FOOTSTEPSNo.35 JUNE 1998 MICRO-ENTERPRISE

by Rose Collins

MANY PEOPLE dream of new ways ofearning a living or making a little moremoney. But as we all know, it is usuallyvery difficult to start up a new business.This issue looks at micro-enterprises (small scalebusinesses) andgives advice onhow to change agood ideainto abusiness.

Setting up production Every year many good ideas fail becausegroups do not take time to plan beforethey begin. If you want to set up a newgroup to produce any kind of item, thereare some questions you first need toconsider and find answers for:

Market Do we know if there is a demandfor the products being suggested? Toanswer this question you will need tocarry out a basic market survey.

Skills What kind of products do we havethe skills to make? List your combinedskills.

Competition Who else is making the sameproducts? What do we know about them?

Facilities Where are we going to make ourproducts? What equipment do we need?

Marketing Do any group membersunderstand how to price our products? Ifnot, how can we gain experience in this?

Legal situation What legal structure willour group need? Do we need to beregistered for tax or other purposes? Dowe need a constitution? Who willorganise this and how much will it allcost? Where can we get advice?

Records Do any group members have abasic understanding of record keeping? Ifnot, how can we find training in this?

Nobody wants tobuy our goods…

IN THIS ISSUE

• Small businessmanagement

• Credit for the poor

• Letters

• Marketing crafts

• Practical ideas formicro-enterprises

• ABCs of radio listener learning

• Resources

• Bible study: The cottage industry

• The empty doko:Earning trust in Nepal

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2 FOOTSTEPS NO.35

Storage and transport How are we going tostore, pack and transport our products?

Accounts How are we going to deal withmoney? Will we need to open a bankaccount? What will our terms of paymentbe: cash, one week or one month?

Work out a budget for your first year oftrading so you are aware of the likelycosts and then compare this with whatyou are likely to earn in income. If thereare similar production groups in yourarea, visit and learn from their experienceand problems. Remember – the first yearwill be the most difficult as this willinclude all the setting-up costs. You willneed to consider the cost of raw materials,labour, equipment, packaging, transportand rent of facilities. Make sure you cansurvive this year before you start or youwill waste a lot of money, heartache andhard work with little guarantee of success.

The market placeSo many times I arrive at small producergroups and am asked to find a market forall the products they have made. Sadlysmall producers often find their productscannot be sold because they have ignoredthe simple rule of supply and demand…

Before making goods, first find out ifenough people will want to buy them.

Never make products and then hope youwill be able to sell them. You will justwaste time, energy and money and endup with stocks of unwanted goods. Firstcarry out a market survey. This doesn’t

have to be complicated. Don’t rely on theadvice of friends who may want toencourage you. Visit local markets andtalk to stall holders, visit nearby townsand talk to shop owners. Investigatemarkets further away if necessary. Whatproducts sell well and are always indemand?

New designsComing up with new ideas for designs,services or food products might seemquite difficult. Think of designing newproducts as an enjoyable journey. Whenwe travel somewhere new, we usuallyask for directions and along the way wemight stop and ask for more directions.Your final destination is the finishedproduct, but to reach there you will needto ask for directions (back to the marketsurvey) and stop to consider adviceabout some trial samples. Consider thesepoints:

• Look around you with ‘new’ eyes. Weoften miss ideas that are all around us.Look at nature for ideas of colour,shape and texture. Think how theseideas could be used in a new product.

• Look at everyday products and thinkhow you could change them to makethem more interesting.

• Look at books and magazines ifavailable. Visit shops in large towns ifpossible.

• Always refer back to your marketsurvey. Never try and develop a newproduct unless you are sure it will sellwell.

Yaski Handicrafts produce costumejewellery. When they first began eightyears ago, they did not take enough timeto research their markets, work out theircosts, find good raw materials and obtainthe necessary skills. The results werehuge financial losses which nearly putthem out of business. However, twoyears ago they started to considercarefully the points below and are nowmaking a profit.

Yaski Handicrafts are now much moreaware of what their customers require. They have carefully researched their markets, found goodsupplies of varied raw materials and provided training in new skills so they can now produce awider variety of jewellery. They have kept their prices low and used new design ideas.

Case study: Yaski Handicrafts, IndonesiaFOOTSTEPSISSN 0962-2861

Footsteps is a quarterly paper, linking health anddevelopment workers worldwide. Tearfund,publisher of Footsteps, hopes that it will providethe stimulus of new ideas and enthusiasm. It isa way of encouraging Christians of all nationsas they work together towards creatingwholeness in our communities.Footsteps is free of charge to individualsworking to promote health and development. Itis available in English, French, Portuguese andSpanish. Donations are welcomed.Readers are invited to contribute views, articles,letters and photos.

Editor: Isabel Carter83 Market Place, South Cave, Brough,East Yorkshire, HU15 2AS, UK.Tel/Fax: +44 1430 422065E-mail: imc@tearfund.dircon.co.ukLanguage Editor: Sheila MelotEditorial Committee: Jerry Adams, Dr AnnAshworth, Simon Batchelor, Mike Carter, JennieCollins, Bill Crooks, Paul Dean, RichardFranceys, Dr Ted Lankester, Sandra Michie,Nigel Poole, Louise Pott, José Smith, MikeWebbIllustrator: Rod MillDesign: Wingfinger Graphics, LeedsTranslation: L Bustamante, R Cawston, Dr J Cruz, S Dale-Pimentil, S Davies, T Dew, N Edwards, J Hermon, J Martinez da Cruz,R Head, M Leake, M Machado, O Martin,N Mauriange, J PerryMailing List: Write, giving brief details of yourwork and stating preferred language, to:Footsteps Mailing List, Tearfund, 100 ChurchRoad, Teddington, Middlesex, TW11 8QE, UK.Tel: +44 181 977 9144Change of address: Please give us the referencenumber from your address label wheninforming us of a change of address.Articles and illustrations from Footsteps may beadapted for use in training materialsencouraging health and rural developmentprovided the materials are distributed free ofcharge and that credit is given to Footsteps,Tearfund. Permission should be obtained beforereprinting Footsteps material.Opinions and views expressed in the lettersand articles do not necessarily reflect the viewsof the Editor or Tearfund. Technical informationsupplied in Footsteps is checked as thoroughlyas possible, but we cannot accept responsibilityshould any problems occur.Published by Tearfund. A company limited byguarantee. Regd in England No 994339. RegdCharity No 265464.

Shown below is Tearfund’s new logo, showing anabundant seed head with three seeds falling to theground. This image represents growth, renewaland the multiplier effect of Tearfund’s work.

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INCOME GENERATION

Maybe you are already producing goodswhich sold well in the past but recentlydemand has reduced. Maybe you canimprove orders by making a few changesor introducing some new products. Hereare some ideas:

• Add colour or change the colour of theproduct.

• Change the size or appearance of theproduct.

• Add new raw materials to improvethe product.

• Re-design the product to include newdesign features which customers haverequested.

• Change the way your products aredisplayed. Certainly if you sell themyourselves in a small shop or stall, youshould do this on a regular basis.

• Check your prices.

Quality controlQuality control should never be ignored.Once you know where your productswill be sold, carefully check the quality atall stages. Your customers will wantvalue for money and will not continue tosupport you if your goods are of poorquality. However, you also have to keepa balance between high quality and costs.If you have to buy very expensive rawmaterials your prices may increase somuch that people no longer buy yourproducts.

If you have a large group of workers,each must clearly understand the qualitylevels expected of them. They must knowfrom the start that poor quality work willnot be accepted. Set standards, make achecklist and train workers if necessary.Make spot checks without warning. Giveyour workers reference numbers so you

can easily tell who is responsible forwhich product. Encourage and rewardworkers who consistently produce highquality goods.

If you are exporting goods, quality controlis even more important. Many countrieshave Trading Standard regulations whichhave to be followed. Otherwise orderscould be cancelled or goods eitherreturned or not accepted for payment.

Quality control includes many things aswell as the way products are put together.For example, if you use dyes, are theycolour-fast? If you buy raw foods, are theycontaminated with pesticides? If you addfittings or accessories to your products,are they of good quality? Be strict withyour suppliers of raw materials if youthink they are trying to sell you poorquality supplies.

Store products in dry, clean areas wherethey will be protected from damage bywater or damp and from pests such as

rats or weevils. Make sure yourpackaging is good. Producers often givethis little attention, but poor qualitypackaging may result in broken ordamaged goods which cannot be sold.

Customers will notice if your goods areof high quality and you will build areputation for reliable products. Thismay prove essential in the future,especially if other producers begin tocompete with you.

It is your income that will be affected ifyou allow poor quality goods to be sold.Stay in control and make sure that youknow and understand the qualityexpected by your customers. You will beknown by the fruit of your labours.

Rose Collins is a small business consultantfor Tearfund based in Singapore. Her addressis c/o Barton Associates, 15-01 Golden MileTower, 6001 Beach Road, Singapore.

Chandpur Cottage Industries have been making items from jute for many years,providing work for over 1,500 women producing tablemats and sikas. Most of theproducts were made from natural jute. However, managers noticed that sales of theirproducts were beginning to fall and realised something new was needed. The answercame in the introduction of dyes to the jute. A new range using coloured jute wasstarted. Since then new designs for other products have been introduced, again usingthe new colours.

Chandpur Cottage Industries are now recognised as one of the experts in dyed juteproducts. Introducing colour to their products has significantly increased sales andbrought new marketing opportunities.

Case Study: Chandpur Cottage Industries, Bangladesh

If you have a large group of workers, each must clearly understand the quality levels expected of them.

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INCOME GENERATION

The customer is kingBusiness is about customers, not aboutproducts or services. Every successfulbusiness is customer-focused. Groupsmust find out what their customers want.In economies in transition such as EasternEurope and the newly independent statesof the former Soviet Union, much of thethinking about business is left over fromthe past. People concentrate on producinggoods, assuming that the customers willbe there.

Planning is essentialAll good business books emphasise theneed for a business plan. Many peopleresist the discipline of planning and somefear that such an examination will showtheir ideas to be wrong – but people mustknow:

• what product or service they will sell

• who they will sell it to and whycustomers might buy from them andnot from other producers

• how much goods will cost to produceand what price they can be sold for.The difference between the two is theprofit and this must be enough to liveon if this is to be a full time job.

Profit = sale price less cost of production

CostsCosts must be measured and monitoredaccurately. Every part of the businessmust be costed, including the use of the

friend’s car to take products to market.Waste materials left over after cutting orspoiled by mistakes, must be included inthe costs. The extra cost of buying a smallquantity of material to finish an urgentorder can seriously reduce profitmargins.

Many small groups produce items whichhave a fixed market price. For instance, adress maker must charge the same priceas all the other tailors in the area. Soprofits can only be increased bycontrolling and reducing costs if possibleor by improving quality so that pricescan be increased. This is one area wherepeople can use micro-credit schemeseffectively. Credit may allow rawmaterials to be bought in largerquantities at discount prices, allowingprofits to increase. Controlling wastage isanother way of increasing profits.

The costs of licences and permissions fortrading, both formal and informal, can beimportant factors for small businesses.This is a tricky ethical area and a verycommon source of dilemma. Centralgovernments often nominally encouragesmall businesses, but local officials oftenuse their authority to extract fees andfavours.

After measuring costs accurately,the small producer can look atthe market price and decide if it isworthwhile beginning the business.Most people are over-optimistic aboutthe quantities they can produce or sell

in any period. The hardest decision is toaccept that the business will never makea profit.

Separate pocketsFailure to keep business money separatefrom personal money causes manypotentially successful businesses to fail.People setting up in business suddenlyfind themselves with money in theirpockets for the first time. Money from arecent sale or funds to buy raw materials,can make them feel rich. They look at themoney in their hands and decide theirpersonal needs are more pressing. Moneyowed to a supplier or needed to buy rawmaterials is instead used to buy food forthe family. The simple solution is to use aseparate pocket for business money. Makea decision about what you can afford totake from the business as a salary andtake only that.

Overseas marketsA common danger I have often seen, is forgroups to concentrate on exporting goodsbecause they have begun with theencouragement of a missionary ordevelopment worker with contacts in anoverseas market. Sales may depend onthese personal networks. However, whenthis person disappears so may the sales.Never ignore the local market.

Moths and rustThe need to build up funds to replaceworn out equipment appearsstraightforward butcan be easily

Small businessmanagement

by Chris Sealy

THE KEY to all successful business is getting the basics right. Newgroups can compete with experienced producers if they are able tooffer better quality or better value for money. But often the problem isthat groups spend their time trying to copy someone else’s success,rather than producing something different or original.

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Credit for the poorA RECENT REPORT by Professors Hulme and Mosley studied the work of 13 micro-creditinstitutions in seven different countries who provide small amounts of credit to help micro-enterprise. Their findings are very clear and are likely to have a large influence on groups whoprovide credit in the future. They make three important conclusions:

■ Institutions with effective loan programmes include the Bangladeshi Grameen Bank, BoliviaBancoSol and Bank Rakyat Indonesia. These institutions have good success rates with mostclients able to repay their loans and build up their micro-enterprises. They have a number offeatures, including:

• Higher interest rates which prevent the poorest from taking out loans.

• They usually have savings schemes which provide people with a safety net (their savings) ifthey suffer problems.

• They have branches near where borrowers live, making it easy for people to repay loansregularly.

• They collect instalments regularly.

■ Credit is most likely to increase the income of households who are above or on the povertyline – in other words, not the very poor (below the poverty line). The research indicates thatborrowers who are on or above the poverty line are most likely to take risks and invest in newequipment, labour or technology.

■ For the very poor, micro-credit loans often do not help people improve their income. Verypoor borrowers are unable to take such risks. Indeed, sometimes they use up the loans onimmediate family needs and may end up even more in debt than when they received the loan.Loans may not provide the answers to all problems and sometimes they can make the problemsworse, especially if people have no safety net of savings or experience.

These findings are not encouraging for people trying to rise above the poverty line and who mayfind it even harder to obtain credit in the future as a result of this research. However, there arestill positive steps to take. Recent visits by the Editor to rural people’s groups in Uganda andGhana have shown that active groups with members who meet regularly and often worktogether, can run very successful simple credit schemes with no outside help. Members agreeto contribute a small amount of money each week and take it in turns to benefit as one membertakes all the money for that week. Most use the money for clothes, school fees or small income-generating activities. Groups need to be well established so that members trust each other tomake regular contributions.

Finance Against Poverty by David Hulme and Paul Mosley was published by Routledge, London in 1996. The summary of the book’s findings was taken from Focus No 5 published by CGAP, 1818 H Street NW,Room G4115, Washington DC 20433, USA.

neglected when other needs are morepressing. When the equipment fails thebusiness may fail with it. In the CIS andEastern Europe people were used tomaking requests for replacements ratherthan paying for it themselves.

Use a loan to investLoans, if available, can be very helpful.For example, a loan might be used to buya sewing machine which is used well sothe loan can be repaid, after which themachine is the tailor’s property withmany future years of profit from theinvestment. Some farmers I recently metin Uzbekistan had a different idea. Theywanted a loan to buy seed potatoes. Theharvest would be sold, the loan repaidand the rest of the money used for thefamily. In this way they would need toborrow again for the following year.However this project could become abusiness if they kept enough money fromthe harvest to buy next year’s seed.

Chris Sealy is a consultant advising onvocational training and small businessgeneration, including micro-credit. Hisaddress is: 11 Pembroke Road, Melksham,Wiltshire, SN12 7NA, UK.

E-mail: cgs_mead@dial.pipex.com

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No! to mercury soapTHE FRIENDS OF NATURALMEDICINE FOR DEVELOPMENT(AMENAD) is a small organisation ofChristians made up of nurses andagronomists. I am one of the founders.We encourage good health anddevelopment through the use of naturalmedicine. We are very committedreaders of Pas à Pas. Having noted withbitterness the thoughtless use ofantiseptic soap based on mercury in theneighbouring centres of Barak, Lweba,Nundu and Mboko, AMENAD has justset up an enquiry into the use of thesesoaps in order to oppose their use. (Ed:mercury lightens the skin but is a dangerouspoison.)

Any support from groups able to help uswith their ideas or resources would bewelcome. We would also like to exchangeideas and share experiences with othergroups promoting health through the useof natural medicines.

M’munga Christophe Masonac/o Hôpital Diaconia de NunduPO Box 53435, Nairobi, Kenya

or

BP 2512, Bukavu, Democratic Republic ofCongo

SlogansIN OUR COMMUNITY reforestationproject we find that slogans and word-play can be very powerful tools if usedwisely. Here are two we have found veryuseful.

We tell people that if they want excellentresults when they plant trees they mustuse a new fertilizer called WPT. We tellthem it is much more effective than NPKand is available free of charge in theirown village. They become suspicious.Then in the Swahili language we start toexplain that:

W means WAHI kupanda kabla ya Krisma(Be early – plant before Christmas atthe beginning of the rains.)

P stands for PALILIA (Weed, weed andweed!)

T means TIFULIA shamba lako mwishonimwa mvua (Loosen the soil at the endof the rains.)

WPT – now they understand and startjoking about it! However it makes it veryeasy to remember and when put intoaction we are often still amazed at theresults. This idea can be adapted into anylanguage.

We also created a slogan which says –Kuwahi ni kufaulu, Kuchelewa ni kushindwa(If you’re early you succeed, but if you’relate you fail). We explain why with a flipchart of illustrations about farming, andmake jokes about the first young man tochoose his wife gets the best one and thelast ones miss out!

Brian PolkinghorneBox 302, Mwanza, Tanzania

Email: bpolk@tan2.healthnet.org

Seed storage without airWITH MUCH PLEASURE I read Paso aPaso 32. We have another method ofstoring seeds. We store beans in a 200litre drum. Before covering the drum, weput a candle in and light it, then we coverthe drum. The candle flame uses up allthe oxygen in the drum so the insectpests die.

Eduard Klassen Paraguay

Vegetable plots in townGROWING VEGETABLES is a problemfor many people living either in towns orin very dry areas. If you want to growsome green vegetables to use as a relishwith maize meal, try my suggestion.

This is what you will need…

• a mixture of animal manure and goodloam soil

• large, strong polythene bags

• a supply of water.

Fill the bags with manure and soil andplace outside. Somewhere whichprovides some shade will prevent thebags drying out too quickly. Plant seedsor cuttings both in the top and in slitsdown the sides. Water regularly. Enjoyeating your vegetables!

James KipnyangoPO Box 179TurboKenya

THE EDITORFOOTSTEPS83 MARKET PLACE

SOUTH CAVE

BROUGHEAST YORKSHIRE

HU15 2ASUK

1 You will be modest

2 You will help the group find purpose andidentity

3 You will not dictate to others what theyshould do, but use your authority lightly

4 You must have a sense of humour

5 You will introduce new ideas

6 You will encourage freedom of speech

7 You will use your time wisely

8 You will respect other people’s time andkeep to schedules

9 You will be flexible in every situation

10 You will introduce plenty of variety

Ten Commandments for aperfect animatorTHE ANIMATORS IN PADES-MONO,Benin recently held a conference abouttheir work. This list of commandmentswas one of the results of our discussions:

The role of an animator is to askquestions whenever necessary – both ofmembers and those in authority.

François ZinsouAnimator – PADES-MONOSNV BeninBP 49Sogbo (Mono)Benin

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FOOTSTEPS NO.35

Malaria infectionMALARIA IS COMMONPLACEthroughout the year here in Guinea-Conakry, West Africa and worse duringthe rainy season. It is usually onlychildren who show the typical symptomsof malaria (children from 0–10 make upnearly 30% of the population). A surveywas carried out in January 1997, showingthat malaria is the main cause of deathamong both adults and children. In 1994over 600,000 cases were notified byhealth services – an annual rate of 96 per1,000 inhabitants. Of the householdsincluded in the survey, just 16% usebednets – which are used in 43% of casesby the head of the household and in only14% by children. The use of bednetsdecreases with the distance from towns(and rural areas had higher rates ofmalaria infection). Self-medication withchloroquine (despite high resistance hereto chloroquine) is carried out by a quarterof the population in rural areas and byhalf the population in urban areas.

Our survey highlights the severity ofmalaria here. Not only is it the maincause of death, but it also has severeconsequences on the economy with somany suffering ill health. This serioussituation requires the active cooperationof both government and all religiousdenominational health services.

Dr William SauyersBP 2552ConakryRepublic of Guinea

Rat trapHERE IS A SIMPLE and effective way oftrapping mice and rats. Cut sections ofbamboo as shown. Place maize orcassava chips in the bamboo. The rat willenter but then cannot turn itself aroundto get out. You can then catch the rat. Ihave found this very effective.

Frank Atuahene DonkorDwamour/Nterma EANchirra-WenchiBARGhana

Rural and Urban Poor NetworkTHE MAIN AIM of this network ofChristians is to bring together those whowork among the poor and leaders ofmovements among the poor, who areoften working in isolation. They have aregular newsletter and hold conferencesto learn from each other. They are keen towelcome new members to the network.

Mahyeno MissionPO Box 503Dundee 3000South Africa

Seed treatmentACCESS are a development group of theevangelical church in Liberia who areactively involved in the business ofrebuilding their country after seven yearsof war. One of their programmes isproducing and distributing vegetableseed for sowing next season and theyhave developed a simple treatment topreserve large quantities of seeds frompest damage.

Break up and dissolve one cake ofLifebuoy (or similar) soap in a gallon ofhot water. Peel and chop finely one largeonion and mix it with one beer bottle ofkerosene. Stir both mixtures together withfour gallons of cold water and spray usinga watering can (with a fine spray) all overthe seeds laid out on the ground. Dry theseeds well. If necessary, they can beretreated later.

ACCESS, AELPO Box 2656Randall StreetMonroviaLiberia

Bamboo Management GuideI’VE RECENTLY RETURNED from Nepalwhere I worked for Tearfund. Whilethere, I worked on bamboo propagationtechniques (earning myself the title‘Bamboo Bob’!) I prepared a managementguide for bamboo, which was publishedin Kathmandu. The guide is nowavailable to anyone who may beinterested, on my web site at:

http://www.robibrad.demon.co.uk/bamboo.htm

Robert Bradshaw19 Bickerton Avenue, Bebington, WirralL63 5NA, UK

Tel/Fax: +44 151 645 2883E-mail: rob@robibrad.demon.co.uk

Pruning for droughtIN THE 1991–2 DROUGHT in Zimbabwea flock of geese was accidentally let into aplot of maize. They ate all the lowerleaves (up to about a metre high).However, I noticed later that this plotactually yielded more maize during thedrought than surrounding plots, whichhad not been damaged. Is there anyevidence that pruning lower leaves helpspreserve some yield during a drought?

Ronald WattsP/Bag X20021Empangeni 3880S Africa

Genesis of agricultureIN THE BEGINNING God createdHeaven and Earth. He made man themanager of the Earth to keep it, maintainit and get all his food from it. And Godmade a demonstration site, the Garden ofEden for man to learn how to live on awell-planned farm.

It’s therefore our responsibility to keepthe Earth as a well-planned farm byplanting trees, providing water whereneeded, growing fruit where there is noneand maintaining soil fertility andvegetation cover to control soil erosion.

Let’s make the earth a better place to livein!

Francisco LetimaloSamburu District Development ProgrammePO Box 48Baragoi via MaralalKenya

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Three years ago Minda, Lenaand Hasnah knew nothing aboutselling their craftwork. They allproduced similar crafts and haddifficulty selling them, as therewere plenty available. One daythey talked about theirdifficulties and decided they would go and get some advicefrom Minda’s nephew, Ferdinand, who runs a stall.

INCOME GENERATION

8 FOOTSTEPS NO.35

MINDA: ‘Look at this spoon! It’s very nicely made.’

LENA: ‘Why don’t I make a mat like this?’

MINDA: ‘But you don’t know how to make mats in that

FERDINAND: ‘If you want to learn some new crafts, havthought of going to the skill development centre? Theprovide training.’

Marketing crafts

Each trader one 28 rupe33 rupees.

MINDA: ‘How can you charge so much more than the others?’

TRADER: ‘I only buy good quality crafts. I find customers don’tbuy crafts that are not well made. So I sell good quality craftsfor good prices. That’s good business.’

TRADER: ‘These mats are very well made. When I’m checking forquality I check the size, colour, whether the design is good, howuseful it is and how carefully made it is. And if it’s unusual andcreative that’s even better.’

● similar size

● good colour

● good design

● usefulness

● creativity

Quality check points…

MINDA: ‘Let’s see how much profit we will make if we sell 10 matsto this trader. If we make 10 mats each day and he can sell them,in 30 days we will have earned enough to cover all the money wespent on buying equipment. After that everything will be profit –although we must save a little to replace equipment in the future.’

Now they often talk look more attractivwork makes a goodas a group and liste

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way!’

e youy

This cartoon story can also be used as a role play with six maincharacters: Hasnah, Minda, Lena,Ferdinand, the instructor and thetrader. Use the role play toencourage a discussion on thepossibities for developing new crafts and small enterprises. Plan to carry out simple marketresearch on new products.

This material was adapted from thecomic book ‘Simple Marketing Skills’.With thanks to the Asia/Pacific CulturalCentre for UNESCO (ACCU) for theirkind permission. (See page 14).

● What products are popularand in demand?

● How much is the sellingprice?

● How many are sold in a day?

● Who is already making theseproducts?

● How and where are theybeing sold?

If you want to make money fromselling your crafts, first you need tolearn about the people likely to buyyour products. You need to learn…

Several weeks later in the skilldevelopment centre…

INSTRUCTOR: ‘Its better to startwith a craft for which you canuse locally available materialsand tools. Then you don’t needa lot of money to start with.’

MINDA: ‘In our village we have lots of coco-nut trees and my nephew told us that matsmade from coconut fibre are selling well.’

INSTRUCTOR: ‘Well, the centre here runstwo-week classes where you could learnthe skills to make them.’

HASNAH: ‘We’re learning these new skills fast. When we finish the coursewe are going to have to buy our own equipment. We’ll need frames, toolsand coconut fibre which will cost 3,000 rupees altogether. That’s 1,000rupees from each of us.’

LENA: ‘If we make 10 matsthis will cost us 230 rupees inmaterials and transport to themarket. That’s 23 rupees foreach mat. Now let’s see howmuch we can sell them for tothe market traders.’

offered a different price for the mats,ees, another 30 rupees and another

about how they can make their matse with different designs or words. Their profit because they work together welln carefully to advice from experts.

MINDA: ‘Now I can buy clothes for the family, some notebooks for mydaughter and still have some money to prepare for the festival. By theway Hasnah, your coconut sweet balls taste very good. Why don’t wetry selling them too? I could make a container from bamboo leaves.’

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10 FOOTSTEPS NO.35

Separating the waxAfter extracting the honey, bees, dirt, and eggsneed to be removed before the wax can be used.The easiest way to do this is to boil the wax inwater and stir well while boiling. Leave the pan tocool somewhere it will not be disturbed. You willfind the wax sets on top of the water with all thedirt still in the water. Remove the disc of wax andscrape off any dirt still on the bottom side of thewax.

Making candles1. Prepare the stem of a papaya leaf or similar

hollow stem to the length required.

2. Thread a piece of thick cotton or flax stringthrough the tube and tie it to a piece of grassat each end of the tube to keep it tight and inthe centre of the tube. If string is not availablea thin strip of cotton material twisted into a

cord can be used in the same way. If you cansoak the string in kerosene first, thisimproves the candle, but is not essential.

3. Stand the tube on sand orsoil so it will not fall over.

4. Melt the wax over gentleheat until liquid.

MARIA NEIDE DA SILVA gets up at 2.30every Saturday morning to prepare hermarket stall in the small town of PrincesaIsabel, in north-east Brazil. She cooksbreakfasts and lunches for the peoplecoming to the market. She’s been helpedby loans from Ação Evangélica, a group ofevangelical churches in the region whichoperates a micro-enterprise scheme tocombat local poverty. It’s hard work, butit makes a big difference to the family’sincome. With the extra money thebusiness brings in, she and her husbandhave been able to gradually build a homefor themselves and their children.

Practical ideas formicro-enterprisesA COLLECTION OF IDEAS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

The cook

The uses of beeswax

You will need…

■ 1kg (4 cups) roasted peanuts

■ 1kg (4 cups) water

■ 2kg (8 cups) brown sugar(use white if brown is not available)

Shell and roast the peanuts until lightly brown.Cashew and other similar nuts could also beused. Grind them coarsely.

Dissolve the sugar in the water and heat until itbegins to thicken. Add the peanuts and stirconstantly to prevent burning. Test regularly for

With thanks to David Sharlandand Jesse Leeku of EAC Aru(PO Box 226, Arua, Uganda)and to Food Chain, IntermediateTechnology, UK.

5. Pour into the prepared tube and leave thecandle to set for an hour or two beforemoving.

6. Slit the tube lengthways and carefully removethe candle, now ready for use.

Now you can have light without expense!

An alternative method is to melt a thin layer ofwax over water and leave it to set – but before itgets quite cold, to roll it around a piece of stringon a flat surface to form a candle shape.

Furniture waxBeeswax is also very useful as a finish forwooden furniture. Soften the wax by mixing in alittle turpentine or kerosene. Rub the wax into thewood using plenty of energy! With another cleancloth rub it off, leaving a very pleasing shine thatalso keeps the wood clean.

setting by dropping small amounts into coldwater in a cup. When it forms hard balls removefrom heat and pour either into a shallow tin oronto a greased board. Roll to a sheet 1/2cmthick and cut into small bars before it cools andsets. (You’ll need a hammer once it has set!)Wrap with cellophane or wax paper.

WARNING: Getting the setting point right is all-important. There are only a few minutesbetween soft balls (which will not set), hardballs and a pan of burnt sugar! Experiment firstwith smaller quantities. BOILING SUGAR ISVERY DANGEROUS – KEEP CHILDREN AWAY.

HERE IN ARU, N E CONGO, we find beekeeping to be a most hopeful activity for raisingincome and also for raising funds to support the Church. We always encourage the use ofKenyan Top Bar hives which improves the profits and the quality of honey. Here are someideas for the reader asking about the use of beeswax.

Crunchy Peanut Bars

11FOOTSTEPS NO.35

INCOME GENERATION

MARIA DALCIA RIBEIRO DE BRITOhas a part-time job in a sewing workshopin Imaculada, in north-east Brazil. Thebusiness was started by João and JacileneCaetano, seeking ways of earning incomein an area with very low employment.They borrowed a small room in anoutbuilding, and with a loan from AçãoEvangélica bought three sewingmachines. The business has gone well,and they’ve been able to pay off the loan,although they’ve had to respond tochanges in the market in order to keepthe business going.

The householdslow sand filterby Brett Gresham

Afghanistan has one of the highest infantmortality rates in the world, with one child infour dying by the age of five years. Themajority of these deaths are diarrhoea-related– usually from drinking unclean water.Unclean drinking water is probably thegreatest problem facing the Third Worldtoday.

In 1996 and with funding from UNCHS,SERVE began research on an appropriateslow sand filter for use in households. Anumber of filters were designed and tested before the model below was settled on. After threemonths of testing with heavily polluted water the filter was removing 98% to 99% of allcontaminating organisms.

A pre-filter is placed on top of the unit to remove most of the sediment. This is a simple pan withsmall nail holes in the bottom to allow the water, but not the sand, to pass. The sand from thisfilter can easily be removed and washed, protecting the larger filter.

The slow sand filter actually ‘eats’ bacteria and viruses as they pass through. To do this, it growsalgae on its surface (like you see on a sandy stream bed). The water must travel through aminimum of 75cm of sand to be effective. The outlet must also be above the level of the sand tomake sure it is always under water.

Ordinary sand is used, though it needs very thorough washing. The filter is made of galvanised tinreadily available in the bazaar. Other materials such as pottery could be used. Once a workingdesign was settled on, several were placed in homes to see if there were social, cultural or otherproblems. Several improvements were suggested which are now included into the design.

This model is sold for US $11 (700,000 Afs) – theequivalent of five days’ wages for a manuallabourer, so is quite affordable. The filter wastaken to the metal workers’ bazaar where anyordinary tin smith had the ability and equipment toconstruct it.

The sand filter was promoted using video and ontelevision. Filters were also placed in variouspublic places around the city. Positive demand hasbrought income for the metal workers (SERVE arenot involved at all in producing the filter) andhopefully effective water treatment will becomeaccessible to everyone.

Brett Gresham is a civil engineer working forSERVE, an international NGO, on variousappropriate technologies in northern Afghanistan.Their address is SERVE, PO Box 477, UniversityTown, Peshawar, Pakistan. E-mail: harbin@merlin.net.au

Detailed instructions are available from Footstepsfor anyone wishing to build this filter.

The dress-maker

sand pre-filter

mainsandfilter

cleanwaterouthere

dirty water in here

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PetroleumjellyYou will need…

■ 25 grams of beeswax

■ 1/2 cup of baby oil

Melt the beeswax very slowly in a double boiler(pan within another pan of water). When liquidstir in the baby oil. Pour into attractive containers

Dry lip balmYou will need…

■ 1 tablespoon of shredded beeswax

■ 1 tablespoon of petroleum jelly

■ 1 teaspoon of honey

■ 1 tablespoon of lanolin

■ a few drops of aromatic essential oil (eg peppermint, eucalyptus, wintergreen orcamphor) so the balm smells attractive.

Melt the wax, lanolin and petroleum jelly in adouble boiler. Add the honey and essential oil. Stiruntil cool and place in attractive container.

12 FOOTSTEPS NO.35

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Radio programming works best when weprovide ideas, or ‘pictures for the mind’,to motivate listeners to take action. I’d bedisappointed if a listener responded tomy radio programme with the firstsentence. We need to help radio listenerslearn from health programmes – not justlisten to them.

If your work provides the opportunity touse radio you can maximise your impactwith the ABCs of listener-learning. Theseare what I call learning priorities becausethey force us to learn about the listenersso that we can help them to learn – notjust listen. Here are some brief guidelinesfor planning a radio programme to takeadvantage of the strengths of radio andminimise its weaknesses.

A Association(What do they know already that is

associated with the new information?)

■ Increase understanding by usingfamiliar words. In one study of radiointerviews, health workers used anunfamiliar or difficult word every 17seconds on average.

■ Use relevant proverbs, poetry orscripture.

■ Describe familiar images to producepowerful pictures for the mind. The ideaof a withered flower when it is deprivedof water, dramatically illustrates whathappens to a child with diarrhoea if itdoes not get enough liquid to drink.

■ Let listeners hear the crinkle of paper,the pouring of water and the tinkling of aspoon in a jug as you give instructions on

how to prepare ORS (oral rehydrationsolution) for example. Remember – inradio we only have the sense of hearingto work with. So use silence or pauses,pitch, volume, rhythm and sound effects.Don’t just talk – use every opportunity tobring life into your programmes.

■ Let the listener ‘see’, ‘touch’, ‘taste’and ‘smell’.

■ What information does the listenerneed now? Plan topics to coincide withrelevant seasons or other events in theyear. Listeners learn if the informationcan be used straight away, not in severalmonths’ time.

B Believable(Are the communication sources

believable and trustworthy?)

■ Use as role models, people who havealready done what is beingrecommended and can tell their story.

■ Health or community developmentworkers should try things themselvesbefore trying to convince others. Weshould be able to say on the radioprogramme, ‘I have done this myself.’

■ If you invite an expert to take part as aspeaker, get them to talk about personalexperience as much as possible. Toomany experts just talk about theory orgive general information. Bring out theirhuman emotion.

C Change(Can they change what they’re doing now

and follow the recommendations?)

■ Is the product available? Can thelistener afford it? Is the service or facility,

such as an immunisation clinic, openwhen our listener needs it? Ourreputation and that of the radio stationwill be damaged if we pass oninformation that cannot be used.

■ Give an alternative suggestion iflisteners cannot do what is recommended.For example, if listeners cannot obtainpackets of oral rehydration salts, giveinstructions on how to make their own athome.

■ Demonstrate that what is beingrecommended can be done. One healthprogrammer arranged for a popularradio presenter to donate blood. Theblood donation unit set up theirequipment right there in the studio! Itwas live on air! The response wasoverwhelming. Listeners ‘saw’ what wasinvolved as the presenter described hisexperience. More importantly, listenersrealised that, if the radio presenter coulddo it, they could also.

D Desirable(How can this achieve what they hope for?)

■ Motivate listeners by showing themhow they can benefit, or achievesomething important or of value to them,if they use the information. Onecampaign encouraged mothers toprepare nutritious food for their childrenby explaining how a child would gainstrength to help in the fields and wouldconcentrate more at school. Magazine ortelevision advertisements ‘sell’ a benefitto be gained from buying products suchas drinks or soaps. It’s surprising howsuch ‘marketing techniques’ can beincluded in community health and

Learning prioritiesT H E A B C s O F R A D I O L I S T E N E R - L E A R N I N G

IF YOU USED RADIO PROGRAMMING in a communityhealth and development project, which of the followingcomments from a radio listener would you hope for?

■ ‘Now I know something about that topic’ or

■ ‘Now I know how to make a change in my life.’

by Ross James

Even ifyou don’t have the

opportunity of using radio,these points will help you

think about how youcommunicate new

information

13FOOTSTEPS NO.35

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

development radio programmes. But douse them carefully and sensitively.

E Extend(What other communication channels will

extend the radio message?)

■ Radio programmes need the supportof more permanent ways of communi-cation. Consider organising andproviding literature or informationservices such as telephone counselling orclinics. Let listeners know where they canget further advice.

■ Sometimes it is more effective to targetprogrammes for people who caninfluence the people we really want toreach. For example, it may be moreeffective to inform the families ofcigarette smokers of the dangers so thatthey can then try and influence thesmokers. Breastfeeding can be success-fully promoted by targeting husbands tochange their attitudes and encourage andsupport wives who choose to breastfeedbabies.

■ Listeners are more likely to learn andchange their behaviour and thinking, themore they discuss what they have heardon the radio. Encourage them to talk withfamily and friends about what they’veheard, and to take action together.

F Fit(What radio programmes best fit the

situation?)

■ What programmes will best encouragethe learning you want to achieve?

■ What kind of programmes will workbest? Interviews? Drama? Interactiveradio techniques? 60-second ‘spots’ orpublic service announcements? Newsstories?

■ How should the key messages be builttogether to form blocks of learning?

The ABCs of listener-learning bringtogether the many facts radioprogrammers need to learn about theirlisteners, so that they can help them tolearn. Isn’t that what good fieldwork isall about?

Dr Ross James is a communication consultant with theSchool of Public Health, Curtin University, WesternAustralia. He provides training throughout Asia on the useof radio programming for health promotion. His address is:1 Chapel Court, Kingsley, WA 6026, Australia. Fax: 618-9309 2553. E-mail: rwjames@health.curtin.edu.au

THIS ISSUE brings together a collection ofideas to help in working together to raiseincome on a small scale. There is soundadvice for anyone thinking of setting up amicro-enterprise, useful contacts and plentyof ideas for new enterprises. We have tried tofocus on micro-enterprise which benefits thecommunity rather than just making oneperson wealthy. Though the opening articlesgive emphasis to producing goods andcrafts, the principles are just as useful forother services, such as producing foods oroffering transport.

The report carried out by Hulme and Mosley(page 5) highlights the concerns many creditorganisations have on lending to those whohave very few resources. However, by work-ing as a group, members provide a safety netand make micro-enterprise more likely tosucceed. Rather than simply buying andtrading, balanced micro-enterprise shouldtake locally available materials and add valueto them by processing.

A participant at a workshop held in Jacmel,Haiti was surprised to hear that Footstepswas free of charge to people working in dev-elopment. ‘What about Footsteps’ message ofparticipation being the key to development,with everyone having some resource tocontribute?’ he asked. Well Footsteps actuallydoes have a price. You can pay your sub-scription either by sharing the informationwith neighbours, friends and communitymembers or by writing to us about yourexperiences. Information is power and bysharing it, you help to break part of the cyclethat keeps the poor isolated. So if your copyof Footsteps sits on a shelf and is not read orused by anyone, please pass it on to some-one else or cancel it so that Footsteps can besent to someone else.

We always welcome contributions, either ofarticles or funds, to help us continue produc-ing Footsteps. For issue 37 we’re looking atways of raising income for health clinics –any ideas?

FROM THE EDITOR

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14 FOOTSTEPS NO.35

RESOURCES

Simple Marketing SkillsProduced by ACCU (Asia/PacificCultural Centre for UNESCO)

A simple cartoon booklet whichlooks at the importance ofmarketing skills for increasingincome. Easy to read and useful fordiscussion, it can also be used as arole play. Pages 8 to 9 of this issueare based on a summary of thisbooklet. Available free of chargefrom ACCU who produce a huge rangeof useful materials for newly literatereaders, including a recently-publishedflip chart, Giving education to our daughtersfor a brighter future.

ACCU, 6 FukuromachiShinjuku-kuTokyo 162Japan

Empowerment throughEnterpriseby Malcolm Harper

ISBN 1853393320

This manual provides guidelines for aneleven day training course to enableNGO staff to help groups trying to starttheir own businesses. It coversmarketing, financial management, groupenterprises, credit and gender. Themanual costs £14.95 (including postage)and is available from:

IT Bookshop103–105 Southampton RowLondon, WC1B 4HHUK

Export Marketing for a SmallHandicraft Businessby E Millard

ISBN 0 85598 174 1

Jointly published by Oxfam andIntermediate Technology, this bookcontains vital information to helpproducers export more effectively. Itcontains information on how to reachand maintain contact with customers,designing goods for overseas markets,packaging, quality control and about allthe formalities and documentationinvolved in exporting.

The book costs £11.95 (including surfacemail) or £12.45 (airspeeded mail). Orderfrom IT Bookshop (address above).

Improve Your BusinessHandbook and WorkbookEdited by D E N Dickson

International Labour OfficeISBN 922 105 3415 (3407 for workbook)

This is a practical, easy-to-use handbook,packed full of useful information. It isaimed at small businesses and containseight sections: buying and selling,manufacturing, book-keeping, costing,marketing, accounting, office work andplanning. It costs £8.45 including postage.There is a workbook which can be usedwith the handbook called Improve YourBusiness Workbook full of practicalexercises, which costs £5.05 includingpostage. They are also available in English,French, Spanish and Portuguese. Orderfrom IT Bookshop (address above).

ILO also provide training courses in manycountries. Write for details to…

ENT/MAN, International Labour Office4 route des Morillons, CH-1211 Geneva 27Switzerland

Guidelines to Rational Drug Useby Fr von Massow, J K Ndele and R Korte

Publishers: Macmillan, TALC, AMREF, GTZ

ISBN 0333 69922 X

This manual aims to provide a quick andcomprehensive reference for doctors andpharmacists. It lists all varieties of drugsused to treat medical conditions,recommended dosages, drugs to beavoided during pregnancy, possible sideeffects and also compares the relative costof each drug. An easy to use, technicalmanual highly recommended for thoseprescribing drugs.

The manual costs £9.65 (including surfacepost) or £10.65 (airmail) from TALC:

PO Box 49, St AlbansHerts, AL1 5TXUK

Guide PratiqueThe Centre Songhai have produced a newseries of Practical Guides aimed at farmersin the tropics. The guides are wellillustrated and describe the various stagesinvolved in fish-breeding, sustainableagriculture and biogas, with plenty ofpractical advice. Available only in Frenchfrom:

Hilaire TokploCentre Songhaï, BP 597Porto-Novo, Benin Republic

Fax +229 22 20 50E-mail: songhai.benin@intnet.bj

Les Coopératives du Rwanda:Réconciliation et CoexistencePacifiqueThe Centre for Cooperative Training andResearch in Kigali, Rwanda haveproduced this booklet following researchin 1996 with members of 19 cooperatives,with many thousands of members. Thewriters stress that they are not providingsolutions, but rather thoughts andsuggestions which could help challengereaders to think more deeply about thischallenging subject. Only available inFrench.

IWACU (Centre de Formation et de RechercheCoopératives)BP 1313, KigaliRwanda Fax: +250 73309

Ethique écologique etreconstruction de l’AfriqueThis book is a collection of talks given at aconference in 1997. Titles include ‘Africa'schallenges’, ‘God wants to save Africa’,‘The role of the Church and ChristianNGOs in the State in Africa: political andecological responsibility’ and ‘Africanreligions and ecology’. Each talk issummarised at the beginning, making iteasy to read. The introduction talks of anew era of hope and spiritual renewaldawning now for Africa, in which it willbe essential to understand clearly Africa'sstrengths and weaknesses and build uprelationships.

CIPCREBP 1256BafoussamCameroon

E-mail: cipcre@geod.geonet.de

15FOOTSTEPS NO.35

RESOURCES

BIBLE STUDY

ALL FAMILIES want prosperity andprogress. There is much we can learn fromthe example of the family in Proverbs 31:10-31.

Planning ahead Earning a reward for honestwork is a biblical principle (v11). Rawmaterials are needed, (v13) labour (in thiscase her own), and knowledge of what toproduce (in this case linen clothes).Marketing the goods (v14, 24) may involve alot of effort – travelling far to search for goodcustomers.

Investing profits In v16 we read of how herwork brings profits which she invests wiselyin land and vines. This implies her workforce will need to increase producing more

work and profit. She looks out for ways ofexpanding her business. In v19 we read ofhow she begins spinning wool.

Management v18 suggests that she is incontrol with good management systems.

Production What do her customers thinkabout her work and its quality? (v11, 25, 28,29) What are the practical results of herbusiness work? (v16, 19, 24, 22, 25)

Discussion questions• What place does God's direction play in a

small business (v30)

• What should be done with profits (v16, 20)

• How does she work?

• How do those around her view her activities?

This lady is an example of how anyone canrun a successful small business. She is a hardworking, clear thinking business womanwho brings benefits to her husband andfamily. As we learn from the differentarticles in this issue, we can see that this ladyhas put all the recommendations intopractice!

Milton Espinel is an education coordinator withAlfalit, Apdo 3577, Cali, Colombia who hasfound this Bible text a huge blessing to those heshares it with.

Tearcraft

You know Tearfund, but have you heardabout Tearcraft? This is Tearfund’s tradingarm, buying from 30 craft producer groupsin 15 countries around the world. It is a vitalpart of their ministry to demonstrate goodnews to the poor in a practical way. ‘AsTearcraft has grown, so has its concern tobuy from producers who provide fair wages,good working conditions and benefits,’ saysStephen Thomas, Trading Manager.

Tearfund helps local producers to adapttraditional regional crafts – such as pottery,weaving or woodwork – for the UK market.‘We need to develop new products, createnew buyers, compete in a commercial way –but always keeping the fair trade philo-sophy,’ says Elgin Saha, Director of HEEDHandicrafts in Bangladesh.

Tearcraft products are eventually sold in theUK and Ireland through a mail order cata-logue. Contact the Trading Team at Tearfund(address on back cover).

Fax: +44 181 943 3594E-mail: trading@tearfund.dircon.co.uk.

Ten Thousand Villages

Ten Thousand Villages markets fairly-traded handicrafts in North America, providing fair income toThird World people in over 30 countries. Ten Thousand Villages is a nonprofit programme ofMennonite Central Committee, with over 50 years’ experience in working with groups practisingmicro-enterprise.

Rakesh is the founder and Director of Archana Handicrafts in India, their largest group in terms ofsales. Archana means a thing of truth and beauty in Sanskrit. It is a private business, committed tohelping Indians by encouraging, developing and selling their traditional handicrafts. Archana iscommitted to the welfare of their workers and helps many craftspeople with banking, design, trainingand management.

Rakesh is a strong believer in learning the local situation and discovering ways to work, developingfamily workshops rather than using a huge factory approach. According to Rakesh, doing things on asmall scale encourages families to stay in their traditional homes, to have flexibility in employment,to meet other family obligations and to meet their main goal of improving their homes. ‘Whilechanges might be slow, they own the results.’ Often Rakesh will tell workers, ‘If you make a goodproduct and learn how to be a good businessperson, people will come to you – you don’t need to goto the big city.’ As new second-generation artisans join the workshops, Rakesh sees the rewards ofkeeping the production of handicrafts at the village level. ‘See,’ he says, ‘these people have worked intheir own homes and now the next generation is still there. They did not run to the city to hunt foremployment – something that is usually hopeless.’

Contributed by Larry Guengerich, Media Coordinator for Ten Thousand Villages. ArchanaHandicrafts, 704 Main St, PO Box 500, Akron PA 17501-0500, USA. Fax: (011) 91-11-301-2845 orE-mail: lrg@mcc.org

The cottage industry by Milton Espinel

The world isyour market!

HERE ARE SOME OTHERuseful contacts for those wishing to

sell their goods overseas.

CBC provide information andtraining and establish trade

agreements with ten countriesaround the world.

The Centre for the Promotionof Imports from DevelopingCountries (CBC)PO Box 300093001 DA RotterdamThe Netherlands

Fax: +31 10 4114081

Traidcraft ExchangeKingswayGatesheadTyne and WearNE11 0NEUK

Fax: +44 191 4822690

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

What were we offering?Over a period of nine months, we spentmuch time and effort getting to know thecommunities, using participatory ruralappraisal (PRA) methods. Small teams ofstaff worked in each village: mappingresources, prioritising needs, interview-ing informants and building rapportwith the community. We gained lots ofinformation. We helped villagersrecognise their own strengths.Community members seemed enthusedand committed to working with us. Yetas I sat at a closing ceremony whereresults of the PRA were being shared, avillage woman asked me why we hadbrought an empty doko to her village.Were we, like those who had surveyed inother places, just filling our own basketsand notebooks? Just what were weoffering that would make a difference inthe village, and why had we not madethat clear from the beginning?

What did we want?Following the basic principles of PRA,our staff had tried very hard not to takeover the process of prioritising andplanning. We listened to communityvoices, collected data, and organisedideas. But while doing this, we had notclearly talked about what we werewilling to do, and what the future of thepartnership between the communityhealth staff and the village could be like.We had brought only an empty doko.Participation is much more than a set oftools, or a democratic process ofempowerment. Participation ispartnership. We all come with agendas

that need to be made clear, discussed,and are open to change as we link handsto work with communities.

Participatory rural appraisal has becomea key component of all kinds ofdevelopment work. It is a stamp ofapproval that the work is ‘bottom up’,democratic and empowering. Butagendas are still often developed outsidecommunities and PRA serves to raiseexpectations that can’t be met within thelimitations of staff and funding in theprogrammes we work for.

The agenda of JesusAs Christians in development, we haveagendas. We cannot pretend otherwise.Jesus Christ had an agenda in hisdealings with people. He met them

where their needs were – with physicalhealing, food and water, words forpersonal growth – but his ultimateagenda was to direct them towardssalvation. Jesus practised PRA as heempowered people to recognise theirown needs and gifts and to partner withhim. He performed community diagnosisand determined where and when hiswords would be most effectively utilised– in the marketplace, in the synagogue,by the lakeside. He did not offer anempty doko, and neither should we. Itwould be wise to follow his example inbeing open about what we stand for, andwhat we can offer. Our challenge asChristians involved in health and

development, and engaged inparticipatory work, is to be clear aboutwhat we believe and can offer, while atthe same time addressing needs,identifying strengths and partnering withcommunities for sustainable change.

Martha Carlough is the Project Director ofthe Okhaldhunga Health Project. Her addressis United Mission to Nepal, PO Box 126,Kathmandu, Nepal.

Have you broughtan empty doko?

THE COMMUNITY HEALTH STAFF of United Mission to Nepal’sOkhaldhunga Health Project began new work in four villages last year.These villages were chosen carefully, based on a balance of needs andresources in the communities.

A doko is the traditional Nepalese basket.

by Martha Carlough

Published by: Tearfund, 100 Church Rd, Teddington,TW11 8QE, UK

Editor: Isabel Carter, 83 Market Place, South Cave,Brough, East Yorkshire, HU15 2AS, UK

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