How money gets a face in Zambia

This blog post was written by Arno Huibers.

Together with Ella van Kranenburg, Heini Withagen, and Lendahand's Peter Heijen and Thomas Plaatsman, I traveled to Zambia to see firsthand where my money as an investor ends up. We paid for this trip ourselves.

Peace and calm. No honking cars. Speed bumps and rumble strips everywhere. Hardly any cyclists, mostly pedestrians. In the city, outside the city, in the middle of nowhere, pedestrians everywhere. On our way to Lendahand’s partners, we drive along endless roads lined with ramshackle stalls. Or just tables under the burning sun with dozens of meters of tomatoes. Each stall has a specialty: from plastic slippers to wooden front doors. Sellers sometimes hide in the shade of the occasional tree. Who are these sellers? And how do they earn their living? I’m going to see how my loans are being used in practice.

Imagine the following

What if you cook three times a day on charcoal in a 16 m² one-room home for a family of six? There’s no exhaust for the smoke, except when you open the door. You inhale black smoke three times a day. No wonder your life expectancy decreases by 20 to 25 years, partly due to this way of cooking. We visit two of Lendahand’s partners who market cookstoves. One partner reduces charcoal use by 75%, while the other uses wood pellet residues. These partners together improve overall health (less smoke), finances (lower costs), and the environment (virtually no CO2 and trees are spared).

The Sun of Zambia

We visit several shop owners who use the investments to keep their businesses running and growing. It’s quite difficult when the power goes out frequently, causing freezers to defrost. I notice that these people don’t use self-sustaining solar panels. Although Zambia generates clean energy through hydropower plants, the sun is the most powerful energy source. Solar panels would provide these shopkeepers with consistent electricity. This trip has inspired me to focus more on Lendahand’s solar projects in the future.

A Sales Strategy That Sticks

A seller of TVs, solar-powered lamps, and cookstoves lives in a small hut, miles away from civilization. He sells between 12 and 20 products each month. How does he find buyers? “I’m just waiting.” Buyers find him through word of mouth. During our short conversation, an order comes in by phone. A mobile phone in the wilderness feels special. He just has to wait for his orders. Although it’s not my preferred way of selling, it feels less pointless than running one of those roadside stalls. In the evening, the piles of tomatoes seem just as high. Another reason to support true entrepreneurs.

Where My Role as an Investor and Artist Come Together

This trip to Zambia has taught me a lot. Partly thanks to the expertise of my fellow travelers, but certainly also thanks to the people we met on-site. My trust in the quality of Lendahand's choices has grown further. During this trip, my role as an investor and my profession as an artist came together. I had delightful moments with my hand puppet ‘little raccoon,’ a disappearing handkerchief, and my clown nose. It created relaxing moments, allowing me to be seen as a ‘clown’ rather than just a Westerner with money. So in that way, money also took on a face.