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Project Details
Created:
08/28/2008
Project Title:
Microfinance in Malawi
Project Category:
Economic
Project Status:
Proposal
CASE Competition
CASE Competition:
Illinois Campus Compact - Illinois Campus Compact
Grant Winner
Project Snapshot
Problem:
Solution:
Student Information
College or University:
Trinity Christian College
State:
Illinois
Student Name:
Brenda Roethel
Year in College:
Senior
Major:
Business
Faculty Advisor
Advisor Name:
Steven Timmermans
Community Partner
Partner Name:
CHREAM Christian Entrepenuers Association of Malawi
Student and Community
What societal problem does your project solve?
Malawi is one of the poorest countries in Africa and the world. Yet, there exists a climate of opportunity and hope, particularly since its adoption of democracy in 1994 and its current president, Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika, an economist from the World Bank elected in 2004. The specific needs are these: 1) for small and mid-size business men and women to have access to modest amounts of capital to grow their businesses, particular since typical interest rates for borrowed funds is at 15% or higher, and 2) for leaders of these small and mid-size businesses to become more skillful in managing their businesses, particularly as it relates to bookkeeping, business plans, and the like. While CHREAM works at the former by having established a small loan pool made up primarily of membership fees, they need our help in meeting the second need.What would be the measurable outcomes of the partnership that you propose to create between the community and your educational institution?
Again, this is an on-going partnership with a specific "event" or specific project activity planned for January, 2009--an event or activity that represents a response to our community partner (their request for training) built on a relationship.1. Successful acquistion of knowledge and skills by two or three Malawians so that they will be able to train others in Malawi in the areas of accounting and finance.
2. Successful involvement in leadership and instruction by two Trinity students who participate in this activity.
How would you, with the support of your faculty advisor on campus and some one from the community, work together around this specified community issue?
First, we must define the "project." This is an ongoing project, best understood as an international college-community partnership. As such, activities are ongoing conversations that lead up to specific events. We've had two such events: one in March, 2007 and one in January, 2008. For the purpose of this submittal, we understand our next "event" to be the "specific project activities" requested in the question.Second, this project now takes a giant, innovative step forward in pilioting a new approach: training the trainers. In January, 2009, one of our accounting professors, Dr. Lynn White, and two students in accounting/finance will travel to Malawi to hold training sessions with two or three individuals selected by CHREAM who will then be able to train dozens of other Malawian business men and women. The focus of the activities will be on bookkeeping (accounting) and finance. It will involve approximately 40 hours of direct training time.
In the past, the community-based sessions received a positive response, for any CHREAM member could attend. However, it was difficult to achieve specific objectives, for their background knowledge and skills varied dramatically. In this new approach, we can be very directive and strategic in our training, and will be able to determine whether we meet our training objectives.
How would you envision sharing power and decision making in the partnership? In other words, instead of doing something for the community how would you do something with the community?
We've been developing a partnership with CHREAM for two years. At present, we participate in a monthly conference call with them. In addition, for each trip, our partners in CHREAM set the agenda, leading us toward activities and training that will serve them best. For example, their requests for our first two trips were to hold large training sessions for business men and women,led by our college students, to acquaint the session participants with very basic business skills. Now, they have requested that our next project involve an accounting professor and two students who will "train the trainers," moving the goals toward more specific competencies.How would you collect data on what the project was doing and use it in the decision making process?
After each session, we will use survey forms to indicate participant value. Also, we will, on an annual basis, track with CHREAM the number of micro-loans given, rates of loan pay-back (including default rates), and the number of businesses demonstrating growth as a result of their loans.The professor leading this effort will participate in monthly phone conversations and bring to the students additional data from CHREAM, asking student to analyze a vareity of factors measuring business growth--all growing out of the training sessions. It is anticipated that this will be odne on a quarterly basis in the year following the visit.
What would be the project activities? Give examples of how the strengths already existing in the community will be acknowledged, built upon, and enhanced in the partnership to solve the problem.
CHREAM is a community based organization already operating out of the strengths of its community, both in terms of its leadership and networking. It is governed by a board of all local (Lilongwi, Malawi) leaders. It utilizes the formal and informal networks of busines men and women. Following the example of models such as the Grameen Bank, it keeps capital in the local community, using it to grow more capital, which it feeds back into the local community. Moreover, we consider it a strength of the local leaders that they have sought out a US college and its students as a way to enhance the learning of its members, as opposed to more typical models of fund-raising, mission trips, and the like.What obstacles or challenges might you encounter in implementing your project, and how would you address them?
The obstacles are these:1. Cost. Travel to Malawi is expensive. However, we have learned with our two previous trips that we are able to find funds to send small groups. Moreover, making these trips approximately once a year with monthly phone calls in-between sustains the partnership.
2. Cross-cultural features. The request is for training in accountancy and finance. We come to these topics with westernized thinking. Those to be trained come with African values. Thus, we have to bridge this cultural gap, but our two previous trips have shown that knowing the obstacles are great helps in overcoming the obstacles.
Recruiting Volunteers:
Would you recruit additional student volunteers? If so, how?
Enlisting Partners:
Do you envision enlisting businesses, or other organizations, etc., to help; if so, how?
How would the award money be used here?
If your project idea is an innovation of an existing
program, what are its current funding sources?
$300 Space rental, food, and refreshments for the training activities.
$500 Lodging costs for the professor and two students from Trinity (whether home
stays or other, there are expenses)
$100 In country transportation expenses--by those doing the training and those
being trained.
$100 Miscellaneous expenses incurred by CHREAM
What do you anticipate learning from engaging in the service project?
Since this is a student club-based proejct and not a course-based project, the important linkage is between the Rotaract Club studetns--most of whom are business students--and the project.For the two specific students, the training activities are incredible opportunities 1) to apply what is learned in the classroom and 2)"translate" it across cultures to those eager to gain the same skills and knowledge base for community development purposes. (Note: the language of commerce in Malawi is English, so there's no language barrier.) Thus, we anticipate that the two students will not only learn how to apply what they are learning to another setting, but also learn how to convey their skills and knowledge in a way that will deepen their learning of the material and sharpen their cross-cultural skills.
For the other Rotaract students, the classroom connection will not be as great, since they will not be assisting in the training in Malawi. However, the impact of service will be had on all of them, for they are all inovlved in this project, particularly raising funds, explaining its importance to others on campus and off (e.g., the local Orland Park Rotary Club), and helping present the results on campus at our annual spring Opus festival of scholarship (and service!) held each April. While the two students will lead in making this presentation, the other students will join in the session at which the presentation is made.
If the above questions have not enabled you to convey the essence and value of your project’s impact, use this space to supplement your answers.
Please submit an abstract (clear summary) of your proposed project idea.
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