TechnoServe

So, today, I met with country director of TechnoServe, Hillary Miller-Wise. I had initially feared going to talk with her, as I had heard she was a really sharp woman in which you needed to go into the meeting knowing exactly what you need as she doesn’t like for her time to be wasted, but I soon realized I had nothing to fear.

As soon as the meeting got going, it was a real pleasure. It was really entertaining as after I presented Global Cycle Solutions, she said, so let me tell you about Technoserve. And then she started talking about all these business models that could be strengthened with engineering resolutions, maybe even with the use of the bicycle. Though somewhat of a tangent, I was really happy to tell her all about the things that could be done if she partnered with MIT, and soon, she stopped mid-conversation and was like…I feel like I’m getting more out of this conversation, what can I do for you?

And thus, I spoke to her about our dissemination challenges and how we would like to work with Technoserve, and lo and behold, her husband is country director of Kickstart! So, in essence, she put me in touch with a great contact, and in terms of moving forward, we’ll probably be working with their 25,000 cotton farmers in Mara, who also grow maize, and then explore working through their horticulture program and SMS program (yes, training via SMS text messages!).

All in all, it was a week of great meetings!

–
Jodie | Arusha, Tanzania