Mama C was our CCS “MAMA,” she basically helps run the organization and takes care of all the services, volunteer placement partners and the volunteers. We became friends toward the end of my stay, before I went off to safari. I like her vibe the moment I met her, although there were times when I couldn’t figure her out. I think it was a cultural thing and it takes time for some African women to warm up to you, and open their hearts, freely.
We sat down one day, for a few hours while our other friend Flora braided my hair for 6 hours, and talked about our careers and dreams. She has a tailoring business
in downtown Baga where locals go to have their shirts and pants made, and she also makes school uniforms for the community. She and I have been discussion creative ways to expand upon and grow her business by reaching our to the tourist market. I am going to give her new ideas for clothing samples, primarily for women: purse, clutch, skirts and cloth belt designs. She mentioned she had an extra space in the back of her tailoring store and said she asked me if I thought setting up a massage area would be attractive and I immediately said YES. Great idea and then I told her she should have a girl come in and do mani’s and pedi’s too and serve tea, have magazines to read and offer coffee out front and inside, as well. She loves this idea and is in the process of building out the space. I told her I would help her design it and his made her shine with smiles. Although I am sure it will be a pole, pole (SLOW) process since she is slammed with volunteers and also her tailoring business.
I gave her a bit of advice that I constantly try to remind myself, focus on one idea at a time so you can put the best of your energy and efforts forward. Otherwise your many ideas become less strong -watered down. She liked that.
Her other idea, which she would love for me to partner on in some way, is to create a cultural home stay compound where women and men, like myself, who want to come to visit Bagamoyo to live and immerse yourself in culture be it through painting, learning batiking, working in the hospitals and or schools, going on safari, basically anything you want your experience to be you can create on your own time. It won’t be a volunteer program but pure cultural immersion at your own leisure.
It is a fantastic business idea because you can visit and have a SAFE place to live with your own little cottage that would have a fully equipped kitchen, bedroom and bath and a also a communal kitchen for the entire group of cottages. If you don’t want to cook for yourself you don’t have to. I think it is a wonderful concept so her and I are going to get together, flush it out and, first I am going to help her write the business plan, to the best of my abilities. She has the land she just needs a solid plan, start building it out and they will come…
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