After Africa

 After three months in Dar, I have now made my way back to Ann Arbor.  The timing feels odd as many next steps were just beginning; many of my recommendations revolved around an integrated strategy for the mRDT market, which involved building consensus with other NGOs and the government.  My last afternoon was spent in a government conference room with all the key organizations gaining alignment on the next steps.  It will be exciting to see what occurs next, although most gains are not likely to really be seen for years and maybe even decades.  Motivating individuals to change behavior when the individual benefit is much smaller than the public benefit challenges and requires regulatory change is a goal that will not be solved with a summer’s worth of work.  My appreciation of the complexity around health issues has increased dramatically.  In addition to requiring coordination of many different stakeholders, technology can change much faster than implementation.  Achieving the best health outcomes requires the difficult balancing act of coordinating current products while planning for future changes.  I learned a lot about CHAI’s approach of working with governments and supporting private market and how that contrasts with other NGOs focused on the same outcomes.  My favorite aspect of the CHAI approach is the focus on achieving scale as part of the solution.  By taking a broad approach including governments and other stakeholders, many projects take longer, require more compromise, and change more frequently, but the end result can have a far wider impact.  The policy aspect of the work was the most challenging, but also the area with the most potential for improved outcomes.

So now as I get back to Michigan and gear up for the school year ahead, I am working on processing my summer experience and preparing for the future.  Business school really is incredibly fast-paced with new decisions arriving before everything can be totally processed.  I was able to achieve some of my primary aims in coming to business school in that I was able to stretch my boundaries, experience work life in an emerging market, and work within new business structures-- AND I was able to all of this with my family!  We were able to see many of the positive and negative aspects of living as an expatriate.  My experience this summer has prepared me immensely for the decisions that await me as I make decisions on the next step in my career.  The WDI internship has been a critical step in my step toward becoming a global leader.

1-yr olds can't go on safaris, but a stop at the Amsterdam zoo on the way home meant seeing giraffes up close

Watching the tide go out while in Zanzibar

Maraming salamat for the best summer!

My last month in Bohol, Philippines is not only about wrapping up my final report and presentation, but also traveling. It was very kind of my supervisor and his wife to invite me over their house in Cebu city. It took about two-hours riding on a ferry from Tagbilaran to Cebu. Cebu is the hub of the Visayas region. It is the most densely populated island in the Philippines and is second only to Luzon in its strategic and economic importance to the country. There, Cebu & Mactan City Tour took us to many highlights such as Santo Nino Basilica, Magellan’s Cross, Taoist Temple, Lapu-Lapu Shrine, a local Guitar Factory and Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House. We did some shopping at Ayala shopping mall, the biggest mall in Cebu and had a nice lunch at a Japanese BBQ restaurant, ending the day with delicious pizzas at Yellow Cab.  The next day they also took me to the Tops, looking out from a hilltop view over the city and had such a nice dinner at Busay Lantaw on the top of the hill.  I would say this last weekend making me relaxed from all the work over these last three months.

 

Hilltop view of Cebu City

Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House

Mactan Shrine

Lapu-Lapu Shrine

Taoist Temple

Magellan’s Cross



Besides, I could not close my blog without saying a big thanks to CEVI. They surprised me with a farewell party or what they called ‘despedida.’ They gave me a customized shirt, saying CEVI <3 Saranya, and some cute souvenirs. I forgot to mention that I already got a CEVI staff shirt as becoming one of their family too. They prepared plenty of food and desserts, and two giant cakes with my name on it!  I am very thankful for all of these.  Unfortunately, I only had time about ten minutes at the party since I had to leave to Cebu. I did not miss taking a last shot photo with all CEVI family.

 

My lovely shirt

CEVI Family

On my last day in Tagbilaran, I must say I felt very excited to go home after completing my internship. On the other hand, I felt really strange that I would not see my work partner, my team and my friends in the office everyday anymore. I am afraid that on the first morning in Bangkok I might be sleep-walking, trying to get a tricycle going to the office in the morning ..... hahaha.  Lastly, I never expected that my participation in the Global Impact Internship program with WDI will give me so much experience and knowledge. It also encourages me to be involved more in development area, not only micro-finance but also other potential tools or products that could help alleviate poverty.  

Thanks to Phnom Penh & WDI!

Hi guys! Today, I want to wrap up my internship by writing my final blog!  The things I want to talk in general are my personal opinions on Cambodia and the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Since I am from Republic of Korea, I was very confident in living in Cambodia when I was selected as a WDI fellow.  My confidence, I guess, came from my nationality, my frequent trips to Southeast Asian countries, and my previous employment experiences in the navy!  However, as you may predict, there were many new challenges I faced such as weather, language, public order, sanitary facilities, etc. Even though those challenges sometimes gave way to me, I really enjoyed staying in Cambodia. I got to know how to respect Cambodian long culture and tradition, and how they live together.  Maybe, these positive impressions on Cambodia were the main motivation for me to work hard to improve the labour quality of Cambodians.

Ah! I have a special picture for you guys. The landlord of the apartment I stayed was a lawyer as well.  His home was on the first floor, and sometimes I visited his home because his family is so big with 13 members. Wow… I have never seen any family more than 10 members!

Doesn’t this home look so cozy and traditional?  If you read my third blog, you may remember the discussion on Buddhism in Cambodia. My landlord’s home also has a small Buddha statue at his home. I wanted to share this picture with you!  Of course, most Cambodian people are not affluent enough to have a big and clean house as my landlord's.  But, I wanted to just emphasize on the Cambodian’s love for Buddhism.

Thanks to Cambodia’s amazing potentials to grow, many foreign companies and UN agencies, such as Asian Development Bank, UNHCR, or UNDES, are located in Phnom Penh. If you want to work in an international organization, or to employ your skills and knowledge  meaningfully, you may find out that Southeast Asian countries are the best places for you. That’s why the ILO also regard Cambodia as a promising country with tremendous growth potential. Some people may think Cambodian people are not as happy as people in other countries due to poverty and less developed civilization. However, this is totally wrong. Cambodian people know how to be satisfied with what they possess, although the life style is not luxury or splendid, and the value of life in a spiritual aspect.
 

From this picture below, you can see the street foods that Cambodian usually eat out with friends or families. 

Personally, I feel so thankful for all staff in the ILO who were eager to support me whenever I needed help. They were very interested in my studies in the University of Michigan, and WDI as well, which makes me feel proud of being a WDI fellow during my internship. With even broader view toward the world, I am looking forward to sharing my 2014 summer in Cambodia with you soon. 

 

Thanks to Mumbai, Wello and WDI!

After spending ~7 weeks in the field, Mumbai  was my home for next 5 weeks. Crazy rain and high tide of Mumbai welcomed me.  Small tea stall near Wello Mumbai office was my morning destination for every day. It was a completely different experience at Wello Mumbai office compared to field experience. We celebrated various occasions with team members. One of such occasions was ice cream week.  On this occasion, entire office celebrated with natural ice cream. This brand is very famous in India. Fig-1 shows combination of yummy coconut tender and chocolate ice-cream.   

Fig-1: Celebrating icecream week at Wello, Mumbai office.

  In Mumbai office, I had to compile all my findings from field and use them to devise pricing strategy. In two weeks time, I was able to complete work on pricing strategy. CEO, Cynthia Koenig, mentored my work personally and guided me as when needed. She also accommodated my request to work on due diligence. Due diligence was an area where I wanted to work. Apart of due diligence, I further worked on financial models developed by previous WDI intern. Overall It was a great learning experience at Mumbai office. 

Logistics experience was also awesome. My residential place was hardly 15 minutes away from the office. Seashore was hardly at 5 minutes walking distance from my residence. Every evening I used to spend near seashore and experience cool sea bridges. However, I couldn’t go to any location within Mumbai or around as I used to return to Delhi on weekend. We also found a good restaurant for a great lunch every day. I was surprised to know the price of lunch that was just USD $0.83 per person. Fig 2 shows my lunch place and a full lunch plate.

On the final day, couple of surprises were awaiting me. A surprise team dinner at awesome place gave me a feeling that I should never leave such a caring and supporting team. Furthermore, a customized t-shirt with Wello logo made me emotional. Fig-3 depicts me before and after joining Wello.

With this, I would like to thank everyone at Wello specially Cynthia, Shradha, and Richard for their awesome support. Additionally, WDI team for their continuous support and reminding me for blogs and deliverables at regular interval of time. My special thanks goes to Sinia for her support from application process to till the end of the internship.

This is not the end of the journey with WDI and Wello but starting of a relationship that will remain for the life. 

Fig-2: My lunch and restaurant in Mumbai

Fig-3: Before and after joining  Wello 

 

A Farewell to Arms

 

The work family. I miss them so.

Why is the USA so messed up? I’ve come back to Black men being dead in the streets, assaults in elevators and retaliatory assaults for those same Black men lying dead in the streets. At the same time, there are beheadings of American citizens at the hands of fundamentalist terrorists because of the political stance and interventional actions of the US government. Again, why is America so messed up? Why am I intrigued enough to view the leaked nudes of celebrities who apparently had no complicit behavior in their release? Why is this so sensationalized? When did TMZ become the official trusted source for our news? Why is it that Chicago had 16 murders and 72 shootings during the fourth of July weekend  (“Independence Weekend”)? Where have we lost ourselves as a country? Where has the moral aptitude gone and when was it replace by despondency, complacency and general apathy? We’d rather be entertained by the latest reality craze…”The Real Something of Something or Other”.  I remember my first introduction to “reality” television when ABC came out with the show “The Bachelor”, featuring 25 women lining up to get a chance to be with what I imagine was one of America’s most eligible bachelors. Since then, there have been numerous spinoffs or ideations on how to capture an audience so hungry for contrived reality.  I fondly recollect the days when reality television was the news and it accurately portrayed what has happening in my community.

 

Why am I here ranting you ask? Good question. This summer, for eleven weeks, I was fortunate enough to spend my time in a country that maintained a fine appreciation for reality in the particular forms or morality and civility. From the beginning of my stay, I noticed the incredible impact religion/spirituality has on the country’s residents. Every district I visited had a visible commonality- almost all taxis/buses had religious sayings on their back windows. These sayings were not limited to the Christian majorities’ beliefs, but also included Islam and Judaism. This was not some one-off where a religious zealot was publicizing his ideology, but a consciousness that exemplified existence. While in Ghana, I did hear of the Chicago shootings and decided to compare them with Ghana’s violent crime- particularly homicide. During a three week period of interest, I managed to find they had 1 murder in the news and the reporting was continuously about the efforts of the police to solve it. Wrap our head around that nugget for a second. The reporting was not only to provide awareness of a homicide, but successive follow-ups on efforts to find the perpetrator. That absolutely floored me, particularly being a NYC resident who reads about /views reports on substantial numbers of murders.
 

With respect to the highly sensationalized leaked celebrity nudes, I will say this….Ghana had some leaked nudes and when I looked on the site (yes I looked, like a true American), nearly all of the comments were critiquing the individuals for their initial acts of photography/filming. That is a stark contrast to the lustful commentary seen in comments sections for our own leaks. I mean, people are making money off of leaked content in the states, so I personally hold myself at fault for being incredulous at this difference. People have made bona-fide livings off the catapult of monetized sexual imagery. We have to look no further than one Ms. Kim Kardashian-West, whose celebrity was built off of gratuitous exposure of her assets. As a disclaimer, I am not solely limiting this issue to women, as men have a significant hand in this as well, albeit consumer or subject.

So, what is the significance of this post? In a few words…GHANA WAS AMAZING! There are a few moments in life where you can view the sum of occurrences as inflection points. I previously viewed my time in South Africa, a time spent experiencing culture, history and brilliant minds, as one of those life changers that provided me with a paradigm shift and now I have experienced another. The totality of the experience left me wanting more and needing to do more, not only when I returned home but for my duration as a global citizen. I cannot express myself in these limited words, as this would become an extremely long blog post, so I will attempt to relate my experience through visual imagery….ENJOY!

On the plane headed to Ghana

Roommate in Ghana. Also a U of M student.

Housemate who stayed up watching the NBA Finals at 2AM with me.

Hurt my arm falling off a motorcycle my 4th day out there. Still one of the best days I spent there.

Guys I stopped on the street on their way to their daily soccer match. Everyday at 4pm, they were at the field (on the pitch) religiously- rain or shine.

My guy from the Chinese-Ghanaian fusion restaurant around the corner from my residence. Cool guy who, when I told him I would put him on my American blog immediately agreed to the picture.

Movie night with the neighbors down the hall and from the church group.

Ruth. My coworker, mentor and friend.

Mr. Rahman, my unofficial guardian at the hostel/dormitory where I stayed. He made sure to call me when I arrived in the States to ensure my safe return. He holds a place in my heart. Can never forget good people.

Period piece at Ghana Institute of Art. 

Saw this little guy playing ball outside the hostel. Couldn't resist taking a picture and then playing kickball with him.

 

On the way to church.

Korle-Bu Community Chapel. Mostly medical personnel/families and med students.

 

On the way to the beach. We had to take a boat there!

 

In the boat headed to Bojo Beach. This is one of the nicest beaches in Ghana as you can see, hopefully.

Father and newborn at the beach. I thought she was the cutest thing, so it was only right to capture the moment.

Beautiful family spending time at the beach. I must have taken 50 photos of them after having conversation with the matriarch on the far right and playing football (soccer) with the kids and some other folks,

 

People lining up for gasoline during a government imposed gasoline shortage. All those yellow containers are peoples' gas cans. This was the scene whenever a station announced they were releasing gasoline. Reminds me of NYC a couple summers back.
                                                                                                                               

Pics from the Kente weaving village. Top- Master weaver hard at work. Bottom- Unofficial Boss.

Elephant in the background you say?

The Ga festival in Accra. Celebration of the harvest. The gentleman in the middle is the Ga chief in this district.

 

Had the opportunity to meet up with the Ghana M-Trek. Go Ross!

Hundreds of feet up in the rain forest walking through the canopy.

This is cocoa in its natural form. This is one of Ghana's primary exports and it tastes wonderful in this natural state. MMMMM....cocoa!

Playing with crocodiles up close and personal in the crocodile sanctuary. 

 

At the entrance to the male slave quarters at Cape Coast Castle- home of the "Door of No Return". Take note of the plaque on the left commemorating President and First Lady Obama's visit.

 

Staring out over the Atlantic at the inception of the Middle Passage and the potential grave-site for many who were either thrown overboard or willingly jumped ship to avoid the horrors awaiting them.


THANK YOU WDI FOR THE OPPORTUNITY AND TO MY 2014 WDI FELLOW CLASS FOR SHARING YOUR EXPERIENCES.

 

Meet two users of water wheel: a life changing product for them

I was on my second field trip to Yavatmal.  On my first day of pricing experiment, I met Boni Bai. As soon as my car reached in her village, she took a water wheel and initiated demo of the water wheel to villagers. I felt that she was already aware of the product. Further discussion with Boni Bai realized me that, she was looking for waterwheel since last six months. I was very delighted to experience this kind of opinion among water wheel users. Let me share some of these experiences:

Let me introduce Boni Bai: 

Fig-1: Boni Bai : a water wheel user

 

Boni bai, a housewife and daily wage earner, lives with her husband in Marutipur village. She collects water for her domestic usage and cattle. She collects water for her family and spends ~ 2 hrs on water collection. She is 57 years old and experiencing problem in her back and neck. Waterwheel is most-desirable product for her life. So, she decides to participate in pricing experiment.

On my next trip, I visit her village to gauge willingness to pay. Unfortunately, she was not available. Her husband participates in the game and price the product at a much lower price. So, I decide to take it back (As per the experiment rule).  On the next day, she meets me again in the field and says- “I am purchasing waterwheel at the price decided in experiment.” I told her about her husband’s opinion. She says that her husband can’t understand the value of the product as he doesn’t collect water. She also argues with her husband for cash payment and says to her – “If he doesn't purchase WW, she will not collect water from next day.” Finally, she purchases waterwheel and shares her reduced pain and reduced water collection time with her village members.

Now, Let me introduce another water wheel user  Manohar Gawre: 

Fig-2: Manohar Gawre: a water wheel user

Meet Manohar Gawre - a dedicated school teacher and the unofficial community leader from Kundi, Maharashtra. His quaint village is hidden amongst endless fields with winding-stone pathways, narrow lanes, smiling children, and colourful homes. It is also a village where the nearest well is over 1.5 kilometers away. He spends ~ 2.5 hrs per day to collect water. 

One day when visiting a neighbouring village, Manohar came across a strange tool being rolled across the terrain, the Water Wheel. He felt it immediately: this is the product for the people of Kundi. He decided to present what he had seen to the entire village at the next panchayat (community) meeting - during which he also compiled a list of 58 families who have no other means to transport water other than head loading and interested in the Water Wheel.

A few days later, word spread that a Wello representative was visiting Bhimnara, a neighbouring village 8 kilometers away. Upon hearing this, Manohar knew that this was his chance to get Kundi noticed. So, that afternoon, without regard to the distance or the 49^oC heat, he picked up his list and walked across the rough terrain to speak with Wello. His reason: “I had to tell them to give us WaterWheels.” 

Seeing such enthusiasm, We decided to deploy two water wheels in kundi so that villagers can experience benefits of water wheels. I am closing my field notes with these positive message from users. 

Next time, I'll discuss my experience in Mumbai office of Wello. 

Bringing tech jobs to rural India: Betting long on India’s youth

“Are you changing the world now?”

– Radha Basu to husband Dipak on the ride home from a long day of work (arguably spent changing the world).

iMerit CEO Radha Basu and Global Impact Fellow Carrie Wolfe. Photo credit: Emanuel Ott.

Hello from Kolkata, India, where the monsoon rains twist the complex tangle of traffic during the daily commute to Salt Lake City, the hub of Kolkata’s small but growing tech sector. During daily rides to the office with Radha and Dipak Basu, CEO of iMerit and Anudip respectively, I’ve gained perspective on how these two former Silicon Valley IT pioneers run a burgeoning technology-driven social enterprise in a city rated the “most difficult” to do business in India.

Developing and employing IT talent in unlikely places

I have been in Kolkata since early June working with iMerit, a social enterprise that employs people from marginalized and rural populations to work in tech jobs. At the heart of iMerit’s innovative business model is its unique partnership with sister organization Anudip, which has provided training to over 25,000 youth in east India since its inception in 2007. Anudip develops a pipeline of talented young people from areas with traditionally low levels of educational attainment and limited access to jobs in India’s growing business and IT industries.

As a former Peace Corps Volunteer and management consultant, my past work experiences ranged from training entrepreneurs in rural Africa to project management on large-scale consulting engagements. Combining these two experiences, my objectives for my MBA internship were to experience social business from an operational perspective and to learn from a strong management team committed to driving social change. Radha and her husband Dipak certainly fit the bill. Both come from very successful careers as technology executives; Radha with Hewlett Packard and then launching startup Support.com, and Dipak with Cisco and then as a founder of the humanitarian IT network NetHope. Radha and Dipak started iMerit in 2012 as an entity to employ the highly talented graduates coming out of Anudip’s training programs, and iMerit has grown rapidly ever since. 

iMerit CEO Radha Basu with Metiabruz employees. Photo credit: Lauren Farwell.

I was first connected to Radha, a tremendously inspirational female leader, at the WDI Base of the Pyramid (BOP) Summit in Ann Arbor in October, where she shared the moving story of iMerit’s Metiabruz center. Metiabruz is a conservative Muslim port town south of Kolkata with a population of 700,000. iMerit employs 125 young women in the town, where it remains the only IT services employer. Metiabruz is one of five delivery centers in iMerit’s rapidly expanding network, strategically placed in outlying locations where workers from rural areas are not forced to uproot for a tech job.

Launching the next generation of tech leaders

Together, the two organizations now employ over 600 people and continue to grow. Led by a highly capable management team, the company has the feel of a close knit family that challenges and supports one another. Some of iMerit’s early employees such as Barnali Paik have transitioned from Anudip students into iMerit managerial roles, and are now tasked with developing junior staff while ensuring iMerit delivers top notch work for its growing list of high-profile clients.

During my time at iMerit, I’ve been struck by the basic idea that long-term investments in people are core to the business model and to the mutual benefit of the company, employees, and communities in which iMerit operates. iMerit’s approach to human capital development was explained to me by Chief Delivery and Development Officer Anindya Chattopadhyay, who sees his most important role as developing rising talent in the organization.

 Employees in iMerit’s Metiabruz center complete a web-based project. Photo credit: Emanuel Ott.

According to Anindya, iMerit’s approach as a social business is to focus on training and developing people in a supportive environment with high standards of quality and professionalism. The ability to identify potential in a junior employee and the patience to see him or her through iterations of mistakes, learnings, and growth is iMerit’s business and social differentiator. The result is both the “upskilling” of the individual’s abilities and the expansion of iMerit’s delivery capabilities.

Addressing the IT skills gap

In many BOP markets, there is a gap between the talent requirements of employers and the skills of candidates in the job market. Half of India’s 1.2 billion people are under the age of 25, yet only a privileged few will complete advanced studies and be considered employable by the IT sector.  

According to NASSCOM, of the 3.7 million annual graduates from Indian universities, only 25% are employable by the IT sector, presenting a challenge not only to job candidates, but also to companies looking to hire them. I researched this looming talent gap with Accenture and the Brookings Institute, who say that the lack of qualified candidates will limit growth in the private sector among companies which must increasingly compete for talent.

This critical skills gap is precisely where iMerit and Anudip operate. Betting long on the youth of West Bengal and India seems to be the best business risk that iMerit could take. I’m excited to be a part of the journey with Radha, Dipak, and team.