March 18, 2008

La Ceiba, Atlántida

Last week when I was at one of the Asambleas around Atlántida, the topic of the educational talk was Planning, specifically for your business. The importance and benefits of planning, both short term and long term, and some suggestions on planning techniques were some of the topics discussed.

In running any business, large or small, there is a seemingly endless list of activities, responsibilities and tasks to juggle. Planning ahead, in terms of scheduling for certain tasks, or budgeting appropriately so that there is enough money left to pay all the bills, can frequently help to smooth business operations.

In one Asamblea in one of the neighborhoods that border La Ceiba, this idea - planning ahead and budgeting - stirred a discussion amongst the women at the meeting. One woman mentioned the difficulty of planning ahead, especially when life can be so uncertain and the budget so tight. For instance, the woman said, you could have things all planned out, and saved enough money to pay the next light bill when it comes, but then a child suddenly falls sick and you have to take her to the health clinic, incurring costs and lost work days. Several women nodded in agreement, and shared their own stories of the difficulties they face nearly every month when unforeseen circumstances suddenly arise, putting a dent in their plans, as they have to scramble deal with this latest challenge.

The Adelante credit officer, spurred on by this discussion, emphasized the importance of having a strategy and the importance of long term planning. A series of short term plans, that lead to a long term plan, can help slowly move towards a strategy that will ideally make dealing with such uncertainty a little easier and smoother. The credit officer said it was important not to give up, not to feel defeated. The women nodded their heads in agreement.

It was an interesting Asamblea - the talk on planning was a platform for discussions between women on weighty issues that touch their lives nearly every day. Planning can be a helpful and beneficial tool in any business, whether big or small, or in family and daily living. But the issues that the women at this meeting mentioned, which would be familiar to many women around the world, highlight some fundamental challenges that vulnerable communities seem to face in greater degrees than others.

Uncertainty, and the unexpected, unpredictable circumstances that come with it, are aspects of everyone’s life - indeed, they are a defining component of life. However, it seems to me that uncertainty looms much larger in vulnerable neighborhoods. The higher you pull a pendulum in one direction, the further it will swing in the other when you let go. What could be considered small inconveniences in some communities and neighborhoods, are enough to crumble carefully-laid plans in others.