ weeks to repay, and the planting season isn't nearly that long.

The planting/growing season is 2-3 months. Harvest time, however, lasts six months. Each week, they fill 25 bags that sell for 10000 Tsh each

25 * 10000 Tsh * 4 weeks/month * 6 months = 6 000 000 000 Tsh = USD$5000 per year

A portion of which goes to renting the pump. At first glance I was worried because it didn't sound like he would be able to repay the loan in a timely manner. The benefit of not paying $6 per month did not seem to translate into significantly increased earnings.

However, upon further questions, he told me they are currently using only a fraction of the land. His land extended for at least double or triple what was actually planted. The thing holding them back is the price of having the water pump rented. I went and saw, and it's quite significant how much they have left. (He owns up to the far tree line.) It may be unrealistic or inadvisable to cultivate ALL of his land, but it is clear that the opportunity would provide significant increased earnings regardless.

His is the ideal candidate for getting a micro loan. He knows exactly what he needs to expand his business, the expansion will produce much increased profit, but to pay for it out of pocket would be too much.

Hearing his story today made me start thinking about kiva.org. No one here seems to have heard of it. I was talking to Faustina last week and she looked up the website. An eventual goal of Worldwide Mobility should be to enable its wheelchair users to get loans on Kiva. In the mean time, we can attempt to secure micro loans for people who benefit from WM through existing places. Perhaps KASI will become a partner. Faustina definitely seemed interested, so I hope they pursue it further. I think she liked its emphasis on women.

I'll write about the second person we visited that day soon.

Travel Advice #2

2009-06-23T06:50:00.000-07:00

Make a budget and set goals for how much you'll have left at different parts of your trip. Make a separate budgets for necessities and for fun stuff. In necessities, there's a lot to consider: lodging, meals, internet, phone. (In fun, there's plenty too! - safari, gifts, etc.) If you're lucky, the hotel might include breakfast or internet in the price. Ask! Books like Lonely Planet give good estimations of prices and list multiple options.

My host told me she saw a pair of travelers getting a hotel once. The management told them one price, and they pulled out their Lonely Planet book and pointed to the real price there, which made the management back down.

Don't be afraid to research things ahead of time, and don't expect to be getting the best price the first time someone says something. A lot of people will sell you something for less than the first price and don't be afraid to walk away. Learning the Swahili numbers helps a lot, because when you can name your price in Swahili, they will give you a better one.

The Plan

2009-06-23T06:41:00.000-07:00

*Note: many of the places are described in greater detail in this post.
My meeting with Abdullah last Friday about the plan for what to do with Worldwide Mobility in the next few weeks was great. Here's the flexible schedule (subject to changes & rearrangements):
Monday - work at KASI, make website to fill in the form, make Word Document version. Abdullah will be out, so it's a perfect day to catch up on email and do the web side of the plan.
Tuesday - meet/work with one of the wheelchair technicians at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center (KCMC), Albert.
Wednesday - Two home visits of current wheelchair users, both in good quality, locally made chairs
Thursday - Work at KCMC, meet with Albert again, the orthopedics department, and the Motivation office
Friday - go to CCBR with Abdullah, after work, go to the KASI Finance Committee meeting.

Monday - travel to Arusha to see Mobility Care, learn their system, etc
Tuesday - visit Njoro workshop
Wednesday - home visit of a current wheelchair user in an unfitted, externally donated chair from the states
Thursday - assessment at CCBR
Friday - meeting with local PAWA people

So there's the rough sketch. I think it's an appropriate mixture of seeing each of the aspects over here and all parts of it are things I definitely would not be able to do from MIT. I'm looking forward to meeting and working with everybody, especially talking with the current wheelchair users. I think it will be very enlightening to compare the experiences of the users in locally fitted vs externally non-fitted wheelchairs.

Definitions

2009-06-23T06:33:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of words, names, and acronyms thrown around like you know exactly what I'm talking about, so here's a list:

Places
CCBR - A disability organization where Abdullah works part time. They do assessments of people's disabilities.
KASI - Kilimanjaro Assiciation for the Spinally Injured. The first and only such organization in Africa. They inspired several similar organizations in Uganda and Kenya.
KCMC - Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center. They are the #1 hospital in Tanzania, located in Moshi. There is a wheelchair workshop there that KASI hires to make wheelchairs (KCMC Wheelchair Workshop), and this is where Albert works. Located in Moshi, Tanzania.
Arusha Mobility - one of three wheelchair workshops KASI hires to make wheelchairs. Located in Arusha, Tanzania.
Njoro Wheelchair Workshop - the third wheelchair workshop KASI hires, located near Arusha.

People
Abdullah - my mentor in Tanzania. His website is here: abdullahonwheels.googlepages.com
Albert - wheelchair technician, works at KCMC Wheelchair Workshop
Amos Winter - my mentor at MIT, head of M-Lab

Misc
M-Lab - MIT Mobility Lab, working on several wheelchair related projects and has a class every spring semester
Tigo - a cell phone provider in Tanzania
WC, wc - wheelchair (we're not British)
Zain - a cell phone provider for a large portion of Africa, including Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya

Kiswahili - Swahili
jambo - hello
hamjambo? - how are you (plural)?
kusoma - to study
kutoka - to come from
ni/si - positive/negative present tense form of to be

Kiswahili

2009-06-21T13:50:00.001-07:00

Swahili has been consuming my weekend. Since my host mom mostly speaks Swahili and several of the people I come in contact with the most outside of KASI/KCMC speak better Swahili than English, it's definitely a good thing to know. Nothing like a little motivation. I've made some good progress in a week, but I need to practice it more. Listening to CDs and reviewing flashcards can only get you so far. When I do speak to someone in Swahili, I get the distinct impression that even though the words I'm saying may be correct written, my accent is so bad that they don't understand. I'm really feeling for those PhD students leading recitations...

As I'm sitting here, I can hear my host family talking with their cousins. It seems like people all speak at the same time. I have no idea how they understand each other. Sarah's aunt just invited me to come to her place anytime. People seem to just pop into places here without calling or anything.

Still trying to figure out some things, though. Meal times are a little weird. Breakfast is whenever you wake up, which makes sense, but lunch does not seem to be at noon, usually hits around 2pm. Then dinner is somewhere between 6pm and 9pm typically. I guess that's not too weird. Just the lunch thing. And I should be used to varied dinner times (thanks mom). A little flexibility is a good thing.

Travel Advice #1

2009-06-21T13:44:00.000-07:00

For travelers who are staying for a long time, even just two weeks, good advice is to get a cell phone in country, or at least a local SIM. I did a lot of research before coming to Tanzania about which phone services to use. While it is possible to get a new SIM card in each country for pretty cheap ($2 or less for cheap ones), since I was traveling to several places, and it was better to have a consistent number, I got a SIM card on the Zain network. (For travelers just in Tanzania, Tigo is good/cheap/easy to find too.) Both Zain and Tigo phone cards are available everywhere in Moshi. When you fill up, the price is on the card, so you don't get ripped off. Everyone knows Zain cards, so it's great. The rates are pretty good (5 cents for a text message in country, 1 Tsh per second calling on the network) and you can call America for roughly what you would pay elsewhere. (~$.50/minute - much better than the $4.99 Verizon wanted to charge me. Other networks have better deals, but it is hard/rare to find something better than $.60/minute).

Even if you don't have a SIM card enabled phone, you can get one for under $40. I was able to get The phone, the SIM card, and put 5000 shillings on the phone for Tsh 46000, about USD$38. Zain.com has a lot of information about the rates for each country. One of the best parts is you can buy the top up cards in each country and just pay at local rates. Zain has an extensive network, making it a great phone for travelers who are crossing a lot of borders. When deciding, I emailed a few Zain representatives to figure out which phones to buy, and they were very helpful.

Mimi nipenda Tanzania!

2009-06-18T11:42:00.000-07:00

Hamjambo? Jina langu ni Danielle na mimi nisoma Kiswahili. Mimi nipenda Tanzania! (How are all of you? My name is Danielle, and I am studying Swahili. I love Tanzania!)

Tanzania has been fantastic so far. I'm settling in with my host family, and they are terrific! They're teaching me Swahili. So far I'm pretty terrible/inconsistent, but maybe in a few weeks...

It's impossible to say what has surprised me the most. So many things are different, but so many are the same. There are street vendors everywhere that want to sell you anything you can imagine. (Think New York times 10 and this isn't even the biggest city!) Yesterday I saw a single DVD that claimed to be all of the Lost seasons 1-6. I'm a tad skeptical, but that sort of thing is everywhere. There are lots of people selling shoes, but they'll only put one of each pair out! It makes sense because that way someone can't steal a pair, but it was definitely funny the first time I saw that. People will walk around with baskets and sometime one of their items on their heads. I was surprised the first time I saw a shoe on someone's head.

People here are so nice. Sarah and I went out to town for this spicy fried potato dish. (I know it sounds like French fries, but it was more like potato chunks and no crispy outside.) We were getting gas on the way back, but the car wouldn't start. There was a guy who saw us having trouble and he and his friends roll-started the car. Sarah said she knew him from a carnival or something like that. While it's important to be on your guard and act safely, it's good to remember that many people are nice.

It was great having help with that, but I'm glad I knew how to fix it, thanks to Amos's car breaking at the Yale conference. If we hadn't been as lucky with those guys there, I think I would have been able to help. It's funny what bits of information turn out to be useful. Thanks for breaking your car Amos =P

Tomorrow I'm meeting with Abdullah at KASI - can't wait to really get started!!!

I'm also curious about the other $84.95

2009-05-31T16:05:00.000-07:00

Jeff Sachs:

"Out of every $100 of US national income, our government currently provides the grand sum of 5 cents in aid to all of Africa. Out of that same $100, we have found around $10 for the stimulus package and bank bailouts and another $5 for the military. It is not wonderful that what has caught the public’s eye are proposals to cut today’s 5 cents to 4 or 3 cents or perhaps zero."

Requoted from Nicholas Kristof's blog at the New York Times.

Prepping for the Unknown

2009-05-14T20:51:00.000-07:00

I'm one of those people that plans for all possible contingencies. That girl that had band aids at prom? Yup, that was me. So planning a trip to three different countries is a whole other experience. Finding visas, making itineraries, tracking political situations, getting immunized, buying medicine... Then you have the finances. How am I going to access money while I'm there?

It's amazing how many little details go into traveling to Africa.
- getting immunizations
- getting visas
- getting contact info everywhere you're going
- finding places to stay

I think going to three countries is making my plans more complicated, but it's totally worth it. I'll be able to get so much more done by going to multiple locations. I want to get the pilots started and that'll be possible if I go to a few places. In Tanzania, I'm hoping to be able to start a pilot program there. That will be the first real test of the system. When I visit Kenya, I am hoping to start one there as well. In Uganda, I hope to identify a partner NGO to work through and find other wheelchair workshops.

It's going to be busy, but I'm looking forward to it =)

Funding!

2009-04-22T18:07:00.000-07:00

For the past few weeks, I've been waiting to hear and I just found out today - I got a fellowship from MIT's Public Service Center!! They will be funding my trip to Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya this summer, where I'll be working on Worldwide Mobility (Uganda, Tanzania) and on Mobility Lab's Leveraged Freedom Chair.

UPDATE!
Also am a recipient of the David Shapiro Award from the MIT Aeronautics and Astronautics Department!

Accountability

2009-04-22T17:28:00.000-07:00

I've been struggling with the topic of accountability for a long time now. The two conflicting schools of thought:
- make the process easy enough to maintain and create something that is not overly taxing on local community partners
- create a plan for identifying potential corruption and eliminate as much as possible

I attended the Global Engagement Summit 2009 at Northwestern two weeks ago. Our closing keynote was non other than Premal Shah, the president of Kiva! I was able to ask him two questions. The first was how he, in Kiva, used accountability metrics. Second I asked about overhead. Both of his answers related to transparency. Kiva randomly checks up on the people who ask for loans and the NGOs and then has a section of their website that posts all of the corrupt information they find. Brilliant. Instead of trying to hide or questioning how to divulge the information, they are blunt about the problems. Posting to the web simultaneously discredits the guilty parties, preventing them from being able to repeat their mistake, and keeps the public informed. The transparency and trust are crucial between Kiva and the donors. To the second question, he recommended the Kiva way again, after a person signs up to donate or loan money, they ask for a percentage of the donation to go to Kiva's overhead. While this overhead amount is not guaranteed, Kiva has enjoyed a relatively high return using this method. It's a lot to consider.

From my conversations with people who run NGOs, people in developing countries who are our community partners, and fellow MIT students, I have come up with three methods for accountability that I think cover most situations:
1. After a person receives his/her new wheelchair, the workshop is responsible for taking a picture and sending it to the website.
2. Use NGOs and potentially Pan African Wheelchair Association to do regional follow-ups a month after a person receives a wheelchair.
3. While abroad, Worldwide Mobility members will check up on random people and post the results to the web, likely either on this blog or on the actual website. (Thank you Kiva!)

Do you have experience in accountability in Africa? I'd love to hear from you!

The Starfish

2009-04-22T17:27:00.000-07:00

I always liked the star fish story.

An old man walks along a beach and sees a young boy throwing something into the water. As he approaches, he sees hundreds of starfish lining the beach, washed in from the tide. The young boy is rushing around, throwing the starfish back into the water one by one. The old man asks why he bothers, it's pointless. There are too many starfish to help them all. As he flings a starfish deep into the water, the young boy replies, "It mattered to that one."

This story reminds me of how great things start small. Yes, he's just a kid, making a difference one starfish at a time, but it mattered to that starfish. A lot of non-profits find themselves collecting statistics and trying to make quotas and goals. I love goals. I think they push you to do better, be better. But it mattered to that last person that non-profit helped. Non-profits, or NGOs, starting out are like the little boy. They have big goals, but start with a small impact. Maybe they'll grow up and build a starfish collecting and throwing machine, but right now they are throwing them in one by one.

I'm helping start a non-profit called Worldwide Mobility. Today we met with the founder of Good2Gether. I'm excited. Good2Gether is trying to make sense of the vast space of non-profits and help connect them with people who care about issues when they care about them. It got me excited for the future and really thinking. If this gets big, he will have a very profitable business model, and non-profits will have more traffic. In an era where everyone is in information overload, it's easy to forget that you want to google how to help with the tsunami that just occurred. It's much easier to click on a link with an appropriate non-profit that's right next to the article. It's a call to action, focused on what people can do, supplies they can donate, how they can volunteer. I'm excited to incorporate that into our future plans.

Worldwide Mobility fills a niche that has been unaddressed thus far in Africa. The quality of the donated, well meaning chairs is low. The chairs last a few months instead of the years that they are needed. NGOs come in and donate in mass hundreds, thousands of wheelchairs, but ultimately, they end up in junk yards. When a part breaks, it is impossible to fix. Fortunately, there is something that does work: local workshops. Local workshops provide assessment, fitting, and instruction to people who need wheelchairs. Designed for Africa use, these wheelchairs often last five or more years and are made from local materials. Of course, funding is an issue. Worldwide Mobility connects donnor funds to the local workshops. Even though these chairs cost more, when you consider the cost of the number of donated chairs it would take to last as long as one locally made chair, local is better.

It's like the starfish. Worldwide Mobility flings them deep where they can thrive. It takes more effort to help one person, but it matters so much more to that one.

The Why

2009-04-14T19:54:00.001-07:00

I've been lucky in my life. I've never had a serious disability or injury. I have, however, been very close to people who had one.

I got started with Mobility Lab at MIT summer between my freshman and sophomore year. I started working on what would grow into a plan for a non-profit with two other wonderful people who have since moved on to other projects around the world.

This blog will hopefully chronicle the joys, sorrows, successes, and failures of the continuation of that project as I continue working through this summer and in future semesters.

I'm excited.