Sylvia's Journal

We finished our work this morning with a visit to the chief of the national AIDS program in his well appointed office. Even his secretary had a desk that was fancier than any senior official we visited in the region; no comparison for anything further down in the administrative hierarchy. The senior leadership team has benefitted from countless and probably costly training in country and overseas as well as personal coaches. That they have their act together is obvious but, as the chief admitted, it is not trickling down. This is where we hope to join forces; even though it is on a limited scale, in 2 regions and 5 zones each, at least for now.

Liz, Yohannes and I delivered our findings and recommendations at our funder’s office to a small team that listened intently to our presentation. We received their blessing and some additional exhortations to look at private management consulting firms that will benefit from being involved in our work. It would be a good deal for them: being paid for opportunities to develop their staff and be part of an approach that is different than the usual expert-driven management consulting approach.

We returned to the office and tied up some loose ends, took pictures, delivered thank you gifts and said our goodbyes before our colleague Belkis took us to her mom’s house for a last Ethiopian meal. It was completed with a coffee ceremony that included smelling the roasting beans, popcorn and a cup of great coffee.

After that Belkis took us out shopping in her large SUV with stick shift, something she has not entirely mastered. Scratches on the car attested to her self-proclaimed limited driving skills and we had some close calls. Liz was blissfully sitting in the back and could be in denial while I was trying to stay cool in the front, trying not to show occasional rushes of adrenaline. Needless to say there was much honking and angry frowns. Luckily there wasn’t much traffic and the worst that could have happened would have been a fender bender – which would of course have put a literal dent in our afternoon plans. Rest and relaxation is reserved for tomorrow morning when we go to have our hot stone massage and facial at the Boston Spa.

Belkis showed us her own home on the outskirts of the city not far from a coffee roaster where I stocked up on beans. We visited some handicraft places and purchased gifts for people we owe something to back home. Back in our hotel it was time to see if the new acquisitions would still fit in the suitcase (they did). We ordered out for chili pizza from Don Vito’s and indulged in a glass of Chianti and another fattening desert. Our last work-related activity consisted of writing up our notes, and passing on tasks to our colleagues in Boston and Addis. And with that our job here is done.