MamboViewPoint Weblog mei 08 Het idee We zijn niet jong meer maar we willen wel wat. We reisden door vele continenten, slaagden er zelfs in wat projecten hier en daar te ondersteunen en waren verbolgen over de vaak slechte resultaten en effecten van ontwikkelingsprojecten die we tegen kwamen. Dan kun je je er bij neerleggen en de tweede helft van je leven in Nederland lekker uitzitten, maar daar zijn wij de mensen niet naar. Bovendien waren we niet gehinderd door kinderen waar je dicht bij wilt zijn of "spullen" die je leven schijnbaar verrijken maar feitelijk vaak handen en voetenbinders zijn. We zochten naar een mogelijkheid om in een ontwikkelingsland een inkomen te genereren voor ons zelf zonder tot last te zijn van lokale of gesubsidieerde fondsen. Op de TV waren we gebiologeerd van series als "ik vertrek" en zo kon het gebeuren dat we het idee kregen om een Lodge te beginnen voor ons inkomen en van daar uit allerlei projecten te doen. Marion had intussen haar studie "ontwikkelingskunde" in Nijmegen afgerond met als specialisme conflictbeheersing en daarom zochten we naar een veilig land in de buurt van conflict haarden om de mogelijkheid te hebben om cursussen en conferenties te organiseren. Het afstudeer onderzoek van Marion in Rwanda inspireerde en zo is Oost het Afrika geworden. Na een "fact finding mission" door Kenia en Tanzania werd het dan het dorpje Mambo in de Usmabara Mountains in Tanzania omdat dit de beste optie was uit een zevental mogelijkheden. We kochten een bergtop (....) vlak bij het dorp en noemden het MamboViewPoint. Niet alleen vanwege het uitzicht maar ook vanwege onze visie: Wij brengen geen hulp zonder voorwaarden maar gaan samenwerken, ondersteunen en vooral stimuleren en inspireren. Ook werd het Mambo omdat we hier talloze "briefjes van boven" zoals we de ideeën noemden, kregen. Elke ochtend als we wakker werden hadden we een vel vol met nieuwe ideeën die we 's nachts in het donker op hadden geschreven, kortom een inspirerende omgeving die alleen nog ontdekt moest worden en waarom zouden wij dat niet doen? Het idee van MamboViewPoint is om een Ecolodge te maken vlakbij het dorpje Mambo. Mambo ligt midden in een arm gebied waar het gemiddelde inkomen minder dan 1 dollar per dag is en er geen faciliteiten zoals stromend drinkwater en elektriciteit beschikbaar zijn. Het primaire doel van MamboViewPoint is om om een toekomstvaste economische basis te creëren van waaruit tal van projecten geïnitieerd kunnen worden die de levensomstandigheden van de bewoners van de Usambara mountains kunnen verbeteren. In onze visie moet MamboViewPoint een positief effect hebben op zijn omgeving zowel ten aanzien van het milieu als de economie als van de sociale setting. Kort samengevat is het doel om MamboViewPoint tot een centrum van activiteiten te maken zodanig dat het de trots wordt van de bewoners en zijn omgeving, zo mogelijk de hele Usambara Mountains. Let wel, we willen graag iets voor onze omgeving betekenen, maar hebben ook ervaren dat je om jezelf moet denken. Een project als het onze moet dus ook vooral aangenaam voor onszelf zijn. Maar wees eerlijk, heb je ooit durven dromen van een plek die we gevonden hebben? Wij niet in elk geval. www.MamboViewPoint.org weblog 2008
Waarom een hotel als je daar geen ervaring mee hebt? Daar moet je je dus niet blind op staren, het hotelbedrijf is feitelijk maar bijzaak en vergt vooral gewoon normale bedrijfsvoering waar we wel ervaring in hebben. Ook is een hotel in Afrika iets geheel anders dan in Europa. Je moet vooral zelf geen fysiek werk doen, werkkrachten zijn goedkoop en veel voorhanden. Aldus zijn andere kwaliteiten zoals we die eerder hadden opgebouwd veel belangrijker. Alhoewel we getracht hebben subsidie te krijgen voor ons project stuitten we daarbij op een muur van onbegrip en vooral onwil. Een commercieel bedrijf past niet in het denkpatroon van onze NGO's die er kennelijk geen begrip voor hebben dat hun projecten ook nog een toekomst moeten hebben (en dus middelen van bestaan moeten hebben, zeg maar bedrijfsmatig moeten kunnen opereren, los van de subsidies). Echter is dit ook een zegen omdat we nu geheel onafhankelijk zijn en niet aan allerlei extra meer of minder onzinnige eisen moeten voldoen. aldus wordt het met beperktere middelen geen "jumpstart", maar starten doen we. Dan de sprong in het diepe, wel een goed plan met een (hopelijk) goede begroting maar tal van onzekerheden en onbekendheden die niet van te voren op te lossen zijn. Je kunt wachten tot je zeker bent, maar dan ben je al grijs voor je begint en zijn er wellicht al weer kansen verlopen. Lees in onze weblog hoe het ons is vergaan en nog vergaat. Mambo, mei 2008 Herman en Marion
Hieronder staat het volledige theoretische kader in het Engels, we zijn per slot van rekening wetenschappers, maar des al niet te min staan we graag met de voeten in de klei.
Date: 1 May 2008 Concerns: Theoretical framework of MamboViewPoint Ref: Drs. M.T.A. Neidt / ir. Herman Erdtsieck Introduction / summary MamboViewPoint is an initiative to create an Ecolodge close to the village Mambo in the Usambara Mountains of Tanzania. In this region development is still essential at all levels and in almost every aspect. The first goal of MamboViewPoint is to create a strong and sustainable economic base that will generate sufficient profit for the additional initiation of a wide variety of projects and activities that aim to improve the lives and livelihoods of people in the Usambara Mountains and possibly further. We are convinced that the best way to ensure success and sustainability of the project is by working in accordance with the principles of corporate social responsibility. In our vision this implies that MamboViewPoint should be well embedded in the neighbourhood and serve as an enrichment for the region regarding the economic, social as well as the ecological www.MamboViewPoint.org weblog 2008
situation. In short, we aim to work at making MamboViewPoint to a centre of activity and progress in such a way that it will become a pride for the villagers of Mambo, the region and possibly the entire Usambara Mountains. Our vision Worldwide, the gap between rich and poor is growing, between and within countries. Simultaneously however, many people are trying to find ways to bring about changes and counteract this global tendency. This has already resulted in a wide range of initiatives all varying in their effectiveness and it is here, that we want to make our contribution by means of this pilot project MamboViewPoint. MamboViewPoint is going to be a centre aiming at the improvement of the region on many levels and tourism is one of the vehicles that will be used to achieve this. Our main goal is to link individual initiatives from "donors" from the rich part of the world and the inhabitants of the Usambara Mountains, a link we will call extended partnership. This approach of course has its effect on the way MamboViewPoint will be constructed, its function as a lodge in relation to our social and natural environment and our way of facilitating guests and partners. The way in which this will be effectuated will be outlined below regarding the construction of the lodge, in relation to our guests and our social and physical surrounding. The setting Mambo is a small rural village with about 4000 inhabitants and is situated in the Usambara Mountains. The Usambara Mountains is a fertile mountainous area in the north of Tanzania where in total some 400.000 people live. In the region of Mambo, development is still essential at all levels and in almost every aspect. There is no water supply, no electricity and shortage of firewood. In average, people in Mambo have an income of a little over a dollar per day. MamboViewPoint will therefore be designed to function in such a way that it contributes to the development of the region. We see MamboViewPoint as a project designed to serve many more functions besides tourism. The idea of the Ecolodge MamboViewPoint, is to create a place that feels safe, peaceful, healthy and will be energising and inspiring in every aspect for our guests as well as the communities and villagers surrounding us. Ecolodge and ecotourism With the creation of an Ecolodge we strive to avoid the shortcomings and negative impact that tourism can have. However, there is no consent on what an Ecolodge or ecotourism actually is and thus many approaches can be identified. Some apply small scale adjustments to minimize ecological damage, something we interpret as a sort of window-dressing. Other approaches are inspired by the wish to protect world’s natural areas that are under threat and attempt to counteract further loss of biodiversity. This however, sometimes even results in the displacement of local communities, with as unintended consequence that people might lose their livelihoods altogether. Again others take a wide variety of aspects into account and stress that ecotourism should meet the needs of present tourist and hosting regions while protecting and enhancing opportunities for the future. As stated above, we are convinced that the best way to ensure success of the project is by well embedding MamboViewPoint in the www.MamboViewPoint.org weblog 2008
neighbourhood. From an ecological perspective, there are various practical consequences regarding the construction of the lodge, its function for the guests and the direct environment. The construction From an ecological point of view the Lodge will be built in harmony with its surrounding. The environmental impact will be minimised so that a stay of our guests has a minimal ecological footprint. Also visibly, the lodge will in harmony with its surrounding because it will have an African look with specific Usambara features. Greenery will be used of local plants and trees attractive for birds, butterflies and other local wildlife. Natural materials will be used that are as much as possible purchased from the direct surrounding. We will use cradle to cradle techniques, which implies that all waste produced will be in a recyclable condition and additionally programs will be instituted to save water, energy and reduce the production of solid waste and waste water. The goal is to create a Lodge that will be not only saving on the consumption of energy but is at least energy neutral and if possible produces more energy then it consumes. For this approach new, but appropriate and energy-friendly techniques like solar power and LED lighting are going to be put in place. MamboViewPoint’s function as a lodge From the tourist perspective, we want to ally ourselves as MamboViewPoint Ecolodge, with The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) who define ecotourism as: "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people." The most important feature of MamboViewPoint will be that the place feels safe, peaceful, healthy, tranquil and inspiring. Food served will be predominantly locally produced on an ecological base. From our guests our ecological approach implies that behaviour is expected to be in accordance with respect to the natural and social environment. For our guests we will make a full week program of activities in the neighbourhood, ranging from hiking to the forest, bird watching, a visit to the Mkomazi national park, visiting various activities in the region like the projects that will be executed, or women-dance groups, pottery making, handcrafts and possibly giving courses in various techniques. For the activities outside the lodge, we will seek cooperation with local travel agencies. However, we endeavour to do business with entrepreneurs that work in line with our vision of corporate social responsibility. If needed we will support the creation of new businesses tailored to do the job. MamboViewPoint has also sufficient space to organise conferences and in this regard we want to keep our focus in line with our vision, and thus we will stimulate discussions on subjects like development, cooperation and building peace in societies. Extended Partnership We think that creating meaningful connections between people can lead to a greater understanding of each others cultural, social and environmental issues we all need to deal with on a daily base. This in turn can make a tremendous impact on the processes of change towards more equality. As stated above, many initiatives are already undertaken by individuals in the aim to enhance www.MamboViewPoint.org weblog 2008
processes of change but sometimes however, they lack sustainability due to a variety of reasons. We want to contribute by linking potential donors of small scale projects and our local recipients in the Usambara Mountains by assisting in giving these initiatives more footing and solid ground. We think however, that in order to create effective tools for improvement, these initiatives should be based on partnership and cooperation in equality, and this is therefore a precondition for our support. MamboViewPoint will assist with framing project plans, drafting proposals and the implementation and monitoring the continuity of the projects. Small scale initiatives from individual people will effectively be guided and supported this way. Examples of projects that could be initiated and carried out by guests is for instance transforming sawdust into blocks that could be used for cooking instead of firewood. Sawdust is produced in large amounts and burned in the Usambara Mountains, while on the other hand women in remote areas like ours, have to walk long distances to collect firewood. Creating an option for women to make their own fire blocks could save their precious time while it simultaneously generates some additional income. These blocks then could also be used in the lodge for a fireplace and barbeques. The main goal of these projects is that they are sustainable and generate a descent income for local people. Potential individual western project-partners can combine their work in the initial phase of their project with a comfortable stay in the Lodge. The expenses for overhead are reduced to a minimum and partners have direct insight on the way the money is spent, and its final outcome. MamboViewPoint in relation to the village One of the first things MamboViewPoint needs to do is to construct a water supply because there is neither water in the village Mambo, nor on the plot for the Lodge itself. Despite the fact that it is more easy to constructing a water supply for the Lodge itself, we decided to design a water supply system with various tapping points in the village. In this way the water supply will be one of the first improvements to accomplish for the village. For the construction of the lodge, materials will be purchased locally, like bricks, building wood, furniture and so on. Moreover, the Lodge contributes to enhancing local livelihoods by contracting employees for the maintenance and exploitation of the Lodge largely from the local population. Also utilities and food used will largely be locally purchased if they are ecologically produced, and otherwise ecological production methods will be encouraged and promoted. We are thinking of initiation honey production, the production of various juices, crèmes and essences. In addition, the presence of the Lodge acts as a stimulus for the creation of networks for different activities ranging from local private enterprises to different initiatives in the educative or creative sphere, activities empowering and improving people’s self reliance. The Lodge has also an additional spin-off effects such as opportunities to arrange live performances for local music bands and theatre groups. Moreover, as stated above, for activities outside the Lodge, we will seek cooperation with local travel agencies. But on top of that, work in the neighbourhood hits at one of the primary activities of MamboViewPoint namely it’s development goal and some activities can be the following: Supporting local cabana / hotel / restaurant facilities www.MamboViewPoint.org weblog 2008
Facilitating local internet cafes, these could also be brought into action for selling local products. Facilitating / supporting local energy production Promoting / supporting local use of solar, biogas, solar cooking LED lightning etc. Facilitating local news agencies and broadcasting stations. Facilitating local schools (energy, light, computers, internet) Facilitating local health centres (energy, techniques, computers) MamboViewPoint will act as a vehicle of activity, connectivity and development and particularly the heavy workload of women will be at the focus of our attention. At this very moment women are lugging whole day through to get water, firewood and food, so they don’t have time left for more important tasks an generating income for their families. The fact that the presence of the Lodge will induce a wide variety of economic activities in the village, it will bring about various changes within the local community. And as we all know, change always goes hand in hand with emotions and possibly tension. Therefore we want to keep track on the effects and impact from the lodge on the community and thus we will start monitoring right from the start. Expanding the initiative Once MaboViewPoint is settled and has a solid base, different options for a follow up are conceivable. First, extension of hosting-capacity can be found by supporting local families and farmers to start a small bed& breakfast that meets certain minimum standards. More guests can be hosted this way while at the same time local people can earn an income by renting beds an providing food. Second, it is possible to crate a chain of eco-lodges throughout Tanzania and other countries by cooperating with existing initiatives, tour operators. Also building new lodges in underdeveloped regions with some tourist attractive features could be an option. Third, in case of success this kind of initiatives where donors and receivers are coupled and project are monitored can be similarly implemented in other area’s. Also this new approach can be put under the attention of NGO’s as a new model for a sustainable development.
www.MamboViewPoint.org weblog 2008
