A view of Johannesburg:

Oct. 30-Nov. 12, 2007

The first part of my trip took me to Nairobi, Kenya for a Microsoft sponsored NGO roundtable. After receiving my visa at the airport, I was immediately given a visual reminder that large parts of Africa still run on paper.

The roundtable was extremely interesting, with 25-30 NGOs participating. This was the fourth in a series of these meetings (previous ones were in Ghana, Senegal and South Africa) as part of a Microsoft initiative called “Competitive Africa.” Heba Ramzy and Ntutule Tshenye from Microsoft managed the day extremely well. The discussions were informative, and the feedback from NGOs was consistent with the other sessions: namely that NGOs need complete solutions including hardware, software, service and support.

I also had a chance to meet with the leaders of some very impressive NGOs, some of whom may be candidates for a TechSoup partnership. Among them was Tom Musili, Executive Director of Computers for Schools Kenya.



CSFK is a Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher which has delivered over 12,000 computers to schools in Kenya. They get most of their computers from Europe, and provide a complete solution including training, pre-installed software, warranty support and even end-of-life handling. They have a staff of 70 (30% volunteers) and regional centers throughout Kenya. Tom estimates they have the capacity to deliver 10,000 computers per year, but are limited by the supply of hardware.

Hearing from the NGOs and seeing an operation like CSFK made me think about how our software donation program could have a bigger impact. For example, could we work with donors and MAR organizations to pre-install donated software on refurbished machines for NGOs? Clearly there are lessons to be learned from organizations like this one.

On Friday, I flew from Nairobi to Johannesburg, and the pilot made a breathtaking detour over the top of Mount Kilimanjaro (which was especially gratifying since my wife and I just failed to make the summit in December)



I spent the weekend in White River (near Kruger Park) with some members of my wife’s family who have been serving as missionaries there for 14 years. We visited some of the programs they support, including an orphanage and a day care program. Probably the most striking experience for me was meeting a boy who was head of his household at age 6.



Another interesting thing was seeing the degree to which religious organizations are delivering social services. For example, this computer lab was being constructed in a Bible college:



The principal of the school was quite interested in our programs, and happy to offer classes and access to the broader community. However, security considerations prevent them from moving the equipment to a separate building. This was a great example of the challenges and opportunities in our eligibility standards.

On Monday, I returned to Johannesburg to start my week with SANGONeT. The best news was that Matthew was out of the hospital and on the mend. Here he is with Botswang, who capably ran the program in his absence. Matthew and David were wonderful hosts throughout the week.

One of the things I wanted to understand was the reasons for the relatively low donation volumes in South Africa to date. Initially, research indicated there were up to 100,000 NGOs in South Africa. However, Matthew and team have been testing the known registries and now believe the number is closer to 10,000. Perhaps the biggest cause of this discrepancy has been the transition of services and leaders from the NGO sector to government. This clearly showed me that there are long term, structural differences among countries that should be taken into account in our model.

We had great meetings internally and with Microsoft to discuss expanding our program into Southern Africa, beginning with Botswana. We were able to draft a plan which could have us launch as early as January, while also developing a template for future expansion. We also discussed some potential options to deliver more complete solutions, for example by partnering with a local MAR.

On my last weekend, I visited Soweto and the Apartheid Museum. While South Africa certainly faces huge challenges, it is also helpful to remember how little time has elapsed since the end of Apartheid. In Soweto we saw new building projects everywhere, and even a new, luxurious Holiday Inn:



As always when I meet our partners and those they serve, I came away impressed and humbled. I also saw many opportunities to expand the reach and impact of our offerings, and look forward to exploring those in the months ahead.

Mike Yeaton
November 15, 2007