#46 - The Story of Alain Rodrigue...(with updates)

                

(Updates: Oct. 13th, 2011)

On September 22nd, Alain Rodrigue, as referred through the Harambe  Cameroon incubator, won the national Business Plan competition organised by the Ministry of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises of Cameroon. He won 1 million FCFA ($2000) seed capital, and 2millionFCFA in collateral donations.

His project is an environmental initiative, to recylcle plastic waste and transform it ito:
1. Plastic tiles  2. granules and 3. Road bricks.
By May 2012 he projects to have his enterprise  operational.

As always, he underlined the importance Harambe Cameroon had in his success. He presented his trophee to our  HCam team, here. 

Alain Rodrigue,once more, we are very proud you. 


___________  Published on Sept. 16th ______________

For the past months I've been undergoing so many pressures, hurdles and setbacks that 3 days ago I fell terribly sick to my stomach - my bele was bloated, I had a headache, and my ears were aching. Even my spirit was aching. In addition to my laptop being stolen, on Sunday, the screen of my android tablet broke (making it unusable) and the laptop I borrowed to work with stop working. I seriously felt I was at the very least cursed and spiritually attacked, 'cause I don't understand why all these technologies - my working tools- are giving up on me, at the very moment I need them to produce and advance my work. I was borderline depressing and questioning, once more, why I'm staying in this country (I love and cherish so much) but with so many setbacks that it's making me more frequently than not (4/7days), more sad, more frustrated, and disempowered, when I'm trying to empower others. 


Yes, more than before I've been considering how to plan my exit strategy, 'cause it gets so challenging sometimes. I feel the universe is bombarding me with rubber bullets. At the same time I don't want to complain all the time, and lament myself; cuz I know many who go through worse in their lives.  Still, I keep thinking how I could just snap out of this "entrepreneurial" world, and just peacefully, comfortably settle for a job and not stress about others anymore. Yet, the simple thought of that makes me wince my teeth. As alluring as it is, being in a comfortable office with a great pay, and limiting myself to the wellbeing and advancement of just one company, is not the lifestyle I want to settle for. At least not now. I still have my youthful energy, dreams, ambitions and liberty, to try and fail, without the huge pressure I'll have when I have a husband and kids to look after. So the time is now, to try different ventures in my life. That's the thinking that keeps me on the path of establishing and institutionalizing Harambe-Cameroon as an intricate organization for the empowerment of Cameroonian youth. 

Still, sometimes, when I get down to the low of the rollercoaster of emotions entrepreneurs and leaders go through, I don't even have the energy to pump myself to the higher height of the rollercoaster. In those moments, it's not my words or convictions that make me snap out of the vicious cycle of self-pitying and depression anymore. It's stories like that of Alain-Rodrigue, one of the top-20 team captains of the Harambe national Problem-Solvers' Competition, that inspire and refuel me with the energy to keep moving and to keep pushing.


When the American Embassy informed me they were organizing a workshop on Small and Medium Sized enterprises in Douala, they asked me to refer some young entrepreneurs that cold benefit from the workshop. I went into my Harambe data base, and proposed 3 of the captains in the Harambe Top-20 Probelm-Solver's roaster, all residing in Douala. Alain-Rodrigue was one of them. 

"As part of programs designed to foster economic growth in Cameroon, the Embassy of the United States of America is organizing a seminar for young business people in Douala from August 30 – September 2, 2011. This hands-on training, led by American expert Juan Casimiro, is expected to provide participants with skills and tools to start a business or expand their business activities in the Cameroonian context.

Topics that will be covered during the seminar include: The spirit of entrepreneurship; strategic and product marketing for new enterprises; strategies for sustainability and competitiveness; success factors for early stage entrepreneurial development, business planning, etc."

Alain Rodrigue constantly sent me feedback about the preparations and discussions with the American Embassy.

On the last day of the workshops, he called me at 6:45am!!! In my half-sleep i was wondering "who the hell is calling me at this time. Seeing on the phonescreen the caller ID, I thought,"this young boy is over-zealous man!" so I called him back at 10am, ready to give him a sermon on work etiquette, and the importance of respecting calling hours... but he picked up the phone, very excited, with the news that he won the 2nd prize of the business competition the American embassy organized, and because he is grateful for Harambe he will divide his cash-prize in two, and give half of it to Harambe ($100). He said the embassy will give them the cash prize in 2 weeks, and then, he will give us 50% of it.That promise just warmed my heart. I thanked him; yet still,I took his words and promises with lots of reserve. For in the past 2years, one thing I have learned for sure, based on all the unfulfilled promises I have had (whether it's from multinational companies, CEOs, collegues, or the recent one - a young guy pledging to give $2000 to advance Harambe),

is not to be too elated by "possiblities", "potential" and "promises." In Cameroon, words are simply words. They are not inauguration of "action". They are non-binding, and people here can afford (with no remorse)to have their word discredited. That, I have learned and experienced the hard way, is one of our Kmer local realities. All that to say, I have learned to not build my hopes on people's words (no matter what status, stature, gender, age one is), I have learned to not naively place my trust in one he/she said, I now know not to count my chicks before they all hatch. And I now have much more respect and admiration for those who honor their words.




Alain-Rodrigue honored his promise to give 50% of his cash prize to Harambe-Cameroon. My collegue picked the money from him yesterday, as I was out of town, and it will go straight away, without interception, into our office rent (which I'm considering to stop the lease, 'cuz the expenses are more of a liability than an asset. But that's another story).

Alain-Rodrigue's act, his action, is a real example of the things that keep me moving in this tough environment. Seeing the gratitude someone has for the existence of Harambe-Cameroon, reminds me that what we are doing is important for Cameroon's youth, and no matter the lows, setbacks and frustrations, we must keep moving. When my friends ask me, why are you still hustling in Cameroon, when with your netowork and your competence you could be comfortable somewhere else? I answer, because of the thousand of people like Alain-Rodrigue who see a value in what we are doing to encourage job-creation amongst Cameroon's youth, to empower them with access to information, and to engage them in the development of our country.




What makes Alain-Rodrigue remarkable, is that he testified - concretely - on what Harambe meant to him. Out of the three people I referred, he is the only one who gave me any sort of feedback on how the workshop went. His story reminds me a lot of the Biblical story of the Ten Lepers. Out of the 10 lepers healed by Jesus, only one came back to say "Thank you."

With what Alain Rodrigue did, I myself I'm reminded to make sure I never find myself in the group of 9 leppers, who received but never thought of saying thank you. It reminds me to always remember to say thank you for every action that has been done for me.


So, this blogpost is my way to say Thank You to Alain Rodrigue, for his magnanimity and exemplary attitude.

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