Happy Halloween from Sophie the Cat

Enroute to Kenya?

I had a phone interview the other night with a San Francisco non-profit, Samasource, about working as their Project Officer within Kenya to oversee projects within Nairobi and the Dadaab Refugee Camps.   Although I was rather nervous at the outset - especially as there were complications getting skype to operate - within moments I found a comfortable relationship developing between us. 


I had discovered Samasource while up late one night, reading about new technology developments on CNET, when I read the headline "Bringing Tech jobs to Third World Refugees."  As much of my own research and work experience has consisted of technology, development, and refugee populations, I was immediately intrigued to learn of this company.  With a slogan "Give Work," Samasource is not an aid 
agency, but instead promotes innovative entrepreneurship within developed and developing nations.  By making it possible for anyone to outsource tasks via an iphone application, Samasource redirects these tasks to workers and refugees within developing nations who promptly accomplish the task and send it back.  These jobs might include data entry, analysis, research, programming, or tedious yet important processes of analysis.  Here is a video in which the founder of the company, Leila Chirayath Janah, talks about the work they do:

New to working with refugees, it became clear within the conversation that my own background and expertise could be of tremendous value to the agency.  It would be my responsibility to oversee their projects within Nairobi and the Dadaab Refugee Camps where I had previously worked in 2007.  I've been thinking a great deal about the problems they have been facing within their program, and already I have an array of potential solutions in mind that would be socially-culturally consistent with Kenyan national and refugee workers, while also logistically feasible for the company.  It is clear that this could be an exciting and valuable oppurtunity for both of us. 

Unfortunately, although I can design and implement sustainable programming on their behalf, it is clear that the company does not quite have the resources to be as sustainable within my own life.  A little bit of negotiation needs to occur, as I simply don't want to go back to struggling to pay my bills, student loans, and fear getting sick for lack of health insurance.  That would feel like a personal step backward, and not something I really something I'm looking for.  It gets further complicated by the prospect of leaving my life in Cairo, where my girlfriend will continue to remain as she finishes her masters in Human Rights Law, and where I have grown many valuable friendships.

However, they seem willing to work this out with me.  I think they understand that the contribution I can make to their organization could ultimately save money by streamlining current operations, and improving  productivity while remaining consistent with their mission toward economic development and socio-cultural compatibility.   So they are looking at building a better offer, so that I'm not left floundering in Nairobi once the most urgent work is taken care of - after about 2 months out of a 6 month contract.

We are to talk again in a few days, and with luck, establish a more concrete agreement.

I'm really excited about this, to return to my favorite city in the world and to work on a project that has significant personal value.  Best of all, as soon as I get to Kenya - prospectively within a couple weeks- I'm going to feast on some roasted goat, mimi napende nyoma choma!

Samasource links
Company Website
Samasource Blog
Samasource on Twitter
Samasource on YouTube
Company Profile

The Black Cloud of Cairo

October and November is not the best time in Cairo - although it should be.  The weather drops from deep fry to a mild simmer, the evenings are crisp and the mornings are lazy.  Yet thanks to impatient demands of poverty and the lack of government regulations (in addition to the lack of implementation), the Egypt's autumn is anything but pleasant.

Its dreadful.

Absolutely dreadful.

I can only compare it to drowning.

Or at least how I imagine drowning.  You find yourself disoriented, everything is familiar but different.  You know that the most important thing to do is keep you mouth closed but your lungs crave oxygen, forcing your eyes to burn and water and swell up inside your head... eventually your body forces you to open your mouth and its over, everything comes rushing in.

The black cloud.

Your lungs ache, your throat itches. The afternoon sun cakes your body in a combination of soot and sweat.

I now experience sporadic afflictions of dermatitis once or twice a day, and I really just want to stay inside, but of course this isn't feasible. Anyway, air is air, and being inside the house or out on the street is only a marginal difference.

So what's the deal?

The deal is that Cairo is suffering from the annual Black Cloud, generated every fall by the combination of industrial pollutants, car exhaust, and most notably, the burning of agricultural waste after the harvest.  The amazing thing about the Nile Delta is that this stretch of land is astoundingly fertile; planting and harvesting seasons are simply put on a year round production schedule.  Strawberries in January, prickly pears in June, vegetables year round... its incredible.  Egypt is also one of the largest producers of rice within the world, producing around 4.5 Million Tons of rice every year.

According to the rice farmers, the problem is that after the harvest, they are left with mountains of agricultural waste, obstructing their land and making it unusable for the next planting.  Although I have my doubts, I read some stories on the internet that some troublesome kids in 1999 had set fire to a giant pile of such waste, and after farmers noticed that the fire never spread, but only sat smoldering and coughing up a black pillar of smoke, burning has become the common solution to their problem.

It has been stated by the Egyptian government in the past that the issue will be taken care of, that regulations will be created and enforced, and that the black cloud will stop showing up every fall.  As you can see from the photo taken this afternoon from my bedroom window, its clear that these changes haven't happened.

Justice, Equity, And Sustainability

I created this presentation about some planning issues within the Dadaab refugee camps a year ago, however I only recently uploaded it to the web. Nonetheless, I believe it is a decent presentation, so I thought I would share it.

Justice, Equity, And Sustainability

View more presentations from msipus.

Pyramids of Egypt and Piping Hot Pizza.

Just a quick word.  I went to the pyramids the other day with some folks.  Had a good time.  It was the 4th time that I've been there, and I found it just as enjoyable as previous times.  However on this trip I also climbed into one of these things.  Not much to describe except that it was super hot and humid.  But I thought I would mention for those who haven't been to Egypt, are you aware of how close the pyramids are to the city?  Usually, thanks to movies and books, we all generally presume the pyramids are located somewhere out in the desert, accessible only by horse or camel or something.  But no.  They are immediately on the edge of suburban Giza, one of the largest suburbs in the world.  Immediately across the street is a combination KFC/Pizza Hut.  Below is a photo I shot from the 3rd story window of Pizza Hut.  I will admit that I flipped the photo horizontally so that the text is properly readable.  

Voices Of Cairo

Several weeks ago I mentioned that my friend from art school, Anna Kipervaser, was coming to Cairo to film a documentary about the daily call to prayer.  Her production company On Look Films recently released a teaser/trailer for this documentary.  Here is a brief description of the film and a link to the trailer.

A documentary about a 1400 year old oral tradition that is about to be erased forever from the audioscape of Cairo.

Voices and Faces of the Adhan: Cairo tells the story of the adhan in the ancient metropolis of Cairo, introducing the muezzins of this generation. In 2010, a new law will go into effect reducing the daily symphony of thousands of diverse voices to a single pre-recorded call broadcast throughout the entire city using wireless receivers. It is necessary to document this tradition before it ceases to exist....  (Read More)

Voices of Cairo from On Look Films on Vimeo.

The Power of Ideas

I just came across an article about a boy in Malawi who has changed the future of his entire village after finding two physics textbooks found within a rural library and thereafter taught himself to construct windmills.  Initially hoping to generation enough power to illuminate a singe lightbulb in his home so that he could read at night, his work has since provided enough electricity for the entire village in addition to an array of other benefits.  I highly recommend reading it.  There is also a brief youtube video.

You can find it Here.