Mbinga Trip Report, 26th-30th March 2012

The trip took place from March 26th to March 30th, with Chambo Augustine and Carly Griggs arriving at the Kilicafe office in Mbinga on the morning of March 27th. The first part of the day was spent introducing Makunguru to Sustainable Harvest and explaining the changes made to the RITS system and the reasoning behind them. In the afternoon, Kihuka and Mahenge users helped Carly Griggs with the beginning of the basic computer training for Makunguru, while Chambo Augustine trained Kilicafe's Southern Accountant, Joseph, in the CPU expenses spreadsheet and how to use Google Drive effectively. On March 28th, Carly Griggs spent the day training the Makunguru new users in basic computer skills, including an introduction to the internet and its uses. Chambo and Joseph trained the Kihuka and Mahenge users in how to use the CPU expenses spreadsheet to track expenses at the washing level. The training was successful, with Kihuka and Mahenge showing a high level of retained knowledge from the 2011 trainings. On March 29th, the team experienced some initial problems with the internet at the office, causing the training to start late. Carly Griggs continued with basic computer skills training for Makunguru, while Chambo and Joseph completed some exercises with Kihuka and Mahenge in CPU expenses tracking. In the afternoon, Chambo taught Kihuka and Mahenge how to survey farmers using the iForm application on the iPad. This data will be analyzed by an M&E consultant in Portland and a detailed summary of findings will be included in the RITS End Of Project Report. The trip was a success, with all three groups showing a high level of engagement and interest in the training. The Kilicafe staff and farmers were eager to pass on their knowledge and continue to expand the RITS program beyond the scope of the USAID/COMPET grant. Makunguru continued to progress with basic computer training and will benefit from practice in the coming weeks, as well as guidance from Kihuka users who reside nearby. All three groups will attend training in the new RITS on Excel in May, and Carly Griggs has decided to ask Joseph, Kihuka, and Mahenge to train the new groups in the CPU expenses spreadsheet beforehand to integrate the Southern and Northern users and create a sustainable network.