Words and Images by | Joni Kabana

Design by | Von VinHasa

Phoenix Fund

Donor Trip 2008 | India and Nepal

Our group created quite the melting pot of personalities, and miraculously, we all got along

even during times of strife and uncomfortable conditions.

BacK L-R: Tom, Margaret, Stephen, Joe, KimFRoNT L-R: Sharon, Jean, Fred

Not pictured: Joni

Here we are.

cross the developing world, communities are emerging from conflict, oppression and natural disasters. one key to successful, lasting recovery is economic development. Small businesses, including farmers, have the quickest recovery potential, but are often not included in initial large agency grants.

The Phoenix Fund gathers private seed capital to start-up projects in some of the world’s poorest countries. It is designed to encourage high-risk high-reward ventures in communities recovering from war or social upheaval. Large foundations and government agencies are often less willing to support these kinds of urgent and innovative programs. Through charitable contributions, Mercy corps capitalized the Phoenix Fund in 2005 to finance dynamic start-up programs in countries such as Mongolia, Guatemala, Kyrgyzstan, India and Nepal.

Mercy corps country Directors manage comprehensive programs in more than 35 countries. These Directors submit proposals to the Phoenix Fund, which are evaluated Mercy corps staff and advisors with extensive experience in economic development and business. Grant approvals are made promptly to provide timely access to funds. once approved, country Directors and their staff implement and manage the project, typically in partnership with local organizations and communities. Successful proposals outline how funds will meet critical needs and achieve endur-ing change. We look for proposals that include:

* Livelihood creation: creation of a significant number of new jobs* Income increase: higher earnings by a significant number in the community* Social contribution: positive impact on conflict resolution, health, education, and community development* Proof of concept: development of clear metrics to secure follow-on government and foundation funding* Scalability: project can serve as a model for additional funding and in other countries Measurable outcomes: tracking and reporting of economic and non-economic

The annual budgets of most Phoenix Fund proposals range from $25,000 to $75,000 - a small investment in U.S. terms, but a substantial sum in developing countries. If a project is selected for funding, Mercy corps ensures sufficient resources for that project to achieve measurable results in 12 to 18 months.

The 2008 Mercy corps Phoenix Fund Donor Trip participants travelled to India and Nepal to view, first hand, how these projects were being implemented.

India: employees of tea estates are making handmade paper for greeting cards, wallpaper, pa-per bags, lamp shades and for packaging tea and other food products. There is high demand for handmade paper in the region, and we expect full-time jobs affecting 1,000 people to be created through this new enterprise. other tea estates are interested in our outcomes and in replicating the project.

Nepal: small cardamom farmers need assistance in planting, producing and drying the product. The worldwide demand for cardamom exceeds supply and, by improving agricultural and market-ing practices, household income for a few hundred farmers will increase significantly. More than 1,000 families will be positively impacted.

SELECTING GLOBAL PROJECTS

A child whose father works in the paper factory.

We arrived in Bagdogra and made the journey up the steep

mountains; bumpy roads, back and forth and back and

forth.....passing through Ghoom, and then on to Darjeeling.

We arrived at night, and could not see out in front of the

hotel, which was perched high on a cliff. Just about everything

is perched on a cliff here!

My room was cold, but incredibly beautiful. I heard a knock on

the door, and in came a man to build a fire in the fireplace. He

also brought a hot water bottle and placed it in my bed. I have

never slept with a hot water bottle on a cold winter’s night,

and I highly recommend it!

Darjeeling Day 1

The next day, we awoke to a wonder-

ful fog filled sunrise, and then we saw

the magic of Darjeeling. I had no time

before we left to see the paper factory

that the Phoenix Fund is supporting, but

I managed to get one quick snapshot in.

We are high in the air! I feel like a bird!

We all got into 4-WDs and started on the

3 hour journey over the mountain range

to see the paper factor. They also grew

cardamom.

There is much political unrest in this

Indian state, as they are trying to sepa-

rate from India. Because there are few

roads into Darjeeling, and no airplanes

or other means of transportation, the

city is vulnerable if there is a separation

and it is not a friendly one. Cutting off

the road would devastate this lovely and

magical place.

I hope to get out into the city tomorrow.

I keep saying that this trip so far has

been a bit of a photographer’s night-

mare in that so much time is spent in

the cars and buses since we are visiting

very remote places, and I just watch all

of the amazing subjects go by. I know

that this leg of the trip is emphasizing

the educational aspect of the field work

that Mercy Corps is doing, and I am

grateful for this. It is an honor to sit in

a room and hear how they are impact-

ing a village, and listen to the debate on

how to help the villagers improve the

processes of the paper factory so that

it yields the best possible return for the

people in the village.

“ But I see all of these amazing

faces and I just can’t wait to

get out there”!

Darjeeling Communications Students

On our first night here, we met

the director of a Communications

school and I quickly asked to sit

next to him at dinner. After hearing

about what he is trying to do with

his students in photography, we ar-

ranged for me to spend some time

teaching the photography teachers

about advanced techniques and

composition.

This was one of the most fulfilling

days I have had in a very long time.

Mikma Lepcha and I set off for the

town and I gave him my camera to

use. We talked about choosing sub-

jects, lighting, composition, tips for

breaking down barriers between

photographer and subject, storage

ideas, and many other things.

I was saddened to see that he does

not have a laptop, and must keep

all of him images on his one flash

card. I gave him a CD and also

transferred his files to the Commu-

nications Director’s jump drive for

storage at the one old laptop that

has a failing battery.

Seeing Mikma’s passion, coupled

with his extreme lack of resources

is very difficult to witness. I vowed

to do something about this and al-

ready have several ideas. Darjeeling

has no studios, and if one wants

to get a semi-professional camera,

they must travel far away to get it.

I went to the photo store and met

the owner who was an absolute

delight. Das Photo has been in busi-

ness for many years, and I was able

to purchase some images his father

took around 1930 of Tibetans out-

side of the photo shop. We talked

about their lack of resources, and

ideas on how to stimulate the pho-

tography business in Darjeeling.

Global Business & Differences

Our conversations volley from questions about the

culture here in Darjeeling to how the paper factory

can be self-sustaining after their first year loan.

As one could imagine, opinions abound from the

various donors based upon their deep understand-

ing of business and economics. The director of the

Phoenix Fund, Jean Hart, is a pillar of strength and

grace as she navigates the at times rowdy discussion.

What works in the US does not work the same way in

India, and it is fascinating to watch how the mighty

ideas we all have to bring more efficient workflow

and market venues to this small business are quickly

transformed into areas of concern due to the mini-

mum yet eager infrastructure.

Should they store the paper in a warehouse?

How can they double production?

Does the boiling pot of water need draining each time?

Is the use of wood for the fire draining the forests?

Is there a market for this product?

Was that in the original proposal?

How many jobs are being created?

What happens if this fails?

H ow much help should Mercy Corps provide before

they are self sustaining?

Mercy Corps’ motto,

Do No Harm

comes up frequently.

We settle on coming up with a list of areas that need

improvement in order for the business to have the

best chance of being successful. Many of the items

on the list could easily be implemented if this busi-

ness was in the US, and we all exchange knowing

looks that expectations need to be adjusted.

It is heartening to see us all come together to try to

assist this tiny business. Not one person is disen-

gaged, and although there are many things to see

and do in Darjeeling, the desire to help this country

is foremost in our thoughts, overriding the sights,

shopping, and restaurants.

Political Strike in Kurseong

After leaving the tea factory, we hit the road to get to our next hotel in Kurseong. We had noticed some increased unrest in the area, with people pack-ing into and on top of jeeps, chanting and yelling for their political causes. When we arrived at the Kurseong Tourist Lodge, we were quite cold and hungry. During dinner, we heard that there might be a strike the next day and that it was in our best interest to leave very early in the morning.

We awoke before dawn, and miraculously, all of us were ready to go on time. Most of us did not shower, because this hotel did not have hot water, and we were already very cold. We got into four Jeeps and headed out.

Soon after leaving, we were making our way down a narrow and dark road when, all of a sudden, a woman jumped in front of us. Before we could reg-ister what was happening, several men started yell-ing and came over to the windows of the vehicles, screaming something in a language we did not know. They reached in and grabbed our keys and we knew this was more than just a little delay.

After a while, our driver finally negotiated with the men, and got our keys back. After a long delay (with us passing Cliff bars around for breakfast our Darjeeling contact was able to talk with the head of the political striking party and we were set free to go back to our hotel to wait out the strike.

Armed men guarded our door, and we were not per-mitted to leave the town. Besides feeling very cold and tired, we did remarkably well with keeping our heads calm. The guide books came out, and we all boned up on the history of the countries we were visiting, among other restful activities. Steven kept us alive with humor, while Tom and I exchanged thoughts on tech gadgets. Kim, Margaret and Jean took a wisely needed nap, and Fred read books. Joe and Sharon took a few walks when the coast ap-peared to be safe.

Later in the day, as I was looking out of the pad-locked gate, I saw Mikma! He came over to the door and asked me if I wanted to take a walk into the town. Tom was there, and we both jumped at the chance to see what was going on while having a lo-cal person guide us.

Twelve hours later, we were allowed to leave the hotel.

Monastery In Ghoom, India

On our way out of town, we stopped at a monastery in Ghoom, India. Kim got a kiss from one of the monks!

Boudhanath Stupa

Behind the Hyatt Hotel is one of the most sacred Tibetan stupas, named Boudhanath. This image is from the stupa, inside one of the temples during a Puja ceremony.

Makaibari Tea Factory

We visited the Makaibari Tea Factory and got

our first dose of climbing steep terrain. It

seems that any time we ask “how long will we

be?” We get an answer like “20 minutes”...and

it really means two hours. Two hours is really

four hours, and so on. The same is true for dif-

ficulty in climbing, or simply being out in na-

ture in rugged terrain. This little jaunt through

the tea fields and into the village was a piece of

cake in relation of what was to come ahead.

After traveling for

several hours down

from the Darjeeling

Hills, we made our

way through Bagdogra

and on to the Nepal

border. By this time, it

was dark and we were

very tired and hungry.

The border crossing

procedure was very

odd...

After driving through

chaotic roads with

rickshaws, jeeps, mo-

torcycles and people

coming at our cars

with lightening speed

(how do they man-

age to not get into

crashes?) we came to

the border and saw

that it was darkened,

with hardly anyone

around. Apparently,

they turn off the elec-

tricity to save energy.

One by one, we all

went into a room

where the Nepalese

border officials were

sitting by candlelight.

It was an eerie feeling

as they looked over

our passports and

asked any pertinent

questions.

Since it was dark, we

had a difficult time

locating all of our

bags and getting them

transferred from the

Indian vehicles to

the waiting Nepalese

vehicles.

When we entered the

new cars, we noticed

that they put some

signs in the front

windows. Apparently

there is political strife

here as well, and by

placing this indica-

tor in the window

it would allow us to

roam freely without

the threat of police or

political party stops.

We did get stopped

several times, how-

ever, but our guide

was able to talk our

way through.

Border CrossingInto Nepal to Bitamrod, then Ilam

Photo by Joe Barthmaier

After driving up in elevation, we finally reached Fikal at 5500 ft, our camp-site. We were freezing, hungry and exhausted. As we drove up in eleva-tion, we knew this was not going to be an easy place to stay due to the cold temperatures, darkness and lack of the type of bathroom situations we are ac-customed to. Most of the participants live in relatively luxurious homes, and I wondered how everyone would fair with this type of accommodations.

We entered the campground, and the first surprise was seeing our tents. We had thought that tent camping meant something like yurt camping...the typi-cal ever so present high expectations of a Westerner. The reality was that wew were to be assigned to two people per PUP TENT. Bathrooms consisted of a hole dug in the ground, but there was a tent surrounding it, so we were happy.

After we shifted some coats, hats, gloves so everyone was covered, we sat down in the dining tent to eat a much appreciated meal. A bottle of whis-key and chianti came out, and spirits soared! We had a delightful time eating by candlelight and sharing stories with

the Mercy Corps country manager and project manager from Nepal.

Just as almost everyone went off to bed, Tej, the Nepalese project man-ager told us that he had access to the internet. We had struggled to find a connections in India, and now the blog could be updated on the top of a mountain! He got his PC out and started working away. Tej is a very, very funny man and we laughed and laughed until about 1:30 am, especially when we started to hear everyone snoring in tandem.

When we saw how late it was, we headed off to bed. The sherpas could be heard moving around in the kitchen

tent, prepping for breakfast. At about 3am, we noticed there was a fire!

Jean calmly said, “Joni, I believe the dining table is on fire.” We looked more closely, and sure enough, it was! The flames were getting higher and higher, and then we realized the cameras were stored in the dining tent since our luggage did not fit into our small tents. Running to get the bags we were relieved that they were only slightly warm to the touch but undam-aged. THANK BUDDHA FOR JEAN!

Fikal,Illam Nepal

Photo by Joe Barthmaier

CardamomWe were able to attend the First Annual

Cardamon Festival, where they had poster

boards depicting planting and processing, and

they passed out samples of cardamon cookies

and tea. Here are some images of the welcome

we got in Phidim.

Night time in AkasebhangyngThe sacred fire brought out more dancing and drumming.

NEPALThe Panchthar Premium Cardamom Project

Grant investment: $49,979Project dates: July 2007 to June 2008

Background

For the last 30 years, farmers in Eastern Nepal have grown cardamom as a cash crop on small plots of marginal lands, but farmers have received relatively low prices for their cardamom from exporters. This was in part due to the farmers’ inferior ways of drying their cardamom, which was often ineff ective and consumed large amounts of wood. The farmers also did not have sophisticated marketing strategies, lacking the necessary education and market knowledge. They were often disorganized and suff ered from social exclusion. Under these market conditions only the richest, often high-caste farmers benefi t from recently improved road access and cardamom drying technologies.

Community members in Lingten plant argeli cuttings.

Project GoalsThe goal of the project is to increase the incomes of marginalized, smallholder cardamom farmers in the eastern hills of Nepal. The specifi c objective is to enable cardamom farmers and exporters to increase their global market share of premium large cardamom sales. To achieve these market development goals, the project team will work with 100 cardamom farmers to pilot and demonstrate two replicable methods of impoving their terms of trade with cardamom exporters. The project will also help two cardamom exporters to improve their ability to compete in the global cardamom market. These two exporters will pilot improved processing, grading and international product marketing.

Activities This Quarter

Highlights from our recent activities• Hired Project Manager Tej Thapa, who will be responsible for the overall implementation of the project. Obtained a project offi ce and are in the process of hiring a full-time social mobilizer to help the project manager.• Held initial planning meetings with local government agencies, international and national non-government organizations, target benefi ciaries, and potential partners in Kathmandu and the project district.

• Selected two areas in Sidin and Nagin where we will pilot the project. There we identifi ed marginal, small-holder cardamom farmer participants and briefed them on the project and its objectives. Mobilization and other activities will start at the beginning of September, in time for the harvest season.• Met with potential cardamom exporter participants in Kathmandu and the eastern region.

Next Steps

• Hold a stakeholder workshop in the district, to introduce all local stakeholders to the Mercy Corps Country Representative, Director of Agriculture and Livelihood (HQ), and Program Offi cer; fi nalize our partnership with the chamber of commerce; and visit all the farmer benefi ciaries and brief them on project deliverables and activities.• Continue meeting with exporters in the region. Make a decision on the two exporters after the stakeholder workshop.• Evaluate market centers in border towns in India. Mobilize farmer groups and train them.

Monitoring and Evaluation

As the project has just started at the beginning of July 2007, much progress has been made to set the project in motion. We’ve assembled our staff and office and identified the farmer beneficiaries.

Right: A full grown cardamom plant.Above: Cardamom seeds.

Credits and Contacts

Be the change through Mercy Corps:www.mercycorps.org

Fuel the dreams of entrepreneurs through the Phoenix Fund:www.mercycorps.org/donate/somanywaystogive/665

A heart-warming gratitude is extended to all of the Mercy Corps’ staff in India and Nepal for opening their doors to their beautiful countries and for taking precious time to coordinate the travelers’ stay. In addition, we thank

the donors for permitting us to use their images, their photos, and especially to tell the story of their travels.

Photography | Joni Kabanawww.jkabana.com | jkabana@jkabana.com

Read more on Joni’s blog: www.xanga.com/jonikabanaAll images© 2008 Joni Kabana

Except where noted

Additional photography byJoe Barthmaier, pgs 2,3,18,19,21,22,23

Margaret Hinshaw, p 31Mikma Lepcha, p 6

Thanks to all the students who participated in this project.from the GD249: Digital Publication Design class

at Mt. Hood Community College Graphic Design Program Contact Christina Maier, chris.maier@mhcc.edu

www.mhccim.com

Book layout and design by Von VinHasa | shortwaverecords@msn.com

Special thanks are extended to ProPhoto Supply which loaned photography equipment for this trip and other trips when Joni has been involved.

www.prophotosupply.com

All proceeds earned from the sales of this book will benefit Mercy Corps media-related efforts in India and Nepal.

On-demand printing and publishing through Lulu.com