I was so wrapped up in my post about the ideas I have for how to replace the soap factory yesterday that I forgot it marked the 1 week point since I arrived in Bolivia. It's hard to believe all the things that have happened in such a short period of time. I've met so many incredible people, been to so many interesting places, eaten so many new foods, and had so many experiences that I can't wait for the next 10 week!
Today at work we said goodbye to a Belgian volunteer at Warmi today, and it made me think of how soon I will be leaving. 9 weeks make sound like a lot, but the things I want to achieve could take a year or longer! I have to present to the administration on Monday what exactly my project will be for my time here. As I've mentioned before I want to set something up to fill the void that the soap factory will leave when it closes in a month or two.
I've been reading through a lot of information about Fair Trade, doing research on all kinds of organizations including producers, retailers, and trade associations. I've also been browsing a lot of product catalog to see what kind product we could produce. I e-mailed two wholesalers here in Bolivia asking about how they started their businesses and already got a response from one of the biggest Bolivian fair trade organizations. I also e-mailed a retailer from the US and got a response with lots of useful information concerning the fair trade market and organizations that help start fair trade businesses.
The progress has been small, but the first steps are always the most difficult. I have no experience in small businesses or start-ups, and have only recently immersed myself in the fair trade scene. I also don't know about my ability to determine what an attractive product is, but whilst I was gazing into the distance today at work and thinking I had an idea that might just work. What if instead of trying to come up with the next big thing, or simply replicate whats already in the market and try to compete, I simply revitalized the existing soap factory? What if instead of letting the factory close I were to launch a fundraising campaign in order to get the paperwork renewed, and found a way to start selling high-quality artisan soaps? Its still just an idea, but it might make sense to just use the capital and resources we already have, and try to improve on it, instead of saying goodbye to soap and searching far and wide for a replacement which will take a lot of time and energy and might be risky in terms of success. Energy I have lots of, but time is something I unfortunately do not and risk is something that I feel uncomfortable playing with since the administrators of Warmi already have so many things to worry about--I don't want to initiate a process that will become a burden on anyone once I leave.
I don't think I'll be able to settle on a product by Monday but I think presenting what I've thought of so far will get some wheels turning in people's minds and hopefully based on their feedback I can begin focusing my efforts on an achievable goal. For now I am looking forward to relaxing a little this weekend, the Champions League Final between Bayern and Dortmund (two German teams fighting to be crowned the best club team in Europe), doing some laundry, and preparing my presentation which I will post here once it is finished.
- Attila
To read more: attilainbolivia.blogspot.com
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