marissa's blog

Listen to Marissa's interview with Nikki Kayser of Dot Org scheduled to air Tuesdy, Jan 23 at 6:56 AM on KGNU on 1390 AM in Denver and 88.5 FM in Boulder.  Nikki asks why Dsenyo focuses on youth in the community development projects that we support and how Dsenyo empowers women in Malawi.

Listen now!

http://kgnu.org/dotorg/2010/02/dsenyo

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is probably old news to many of you. It was published in 2000 and has been on my To Read list since then. Yet, what I found fascinating about this book is that the ideas seem to transcend time. Gladwell presents a fresh, new way to observe and analyze the world which can be applied to the past, present or future. The read was a little slow at times, definitely an academic writer, but the core elements of how to identify a Tipping Point kept me interested all of the way through. Here are some takeaways that I will keep with me:

Law of the Few:

• Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen; the three types of people that will promote and champion your message starting your word-of-mouth epidemic.
• A social epidemic will be successful based on the level of involvement and influence of people with a "particular and rare set of social gifts".
• These people make the idea contagious and they tend to be optimistic people, we are drawn to them.
• A Maven is someone who has an extreme amount of knowledge on a specific subject/topic born out of some sort of obsession, and they are social people, well respected for their insight on the topic. ("Maven" comes form Yiddish meaning one who accumulates knowledge)

After my last trip to Malawi (summer 2009) I vowed to myself that I would make a more concerted effort to learn the national language, Chichewa.  Malawi was a British protectorate.  Therefore, English is also a national language and many Malawians, expecially in the cities, speak English.  Because of this, a foregner can get around quite easily without speaking Chichewa or any of the other tribal languages.  Of course, as any good traveller knows, if you make an effort to learn a peoples' language, it is often much appreciate, is amusing to your new friends, and opens up a whole new world into understanding the culture on a deeper level.  

Since Dsenyo is starting to work with several sewing cooperatives, many of which are located in rural villages, my need to speak the local language has increased.  I studied and learned a bit of Chitimbuka while living in Mzuzu, Malawi but this language is localized only in the north with the Timbuka people.  If I learn Chichewa, which is taught in schools throughout the country, I have a better chance of being able to communicate with more people. 

So, here we go! I thought I would share some Chichewa lessons with all of you.

Lesson #1:

Chichewa is a Bantu-based language.  It belongs to the family of Bantu languages which also includes the better known KiSwahili (Tanzania).  If you know Spanish, you are familiar with the Latin family of languages and know that you can use your knowledge of Spanish to learn French more easily than, say, German.  It's the same with Chichewa.  If you learn one Bantu language, some of that knowledge can translate to learning other Bantu languages.

Chichewa = Language of the Chewa people

"Chi" = Language of;  "Chewa" = The Chewa People/Tribe

Greetings:

An interaction always starts with "how are you?".  Even when you are just passing someone on the street.  It is very rude not to inquire about how someone and their family are doing before going into other conversation.

"moni, abambo" (mo-nee, ah-bahm-bo)= Hello father (sir, elder, respect)

"moni, amayi" (mo-nee, ah-mah-yee) = Hello mother (ma'am, elder, respect)

"Muli bwanji" (moo-dee, bwah-ngee) = How are you?

"Ndili bwino" (ndee-dee, bwee-no) = I am well, fine, good

"Tili bwino" (tee-dee, bwee-no) = We are well, fine, good

"Kaya Inu" (kaya, ee-noo) = And, how are you?

"Zikomo" (zee-komo) = Thank you 

In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I thoroughly enjoy the #1 Ladies Detective Agency series. "In the Company of Cheerful Ladies" was entertaining and McCall Smith always impresses me with the detail of everyday life in Botswana. Having lived in Malawi myslef, I really appreciate these small details like the sounds of the African bush, the delight of pumpkins, and the difference between city folk and village folk. This book was a quick read like most of McCall Smith's books, but is full of insight, amusement and touching accounts about the interactions between his wonderful characters. I do recommend this series of lighthearted books to anyone interested in Sub-Saharan Africa, especially those that want insight in to the brighter side of life in Africa, a refreshing change from the typical doom and gloom we are fed by the media.

View all my reviews >>

I started sponsoring a child from Haiti with Compassion International as a young college student.  Ever since then, Haiti has always held a special place in my heart.  Today, with news of an earthquake that has devestated the country, affecting at least 1 million people (1/3 of the country's population), I am saddenned.  It has been an upward battle for this poor, developing country, and just as they were making progress in areas like health and political stability, this is an incredibly huge setback to say the very least.  Right now Haiti is in crisis mode and the international community is acting quickly to provide assistance.  I urge you to conssider a donation to World Care which is active in relief efforts in Haiti. 

In addition, Dsenyo is donating 20% of online sales for the month of January to World Care for Haiti.  You can shop online at our Etsy store and we will donate 20% of your entire order.

Dsenyo joined the Etsy Earth Team back in November of 2009. Once a month, the Etsy Earth Team blog features and interview with a team member.  Dsenyo is the featured member this January, 2010.  Check out the interview here.

The Etsy Earth Team is focused on earth-friendly handmade goods. Each team member is committed to sustainability, aware of current eco-issues, taking responsibility for making the best, well-balanced choices for their shops with the safety and quality of their products in mind.

The group is part of Etsy's Teams a feature which allows sellers to band together to network, share skills, and promote their shops and Etsy together.  According to Etsy, "Teams are Etsy’s biggest and most creative grassroots engine for support, networking and marketing – for each team member’s shop, for the Teams themselves, and for Etsy as a whole"

You can read more about the Etsy Earth Team's mission and membership standards.

Dsenyo is honored to be mentioned as one of Aimee Heckel's the top "10 must-have fashion fixes for 2010".  Dsenyo was featured in her article " 10 for '10: A fashion lesson in delayed gratification", on Friday, January 1, 2010.

As the year is coming to an end, I am wrapping up several things for Dsenyo and frantically working on laying the groundwork for big goals in 2010.  Here are some of those goals:

In 2010,  Dsenyo will...

• Help two Malawian women set up their own business, a sewing studio in Lilongwe
• Train and put three sewing cooperatives into production on some of our new designs
• Unveil our first "Made in Malawi" accessories
• Use artisan crafted fabric from Zambia and Tanzania
• Expand our wholesale business
• Donate $2,250 to community development projects in Malawi (One dollar goes a long way there!)
• Contribute to the creation and sustainability of jobs for over 30 women

We have taken our first steps towards getting Tamara and Vina set up to start their business in Lilongwe.  Dsenyo is paying for Tamara to take some computer classes to learn how to do email and basic word processing.  She is also registering her business with the Malawi government and looking for a space to rent.  My hope is that come, March, when I go to Malawi for 4-5 weeks, Tamara and Vina will have rented their space, built a large cutting table and recruited 4 tailors to work on a part-time basis.  With their sewing studio ready to go, Dsenyo will be their first and primary customer.  I will train them on industry standard techniques for cut and sew production of our accessories.  As they get experience with us, they will be prepared to expand their buisness and take on other customers.

While politicians gather in the Bella Center for the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, the Nordic fashion industry gathers at The Opera House in Copenhagen to participate in this year's most important fashion event – the Fashion Summit – part of the NICE project.

My degree is in International Studies from the University of Arizona,  where I focused on economic development.  I’m a jack of all trades type of gal.  I have worked as a fine arts painter for several years and have a natural eye for design. I learned to sew as a kid and have always been good with my hands.

Over the past few years,  I have taught myself how to design handbags and accessories by hijacking my step-mom’s 1960’s sewing machine (permanently on loan to me) and just going at it!  I sketched designs, rented books from the public library, dissected handbags to study how they were constructed, studied other designers by going to stores and sketching their designs, etc.  I’m still learning...it never ends!

I tend to dive into things with a lot of energy, a willingness to learn along the way and accept that the end result might not be exactly what I had in mind from the beginning. Some of the best art and the best designs happen by “accident”.