The Project Management of Hawaiian Pizza

Prior to leaving Canada, the expedition coordinator (Deb) asked if I could present a half-day course on Project Management.  I was more than happy to speak on behalf of what I love to do, and processes I strongly support and believe in.  I prepared some handouts and brought all course materials from Calgary.

Zanner leading a discussion on Scope, Time and Cost.

Canadian Humanitarian has Project Managers representing each project (YTH, BEKA, LIGA, PATH, SSCM).  These Project Managers joined our team for a great session on Scope/Time/Cost and the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).  The course was held in the library at the SSCM Vocational Center.

Group 1 working on their project.

Group 1 presentation of their WBS for a Medical Clinic project.

Group 2 working away.

Group 2 presenting their WBS for a New Farm.

Group 3 deep in thought.

Group 3's presentation was a WBS for an Expedition.

It was interesting putting on a course with a translator, and working within cultural differences.  I appreciated the challenge and it was a rewarding experience, even if I did get some interesting resistance from elder members of the team.

While at Gindo I had also put on the same half-day course for the BEKA Guardians and Foresight Fathers.  It's not very often I get to create a Work Breakdown Structure in Amharic.

Amharic WBS - too cool!

After the course, the team stopped at a restaurant for a quick lunch.  It was an interesting experience.  Bryce and I ordered a Hawaiian pizza to share.  When it arrived - the pizza had no toppings on it.  I asked the waitress where the pineapple was? -  "No pineapple".  I asked the waitress where the ham was? -  "No ham".  Ummm... OK, cheese pizza it is!  And yes, they billed us for a Hawaiian pizza.  Serves us right for ordering Polynesian Italian food in Ethiopia.

We headed to the PATH center after lunch (PATH is the center where we delivered the flour and oil last week).  We completed more one-on-one interviews with the children.  I especially enjoyed my discussion with Tamrat who is 18 and working hard at school as he wants to become a lawyer.  His english is fantastic and he acted as my translator for my interviews with the younger children. 

Tamrat and I had a great conversation about soccer, travel and life in Canada.  I loved watching his expression as I explained that during winter we have to warm up our cars in the morning, after plugging them in overnight.  We chatted about Canada's amazing healthcare system.  For someone who has not grown up in our country, or experienced any form of socialist government program it was an interesting task to explain how it works.  When we talked about healthcare and Canadian taxes, he asked some great questions, like:  "When you go to the doctor or the hospital - do you have to pay for your own transportation?".  Thoughts like that never crossed my mind before.  This young man is going places and can't wait to monitor his progress in the years to come.

Another amazing student is a girl named Helen, who is first in her class.  As part of our interviews, we asked the children what they were most excited about.  Her response was the new hydroelectric dam that Ethiopia is building on the Nile.  She wants to be a scientist when she graduates. 

Students like Tamrat and Helen give me the confidence to know, first hand, that the Canadian Humanitarian programs are working.  These are amazing students who are going to be contributors, and not consumers.  I am so excited, motivated and hopeful when I think about the future for these kids, and for Ethiopia.