Dispatch 10 - Income Generating Activity Training with Community Health Volunteers

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Dispatch 10 – February 2016

MAISHA

Income Generating Activity Training with Community Health Volunteers

Community Health Volunteer trainings are always During the first three weeks of February the MAISHA team hosted a two-­‐day training module in energetic and the IGA training was no exception! The first income generation for each of the fifteen Community morning emphasized the importance of group dynamics Health Volunteer (CHV) groups. The Income and an individual’s role within a group. Communication, cooperation, and engagement were exemplified through Generating Activity (IGA) curriculum was developed group activities such as completing tasks without speaking, by the MAISHA team in partnership with Alberta untangling themselves from a human knot and organizing Youth Entrepreneurship Camp (AYEC), a project of themselves according to a number of requests. In addition Community Savings in Western Canada. The training the CHVs reflected on some of the behaviours they may covered a number of relevant business basics have that are harmful to a group, such as being stubborn, including: components of a business plan, financing, not actively participating or even falling asleep during record keeping and wealth creation. In addition meetings! Subsequently the groups discussed ways to group development, positive behaviours, and improve their roles to strengthen their group and achieve more as a unified team. entrepreneurial skills were discussed.

This discussion led to a session on entrepreneurial MAISHA invested in an IGA training skills, including teamwork, research, planning and creative essentially to promote the retention of CHVs. Given thinking. To practice creative thinking pairs of CHVs were that CHVs are volunteers MAISHA wants to ensure asked to think of the most creative ways to use a shoelace the groups are active and enabled to work for another product or use. Ideas ranged from using the independently once the project formally ends after shoelace (or many of them) to weave a basket, as a Year 5 (in 2017). The objective of the IGA training tourniquet kit to stop bleeding or for castrating farm was to promote wealth creation and security for animals! This exercise was then applied to the various IGA CHVs so they are able to continue using their free ideas the groups could develop themselves, such as: bee-­‐ time to serve their communities. keeping, h orticulture, a tree nursery or poultry raising.

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Dispatch 10 – February 2016

Shifting from concepts to actualizing, the components of a

basic business plan were discussed: 1) Business Information, 2) “This information gives us the Executive Summary, 3) Business Information, 4) Product, 5) Customer, layouts we really need.

6) Marketing, 7) Management, and 8) Financials. Each section was instructed – in both English and then translated to the local language, Sometimes we fail because we discussed and then applied to the CHVs’ selected IGA. Identifying fail to plan. Now we are ready to existing resources and u nderstanding finances was an integral part of succeed.” – James, Ogwedhi CHV the training. The MAISHA team underlined the risks associated with financing such as bank loans and borrowing from others. In turn the team encouraged the CHVs to utilize low-­‐risk financing such as group savings and re-­‐investment of profit. To understand the true cost and profit of their IGA the groups worked through an income statement; finding the values for production costs, projected sales income, and the profit per KG/piece. The IGA plans varied according to the group: while some already had projects underway, others were starting from scratch. The MAISHA team stressed, “start small and plan big” to ensure the groups chose an IGA that was both tangible and functional. Even with few savings, the groups were taught how to build a larger project by p lanning appropriately.

To conclude the training the MAISHA team focused on record keeping and re-­‐investment. A common experience of small-­‐scale group-­‐businesses in Kenya, and previous CHV IGAs, is that entire profits are split amongst members instead of reinvested. For this reason, the team demonstrated that wealth creation functions depending on re-­‐investing in order to achieve exponential growth. Instead of ‘eating’ all their profits, the CHVs were tasked to carry a portion of their profits forward to their IGA. Similarly, some CHV groups explained their previous ‘failures’ due to a lack of record keeping and transparency. In order to overcome these challenges the CHVs prepared a final business plan outlining their product information, roles, timeline for production, financials and a records journal to track all their transactions.

“We are very grateful for MAISHA’s support. We have seen changes in our community.

And now this IGA training directly helps us improve our lives.” Kennedy, Wasweta II

In addition to learning about core IGA skills and knowledge the CHVs commented on how they can utilize the training within their households and share what they have learned with their communities.

For instance, planning and budgeting are cross-­‐cutting activities that can be utilized from the individual level to the community level. The MAISHA team is confident the CHVs are set for success and that CHVs are now enabled to continue their community health work with this added income generation security.

UPCOMING:

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February 2016: o Traditional Birth Attendants’ Facility Forums in Migori o Male Focus-­‐Groups in Migori • March 2016: o Male Focus-­‐Groups in Nyeri o Year 4 wrap-­‐up o Year 5 planning • April 2016 • May 2016 o IMCI Training for health workers in Nyeri and Migori