Key criteria that I had in mind when setting up our first field office were:
1. Finding a good location in a host comunity,
2. Having the necessary infrastructure needed for the office to function (appropriate space, communications technology, safe and secure)
3. Ensuring that we can provide services needed to support our team.
Our First Host Community - Jambiani, Zanzibar
Choosing to locate the first field office in Jambiani, Zanzibar was a logical choice for me personally. Zanzibar is an ideal location to transition from work in the Middle East to work in Africa. Why Africa? The pace of development in Africa is incredibly slow. Poverty and suffering on the continent is rampant, with low levels of life expectancy, severe strains on the environment caused by high population growth, and a history of exploitation of human and natural resources by outsiders (e.g. colonial powers).
The difference between the situation here and the situation in the Middle East is obvious, where the intensity of war and unpreditability of violence has slowed development considerably and taken some regions back decades.
Studying and working in development in the Middle East is frustrating, because there's always a risk that your projects (or even your office) might get blown up. Usually a minimal risk but historically not uncommon.
My experience has convined me that the location and setting of a field office has a clear and significant impact on the perspectives and motivations of the organization's team. Jambiani offers people working for Honest Aid an experience in an African community struggling with the challenges of development that is highly enriching but not harrowing.
Why Jambiani? The village of Jambiani is unique in Zanzibar in the extent to which the village has maintained its own identity while at the same time accomodating foreigners (both residents and visitors). The natural environment on the southeast coast of Zanzibar would qualify the whole region as a place where the ecological value of both the marine and land environment require that we work actively toward environmental preserveration and restoration.
There is certainly poverty in the community, particularly among households that have not gained benefit from the touism sector, but the situation is certainly not as dire as in more remote villages or overcrowded urban areas (namely Stone Town).
One of the greatest things about Jambiani is that residents maintain pride in their community and are generally optimistic about the potential for improvement and development. We are accustomed to youth in developing countries dreaming of a "better life" in other places and largely giving up on the communities they live in. In Jambiani we've found that people generally believe a better life is possible without leaving home.
Setting up Office Space - Dhow Beach Village
The opportunity to rent the Dhow Beach Village from a Zanzibari family enabled us to quickly have the space and facilities needed to have a functioning field office. While the idea of locating an NGO within the space of a small hotel is certainly novel, for me the arguments in favor are compelling.
At one level, any NGO field office must be prepared to offer food, shelter, and security for its employees. Foreigners working for an NGO overseas will usually find it very challenging to get settled in a new home and office. Most NGOs provide room and board to foreign staff or give per diem. It is much more efficient to cover the costs of room and board directly rather than set a per diem and ask employees to find their own accomodation.
At Dhow Beach Village the same team that takes care of housekeeping, maintenance, food and beverage serves both tourists and our team.
Beyond providing these services to Honest Aid, Dhow Beach Village is itself an interesting project for us. One of the greatest potential engines for economic development in the community is "Responsible Tourism". Clearly in Zanzibar (and globally) tourism can be a threat to the local environment, economy, and social fabric while at the same time it can present a significant opportunity for economic growth and providing income for the poor. I believe that by making Dhow Beach Village a model of responsible tourism we can turn the place into a live demonstration of how hotels in Zanzibar can minimize their negative impact and maximize their positive impact while earning more money than a hotel built and managed in a traditional manner.
Making Dhow Beach Village a model of responsible tourism is quite complex as it involves looking at land use, choice of building and cleaning products, management of solid and liquid waste, and careful attention to employment practices and ensuring that we work in accordance with local law. Currently we have a team of 12 local staff who are very dedicated to their work as employees of Dhow Beach Village who also understand the work we do as Honest Aid.
To learn more about this interaction between Dhow Beach Village and Honest Aid and our understanding of Responsible Tourism please visit http://dhowbeachvillage.blogspot.com.
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