Lessons to Pass On:Cameroon

Lily PonitzCameroon Travel Team

Implementations: Dec. 2011 & May 2012

Building Partnerships

“Engineering is:10% Engineering

90% Communication”

Building Partnerships:Other Organizations

• Before assessment trips, contact:– Other chapters with similar project type and/or

locations– NGOS and Peace Corps Volunteers present in the

community– Rotary or Kiwanis Clubs in the region

• Identify the other players in the community– NGOS, Peace Corps, community development

organizations– Don’t step on anyone’s toes and don’t reinvent the

wheel• Multiple organizations = stability and permanent

presence

Building Partnerships:Community

• Pre-trip: Set up a schedule for communication updates– Ex: 1 Skype call every 2nd Monday at 7pm for most of

year, 1 call every Monday at 7pm for 2 months leading up to trip

• During Trip: Get honest feedback from the community– This can be hard because some cultures will just want

to say what you want to hear• Be aware of appropriate forms of communication to

facilitate honest conversation• Ex: do you need to be blunt and straightforward or do you

need to be friendly and conversational? – ask someone you trust (guide, community contact) for advice on this

Top Priority: Involve the Community

• Get community participation in every phase of the program– Give them responsibilities early on (finding hotels,

arranging travel, etc.)– Assign them tasks after you leave – this facilitates

continued contact and builds interest• Make the completion of these tasks a requirement in your MOU

– Get them involved in the selection phase for implementation• Give them options (and cost and lifetime estimates for those

options)– This will ultimately empower the community and produce

a more sustainable and effective project

Building Partnerships:Mentors

• Mentors – outline their commitment upfront (i.e. travel, meeting attendance, report review, technical preparation)

Assessment Trips – Basic Prep

• Watch the implementation trip webinar on the EWB-USA website before your assessment trip to know what you’ll need to be planning for

• Educational Materials/Health Surveys– Know your audience– Have a community member proofread your

materials before you print them to ensure you aren’t making language mistakes that will render them useless

Assessment Trips – The Mindset• Have an open mind on assessment trips and during

your alternatives analysis– Don’t make any assumptions and don’t instantly start

thinking of solutions• Identify how the community normally organizes

around a project– Community water board? Government? Individual leaders

for separate projects?– Work within the bounds of whatever structure you

identify• Understand and use the skills of the community– If there’s anything they can be doing on their own, they

should be doing it• Ex: local carpenters and masons

Assessment Trips – The Mindset• Plan for and mitigate risks– PROJECTS NEVER GO ACCORDING TO PLAN– Have a Plan B, Plan C, and know how you’re going

to shift in-country if obstacles arise– Keep calm and work on

• Think about Operations & Maintenance from the beginning– Can the community take care of this long term?• Cost, technical expertise, availability of replacement

parts

Lessons Learned from Cameroon

• Shorts = not socially acceptable

• Bring at least 1 laptop• Peanut butter is a good

choice• Everyone there will be

cleaner and more dressed up than you are

• Bring 1 dressier outfit for special events

Random Assortment of Packing List Items:•cash – maybe $200-$300.•insurance cards•flashlights / headlamps •tennis shoes / hiking shoes•old clothes/t-shirts to give away•toys for kids – Frisbees, bubbles•camera / extra batteries•pillow•toilet paper•hand sanitizer•small mirror•towel•hat•water bottle•pens, sharpies•food (powerbars, peanut butter, etc.)•PeptoBismol, Ambien for flights•watch with timer•books, ipod, entertainment•sunscreen / bugspray

Lessons Learned from Cameroon

• Leave a camera with someone in the community and teach them how to use it– Pictures of community members for publicity– Materials sourcing– Troubleshooting after implementation

• If there’s anyone working on a similar project in the region, try to visit their project site

• Ask TONS of questions and write everything down

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Lessons Learned from Cameroon

• Make multiple reliable contacts in the community– Emails, phone numbers, Facebook friends– Contact them soon after you leave

• Source all the materials you can– Go to a hardware store and take pictures of

everything they have that seems remotely related to an eventual implementation

Lessons Learned from Cameroon

• Don’t be afraid to say no – especially to kids• Be very clear about meeting times and

expectations – Give them a written schedule for the next day if

possible– Have morning meetings with your team and

contacts to clarify objectives for the day

Lessons Learned from Cameroon

• Keep a blog, or something– Email lists are good for letting family members and

friends know you’re alive– Blogs are better for recapping the day’s events, and

are very useful later on• Publicity, funding, knowledge transfer

• Take LOTS of GOOD pictures– Good pictures: students doing any testing, surveying,

talking to/shaking hands with community members, dressing up in African garb

– Not so good pictures: Ugandan kids