Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Momentum!

Recent press...gearing up for 3 more installs in December...new partners...strategic planning for continuing fundraising, expanding our reach and achieving our next goals.

I received an excited phone call from Kpalime the other day - power had been down for almost an entire day. And FECECAV had electricity :)

The Times Herald - Sunday June 18th, 2010

Official Site of the Republic of Togo - Sunday June 18th, 2010
http://www.republicoftogo.com/Toutes-les-rubriques/Economie/Le-solaire-debarque-a-Kpalime

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Back in Amerique, Expectations Abound

Almost like clockwork, my return from Togo is accompanied by astonishment and feeling completely overwhelmed with the demanding, fast-paced atmosphere of the States (or as Greg Mortenson calls it in Three Cups of Tea, "Jet lag. Culture Shock. Whatever you call the demons of dislocation." - AMAZING BOOK by the way, I am just about done reading it.)

...This time it felt different.

It is hard to put in to words, but in many ways, my life has more significance when I am in Togo, completely focused on the development of SunPower Afrique, the expansion of its programs, new partnerships and projects, wading through the constant struggle with bureaucracy and authority that is neccesary for success. Making a difference with so many people that need and appreciate me. On the East Coast of the United States, I am forever caught up in capitalism and running a business, time consuming and aimed almost entirely at making money. This, of course, required for survival and living life in America. And without it, SunPower Afrique's Pilot Project would never have happened.

Also, the past 2.5 weeks were completely nonstop. Rushing to get both the system installed and all "activites officiels" taken care of, I didn't slow down the entire time, neither did Ron and Jon. We are all exhausted! But the work does not stop here, it only grows along with expectations and plans, and the frustration with being unable to devote 100%, being far away and how quickly time flies, is growing!

The entire FECECAV community and Kpalime officials are , and people are talking about solar energy. In the next few weeks, we will sign contracts with FECECAV and its branches on the final terms of the Solar Loan Program and the repayment of the loan from SunPower Afrique for 50% of the cost of its solar system. We will also keep a close eye on system performance through our trained technicians, and assign a test to all 11 memebers of our Solar Team will be required for certification. In typical Togolese custom of course, tests will be given to "les patrons" to take for a certification of the team. The apprentices will not receive individual certifications just yet, regardless of their competence...we'll get there.

SunPower Afrique has also solidified a partnership with a French development agency, already a partner of FECECAV, to finance 3 more installations on CECAVs throughout the plateau region. I hope that these projects will be underway in early 2011 at the latest. The projected locations are rural branches who do not have any access to electricity without the use of generators when funds/fuel are available: Amoussokope, Danyi and Wome.

I am also thrilled to have a new partner on the ground, in a Microfinance Consultant named Ashley (whom I met at the Chicago Microfinance Conference), who has agreed to work with SunPower Afrique during a 2-year volunteer program she has just begun.

My head is swimming with all of the next steps and loose ends, and what is waiting for me on Tuesday AM at the office (yikes.) SunPower is becoming a fast-moving train, I hope that I can continue keep up with it!

Happy 4th of July. 234 years. Togo is celebrating its 50th year of independence from France this year, posters and billboards in Lome announcing its arrival. We all have so far to go...

Mahemava -
Kira

Monday, June 28, 2010

24-28 June - L’Installation!

I have no words…I cannot put sentences together…Joyous unloading of the container, FECECAV employees, solar technicians, SunPower Afrique. Nothing broken! By far the most popular item for our solar team was the radio Jon brought, which they immediately turned on and began dancing to those contagious West African beats, squealing with delight. All smiles at our American equipment and electrical supplies, and after the customs inspection, we got right to work.

Thursday we organized ourselves and starting mounting racking. This was the most invasive and noisy part of the installation, requiring small holes drilled through FECECAV’s thick concrete roof to bolt down the teak racks. Some FECECAV employees immediately freaked at the thought of collapsing roofs, unruly electricity coming down from the roof, the "smell" of batteries...showcasing the biggest challenge for the expansion of a solar industry in Togo, one we will have to combat head on and defeat with education if this dream is to suceed: lack of knowledge and understanding. Funny that the same ignorance exists in the US.

Our team took turns with the electric hammer drill, thrilled and engaged. They are so animated and hard-working, I will never be able to describe enough my pride and how fond I am of these boys. I will post videos and pictures when I have a better internet connection, as everyone in the world should share in this sheer delight.

Saturday and Sunday we pulled wires.

Today we are connecting batteries and installing ground wire, this afternoon we will run AC wiring to the meter and prepare for interconnection.

All installation techniques reinforced the electrical design and knowledge gained in training – once again I translated to French from Ron and Jon’s English (I am completely exhausted of talking...never thought I'd say that haha...if there are any professional translators out there reading this, I salute you), spotted throughout of course with my joking and laughing with my crew in Ewe. Me also loving every minute. I am unaccountably happy :)

This Thursday will be the grand unveiling. A Togolese PV system commissioning. The mayor will be there, the radio, all of FECECAV and my solar team.

Le vrai lancement de SunPower Afrique au Togo!

More to come…

Money Was Talking

24 June 2010

At 6AM Ron and I moto-ed to the Lomé station and jammed into a taxi, half filled with Kola nuts, on a mission to pick up the container from the port and bring it back to Kpalimé. After a stop in Keve, where it was market day and both sides of the road were lined with colorful stacks pagnes, women hawking platters full of peanuts and dried fish and general Togolese mayhem, we arrived in Lomé.

In Adidogome, the quartier of the Lomé FECECAV office where we were to meet Novinyo and the area in which the riots and mayhem of the past few days was the most “chaud” (hot), we saw blackened pavement and piles of tires on the side of the road, a large police presence, and the remnants of the protests…but as the taxi driver explained, the trouble makers had slipped back into the shadowy corners of Lomé, once again defeated by batons and tear gas.

We went directly to the Maersk office, expecting to head directly to the port. And thus began one of the most frustrating days of my life in Togo. Occasionally I have times such as this, where I wonder why I bother, discouraged and frustrated, conquered and overwhelmed…it is always washed away by the encouragement of my partners and my belief in what I do and the impact of SunPower Afrique, but this is not easy. For the second time on official business in Lomé, a few tears fell.

I learned from our “partners” at Maersk that my papers were not at all in order. I was made aware that SunPower Afrique has only touched the tip of the iceberg in procuring the necessary authorizations and licenses to carry out our import-export and official business in Togo. I was stunned and furious at the lies and secrecy. Again.

I need about 4 more critical documents. No one told me, no one gave me information, no one thought to share these essential procedures. However Simon and his colleagues at Maersk promised to navigate the treacherous and ravenous customs whitewater to get my container out that day. It was only later in the day when Novinyo realized what Simon had muttered under his breath in Ewe after this promise – “You will pay dearly…” He told us he would call when the container was on the truck and ready to depart.

They didn’t tell me before so that they could claim they are “doing me favors,” for which they are of course to be compensated. Same with the Ministry of Decentrealization, who also did not impart any of this information, but also for reasons of sheer misunderstanding of their own government’s procedures…I have a knack for timing. Since this year’s elections, no one knows where anything is anymore…ministers have changed and arbitrarily moved their offices and changed staff to surround themselves with their “associates.” In addition, since the government is now decentralized (since 2005, when Eyadema’s death forced the changeover from dictatorship to multi-party democracy) each ministry carry out licensures and approvals themselves. The result: I end up doing the same thing 8 times, as each ministry is entitled to their own lists of required documents, fees and examination. Stamps and bargains at every one. The inefficiency (and other things which I cannot write on this blog, as I am even now unsuccessfully trying to be politically correct and inoffensive…) is astonishing.

After traveling to at least 5 offices, (including one where the secretary hated me from the moment I walked in the door for whatever reason, refused to make eye contact with me and, when I placed the list I had received at the previous office – a different Ministry – in front of her, innocently, honestly!, asking if it was the same, she starting shrieking at me and asked Novinyo why the hell I was shoving papers in her face from a different department…) Novinyo pulled me aside after this visit. He told me my behavior was unacceptable, I need to shut my mouth, let him do the talking and understand that when I show documents from other offices and demand answers, the perception is that I am insulting them and telling them that they don’t know how to do their job. He then asked me if I had received a Quote from Maersk. This was where the tears came.

For nearly 6 months I have demanded this from Simon. He refused to answer and finally, when I copied my contacts in NY and his big boss, told me that I would receive this upon my arrival. Assuming this was normal procedure I accepted. When I told Novinyo I did not yet have anything except an $800 quote for trucking to Kpalimé (which he cried was ludicrous) he starting screaming. They are going to rob you!! How did you not tell me this?! If you have no quote they can do whatever they want!! They are going to steal everything from us!! I am your representative!! You HAVE to tell me these things Kira!! I felt like a naïve yovo, the worst feeling in the world, a bad partner, and a complete idiot…I also realized that Novinyo is a very special person. He helps me more than anyone else, taking days off from work to drive me around Lomé, negotiate for my documents and support SunPower Afrique. It was at this moment, when he told me I should have told him about the lack of a quote, that I realized how I can rely on him, and how he wants me to rely on him. I am so lucky. He told me to stop my crying immediately. I did my best.

Simon called. The container is on the truck. Come to the office, pay us, and get instructions. Sitting comfortably in the chilly AC of the office, they placed an invoice of $6000 in front of me. I truly thought I might throw up. Panicked, I looked at Novinyo and he warned me to be quiet with his eyes. I did just that. I won’t go into the details of the negotiations, as it is not well-advised for me to write this here, except to say that Novinyo is an expert, a hero and I believe that we embarrassed them into bringing down their fees (although I never did and probably never will get the itemized list I asked for for the “customs fees,” Simon telling me this is an “internal document.”) I somehow persuaded them to let me pay the ocean freight to DAMCO when I return to the states (honestly because I forgot to send the check before I left…it is sitting on my desk…) and, since it was after 5, I couldn’t go to the bank and withdraw the deposit of $3000. I proimised to come back with it next week and realized that somehow I managed to walk out without paying anything…

We then went to the port. Novinyo knew someone at the gate and managed to get us inside, and I felt like a fugitive, ducking between the massive trucks that travel up and down the Route National carrying palm oil and supplies to Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. Ron and I also breathed in enough exhaust and dust to last a lifetime…the port is a bustling place, gritty and loud, dangerous and severe. I couldn't help but notice all of the qir conditioned SUVs full of yovos driving in and out...import-export opportunists preying on the West African market...gross...

Three hours and 11 stamps later (not kidding…) we piled into the massive 1970s Mercedes and pounded our way to Kpalimé in the black African night. We were stopped 6 times along the way for more customs inspections and “fees” and arrived in front FECECAV at 11:45pm. Since a customs agent is required to be present when the container is unloaded, we decided to wait until the morning (they were all sleeping in a sodabi-induced stupor) and, exhausted, collapsed at Petite Suisse.

Last night my friend Yao (FECECAV’s chauffeur with the piercing black eyes and enormous hands that immediately swallow both of mine when they meet – I wrote a lot about him in 2008 if you recall :) ) and I had a beer on the roof of Petite Suisse. Yao spent time in Ghana and does not speak very good French, so understanding his hastily constructed Ewe-French-Ghanaian English phrases is always a challenge. I recounted the saga of getting the container out of the port, and, 20 minutes later, after much tongue clicking and head shaking, he looked at me smiling.

“Oh Togo, Togo,” he said, “Money was talking.”

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

La Formation (Training) & Preparation for the Pilot Install

The first morning of our technician training was the most difficult. It is an extremely delicate balance for Ron, full of challenges. Our training takes place on the roof of Petite Suisse without a projector, instead we have our 3 laptops set up at intervals of a long table and an enormous easel with paper, on which I write important notes in French from Ron’s English powerpoint slides and explanations. I have learned so much…series connections, short circuit voltages (or, now I know, the lack thereof), Ohm’s Law, system sizing…and I have to understand it in order to explain it in another language from Ron’s sometimes overcomplicated (for those of you who know him and his detail-oriented brilliance…) descriptions. My patience here in Togo continues to stun me, as usual – I really wish I could take some of it back with me to the US but it never happens…

To his chagrin, I am constantly slowing Ron down, re-explaining a sample calculation in response to many blank stares, which only I can understand because I too am seeing a lot of this for the first time! However Ron’s experience with training is invaluable, and he teaches me that there are always different levels of competence in a class, and to allow the best to bore is just as bad as allowing the slowest to fall behind. Ron and I find our balance between covering all the material and allowing our group to copy my French notes and translations and, for many of them, everything that is on the screen, even though it is in English and completely unnecessary and they don’t even understand what it means…more lovely remnants of the French colonial education system: recite, repeat, regurgitate. I understand however, why one would want to write everything down, if one has never been given a printout of things presented…

By the second day we had convinced them not to copy everything down off the slide, just the important notes from the easel, as listening and comprehension (if Joy from Rotary is reading this I hope you will be proud!) I also swell with admiration for my sister, a high school math teacher in Brooklyn who works with a difficult population.

The 3rd day of training is fantastic as well, and Jon excels at one of his best traits: teaching practicality and construction. He explained racking and module mounting, not losing one shred of attention even when explaining how to square an array with a 3-4-5 triangle. Our team is engaged, enthusiastic and talented. I cannot even begin to explain my excitement. I am so full of affection for our technicians and what we are doing here! I am getting attached to each of them, getting to know their existing friendships and the new bonds they are forming with eachother. It is amazing to see those that have just met working side by side, heads bent over an Ohms Law equation or giggling over something the silly yovo just mistranslated. Over 2 years of passion, tears and frustration, fundraising, sweat (literally) and strength are coming together...if only we could do more! I feel as though this will become the next theme in my life…

But still we have no container…4 days ago the Togolese government raised the price of a liter gas from 500CFA to 600CFA, a difference of less than a dollar, but for the majority of the Togolese population that live on less than that dollar per day, the increase is devastating…as a result of some global economic dynamic that I am presently unaware of due to my disconnection to the outside world, gas prices have risen internationally, and the impact has now arrived in Togo. Not only those that own motos and cars are affected, it is those that do not have those means of transportation who must now pay a higher fare. If they can.

Lomé has been nearly impassable for days. The Togolese are rioting. You cannot get in and out of the capital, as groups of furious and frustrated citizens have set up roadblocks of rocks and burning tires (and anything else they can find to burn.) I am sure that to most outsiders, seeing the images of shouting young men wielding sticks and machetes in front of plumes of black smoke flash across slideshows of photos on bbc.com appear almost clichéd…this is Africa. But it is so much more complex…first, to most Togolese, the logical, rational explanation that an external factor (such as the Gulf oil spill, which I am assuming is the impetus of all this) has given the Togolese government no choice but to raise the price at which petrol is sold, is not understandable. Since when has this government ever taken care of them? Second, in many respects they are correct! Rather than squander the nominal wealth accrued by the Togolese government on lavish ministerial lifestyles…Third, there is an explanation that most here will never comprehend: corporate greed. I tend to believe, and in speaking with Jon and Ron about this over a delicious lunch of cassava and poisson, we all agree that the filthy, slimy, gluttonous and indecently insatiable international oil companies are exploiting this potential for speculation…and while it takes a little longer, it trickles all the way down to the streets of Lomé, now on fire.

Therefore, in addition to the delays at customs, which, inshallah, should be resolved by the end of the afternoon TODAY, we may not be able to get a truck out of Lomé…but we have a plan…between myself, Novinyo, Claude and our solar team, we are determined to drag our Titan to Kpalimé as soon as it is full (we will pay extra for gas!) The streets generally clear at night, except for the obstinate and truly foolish…so we have devised a plan to travel to Lomé in the night, and slip through the window of darkness. Of course, a Togolese Titan is about as silent and discreet as an elephant walking across a pool table.

Oh Togo, Home Again

The electric atmosphere and energy in Africa surrounding the 2010 World Cup is contagious…more liveliness than usual crowds hotel lobbies and shops and cafés with small, staticky televisions. When an African team is playing, I would be willing to bet money on the fact that all eyes in the country are glued to the screen, filled with pride and anticipation. When you step outside, you can hear the buzzing of the recognizable horns from the stadiums in South Africa floating out of windows and open doors. Visiting my friends, everyone has a fingered piece of paper printed from the Cyber Café with the Cup’s schedule, on which they keep track of the scores of every match. The most exciting thus far has been the Cote d’Ivoire vs. Brasil match, in which, despite high hopes, Cote d’Ivoire and Africa’s star Drogba, lost the match in the tense and aggressive final minutes.

Our first weekend in Kpalimé, was spent with Aminou, head of one of our 2 groups of solar technicians, and by far the most enthusiastic. Often times it is almost painful to hear how much rides on the success of this project when looking into Aminou’s fatigued eyes, as he tells us “SunPower Afrique et l’Energie Solaire est mon avenir, depuis votre arrive je n’ai pas dormi” (“SunPower Afrique and solar energy are my future, since you have arrived I have not slept.”) No pressure…

Aminou took us to visit the installation that I had previously seen in the village of Agou-Akplolo, where we gave him a hydrometer and voltage meter we had brought with us, not to miss a training opportunity! Ron explained to Aminou and the boy who had been maintaining the batteries, how the system worked and how to maintain the batteries – neither of which were as understood as one would imagine they would have been, having been installed and maintained by the 2…Ron and Jon asked a lot of questions, both soaking in the methods of installation used as well as the level of true comprehension and knowledge. This has been one of the most interesting elements of our training –current methods vs. correct methods (often maintaining a very fine line in between and even more often, subject to interpretation); those who have already completed an electrical apprenticeship vs. those who have graduated from middle school; those who are and will always be laborers vs. the hidden minds of future engineers.

Piling back into the taxi, we continued further into the bush…stopping in a tiny, tiny village outside of Agou. No more than a handful of huts and sandy passages, a church and a massive Baobob tree, it was peaceful and quiet. Supposedly there was a solar system here…

A young boy (I can never tell the ages of Togolese children, since as a result of childhood malnutrition a 7 year old often looks like he is 4 and a 14 year old like he is only 9 or 10) silently led us to the Chef of the village to announce our arrival and ask for the whereabouts of the solar installation. Sitting in an aged wooden recliner, an ancient radio communicating in Ewe, and one inflamed foot propped up on a pile of sand, the village elder greeted us and pointed, instructing the young boy to take us to our destination. Few spoke French, as is often the case in rural villages, and I proudly showed off my growing vocabulary of my favorite vernacular :)

We arrived at a crumbling mud hut and looked anticlimactically at a rusting 25Watt (tiny) module atop a shockingly sturdy steel pole. Corroded wiring led to a charge controller long occupied by spiders, and then on to an empty battery box.

An old man came up to us and asked, in French, whether we were going to fix the solar. He continued, there is no electricity for kilometers, all of the surrounding schoolchildren would come here when we had light, and would gather around it to learn. Was this a TV commercial?? Like the “classic” African child with flies stuck to his tears, hands outstretched for a grain of rice? How could we refuse to return and repair what other yovos had long forgotten? We decided to use our precious extra PV module for this village, and promised to do our absolute best to return with it, along with a new charge controller and battery (which we will purchase in Lomé).

Returning to Kpalimé in the late afternoon we went to check on ourTeak, which we will be using as our module racking for FECECAV’s solar system. My dear friend Chantal enlisted her father, who is a wood sculptor and carpenter, to prepare 6foot lengths of the locally grown, durable wood. I had called and “placed the order” over a month ago. Upon our arrival, after several minutes of jubilant bouncing and shouts of “Kila! Kila!”from Chantal’s youngest son Eli, we arrived at a pile of 3 foot lengths of teak. Woops.

After about 25 minutes of back and forth, transfering of blame, me trying to calm Jon’s frustration and the ensuing offense taken by the opposite side, we reached an understanding and Papa Chantal planned to head of into the bush the following day to cut down a giant teak tree to meet our needs.

As I write this blog I think about the different way it would be written by Jon or Ron, experiencing the rusted out taxis with battered windshields and no seatbelts, elephant grass lined trails in the bush and shouts of yovo-yovo for the first or second time. I love the fact that while je suis habituée with it all, I still appreciate it. Everything. Every time. Every time I fall in love with Togo all over again.

Most nights Jon and Ron stay at Petite Suisse, where they have become prized visitors (I am old news by now) and, almost to the point of annoyance, are obsessed over as “Mister Jon” and “Mister Ron” (spoken with the notorious rolling “R” – Misterrrr Rrrron), and I go out to see my friends, loving every minute of the familiarity of being independent in Kpalimé and spending time with the group of people that have become my life here. Things are somewhat different now, but as is the case with nearly everything here, so much remains the same…

Walking home last night, the song “Uptown Girl,” blared out of a small bar on the side of the road. “Uptown girrrlll…livin in her white girrrl worrrllllld” it crackled out into the night. I did a double take as the lyrics took effect, laughed to myself and hissed at a taxi moto to take me back to Petite Suisse.

Begin at the Beginning – SunPower Afrique est Lancé au Togo

17 June, 2010

Our plane bounced into Lomé 2 hours late, and to my shock and awe, all 6 of our suitcases, backpacks and boxes chugged around the groaning belt within 10 minutes. I could not believe it. As per usual, zipped side pockets had been opened by curious fingers and greedy eyes, but all cargo remained intact. Baggage – check.

My heart pounded as we approached the xray machine, through which all baggage passes before leaving the airport, and nearly popped out of my chest when I saw the same beady eyes of the customs officer who held my solar panels hostage last December. I ducked my eyes, and somehow, by some magnificent stroke of luck he patted his colleague on the back, yawned and turned into his office (for his customary hourly nap.) My anxiety returned however when another customs officer, the equally hostile woman with whom I had haggled over and over, shrieked, “Eh! Toi encore?!” (You again?!) I smiled and said, “Yes! I am back to help more people use electricity here in Togo! And I have all of my documents in order!” She looked me up and down, looked wearily at the pile of boxes sitting in front of us, and waved me away. I imagine she was simply too lackluster to deal with it. I’ll take it. Customs – check.

Novinyo and Ametepe greeted us outside the baggage area, the hot humid air infiltrating our clothes and skin. Mutually thrilled to see each other as usual, we hugged, shook, snapped and greeted our way out of the airport. Jon and Ron were hysterical to see all of our luggage jammed into the tiny trunk and backseat of Novinyo’s Audi, and then became incredulous when we were instructed to squeeze ourselves into the car as well. I wasn’t surprised of course Smooth arrival and reunion with my beloved Togolese counterparts – check.

We spent the next 2 days in Lomé, buying various supplies such as a hammer drill with the correct voltage and a Togolese extension cord. The owner of the electrical shop in which we bought the drill had a Deka battery and Conergy PV module for sale! Novinyo, always the eager and opportunistic entrepreneur, immediately began excitedly discussing with him the posssiblities of distributorship. While often overwhelming, especially in Lomé, the potential for this project in Togo is off the charts.

On the morning of the 18th we went to visit our friends at Maersk, to bring our container of the port, load it onto a large truck (which they call here “Titan” pronounced “Teetan” – I don’t know why but I find this absolutely hilarious) and make our way to Kpalimé. Facile non?

Not so…

A certain Maersk employee, with whom I struggled to communicate from the states and had significant doubts in regard to his ability to smoothly carry out this timely operation (mostly due to his arrogant attitude, which, of course, is coupled with the fact that his office is chilled by a sweating air conditioner) immediately wiped the smile off my face that had not faded since I first saw Novinyo’s face. He had not explained the fact that, upon its arrival in Togo, the port and Maersk require at least 3 days to “examine the cargo” and “do the paperwork” to release it. Had I known, we would have arrived 3 days later! To top it all off, it was Friday. No work on Saturday, no work on Sunday, and Monday was a holiday (Togolese memorial day for those that died in the war of independence.) I was furious, but, as I have learned, bit my tongue and negotiated to get the container as quickly as possible. Jon, never quite so reserved, pushed these proud gentlemen to their limit, but, after taking its toll of my level of stress, was instrumental in explaining the desperate need for the equipment by the following Wednesday at the latest. They refused to promise Wednesday, but said they would do their best and “most likely we would have it by Thursday. What could we do…?

Begrudgingly we decided to head to Kpalimé without our panels, inverters, wiring, batteries, everything…we would start the training and return for the container the next week. See you Wednesday I said, and they forced a shifty smile and said, no promises Yovo.

Novinyo leant us his car and found us a driver, to take us to Kpalimé with our pile of baggage, and then return the same day with his vehicle. I told Ron and Jon we were headed home. I immediately fell asleep for the entire ride down the familiar trip from the capital to the foot of Togo’s majestic mountainous border with Ghana.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Back to the Yovo Show - 2 Days to Togo 2010

I am quite experienced at this point in my packing career...having eliminated all of the accesory accoutrements recommended in tourist guides and travel books, only carrying with me the basic items I have learned are actually useful to me in West Africa. Of course, most space in my baggages is occupied with gifts and goodies to impart upon my friends and family qui m'attendent.

It is both reassuring and stressful to know that I won't be traveling alone. Every time I make the trip halfway across the world on my own I relish the space from every single thing in my life, and simply enjoy my proud independence. This time around I will be a translator, a tour guide, an organizer and a mediator, balancing culture and work ethic, autonomy and dependence, delegating and ownership...

It is also quite a complex emotion to understand that 2+ years of project development and fundraising are about to materialize into SunPower Afrique's pilot project that will not only change lives in Togo, but create a tangible result of the potential of this organization.

Jon, Ron and I leave JFK at 10PM this Tuesday night (the 15th) and return on July 2nd. We will be in Lome one day before the container's arrival at the port, at which time we will accompany it to Kpalime. Two weeks of training and installation will ensue...battery maintenance and troubleshooting will be the crux of our training program (for which the manuals are not yet finalized and printed and I am starting to freak out a little bit...)

The 3 of us will be staying at Petit Suisse, like the old days :) Many things are different this time around, on every possible front. But I hope that I will always be the Yovo-avec-le-sang-Africain de Kpalime.

I have already invited the Director of the National Microfinance Committee and several of my "political" contacts to the system commissioning. Yes, I am excited. C'est un grand chose.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

The Shipping Container - Loaded!

Yesterday, May 11th 2010, was a momentus day for SunPower Afrique, and the first physical, tangible step towards the pilot project in June. The container has been loaded!
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At approximately 4PM a tractor trailer pulling a 20 foot Maersk shipping container labored its way down Pechins Mill Road, executed a 35 point turn and grunted to a halt amidst the boxes and packaged solar equipment being shipped to Togo on May 18th.
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The entire SunPower team, including SunPower Builders employees and SunPower Afrique volunteers (often one in the same these days...!) made this possible throughout the past 2 weeks. I am eternally grateful. Last minute runs to the electrical supply house, frantic phone calls to Conway and UPS tracking packages and confirming shipments, rigorous testing of all system components...
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Miraculously, when the truck arrived, so had everything else...except for one 21lb package containing an inverter controller, which we will carry with us in a month, along with all of the other items we realize-we-might-possibly-need-and-didn't-already-bring-3-extras :)
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For 2 hours, we loaded the container. All items were boxed and itemized, protected and secured and lifted into the gaping mouth of the giant, echoing metal box that will carry our prized cargo across the ocean.
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Here is a short story in pictures of what feels like the beginning of the end of a long journey, but is really just the beginning of another beginning, of a whole nother, larger, even more exciting adventure...
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Wednesday, May 5, 2010

SunPower Afrique Goes National!

This weekend, I will be speaking on a panel at The Chicago Microfinance Conference (CMFC), a collaborative effort among leading graduate business and policy institutions that brings together practitioners, academics and emerging industry leaders to advance the strategic debate of the future of microfinance.

I was originally invited to be a speaker at the conference on the general theme of "Green Microfinance" but as the conference's agenda developed, organizations throughout the world doing similiar work combining renewable energy, the environment and microfinance were brought in to form a panel called "Microfinance Goes Green." I will be joined by 3 others to discuss why renewables and microfinance, and the environment and international development, are inherently linked, and where this momentum will lead the microfinance community in the coming years.

You can learn more about the conference participants and the conference itself here: http://www.chicagomicrofinance.com/speakers.shtml

If you're in Chicago come check it out!

===================================

In other news, after the pilot project, I will be focusing on an application for this grant from the Draper Richards Foundation: http://www.draperrichards.org/process/guidelines.html

This grant, which supports startup non-profit social ventures with funding for 3 years, fits perfectly with SunPower Afrique's mission, current status and future vision. The foundation's homepage states: "By delivering critical support at the start-up phase, Draper Richards Fellowships help outstanding people create wide-spread social change."

A Draper Richards Fellowship, along with the excellent reccomendations on our financial model from Penn State, would allow SunPower Afrique to operate in the black and move beyond the pilot state into our 10-year scaleability plan. Ashoka watch out, I WILL be back...I am a passionate and principled entrepreneur.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Equipment Ordered for June Pilot!

We are doing it...

I am almost afraid to say it out loud, but at the same time I want to shout it from every rooftop! We have raised nearly enough funding to carry out our Pilot Project in June, and are moving forward. We are confident that we can bring in the remaining $5-10K needed in the next few weeks to buy plane tickets and the final odds and ends...or at least to reimburse ourselves for covering it...!

Several blog updates coming soon, with detailed information on our system design, procurement, shipping & importing and next steps. I apologize for neglecting KiraWithoutBorders in recent weeks, the PA solar industry has taken over my life! (which I suppose on one hand is also a good thing...)

But in the interim, please share our excitement in the placement of Purchase Orders! We have ordered:

- 30, 170Watt GE (US-made!) PV modules
- 2, 3kW Outback grid-tied inverters (brand new product!)
- 24 Deka deep-cycle batteries (PA made!)
- All of the neccesary controls, disconnects and accoutrements :)
- 20 x 20 shipping container for the 30-day trek from Newark, DE to Lome, Togo

Racking details, mounting methods, nuts and bolts and round-trip tickets to Lome are next...stay tuned!

It is actually such a relief to know that we will back in Togo soon...
K

Thursday, April 8, 2010

APPEAL FOR LAPTOP DONATIONS GETS BETTER!

It gets better!

If you donate a laptop to SunPower Afrique, not only is it still a tax deduction donation, but Collegeville-based MONTCO-IT is offering to replace your laptop for a significantly reduced cost.

Need a new laptop? Donate your used laptop to those in need and get a brand-spankin new one cheap! Win-win :)




Please contact Kira at kira.costanza@sunpowerafrique.org or 610.489.1105 if you can help!

Akpe ka ka! Merci beaucoup! Thank you very much!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

APPEAL FOR OLD LAPTOPS!

SunPower Afrique is asking for donations of laptops – used or new – to bring to Togo in June. Equipment donations are also tax deductible!

Here is why:

1. One of SunPower Afrique's goals is to impart to Togolese MFIs and small businesses the importance of reducing energy consumption. To encourage this, we have switched many appliances from AC to DC. The biggest part of this is removing FECECAV's ancient, energy hogging desktops and switching them to laptops.











2. Similiarly, the system size is incredibly dependant on load reduction, and we have determined that the most effective way to reduce their consumption is to switch the majority of FECECAV's desktop computers to laptops.

Therefore, SunPower Afrique is asking for donations of laptops – used or new – to bring to Togo for this purpose. If we can collect 20-25 laptops we will achieve this goal. Equipment donations are also tax deductible.

I am willing to pick them up and they can be in good to fair condition, I can do minimal repair work if necessary.

If you do not have any laptops to contribute, please consider making a donation to SunPower Afrique at http://www.sunpowerafrique.org/!

Thank you very much for your time and consideration to – your support will make a HUGE DIFFERENCE!

PLEASE CONTACT kira.costanza@sunpowerafrique.org if you have any laptops you can part with, would like to purchase and donate a laptop, or know anyone that might!

Note: We plan to move the desktops to other locations where they can be of use. If certain computers are deemed unuseable or unneccesary, we will safely and responsibly dispose of them - this too will set an example for local communities! (The irresponsible disposal of computer equipment is an increasing problem on the West African coast...and throughout the world...I hope that humanity will soon find a solution, as our current computers are replaced more and more frequently).

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Project Update - 20 March - Presque!

SunPower Afrique's pilot project is now slated for June 2010. In the wake of the global recession, massive budget cuts in every institution, government agency and private sector economy in the world, all non-profits have been hit exceptionally hard. SunPower Afrique's start-up status has made this even more challenging. But we are DOING THIS!

Presently and somewhat miraculously, mostly a result of aggressive and die-hard tenacity, we have raised over $25,000, which covers the training, outreach and all other costs besides the actual equipment - and we have excellent leads with some global solar companies and donors to top-off our budget in time. Our partners in Togo are READY (getting impatient actually!) and the word about SunPower Afrique continues to spread like wildfire in Kpalimé and beyond.

I want to take another opportunity to offer my sincere and indescribeable appreciation to every individual, every family, every business, every partner who has supported SunPower Afrique thus far. We have raised over $25,ooo with an average donation size of $50-100. It is truly amazing.

Jon and our training partner, who will be traveling with us to Togo in June, Ron Celentano, have designed an innovative PV system that reduces FECECAV's load significantly, not only encouraging responsible energy consumption, but also requiring a smaller system that will be grid-tied and use the solar PV as backup. More details about system design are forthcoming, including a full list of components and drawings, so that all of our donors can see exactly how their contributions are being spent. We are also developing the final curriculum for the classroom portion of our training (thank you Ron!) and I am trying to figure out how I will manage to get it all straight and translated into Français before June...

Importantly, a momentous goal has been achieved! After revising and re-revising and re-revising and re-revising (and re-revising and re-revising) SunPower Afrique's business plan, with input from dozens of retired executives, MBA students and others, all with their (always well intentioned!) opinions on how the plan should be written, and in some cases, how the mission of my project should be transformed...I have a real, legitimate, magnificent business plan. I was lucky enough to work with my, now close partner, Ayite Gaba (I wrote a previous blog about this incredible soul earlier in the month - http://kirawithoutborders.blogspot.com/2010/02/introducing-monsieur-ayite-gaba.html).

Ayite and I are now, together, soliciting development agencies and financial institutions with microlending or social investment programs for this improved, long-term and sustainable business model.

Please have a look at the new BPlan which has been uploaded to the homepage of the SunPower Afrique website: http://www.sunpowerafrique.org/PDF/Home/SunPower%20Afrique%20Bplan_FINAL_March2010.pdf

If you know anyone or have any contacts at the types of donors we are currently soliciting, please do not hesitate to send me an email at kira.costanza@sunpowerafrique.org!

In addition, SunPower Afrique has been chosen to participate in a Social Entrepreneurship course at Penn State Great Valley, where grad students will be working with Jon and I to develop effective non-profit marketing strategies and the beginnings of a real SunPower Builders - SunPower Afrique hybrid business model.

Akpe pour la patience de TOUS mes partènaires, a deux côtes de la mer, et akpe ka ka ka ka pour la confiance que vous avez mis sur les époules de SunPower Afrique. We will not let you know. Le projet arrive a trés bientot.

Miadogo looooo!

How's that for Franglewe? :)

Kira Akou Costanza
Directrice Executive

Saturday, March 6, 2010

2010 Togo Election Results Coming In...

The main opposition party in Togo has claimed widespread irregularities in the country's presidential election. However...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8553955.stm

Witholding judgement or opinion until final results, which must now be approved by Togo's electoral commission ("independant" for the first time in the country's history), are released, and, more importantly, we see how the opposition reacts. And how organized and mobilize they are on a grassroots level...most people in the capital remain indoors and nervous, but my friends in Kpalime have been surprisingly calm.

Here are some articles on the current situation. More to come.

IN-BRIEF: Vote Counting in Togo:
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=88329

Togo Opposition Claims 'Irregularities" in Poll
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8548787.stm

Togo Police Use Tear Gas on Opposition Protesters
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8553114.stm

Disputed Vote Spawns Fears
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=88337

Tip-Toeing Towards Reconciliation (this piece conveys both the shameless optimism I feel about Togolese development, and the confusion and anger I often feel towards stagnation and corruption...)
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=88317

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Paix Avant Tous

My thoughts will be with Togo and preoccupied for the next 24-48 hours...hoping for peace and nonviolence during Presidential Elections. I hope that as many of the Togolese population are able to vote, in safety, above all.

There appears to be an indescribable group of Togolese youth, mobilized and passionate, ready to contest a fraudulent election...truly ready to "die to extract from the ruling party's hand a victory for the opposition." And "take to the streets to reclaim victory, if the ruling power ever tries to steal this vote." I am simultaneously and uncomfortably proud and terrified. Please keep my friends safe.














Last minute election news:

Incumbent Faces Strong Challenge at Polls
http://allafrica.com/stories/201003031020.html

A Crucial Opportunity for the Country
http://allafrica.com/stories/201003030015.html

Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=88305

UN Chief Calls for Peaceful Polls

http://www0.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33941&Cr=west+africa&Cr1=

En Francais:

(From Faure and the RPT)
http://www.republicoftogo.com/

Aujourd'hui 4 mars 2010 - Les Togolais ont rendez-vous avec leur destin

http://fr.allafrica.com/stories/201003040039.html

Fin de campagne, démonstration de forces!

http://allafrica.com/stories/201003031020.html

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Togolese Elections 4 March, 2010

The Togolese population is ready for change, but channels for that momentum and energy are difficult to find and organize. Elections have been postponed from February 28 to March 4, at the request of the opposition. President Faure Gnassingbe noted that the elections are being delayed "with the aim of permanently seeking consensus and maintaining a peaceful climate during the electoral process."

While I have my opinion on what the outcome of the election will almost certainly be, all I can do is hope, both personally and professionally, that the government, the opposition and the population can find a balance of non-violence during the campaigns and the election. May peaceful means of protest be tolerated and violence towards the status quo be restrained.

Here are a few links to Togolese election news:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201002171118.html (Togo's First Female Candidate! Although she withrew fearing fraudulent results and in protest of flawed electoral processes...joining the main opposition party, the UFC, who withdrew in mid-February)










More on the UFC withdrawal here:

Five Opposition Parties come together under the umbrella of FRAC in support of new UFC candidate Jean-Pierre Fabre:

More information on Jean-Pierre Fabre - interesting character - can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Pierre_Fabre






And here is his campaign site and the UFC site (en francais):
Et bien sur, the RPT (ruling party of President Faure) site, synonymous with the official site of the Republic of Togo:

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Introducing Monsieur Ayite Gaba

An email came to me on January 8, 2010 from my Togolese friend John in California:

Ayite, please meet Kira.

Kira please meet Ayite. I believe you both are in Togo now and you should try to meet.

Let's start talking and make something happen here :)

I have struggled, since founding SunPower Afrique in 2008, with my lack of an MBA...and while I have learned as I've gone along, and no longer feel that an MBA will be my advanced degree of choice, the ability to design financial models in excel spreadsheets and properly construct business plans have proven themselves again and again critical to SunPower Afrique's success...

To compensate for my lack of business management experience I have reached out to many. From MBA students to retired executives to wall street financiers to nonprofit managers...not only could networking and market-researching be a full time job in its own right, but finding someone to help me who a) understands exactly where I am coming from b) will follow through and c) most importantly, can do all of this for free...has been quite challenging. (Not to say that I am automatically entitled to any of this, nor to render insigificant any of the monumental support I have received thus far!)

Then I "met" Ayite, who immediately understood me and my project. Our partnership is strengthened by the fact that Ayite is Togolese and quickly noted how Togolese-at-heart this Yovo actually is...(I have recently undergone some self-recognition, vindicated by a "What Color is your Personality" test at Rotary a few weeks ago, realizing how much I, a Blue, thrive on peoples' recognition of my passion and "unique contributions to the world" :))

In one of our first email conversations, Ayite wrote, "It has been 12 years since I left Togo and I have ever since been searching for an opportunity to do a meaningful work there. I think SPA is a rare opportunity to put my knowledge of technology and business to use in Togo ."

A Togolese expat, Ayite has worked for over 5 five years in various engineering and product management roles in the high-tech industry both in the United States and in Germany before deciding to return to Africa to put his knowledge to use there. He has just accepted a Business Development Associate role with Google in Senegal, where he wants to help bring technology to the masses in Africa. Ayite has an MBA from INSEAD in Singapore and France and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from San Jose State University in California. I cannot believe how lucky I am to have him working with me.

Ayite dove right in. asking comprehensive and pointed questions about my product, my impact, my goals...my value proposition...sustainability and scaleability...He is enthusiastic, encouraging and practical, telling me that yes, the potential for this project is paramount and we are going to get the funding we need, but first we've got to do something about this cash flow situation Kira...

A little over a month later, we are days away from a thorough, sensibile, self-sustaining financial model and business plan for SunPower Afrique, something I have been trying to put together for far too long...Thanks to Ayite's and my similiar philsophies, understandings of international development and committment to responsible business, I have been able to trust and delegate.

Even since I started SunPower Afrique at the beginning of 2008, the concept of expanding the use renewable energy in the developing world has grown dramatically. And there are organizations and people, such as SELCO, SELF and the late and beloved Walt Ratterman, that have been working in this framework for years. There are so many models, from charity to non-profit to public-private partnerships to for-profit and everything in between - which is where SunPower Afrique falls, somewhere in between. In the burgeoning world of social-entrepreneurship and social investment (http://www.ashoka.org/social_entrepreneur; http://www.pbs.org/opb/thenewheroes/whatis/) that is exhilarating, competitive, exciting, terrifying and inspiring...And Ayite is helping me to find my place there, by putting all of my foundations and partially constructed building blocks in place, filling in the holes and lining them up for success.

Since the beginning I have spoken about my Ashoka-Skoll-Schwab aspirations, however amorphous and remote...I continue to hold these ambitions close, but now I can see them more tangibly...the huge piles of research on initiatives and institutions that support social entrepreneurs are ready to be picked through again. I am ready to approach and re-approach the big guns with creative and strategic ways to invest money in social change. With a strong written portfolio to back up my dogmatic ideals, SunPower Afrique might just be unstoppable :)

Akpe ka ka Ayite. Akpe loooo.

"For me sustainability and acting responsibly are unequivocally inseparable. I know most capitalists will disagree with me on this but that is alright..." - Ayite Gaba, Feb. 2010

Friday, January 22, 2010

Aklala Batik! New Website and NYC Debut!

Soon to be solar loan client and dear friend in Togo, Chantal Donvide, founder of Aklala Batik. has a new website!


Put together by the fabulous and talented Megan Rhodes, former Peace Corps volunteer in Togo who helped Chantal develop this business into the success it is becoming today. You can follow the blog that Megan keeps for Aklala as well: http://www.aklala.blogspot.com/

We love you Chantal and can't wait to bring solar energy to your business to increase your already stunning capacity :)
These are the stories and faces of SunPower Afrique in Togo.

Friday, January 15, 2010

SunPower Afrique Stands With Haiti

Nos prières et penseés sont avec l'Haiti.

We urge you to support Partners in Health (PIH), who have been working on the ground in Haiti for over 20 years. They urgently need your support to help those affected by the earthquake.

Stand With Haiti

Partners in Health have also partnered in recent years with the Solar Electric Light Fund, who is currently diverting 13 kW of solar panels to a PIH facility to provide electricity for critical lighting and emergency medical treatment.

Stand With Haiti

May our hearts and prayers remain with Haiti.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Happy New Year from Your President, Faure Gnassingbe

New Years Day in Togo is steeped in tradition. And beautiful realism mixed with optimism. It is a bit of a slow day, sleepily compensating for the last night's festivities and staying up late - whether you are a maman coming home from church at 4AM or an ornery 6-year old boy who spent his New Years Eve throwing loud, homemade poppers (called "bandits" :) )at rocks and sand. The enveloping celebratory atmosphere transcends denominations and neighborhoods, genders and ages. And everyone has the same annual wish for the year upon us...sante avant tous. Health above all.

Si nous avons la sante, la reste va venir. If we have our health, everything else will come.

After health, les voeux are money, work (which rely inherently on each other...) happiness and, as I chimed in to much laughter, beaucoup d'energie solaire en 2010!

The Togolese tradition on New Years Eve is to go to church at Midnight, to ring in the New Year. Even those that didn't go to church on Christmas eve were there at 00:00 31, Dec., 2009.

After the 4-5 hour service-chorus-dance-celebration, people return home to prepare an early morning fufu. Makes perfect sense to me to ring in the New Year with a bon fufu :)




Throughout the day, we visited friends to wish them health and a prosperous 2010. Around 2PM we found ourselves at Daniels, just in time for the President's New Years Address...

First, a 3-minute scratchy rendition of the Togolese national anthem played, while Daniel sang random words and beamed at thoughts of Kabye ministers. The general tone and style of the song are military, as it was written during Togo's independence before the regime of Eyadema.

Petit Digression: I looked up the words of the anthem later on, and learned that the Togolese National Anthem describes the difficulties of the past but more importantly, the will to reconstruct and create unity and prosperity. It is almost like a promise by the Togolese people, government and spirit of dedication to their country. The intense identity and nationalism of Togolese resonate from the anthem's lyrics.

Here is a sample: People of Togo arise! Let us build the nation. To serve thee in unity is the most burning desire of our hearts. Let us shout aloud our motto that nothing can tarnish. We the only builders of thy happiness and of thy future. Everywhere let us break chains and treachery, and we swear to thee for ever faith, love, service, untiring zeal. To make thee yet, beloved Togo, a golden example for humanity.

A graphic of the waving Togolese flag floats across the screen.

Monsieur Faure Essozimna GNASSINGBE,Président de la République appears fairly expressionlessly on the screen(imagine the backdrop as SNL Weekend Update circa 1998), his title extending across the bottom.

Faure spoke for about 10 minutes, airily wishing a prosperous 2010 with gigantic leaps in economic productivity and Togo's brilliant emergence as a transparent democracy. There was a surprisingly progressive element of substance in the middle of his speech however, when Faure announced that on January 13 (the National Holiday celebrating not only the assasination and overthrowing of the first Togolese Prime Minister Sylvanus Olypmio, but the first true Coup d'Etat on the continent of Africa, in 1963) Togolese authorities will travel to Benin to dig up and bring back to Togo to remains of Sylvanus Olympio, in a gesture of national unity and semblance of a break with the Eyadema years. Faure announced that from now on, the 13 Janvier will no longer be a national celebration of victory but a national day of prayer.

Daniel loudly applauded the president's decision. I continued to count how many times Faure uttered the words "Mes Compatriats." In the words of my friend and Kiva Fellow Nick (who is currently working with FECECAV), the man needs a teleprompter.

Faure closed out his speech by wishing a "successful" and "transparent" election in February. For himself.

There is no question that Faure will win a second term. Besides the widespread belief (and sincere concern and opinion of mine) that a free and fair election will not be permitted, there is no real opposition candidate. Opposition parties are not well organized or effective in Togo, and, fascinatingly, the front-running "opposition" candidate's name is Gilchrist Olympio. Yes, son of Sylvanus. Togo desperately needs some new blood...

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=86&art_id=nw20100112163243686C356854

Informal campaigning for the February 28,2010 Presidential Election has already begun, with visits and gifts to villages of rice, corn and pagne. And fCFA. There is a national list on which you can sign up to receive a green sac of rice, on which is written "Faure 2010." If you want to be seen as supportive of Faure, or think yo should be seen as supportive of Faure and the regime, you'd better have a green sac of rice...official, organized campaigning, when posters and rallies will overtake the capital, begins in early January.











Bonne Nouvelle Annee - Happy New Year.

Sante, Bonheur et l'Energie Aolaire - Health, Happiness and Solar Energy.

To my family and friends, throughout the world. You know who you are, and to those I do not know yet - I look forward to it :) To the people of Togo and the Togolese diaspora, with whom I will be forever connected and thankful.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

SunPower Afrique Eases out of 2009 and Rings in 2010 in Togo



Final Blog Posts Coming Soon:

1 January 2010 - Happy New Year from Your President Faure Gnassingbe

5 January 2010 - Two Weeks in Togo...Keep Pushing On

And lastly, thank you to Alexandra Fuller, in Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, for helping to put this into words for me...

"African by accident, not by birth. So while soul, heart and the bent of my mind are African, my skin blaringly begs to differ and is resolutely white..."

Sunday, January 3, 2010

30 December - Vindication

I have a nasty sore throat after spending 4 consecutive days in Lome…between the dust, busted motos trailing tails of blue smoke and massive piles of burning garbage, it does not add up to the most positive environment for one’s respiratory system…but in the end it apperars to have been worth it.

Since je ne me decourage pas, I went back again to the Ministry of Decentralization for my recepisse. I zent directly to the higher up whom I had met the day before, to continue to push him to get the document signed before my departure. I have learned quickly that showing my face every day and cooing in Ewe is the easiest, zell qctually the only, zqy to get what I need and want from this government. Tommorrow, he said again, although I knew well that both today and tommorrow were half days because of the holiday. Maybe Monday ? Luckily this time he only wasted about 15 mintues of my time…

Claude was with me, to try once again to collect the 2 120 Watt Sharp modules still sitting in the customs office at the airport. This time I brought my copy of the decree, signed bythe Direcetur Generale of Customs, to present to the customs officers surely still dozing at the airport .
We first met a contact of Claude’s in another customs office close to the airport, to as khis opinion of the document and if he thought it would get us anywhere. He read the document and said that yes, he thought that i twas still in effect, even though the date on the document was 1998…this, he said, is what would create problems, as this also meant it was signed bythe former regime’s Customs Director (which former regime… ? Everyone knows that nothing has changed, although the ministries have added the words « of reform » at the end of their already outrageous and extraneous titles…)

After consulting with his boss, he said that he would be happy to call the office in teh airport and ask them to release the panels for a smaller fee than the 200,000CFA demanded by the qrrogant minions that had insulted me the day before.

In the classic Togolese fashion that I have become disturbingly accustomed to, we discovered that since there were no flights that day (again, yes, really), the head of the airport customs office had not come in to work.

Determined not to be foiled again, I decided that we must find the new version of the decree . We moto-ed back across town to the Direction General of Togolese Customs. After more Ewe canoodling with the security guards and secreatire, we found ourselves (rather quickly, considering the others in the waiting room had been there for 3 hours…sometimes I must just shamelessly take advantage of my zhite skin and green eyes…however terrible that it…I was fed up…) in the office of the Director of International Customs Affairs.

He looked at the decree that I handed him for a long 2 minutes then raised his eyes and said yes, this is still in effect. I suppressed my excitement with difficulty and asked if it was possible to obtain the new copy for my future work in Togo (I lmentioned nothing pof the panels zaiting at the airport and the ridiculous bribe i had encountered). He sucked air through his front teeth and said, sorry, there is no nezw version. I asked innocently if they would accept this one, as it is signed by the old Diurector from the previous government. He shrugged. I pushed on. Would it be possible to obtain a letter or signature from the new director with the current date ? Just do that I dont have any problems...humor me monsieur, s’il vous plait…

Bon, he said, write the letter. And I will get it signed for you. Here, he continued, and handed me a pencil and piece of paper, write this down. He proceeded to dictate the letter and told me to brin git back to him as soon as possible, with my logo at the top and a 500CFA stamp.
The stamp. A different 500CFA stamp for every document submitted to any ministry. Like the rubber stamps, without this 500CFA timbre, ce n’est pas officiel. They won’t look at it. Ils mangeant à chaque opportunité qu’ils peuvent…

We brought it back to him a few hours later, after typing and printing it at another of Claude’s friend’s tiny office , all the way across the city. Therefore our one shot at accomplishing our task.
I felt incredibly effective and satisfied, telling the Director that I would return on Monday to pick it up. Yea right, but fingers crossed anyway…

With the precious knowledge that the decree was still in effect we made one more trip to the airport. Buying a coca for the guard to let Claude in the office with me, we tried again to plead our case to the attendants. They continued to refuse, telling me thank you for bringing the decree this time but we cannot accept it, as i looked longingly at my solar panels leaned againt the wall where I left them. If they werent so heavy and i wzerent scared of what a Togolese jail cell might be like, I wouldve taken them and run like hell.

Your boss must know that this decree is still in effect, I said szeetly, he is the expert on the law of customs here at the airport no ? They snickered and reminded me that he was not there. Can you call him ? I continued to push. « I have no credit on my cellphone, sorry Madame » Here ! I thrust mine in his face . Give me his number. Shocked and livid, they shouted the number at me, go ahead yovo, try your luck.

Beeeeep . Beeeep. He picked up…I introduced myself and he recognized my identity when I said that I was the owner of the solar panels sitting in his office. What can I do for you Madame ? I read directlyfrom the decree, and told him that we had visiting the Direction of Customs today, to confirlm that it is still in effect. Of course it is, he responded, is there no one there to help you ? I said yes, there are 2 agents here, but they will not let me take them (not reminding him that not 2 days earlier that it was he on the phone who had told them to charge me 200,000CFA…)

Let me talk to one of them, he said. No problem. I sshoved my phone at one of the smirking agents, who proceeded to explain at length that that the document I had was dated 1998. Then he listened, expressionless, and finally said OK chef, no problem no problem. He offered no indication…My heart pounded.

When he hung up he stood and said calmly, See ? that was all you needed to do eh ? Bring that piece of paper ! Yes, I smiled and nodded, picking up the panels one by one and handing them to Claude. So so sorry for any trouble and thank you so much for all of your help and graciousness. Bon Fete et miadogo-loooo. They were half smiling as we carried the panels out the door. The only fee we had paid was the 100CFA for the guards soda.

I have never been so proud in my life.

On the way home, Claude played Celine Dion, Westlife and King Mensah on his cellphone and I leaned my face out the cracked bus window, reveling in our sweet victory.

29 December - Obstacles a Chaque Étape

I awoke this morning to hysterical laughter, the sound of rocks hitting concrete and low growling…uh oh…I wrapped myself in my pagne and flung open the door to find Mathilde, Celine and Maria throwing rocks at Anice, one of the house dogs, who was trapped under a bush. I hissed and scolded them, and they hovered somewhere between fear and apathy before dropping the rocks in their grimy hands. While they inherently knew this was bad, Mathilde is too young to know better and Celine just has a stubborn, mean streak.

Maryann shyly apologized to me. She is one of Maman’s students, who is working as their servant during winter break., When Maman is not here I let her lean on me, touch my fingernails and read the tags on my clothes while I read…she has a beautiful smile and a bald patch on the front of her head where she carries silver bowls of water that weigh more than her thin body.

By 10AM we were in Lomé, which is 10 times hotter and dustier than Kpalimé, because there are almost no trees, and far too many people and motos. We had arrived not only to search for my solar panels at the airport and take care of some business the US Embassy, but also to pay a visit my dear friends at the Ministry of Decentralization in search of my Recepissé, which has STILL not been signed. Without this silly piece of paper, for which I have already spent over $400 (including the small favors I have had to pass quietly in envelopes in order to move my folder from one room to the next…) and waited over a year, I cannot import the panels for my project, lest they be stolen and heavily taxed at the port.

It was a frustrating day…

Starting with the US Embassy, an arrogant fortress with high fences, landscaping and by far the most well-functioning air conditioning units in all of Togo, the day just went downhill and for the first (ok, maybe the second) time, I was officially discouraged and furious at this country’s government’s utter incompetence and corruption. As well as US immigration policy.

Of course Visas to the US are difficult to acquire, and with good reason, but the ridiculous hoops one must navigate through to simply gather information and speak to a human being at the US Embassy in Lomé were out of control.

Upon arrival at the embassy – which for a Togolese person living in Kpalimé takes almost 3 hours and costs a week’s wages – we learned that in order to call the “Visa Information Line” we must go to one of 3 locations in Lomé and buy a calling card which costs 8500CFA, more than 3 times what we paid to get to Lomé in the first place. For most Togolese, the game is already over. They cannot afford the calling card, which by the way, gives you 9 minutes with a “Visa Information Officer” who can “answer your questions and schedule an interview.”

Luckily we had friends in Lomé that took us on their motos all day to our various destinations, so after making our 9 minute phone call (which, of course was an affair all in itself, because to call a land line you must use another land line to avoid using up all of your minutes, and the first 2 phone booths we tried were not working) we zig-zagged our way to some fufu near the Ministerie de Decentralisation. I had called my contact in the morning, who told me that it was not ready, but that I could pass by before 4PM.

After an hour of negotiating, that went from polite to furious, following protocol to pleading, and finally to accepting defeat, I had visited nearly everyone except the minister himself and convinced them to help me find my file and put it in front of his face. Another step forward, after several steps back. I have however maintained very cordial relationships with the employees at this ministry, which works in my favor. My rapidly developing Ewe skills also help :) Apparently since my previous departure the Minister has not signed a single Recepissé…so what is he doing up there?!, I told them I will be leaving soon and I WILL have that authorization in my hand –as firmly as my yovo eyes and voice could muster. Since I am oh so intimidating…

Already agitated and frustrated, we went to the airport to collect my panels and go home, as we were so sweaty and dusty all we needed in the world was a shower. We arrived at 4:30PM to learn that the attendant had gone home at 3PM but her replacement was due to arrive any minute since his shift started at 4. We waited, with 3 others, until he sauntered in at 6PM…yes, really. We followed him into his air conditioned office, next to the customs office, on whose door I had already knocked to find a woman sleeping across 3 chairs with a French soap opera shrieking across the room. After a few minutes I told him jokingly (sort of) that he was late…to which he responded calmly, “Oh? You were waiting for me?” It was all I could do after this day not to reach across the counter and smack him.

But it was nothing compared to what happened next.

Finding my panels in the baggage storage closet, their packaging ripped apart but the panels themselves still intact, I started to carry them out of the terminal. I was immediately hissed at with a “Vient-là! Tu dois presenter ca a la douanes!” (Come here! You must bring that through customs!) The tone was rude and angry…I took a deep breath and turned around. I was in no mood…

After conversing with a customs officer who appeared out of nowhere and the same woman I had found asleep not an hour earlier, I was forced to bring my panels into the customs office…if I had been importing them for sale, rather than them being my personal baggage, I would have of course been happy to declare the materials. But it was just not so. I was however convinced, when a police officer, hearing the customs’ officers rising tones, asked me politely to step into the office. So I did…

I tried to be polite, I really did, but after 20 minutes of haggling (seems to be the story of this day) when I was told I would have to pay 200,000CFA (almost $500) to take the panels out of the airport I surpassed my limit. I asked to see their supervisor. I was then insulted in Ewe and asked who I thought I was to speak to them like this, with daggers in their eyes, you stupid yovo. They said that their boss was not in and that he was the only one who knew the “prices” to import baggage.

I surpassed my limit. I demanded to see the paperwork that explained, under the law, how the customs fees are determined from the value of the product. They snarled that the paperwork is only in their boss’s head. I left without my solar panels. But it's definitely not over.

I cried in the taxi on the way home until Inno squeezed his arm out from between the 4 of us smashed into the backseat and put it around me.

So I said Ok, c’est fini.

C’est promis?

Oui.

Je te demande encore de courage ok? Encore un peu de courage.

Ok.