We had a good morning here in Bamako. After an intensive meeting with the WFP (PAM) Mali in Bamako, we are now going to make our way to Segou.
Our arrival into the Bamako International Airport was very chaotic with queues to immigration unclear and then I was stopped by the customs person who insisted that I give him one of the perfumes I bought for my friends. I had to insist with a gentle "NO" to him a few times before he let me through.
On our way to Dharavi, we have spotted the famous Dabbawallas, who deliver millions of lunchboxes every day in Mumbai. 99.9999% of their boxes are delivered on time and in perfect condition. They use color codings for communication. No technology is used!
Of course they were happy to take a photo with us, our colleagues :)
When we enter Dharavi from Mahim station, you can see he 13th compound on the left side. This area is the main production area: Plastic and metal recycling, fabric printing, leather and industrial machines are produced.
We were very impressed to see that behind the facade of small shacks and houses, there is so many business! Our first assumption was that slums and their businesses would be isolated from the 'formal' world. Dharavi has proven us wrong: every day hundreds of thousands of products are being exported worldwide.
Dharavi's main roads are very congested; Trucks, taxi's, tuk tuk's and bikes find their way to the local shops and facturies every day.
Welcome to Dharavi. Main access to the slum from Mahim station. Starting point for our local field research.
Dharavi is the most densed slum in Asia. It is famous for it's thriving businesses. Within Dharavi you can find a large leather, recycling and pottery industry. The shops on the main streets sell almost everything.
Most products are exported to companies worldwide. Together with some guides from Reality Tours we have made a small map of the different areas in Dharavi.
The fifth edition of the Drive Me Challenge lived up to all expectations: it truly was a not-to-be-missed final. Not even the early showers in La Ferté Gaucher track could wash away the excitement, competitiveness, camaraderie and teamwork spirit lived in the French country side, on 6th October.
The field. The real field. To spend over a week in Amsterdam and Nairobi can’t be considered being in the field, even though they were hard working days, very stressful and full of difficulties. It wasn’t until I was looking at the baobabs, at the wild goats and the small dusty villages sliding outside the window roadside during our final trip to Dadaab camp, when I really felt on the field.
“Work in joy”, general Yamashi used to say. Ok, Yamashi San, at least, we agree on this! The fourth day was a light one: we just had to go to the UN Kenya headquarter to interview Challisse McDonough, senior WFP spokeswoman, and Baptiste Burgaud from the Logistic Cluster. Both interviews were supposed to take place in the late afternoon, so we could finally wake up late, take our time, write a little and enjoy the view from the hotel.
Saturday the 17th of September was a very special day for North Star, all teams have been mobilized during the last months to prepare the roll out of the new Comets (Corridor Medical Transfer System) version.
Thanks to the great work and implication of the teams, it has been a real success today.
All the centers located in 8 different countries are now working with this new version of Comets which contains enhancements about referral clinics management, inventory stock management and new reporting functionality …
Finalise my work with WFP Global Humanitarian Services, Wrap-up my open projects and debrief the stakeholders, Clean my desk and hand over the work I’ve done, Check my to-do list for the very last time…
And also to...
Say goodbye and “thanks for everything!” to my colleagues,
Say Tschuss, au revoir, masalaama, adios, arrivederci and e noho rā to my friends,
Pack my bags, return the rental car and my keys to the landlord,
Enjoy my last iftar and shisha…
But also to…
