Monday, February 22, 2010

All aboard the training train

This morning we went to the Musakanya Cama Centre in Mpika. We met Cecile and Gift, the Cama Centre trainers. They seemed to be quite savvy on the computer which was a T1 that was already installed at the school.

We brought a new color printer/scanner along with us to install at the Cama Centre. One of the groups we were training and mentoring was running a photo printing business. We trained them to install the printer and the software for editing photos. Then we trained them on using the scanner, the printer and the software to edit the photos. The girls were so happy to have a new color printer that could be used in their new business. They differentiated themselves by being able to print instant photos, whereas their competition takes two weeks to do so.

We trained the girls on using their phones for email and internet usage. Using the phones for email and internet can ease communication between group members and suppliers as well as potential customers. It does seem that the groups sometimes seem a bit baffled as to how email over a telephone will help them in their business. These girls are creating business and building skills for doing finance, accounting, understanding loans and microfinance and grasping costs and profit, but as for email, I am not sure they see the real benefit yet. They use the phones to call one another, but typing emails into a telephone is slower and more cumbersome than simple texting. I will speak with Hawa and Catherine about this and see how we can perhaps facilitate using technology within the groups. It may be a little premature, but we need the girls to start grasping the concepts and considering the implications and opportunities.

We stayed in nice cottage style guest houses at the Mango Grove. It was the first accommodations I stayed at outside of Lusaka, and so far, so good. We ate at a place called Cim’s and the food was very good…great fried chicken! But the TV was so loud I felt like I was sitting in a hearing aid convention.