Day 4!

Day 4, January 9, 2010

10:00

Today was the most rewarding of our trip. Although it was filled with frustration and debate, we got so much accomplished. The day started with a delicious breakfast of eggs and cookies at 7:00 AM and a discussion of the workshops that would soon follow.

Workshops, or basic two-hour business lessons, are the reason we are here. They are also referred to as capacity building activities, as they allow the community to learn, grow, and expand their knowledge. Unfortunately, our group didn’t have much time to prepare our lessons.

First our group divided into groups called marketing, management, and accounting. The basics of marketing included packaging, logos and labels, product diversification, and the “five P’s” of marketing. The accounting group focused on receipt making and the statement of cash flows. Finally, the management group did activities on long term planning, motivation, and confidence in personal selling.

At our first workshop we played several games and each group talked briefly about their subject and what the small group workshops would focus on. We also spent time building the confidence of the group. By explaining that they have a great product that would sell in the region, we hoped the community would really get excited about their project. Our basic goal is empowerment of the community, both through teaching and motivation

After our first basic workshop, it was on to processing the cacao into bars of bakers chocolate, the finished product. The beans are roasted over an open fire to bring out their flavors, then peeled, and finally ground into a paste. It is then rolled in to four ounce bars and wrapped in foil. We all helped with every step of the process, and even worked on developing a mold that would be more efficient and create a more consistent shape and size. We tried bamboo and PVC pipe, but the community will have to continue our efforts since we didn’t have enough to time for the chocolate to dry.

We had a quick lunch and then it was back to work with the second workshop. For this lesson we actually divided up in to our respective groups, went to different rooms, and got more in depth about our subject matter. This was a rewarding experience, because the smaller groups allowed for more time to talk to community members and really get to know them. We were also able to better understand what they knew about each subject and what exactly we should cover.

Groups started off with name games and icebreakers, which the community members really enjoyed. Then we all dove in to the material using basic teaching, hands on activities, and demonstrations to convey our message. The marketing group played Telephone to demonstrate the importance of communication, and it was a huge hit. We played in Spanish, English, and Ngobe, the native language. It was fun to watch everyone laughing and enjoying themselves while learning concepts that would create better business practices within the community.

The accounting group taught their students how to use calculators and gave them all their very own to keep. I was told the faces of the community members were priceless when they realized how much easier keeping financial records would be with calculators. The group also practiced writing receipts and had a discussion on the importance of ethics in business.

The management group thought the most important thing they covered was confidence in the product. The community really does have a fascinating process and product; they just needed to understand that. They practiced selling techniques and did drills to help them overcome their shyness so that they could better sell their product.

After our last workshop of the day, we had the opportunity to help the community dye shirts using natural dyes made of roots and bark. The colors were vibrant and the finished products looked great. It was a amazing to see the villagers practicing such traditional customs. We also used this time to bond with the people of Rio Oeste and play with the children. They love having their pictures taken and then looking at them on the screen.

Finally it was dinner time and then a little free time to play soccer and work on journals. We all worked a little longer on preparations for the next days workshops, and then crawled in to bed to get some sleep. Before we fell asleep, though, several insects attacked Mary Beth inside her net and our cook, Mauricio, found two rather large snakes and thought it was a good idea to bring them to our room. Needless to say, it took a while to come down before everyone fell asleep.