July 13 - July 19

I organized a meeting this week with a private equity (PE) firm that invests in small- to mid-scale farmers in Zimbabwe, Zambia and SA, along with the directors of a company that is trying to bring bamboo to Zimbabwe as a solution for deforestation. The meeting went well, and it got me thinking about the potential of joining a small PE firm that invests in small-scale sub-saharan agriculture. My initial reaction is one of ambivalence and some hesitations, however I think that there would be some important and relevant pros to joining. Some of these could include, but are not limited to, helping to boost Zimbabwe’s economy by focusing on the growth of promising agro firms, travelling more freely between Zimbabwe and NY for ZOF, and lastly allowing me to simply be a part of something larger, entrepreneurial, and potentially quite successful, all while remaining in a field that I enjoy. For now though, these are all simply preliminary ideas and thoughts.

 This week I have also met with two businesses that sell small solar devices in Zimbabwe. These devices are made in the Taiwan or China, then go through a supplier in Australia or the US, to finally sell in Zimbabwe for quite a high price (a solar light is around 20 dollars). The directors of the businesses said that these prices could be very much diminished if they were made in Zimbabwe, further convincing  me to invest in a course that teaches young adults how to construct these types of devices from scratch.

On another note, this was my last week at the orphanage. The children sang a goodbye song for me and gave me a Shona sculpture, which was very moving. I am happy to report that after six weeks at the orphanage, I have begun to cement my ideas for projects that focus on teaching a small-scale farming method in a drought-stricken rural area (Gwanda) and solar engineering in the city (Harare). With a group of volunteers in New York and Harare, I have begun to draft a proposal, timeline, and syllabus for these pilot courses, with the intention of eventually scaling them up and seeing other organizations, institutions and NGOs implement them as well.  

Hosting a CV workshop with the senior girls

Playing with my mobile on the football field