The road home to Chimoio was a long one and it started at 3:30pm Friday afternoon as we left the Opportunity International Bank of Malawi offices to the laughter of the employees when they discovered that we were taking “public” transportation all the way down, riding in overly crowded mini-buses that I doubt some of the executives we had just met with have ever taken but had only observed with horror as they sped haphazardly down the pothole ridden roads with people hanging off the sides due to their full capacity for passengers.  Navigating the cramped and winding passageways of the local market, Chelsea and I squeezed past various venders and shops with our backpacks trying to avoid an accidental physical encounter with our bags or desperate pickpocketers as we tried to find a mini-bus that was heading to Blantyre, a smaller city closer to the border. Unfortunately, due to the early setting of the sun we wouldn’t have enough time to make it all the way to the border so we would try and make it as close as possible and avoid traveling too much at night.

Finally we found the van parked with a small cardboard sign resting on the dashboard that properly read: Blantyre.  Thanking the accumulatingly large crowd of bus drivers that were offering their help in escorting us to the bus after yelling at us, “Brother, sister - where are you going?” we approached the van to make sure this was the one we wanted to take.  We peered inside to make sure that there were other people - you never want to get into an empty mini-bus because you could find yourself painfully waiting upwards of an hour to leave as you sit listening to the driver waste gas by revving his engine and yelling at passer-bys.  The mini-bus was about half full, a good indication that it was about to leave and enough choices of available seats to ensure a less…painful…ride (you are never afforded “comfort” on one of these so I was hesitant to use that word).  Chelsea snagged the middle seat in the second row and I was forced to take the man-crafted third “seat” in the third row that flips down into the aisle but lacks a cushion or padding.  We cautiously surrendered our big bag that held both our clothes for the week to the driver you graciously ‘threw’ it in the back and slammed the door.

As we sat waiting to leave we had a few fights with the driver over the price we had to pay, us demanding we pay what everyone else was paying and he trying to charge us the overly inflated “azungu” price (white person in Chenga) we were finally able to settle on a fair price.  The local markets like to take advantage of the prisoners of the delayed buses so we were quickly surrounded by “hundreds” of swarming people shoving various things at us through the windows trying to sell us food, drinks, corn, onions, underwear, electric razors, movies, and various other random things.  After 20 minutes we finally gave in and bought some bread and water.  Lacking much flavor to our meal, we eyed a man chewing on a honey comb and asked him how much he paid (its a requirement to do your research before ever entering into a bargaining war with a vendor as to not get insanely ripped off). Not long after, the man selling the honey must have sensed our desire to buy some for we were quickly assaulted by a man with a large bucket full of honey comb.  We reached inside to try and find a good piece and to our horror we discovered that there were still bees in the honey! Not wanting to offend, we swallowed our reactions and picked out a piece, cut the price he gave us in half and exchanged money.  Closely watching the man next to us for direction, we sat puzzled with a chunk of honey comb and a few dozen dead bees.  WIthout a second thought, the man next to us kept chomping away, bees and all, into his honey comb and smacking his lips once he finished his nutritional snack…full of protein.  Weighing our options of being adventurous or winding up with a stinger lodged in our throats we politely picked out the bees and ate around the fallen solders.

Finally after waiting over half and hour our mini-bus lurched forward and we began our 5 hour journey south to Blantyre.

Waking up at 7am from the stained bed, I fought my way out of my mosquito net and dogged the paint chips that fell from the ceiling - I shuttered at the sight of our $10 motel room, dingy at best filled with musty oder that suspiciously came from the mattress I was just sleeping on. I didn’t even dare take a shower that was down the hall - decided to save myself those immunizations (I didn’t want that kind of African souvenir).   We gathered our belongings and I put my Red Sox hat on to hide the fact that I hadn’t showered in a few days and we headed for the bus stand.

Like clock work the second we approached the bus stand we were swarmed by men trying to usher us into their van’s.  Politely we shook our heads and just kept repeating “Mwanza - boarder” till we found the appropriate bus and jumped into the back seats.  After buying our breakfasts from the boys selling bread and muffins from the streets the bus left surprisingly soon.  We reached the border 3 and a half hours later, negotiated a taxi ride and were whisked away from the beautiful country I wish we had longer to visit and away from the warmth of its beaches and people.

We stood in line at the Mozambique border for 20 minutes till we realized we were in the wrong line…even though the sign said “customs” apparently it was only for people who had arrived on a chartered bus and already had visas…and since we didn’t have one we had to go to another line (after being yelled at by a few officials seeking control). We finally reached the crowded counter and handed over our passports and the filled out form, but to the officer’s disgust we had filled out one of the boxes incorrectly since the English translation was incorrect…but of course that was our fault and had to fill them out all over again, along with another form he handed us.  Once completed, we returned to the desk and gave him our forms along with $50 US dollars ($25 for each visa) but apparently the man wanted more money despite what all the signs said we had to pay.  We were charged $3 for the piece of paper and 50 metacais each for a “processing fee” that no one else seemed to have to pay. Surrendering $10 more dollars we tried to pay for everything together since the conversion rate is 25Mt = $1 but the man claimed the dollar had dropped significantly in the past week and it was worth much less…so we could only pay him in his own local currency.  Digging deep into our pockets we were able to produce more money and we were told to wait outside.

Half an hour later I was instructed to come back inside and to bring the pen that I had used - only to realize that I forgot to put down my middle name in the box asking for my “First Name”…and due to their rules the same color pen had to be used on the forms…heaven forbid you ran out of ink half way through.  Smiling and apologizing profusely for my mistake I corrected the form and went back outside to wait even longer.  After finally getting our visas we crossed the border into Mozambique.

The second we touched foot in Moz, we were assaulted by money changers and we tried desperately to stop them from all yelling at us and negotiate with them to change our Malawian kwacha back into Mozambican mets. Getting out my calculator I made sure that we weren’t getting too ripped off we started to begin the bartering process. We were making such a commotion we had quickly drawn the attention of everyone in the small area, women selling bananas, boys with bread, and even the chappa (mini-bus in Portuguese) drivers.  During the scuffle, we managed to get the chappa driver that could take us to Tete, the transit city in norther Mozambique where we had to spend the night before catching a ride to Chimoio.  We had been warned that you can get cheated by the money changers - either by given less money than negotiated for even fake bills so we were sure to change just the right amount that we needed to pay for a ride to Tete so as to get any potentially fake bills out of our hands as soon as possible.

Like every chapa ride in Mozambique we were quickly stopped at a police check point where the driver had to get out and “talk” with the officers.  By sitting up front you’re afforded the opportunity to watch the interactions between the two men.  As the driver opened the door, I watched him slip a few bills into his identification book before handing it to the police officer. After “inspecting” the van making sure it didn’t look too suspicious, he waved us on…seemingly fine with 4 people trying to occupy a single seat and two people hanging from the open door making the total amount of passengers well over 25…in a 12 person van.  Thankfully the officer didn’t give Chelsea or me too much attention…unlike when we first arrived in Malawi and the police officers made everyone in the bus get out except for us.  He entered the van and sat down next to us.  He asked us for our passports and quickly complied. “Ah, Americans!” he exclaimed looking at them, “yes Sir” we replied as he mindlessly flipped through the pages not really looking for anything specific.  “Obama! How is he doing?” he asked us, “Oh very well!” we said trying to make our smiles as big as possible, I even gave him the thumbs up - in an attempt to quicken the process. Apparently passing his own border control test, he gave us back our passports and welcomed us to his country.

We got to Tete 4 hours later and were able to get the chapa to let us off near the bus station and we bought our ticket to Chimoio for 4:30am the next day. 

In all of our travel so far this summer, the road between Tete and Chimoio is one of the worst - you spend more time driving on the wrong side of the road to avoid pot holes than you do on the correct side.  Every bridge seemed to be under construction which forced the mini-bus to drive of dirt roads for nearly half the trip, dodging the oncoming traffic and various farm animals that stubbornly stood in the middle of the road.  Broken down cars and flipped trucks were common sights on the side of the roads and rarely did anyone follow the rule of “right of way.” 

But bad roads and cramped seating aside, the one thing that I couldn’t stand was the noise.  For some reason, African drivers love to blast their music at the highest volume possible - so much so that the speakers are literally buzzing because its too load and you can’t even hear yourself think.  Half way through the trip I guess the CD player broke so instead of just turning it off…we had to listen to the same song on repeat for 3 hours (I can never hear electronic keyboard and high pitched screaming ever again).

By the grace of God, we finally reached Chimoio 3 days after we left Lilongwe, Malawi and returned our home - the Pink Papaya, a little backpackers hostel where we’ve been living out of a pink caravan for the past few weeks.

The visit proved to be extremely impactful and Chelsea and I were able to gather many new ideas of programs that can be put into place in other African countries Opportunity operates.  We are returning now to Mozambique with newly instilled ideas and enthusiasm for reinstating BOM’s education program - and even more for our originally designed program in Kenya we made last summer.  With the impact and success (and more importantly feasibility) of combining micro-finance and health we saw in the implemented program in Malawi, we are even more confident of the necessity and potential of having similar programs throughout Africa.

(BOM’s mobile bank)

As we waited for people to come and collect money and repay loans we ventured with Fredrico out into the market to meet some of the clients and see their businesses. The first person we met with was one of the first clients in the area and we could see how greatly he had improved due to the loan: his small stall had grown into a 3 roomed restaurant with a TV and a bar. As we toured the impressive space we were told that he had offered his restaurant as the site where the clients could receive HIV/AIDS education training by Health Alliance International. Chelsea and I spoke with him about his involvement with the education and it was great to see how dedicated he was to spreading the knowledge that he had received. With a grin he told us how he was even sure to provide customers with condoms that rented out the rooms he had in the back.

We saw more of the town and visited other clients - speaking with several who had very positive experiences with the training program and who had recommended it to other clients and said that they had not only put into practice things they had learned but that they had told other people about ways to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

It was a great opportunity to speak with the clients and learn about their experience with the HIV/AIDS education training and to see if they found it effective and if they had any suggestions on how it could be improved. Understanding the logistics of the training have been very helpful for Chelsea and me for its allowing us to understand the actual feasibility of implementing a health care program - and know how to improve our initial program we designed last summer in Kenya.

(Chelsea conducting an interview)

The plane to Chimoio was one of the smallest that I have ever been on (and same goes with the seats) but luckily the discomfort was only for 2 hours verses an 18 hour bus ride which would have been our only alternative. When the plane touched down in Chimoio it looked as if we were in the middle of nowhere…we knew that Chimoio wouldn’t be as large as Maputo but we thought that there would be at least some development. But like most airports we soon learned we were outside of the city and that this wasn’t an accurate depiction of the city.

Chelsea and I were met at the airport by Domingos, the branch manager for BOM - Chimoio, and brought us to the office in town. Of what we saw of the city from the car it seemed to be small but still vibrant and busy - kind of like the city of Kisumu we lived in last summer in Kenya. We were excited because not that we felt overwhelmed in Maputo but it’ll be nice to be back in a more manageable city where we can really get the “lay of the land” and learn about the local culture and attitude towards HIV/AIDS.

(downtown Chimoio)

Domingos had arranged for us to meet with AfriCare at 2pm but Chelsea and I were still a little dazed and (I have to admit) overwhelmed after getting off the plane and then introduced to the entire BOM - Chimoio staff. There was little we could just but just nod and write down the times of all of the appointments…and it wasn’t until we were sitting at lunch at Elo 4 (a nice little Mozambican/Italian restaurant) that we realized that we didn’t know what AfriCare did. We assumed that based on their name and the fact that Domingos had arranged for us to meet with them that they did something related to HIV/AIDS and relief - what exactly, we had no idea. As we ate (the much missed and desired) pizza we did our best to come up with as many questions as possible with the broadest range just to make sure a few of the questions would be relevant.

Luckily we were correct in our assumption that they were a relief organization for when we got to their office Chelsea and I both frantically looked around the waiting room for any pictures, pamphlets, or any sort of literature that would indicate what AfriCare did. We ended up having a fantastic meeting with the director of operations and another staff member for more than hour learning all about the services that AfriCare provided and about the local attitude towards HIV/AIDS and gain a better understanding of the challenges and obstacles they faces in Chimoio addressing HIV/AIDS.

Unfortunately, HIV/AIDS effects everyone in the world the same and without discrimination but as we talked to them longer we learned more and more about how the people of Chimoio were constantly being placed more at risk for exposure to the virus baised on the inequalities that they experienced: particularly disadvantaged women, the poor, and the malnourished. We heard similar stories as to those we saw in Kenya last summer and it was heartbreaking…but it was extremely uplifting to hear about all that AfriCare has been able to do with their support groups for people who are trying to live positively with HIV, the education programs working within the communities, and the home-based care services that was offered to those who were very sick.

Tomorrow we have a meeting with Heath Alliance International, the organization that conducted the HIV/AIDS training for BOM so it should be really interesting to learn more about the actual classes that were taught to the clients and to see how they were perceived.

(Chelsea and me outside the office)

We later also discovered that BOM was started 3 years ago with an American PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief) grant and I was impressed that the people in the Bush administration recognized the positive impact of micro-finance on HIV/AIDS (about time people started to realize!). With the support apparently it is easy to network with other organizations that also receive PEPFAR funding and it was due to this that BOM was able to partner with HAI and started what Trudi referred to as a “wrap around project” - BOM was able to supply HAI with the numbers they needed to satisfy the grant requirements.

Learning all about the support and funding BOM had received from PEPFAR and USAID I couldn’t believe how short-sided I had been this past year - solely focussing on trying to raise private donations to fund an HIV/AIDS program or justifying why it would make economic sense for Opportunity to take on the cost themselves since theoretically the healthier their clients the better chance of them repaying their loans and having a successful business. I guess this is one of the great things you learn in the field…you never stop learning!

It should be exciting to learn more about the pilot HIV/AIDS education program in Chimoio and speak with the organization that ran the training sessions and some of the clients so we can learn from their experiences to help us improve our originally designed program for Kenya. We leave early in the morning so our last night in Maputo will be mostly one of packing and preparing for the weeks ahead!

Chelsea and I spent time in KENYA and UGANDA, compiling field-based research last summer. We worked with local organizations, hospitals and clinics, the Center for Disease Control (CDC), and interviewed current and prospective clients to see what programs OI can adopt or develop to provide their clients with the education and the methods required for them to combat HIV/AIDS or to live HIV/AIDS free.

This summer I received a second Advanced Study Grant from Boston College to help finance the continuation of my research. Sadly things in Kenya aren’t in the best conditions after the violence that occurred after the elections in December so we were forced to switch our focus this summer of our research to a new country. Opportunity International has operations in Mozambique and thankfully they expressed interested in having us come and use their resources. Like most of Sub-Saharan Africa, Mozambique has been devastated by HIV/AIDS, primarily the central regions where we are planning to go to in the upcoming days. We are currently in the South in the capital Maputo where BOM (Banco Oportunidade de Moçambique) is headquartered working with the COO and trying to establish what we hope to accomplish this summer.

BOM has been a little bit more progressive here than in Kenya and has started to address the growing HIV/AIDS issue by partnering with an external organization Health Alliance International which has provided some education and testing resources for the clients. It is our hope to gain a better understanding of how exactly this partnership is working and to see how effective and successful it is. From this we can then know the obstacles and challenges of combining health and micro-finance so we can adapt and improve the program which we designed last summer in Kenya to educate the clients.

While BOM already has an existing approach to address HIV/AIDS, it can serve as an opportunity for us to see how effective outsourcing the education is rather than trying to have Opportunity handle it all. The Kenya program had a blend of internal/external services; in Mozambique we want to find what combination is most successful. We also want to determine the level of control and responsibility Opportunity has in coordinating the education.

While we wait for things in Kenya to settle down it is our goal to perfect the program and try and gather research of existing programs as to ensure a successful implementation. This summer should be exciting as Chelsea and I explore a whole new country and see if we can draw any commonalities from our previous experiences throughout Africa.

We had a great meeting with the COO today (Trudi) and confirmed that we’re going to Chimoio and started to make contact with the people at BOM as well as at Health Alliance International and the National AIDS Council. Trudi typed up credentials for Chelsea and me to officialize our employment as research consultants for BOM.

So our main project of the day was trying to figure out when/how we’re going to get to Chimoio. Another fun piece of the puzzle is that we were only able to get a 30 day visa so that means that we have to leave the country by August 1st…the easy answer would be to just step foot into Zimbabwe since were so close but I’m not really thinking thats the best place that we want to get stuck and with the hyperinflation (among the other things that Zimbabwe is experiencing) I have no idea how many billion Zimbabwean dollars a visa would be. So if we were to buy plane tickets we would have to be sure to get back to Maputo before our visa expires so we can spend the weekend in either Swaziland or South Africa.

After hours of deliberation and research we decided to travel via plane but we were only able to book one seat leaving Thursday so I’m still on standby (and we have to pay all in cash - which present another challenge). Getting no where on the phone or internet Chelsea and I decided to hunt down the LAM ticket office and go there in person. At 4pm we were able to hitch a ride with Sara and she drove us to the office (quite convientely located at the cross roads of Ave Ho Chi Minh and Ave Vladimir Lenin (right near Ave Karl Marx and Ave Mao Tse Tung).

Luckily the ticket agent women “spoke” English - but something that were coming to realize is that a lot times people won’t tell you that they don’t understand you but just go along with what you’re saying and end up only making things more confusing. After several failed attempts to book anything in the near future we made a tentative reservation to leave for Chimoio Saturday. We finally ended the day with a back up plan of leaving Saturday but hopefully I am able to get a seat on Thursday’s flight thats less expensive.

When we finally got home we got a great view of the sunset over our Sunset Guesthouse

(Maputo Airport)

I am in Maputo, Mozambique now, got here yesterday and luckily the place we are temporarily staying has internet and hot water (both major luxuries!). We have our first meeting with the COO of Opportunity International, Trudi Schwartz, tomorrow so that’ll shape exactly how this summer goes (hopefully as well as we have planned). Last night we ventured out of the hotel and quickly was reminded that no one speaks English so ordering food was a bit difficult when we don’t know any Portuguese and trying to navigate the taxi back to the hotel was an experience. Today we’re going to try and explore downtown Maputo and try and get our orientation of the city…and find someplace where we can wash our clothes since its been a while since they’ve seen something besides just the sinks in our hostels and hand soap. Luckily technology have made things much easier and after a quick trip to an ATM we were able to have some local currency, Mozambique Meticais (pronounced meta-cash) and the conversion rate is roughly 25 meticias to $1.

Luckily our guesthouse was able to provide us with a more detailed map of Maputo than the one in my Lonely Planet guidebook so we were able to point to a cluster of shops and restaurants that looked like the “downtown” area and instruct the taxi driver in broken English/Portuguese to take us in that general direction. The city wasn’t as large and chaotic as Nairobi, Kenya but felt small and safer like Accra, Ghana. We walked around and saw the Indian Ocean shoreline, passing built up shops and tall office buildings. In addition to getting local currency, buying a Mozambique SIM card for my mobile is another necessity for survival. The choice was between VodaCom and mCel which both provide pre-paid (scratch card) services that you buy from people off the street. We surveyed the streets and saw many more people running around wearing yellow mCel uniforms selling credit than VodaCom so our decision was made - mCel it is! Within a few blocks we quickly came upon a bright yellow mCel shop. Hesitantly, we walked in and approached the counter for fear of encountering any sort of paperwork requirement that would most likely be only in Portuguese. “SIM card” Chelsea said and the woman nodded and handed us a small cardboard box. “20 meticais” the register rang up (equivalent to $0.80). “Dois” I said - attempting to ask for a second SIM card for myself (and to make sure she understood my butchering of probably the easiest Portuguese word I held up two of my fingers).

SIM cards bought and money collected - Chelsea and I are well on our way to dominating this city! Next task: getting lunch and somehow making it back to the guesthouse.