housing

Brian Trelstad is Chief Investment Officer at Acumen Fund, where he runs the global portfolio team, coordinating our investment process and post-investment management support.

Every now and again we meet compelling entrepreneurs with nascent businesses that offer real breakthroughs in how to serve the poor.  Sometimes the meetings are pure happenstance, like meeting the PeePoo team at a dinner at the Skoll World Forum. Other times we find ourselves going to the pipeline: as a judge at the Global Social Venture Competition (where we first interacted with d.light, one of our current investments) or as a reviewer for Echoing Green (where we met Embrace).

As an investor who has defined our target investment size as $500,000 to $2,000,000, we are often frustrated that we can’t offer immediate assistance and a smaller investment, say $150,000, to these early stage ideas that need additional proof of concept, market feedback and a more complete team before they are ready for an Acumen Fund investment.

In most cases, we tell people to keep in touch and when they are raising their next round of capital to give us a call.  But for the few with the glint in their eye and unwillingness to take no for an answer, we listen to their pitch, we offer introductions, and we serve as a sounding board during the fits and starts of their early stage of their business’s development.  Ghonsla is one of those teams, whom we met at the Harvard Social Enterprise Business Plan competition in 2008.  They are a building materials company to provide affordable insulation made from renewable and waste materials to underserved markets in Pakistan and beyond.

From their pilot project they have learned that the idea of improving insulation to mitigate deforestation and reduce respiratory diseases stemming from indoor air pollution makes sense. Also the dreadful images coming from Haiti have reminded us that rebuilding places from scratch will happen again and again.  Developing cheap, local and green solutions to do so are as urgent as ever.

Recently, Ghonsla was selected as one of the finalist ventures for the Unreasonable Institute, a 10 week summer program designed to attract and unite 25 high impact social entrepreneurs from around the world, while incubating and accelerating their ventures through rigorous skill training and guidance from expert mentors. The institute also allows for entrepreneurs to connect with seed capital and offers a global network of support. Other finalists include a slew of impressive, early stage companies we’ve met lately – MILLEE, FrontlineSMS:Credit, Global Cycle Solutions and the Rickshaw Bank, to name a few.

So to the early stage entrepreneurs out there, some advice: keep plugging away, don’t take no for an answer and keep in touch.  We may never invest, but we might be able to provide more assistance than money.

My experience shadowing Munir Ahmed and his team of enumerators revealed several stories that reinforced my conclusion that the search for black-and-white quantitative data is often colored by a cultural nuances and perceptions.

There are a few things enumerators must be cognizant of:

• Sometimes there is nothing you can do to elicit an honest answer/ correct data.
  While conducting research for an energy company on electricity utilization, Munir’s team had to attach a device onto the roofs of houses that measures the electricity output at the source (before it reaches the meter). When he and his team came to take the devices off houses the next day, one family had managed to collapse the whole roof in an apparent attempt to evade the exercise (without tampering with the devices) and avoid intrusion at any cost!

• You have to be smart and resourceful to get what you want.
  Munir and his team once travelled into rural Sindh to conduct agricultural surveys. The zamindaar (landowner) of the area did not grant permission for his team to come in and very pointedly told them they had no business speaking to “his” people. Instead of giving up, Munir thought about how to approach this particular problem and, banking on the culture of hospitality that is prevalent especially amongst the Sindhi people, he went back the next day with a strategy in mind. He asked the zamindaar, “What would you call people who have come from outside to visit the people of the land?” “Mehmaan (guests),” answered the landowner. “That is not how we have been treated,” pointed out Munir. Following this, the landowner saw things differently and welcomed them onto his property. He participated in the survey himself and even allowed the team to interview farmers individually. At the end of the day, the landowner sacrificed a goat in honor of his guests and everyone ate together.

• And sometimes you have to know when to walk away.
  One of our respondents, madrassah school teacher Mahmud-ul-Hasan told us he often conducts surveys as part of the national census team. He revealed that due to their conservative culture, Pathans are very difficult to interview. Once while taking census, his team asked a Pathan woman to complete a portion of their questionnaire.  Perceiving it as an invasion on her family’s privacy, she instead tore it in two. Over the next couple of days, the census team repeatedly asked for it back to no avail. When they approached her husband, he also refused, until a Pathan on his team who spoke Pashto explained the purpose of the census and appealed to his sense of brotherhood. The husband proceeded to go home to retrieve the questionnaire and scolded  his wife for withholding such important information.

As I learned, hard stats bring with them a degree of legitimacy that usually goes unquestioned, but you have to be careful to read between the numbers. Munir’s stories really underscore the necessity for the “soft” skills that go behind the quest for “hard” data.

Getting a true picture and perspective requires more than just asking questions. It requires listening and empathy and an understanding of cultural context. But it is this kind of effort that helps us to better understand the needs of low-income customers and the ways in which we can better serve them.

As I travel through Orangi Town, a district in northwestern Karachi of approximately 720,000 inhabitants, about an hour away from the city center, the landscape of Karachi shifts. A microcosm of the city, it is inhabited by mohajirs (Indian Muslim refugees), Biharis (Bangladeshi Muslim refugees), Sindhis, Pathans, Punjabis and Balochis. It was known as one of the largest slums in Asia until renowned social scientist and development activist Dr. Akhtar Hameed Khan pioneered the incremental development and bottom-up community development model with the Orangi Pilot Project in the 80’s.

Citi-Acumen Affordable Housing Research Project

Acumen Fund’s housing portfolio has been the most active in Pakistan, where we’ve been investing in housing since 2002.  In 2002, Acumen made its initial housing investment in Saiban’s Khuda ki Basti (God’s Settlement) low-cost housing project, the brainchild of Tasneem Siddiqui, incremental housing development expert extraordinaire. We’ve been committed ever since and are currently supporting its expansion in Lahore that is also underway. (Ann McDougall and Sasha Dichter from the team each wrote about the Khuda Ki Basti model following their respective visits).

Realizing that investment itself might not be enough, Acumen Fund also partnered with Citi Foundation to undertake a research study into low-income housing and housing finance to understand customer demand for housing and housing finance and the current supply. The end goal is to get a grasp of the market for affordable housing, different types of affordable housing models, and current mechanisms the poor utilize to fund housing purchase. Essentially, what is the BoP’s willingness to pay for low-cost housing?

To that end, the Citi-Acumen project comprises primary market research, including demand-side surveys of the major cities across Pakistan, focus group discussions and stakeholder interviews to assess the current market for housing and finance capabilities. Recently, I accompanied one of the surveyors as he went house to house to speak with individuals living in Orangi Town. As I was to learn, quantitative data gathering is often subjective and a matter of judgment and many human variables factor into this ‘quantitative’ exercise.

Pride

Pride plays a big role in influencing and skewing responses, especially when it comes to answering questions on matters of personal finance, savings and expenses. The nature of our survey was such that respondents will often mistake us for loan officers from banks, leading them to sometimes exaggerate and inflate savings in the hope that they qualify for a loan. Indeed as I was to experience, we were met with a mix of high optimism from some and deep suspicion from others who thought we were bank officers offering loans or government officials on inspection checks. Munir Ahmed (Lead Surveyor) was careful to have coached his enumerators in advance about instigating false hopes within respondents and indeed their ensuing explanation that we were here only to seek the community’s “rai” (opinion) and “mushvara” (advice) so that we may educate those who are in a position to help them - brought about a change in attitude towards us.

Still, there were others who remained suspicious of our work, an attitude exacerbated by the fact that work like this tends to get collective attention by neighbors and others around. One gentleman who was increasingly agitated by the personal nature of questions asked us to “close the interview” once we approached the topic of household expenditures and savings.

Personal pride can also manifest itself in less hostile ways. One respondent, Mahmood-ul-Hasan Qadir, a madarassah (Islamic school) school teacher briefly engaged a perturbed enumerator in a game of tug of war when he tried to pry the questionnaire out of the enumerators hand so he could write down his own answers. The question posed at the time was about his income, and the respondent’s constant self-conscious glances towards me made me realize that he did not want me (the only female in the room) to hear his income. I immediately busied myself with my tea (he was the only respondent who invited us into his home) to save him any embarrassment he might be feeling. At some point in the interview, he was asked how he had financed the construction of a new room that cost Rs.30,000 (USD 360) to which his son interjected, “Through the BC” (Bank committee, see below). After some moments, his father reprimanded him quietly, “Don’t say BC, tell them it was through the help of friends and family,” indicating to one of the options on the survey. Upon further probing, we found out the father had received money from an uncle’s wife to expedite his family’s home construction. He commented later, “I realized that we should be assisting you honestly in this endeavor,” his conscience overcoming any embarrassment he might have felt at receiving help or charity from friends/family.

Unfortunately, there were many others who failed ultimately to understand our role or intention of the exercise. The mindset of those who believed that we would be making some monetary profit out of the exercise tended to echo their own prejudice – and it was often these people who were not willing to participate until we told them what “faida” (benefit) it held for them. As in every community, there were some who were satisfied with the fact that they would not see any monetary or any other immediate benefit, but that in the long term this research could possibly improve the chances of organizations better understanding and meeting the needs of their future generations. And then there were those who couldn’t care less and just walked away.

The BoP’s Savings and Loan Profile: Savings, Lump Sums and BC committees

The most common method of financing big purchases was through savings with BC committees. This reinforces the idea that, given the absence of formal credit or perhaps the undesirability of its institutional stipulations, members of a community will find a way to meet their needs internally. In the case of the residents of the communities I visited, they needed:

• Access to lump sums of money in the anticipation of big events or expenses, and
• The discipline to save this lump sum of money.

This discipline component is related purely to the social aspect of BC committees. Once a party has committed to contributing to a BC, they will push themselves not to renege on installments for fear of breaking the social contract. Once again pride has a big part to play, and as many families told me, they will go a long way to avoid “looking bad” or being scorned for non-payment. Though Microfinance Institutions have incorporated the aspect of “social collateral” into their operations, as one respondent we interviewed told us, an institutional loan is still viewed as foreign and does not warrant the same discipline as a community-managed BC committee does.

The most common amounts of the total BC were Rs.50, 000 (US$600) or Rs.100, 000 (US$1,200) and the average monthly installment was Rs. 2000 (US$ 24). Depending on the size, the total duration of the BC’s ranged from 1 to 4 years. This indicates a preference for short-term credit.

Housing Finance and Borrowing on Credit

Most of the respondents who indicated interest in procuring a loan for home construction or home improvement - and indeed, anybody who had knowledge of financing and interest - were of a certain demographic. By and large, this group consisted of micro entrepreneurs such as tailors and shop owners. A majority of them indicated first a preference for loans to expand their business and then for home construction or improvement loans.

Most families who had taken out a loan in the past from moneylenders or purchased home construction materials on credit from thallawallas (building-parts manufacturers/suppliers) had done it at high interest rates and were caught in a cycle of perpetual debt, usually only able to pay back the monthly interest and never the principal. In fact, most respondents did not exhibit enough of an understanding of principal and interest to realize how they were trapping themselves further in a vicious cycle of debt. As I reflected on this, I realized what a crucial role MFIs must play in educating and empowering their customers to make responsible financial decisions.

Other sources of loans were also mostly informal, such as loans from friends or family and credit from neighborhood stores. This was in small amounts and frequently to cover cash shortfalls experienced on a month-by-month basis.

As I discovered, there is so much to be learned from these surveys — and not just from the questions that we asked. Next week, I’ll share some true-life experiences of the surveyors that demonstrate the challenges and insights that arise from this work.

Acumen Fund just issued a press release announcing new investments in Pakistan: Jassar Farms and AMC.

We’ve talked previously about Jassar Farms in the context of our new Agriculture Portfolio. Jassar Farms is focused on producing high quality, affordable inputs to help poor farmers improve breeding of livestock and increase milk productivity.

Our latest investment in housing is Ansar Management Company (AMC), a housing development company that builds off our past work with Saiban in Pakistan to create much-needed housing for low-income consumers.  As much as houses and infrastructure, AMC is focused on building community — the company is making sure residents are invested in living there, creating ownership in the truest sense of the word.

AMC represents the evolution of a rising leader as well. The entrepreneur behind the investment is Jawad Aslam, a former Acumen Fund Fellow, who has taken his learning and commitment (he is building a home in the community for his own family) to start AMC. By investing capital (and giving him access to additional Fellows to support his work), Acumen Fund is betting on his ability to succeed.

Where do you live - in a house, an apartment, a condo, a dorm room? Is that an easy question to answer? If so, you’re in the minority worldwide - especially in a country like Pakistan, where more than 30 percent of the population lives in squatter settlements and an even larger percentage is effectively shut out of the home ownership market due to speculation, land prices and a difficult bureaucracy.

Affordable housing - and how best to provide it for low-income customers - is something Acumen Fund has been exploring for years now - especially in Pakistan. Along the way, our team has discovered some things that work, and many more that don’t. While these learnings made for great intra-team discussions and e-mails, we felt it was time to start sharing what we know - and what we don’t know - with our sector at large.

Along these lines, be sure to check out the latest additions to our Knowledge Center. Aun Rahman, Pakistan Country Director, and I recently completed a paper entitled The Challenges of Expanding Saiban: Scaling Affordable Housing for Low-Income Communities in Pakistan. In it, we describe how an entrepreneur named Tasneem Siddiqui has extended land title and housing to tens of thousands of previously un-served families. We also explore how Saiban - an Acumen Fund investee - is expanding into different geographies and the early lessons learned from this expansion.

The Pakistan team is also hard at work behind the camera. We now have two new videos to share, “My Story: Jawad Aslam, Class of 2008 Fellow” and “From Squatters to Homeowners”. Both videos follow Acumen Fund 2008 Fellow Jawad Aslam as he works to help build a community at Khuda Ki Basti 4, outside Lahore.

I was in Pakistan for the first week of March, mostly spending time with the Acumen team and its close advisors. This time, unlike my last two trips, I stayed put in Karachi, where Acumen’s Pakistan office is based and did not get to Lahore (the city where the reprehensible attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team occurred on March 3rd) On two prior trips, I have visited Khuda-ki-Basti 4 (KKB-4), Acumen’s low cost housing investment near Lahore.

Although that development is still in a relatively early stage, there are 100 families living there today, a thriving primary school, a small general store and a secondary school in the works. KKB-4 is on the move. On my last trip in May I was happy to see the immense progress made in the few months since I had first visited. I could better imagine what it would be like when the housing plots were fully sold, the houses built, the shops and mosque opened—in short a real self-contained community.

On this trip, I was able to visit Khuda-ki-Basti 3 (KKB-3), a mature housing development outskirts of Karachi in which Acumen made a small investment several years back. KKB-3 (near Karachi) was the inspiration for KKB-4 (near Lahore) and are both brainchildren of Tasneem Siddiqui, the lead developer. I went with Shuaib Siddiqui (no relation), a Pakistani-American who has been working in our Karachi office for the last 18 months as a portfolio associate. Shuaib, along with Aun Rahman our Pakistan country leader, has become expert in the area of housing for the poor and is the relationship manager for our KKB-4 investment.

The drive to KKB-3 took about 45 minutes from Karachi center and when we arrived at the entrance, public buses plied the road. Other developments and commercial establishments crowded the area. Shuaib explained that, 8 years back when the development was just getting started, the area was a wasteland with virtually no roads or buildings.

We walked into the building which had originally been the sales office and now serves as a community center and management office. It was lined with photographs documenting the inception and progress of the development starting 8 years back. The original would-be buyers of land plots were required to live in temporary homes for two weeks before being accepted as buyers and members of the community. This procedure was designed to test their mettle as serious buyers and builders.

We then walked down the central artery of the development—I should say town because it is a teeming, vital town of 25,000. All of the plots have been sold and most have been built up with small single family homes. There is now a thriving secondary market in houses, as the improved land has shot up in value. Some of the poor laborers who were early buyers have sold at a substantial profit and have moved into a higher socio-economic class. Teachers and other professionals are starting to buy these houses and move in (real-estate prices in Karachi are sky-high and there is severely limited availability). And while most of the houses are very simple, a few have second and third floors and spectacular gardens.

We visited a primary school, one of 12 in the town; this one was built by The Citizens Foundation. The school was clean, open and attractive and requires a payment of a modest tuition fee. We visited briefly with the principal of the school who explained that because demand is so high, the school is run on a split session with half the students coming in the morning and half in the afternoon. Other primary schools in the town are even less expensive or free. When we visited later with the manager of the entire development, Akthar Sb, he explained that there is nearly 90% school attendance at the primary level—I had wondered aloud about this as there were many children walking about and playing during what seemed to me to be normal school hours. This was due to the split sessions, Akthar Sb explained.

However, the statistics for attendance at the secondary level drop off significantly, as many children in their early teens are expected to contribute to the family coffers. Given that school attendance is mandatory only until age 10, overcoming this attitude and getting parents to understand the value of secondary education is a long slow battle.

We visited a vocational school for older children and young adults, a clinic for women and children (which sold condoms on a prominently posted price list), a vet shop (mostly focused on goat care), a Catholic church, a vegetable farm, several small textile manufactures. We saw stores selling a vast variety of goods. We saw but did not visit several mosques. There are no banks are within KKB-3, but some can be found just outside in other developments which have sprung up close by.

In short an entire ecosystem has been formed out of empty land near a densely packed city with desperate housing shortage and an enormous population of poor residents. Those who have been able to make the leap now live in a community which provides access to their basic needs: clean water, power, sewage treatment, local government, education, health services and employment opportunities (1/3 of the residents of KKB-3 work within the town). Seeing possibility realized gave me hope and vision for our work at KKB-4, and a real sense of excitement for its future.

We all want to be able to say, “This is the house my father owns.” This dream is floating all over the world. Pitrus Saab, early resident of Khuda Ki Basti 3.

I recently visited Khuda Ki Basti 3, a low-income housing development 2 hours away from the city centre of Karachi. I first learned of Khuda Ki Basti (”God’s Settlement”) and the incremental development model when I met Tasneem Siddiqui of Saiban during a research project in 2005. I was ushered in an office by Mr. Siddiqui’s assistant (his only staff at the time) where he sat at his desk, shrouded by mountains of papers and books. Though he was extremely busy and seemingly understaffed, he made himself available to speak to me. Mr. Siddiqui is the sort of person who inspires people. Not because he is a great story teller with heart warming anecdotes that leave you with a good feeling. No, he is inspiring because he takes a no-nonsense approach to a problem that is colossal and overwhelming both in its scale and by its nature.

Without a piece of land on which you can raise your family, sleep at night and call your home, it is difficult to find the stability you need in your life to propel yourself forward. No one should be denied the opportunity to attain this stability and prosperity. Almost all people understand this. However there are very few people who will roll up their sleeves and try to get something done about it. This is especially true in an environment like Pakistan where public officials are a part of the problem, not solution. (Pakistan was ranked 134th out of 180 countries by Transparency International’s 2008 Corruption Perceptions Index - which is not a good ranking.)

My report recognized that, without government cooperation, there is no method of scaling any successful models in housing. However, it also acknowledged the reality – that public sector solutions are usually public relations rhetoric within a larger political game. As a result, government-initiated projects do not often reflect the reality of the issues. For example, as has been documented by Saiban extensively, the age-old government approach of creating elaborate “sites and services” schemes in Pakistan ends up inflating the cost and price of housing far beyond the reach of base of the pyramid, and yet we continue to hear of initiatives based on this model.

In his inauguration speech at the National Assembly on 29th March 2008, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani announced his coalition government’s agenda, including a plan to build one million homes annually targeted towards the lower income sector. Such grandiose plans that are removed from the reality of the current and historical housing reality are not uncommon - especially when they come during times of crises (in this case both economic and political).

Tasneem Siddiqui is known internationally for his work in low-income housing - he has been the recipient of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, The Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service and nominated for several others. What is somewhat disheartening is that even today, despite his reputation and the successes (KKB has been replicated in three areas of Karachi and currently in the process of development in Lahore) of the incremental development model, government cooperation (in the form of subsidized land) remains the biggest bottleneck to solving the housing and squatter settlement crisis in Pakistan.

Though consultation with Mr. Siddiqui and Saiban is often part of protocol during various government-led initiatives, they have still not been able to get their model officially adopted. A Saiban employee told me that while officials praise Saiban’s efforts and achievements in the field during meetings and conferences, off-the-record discourses usually involve an official asking very plainly “Meray liye faida kahan hai?” (“Where is the benefit for me?”). It is easy to see how anyone with good intentions might be discouraged. But as the perseverance of Mr. Siddiqui, his colleagues at Saiban and of the residents of Khuda Ki Basti 3 demonstrated, determined ideals will get you long way.

In my next blog post, I’ll talk about how two of the earliest residents of KKB 3 and its very model taught me the meaning of patient capital. For now I’ll end on a note that nags at the back of my mind whenever I think of the achievements of Mr. Siddiqui in such an onerous environment. How much is the success of a movement dependent on its figure head? We at Acumen Fund like to talk about the sustainability of our advocacy for social change, but when it comes down to the nitty gritty, how do you go about succession planning for revolutionaries – especially when it is their reputation and clout that opens doors in such a dramatically politicized environment like Pakistan?

Editor’s note: This post was written by Batool Hassan, with assistance from Aun Rahman

On Thursday, August 21, Acumen Fund Pakistan hosted a half day roundtable discussion on “Innovations in Low Income Housing: Local Challenges and Global Lessons.”

The roundtable convened a small group of 20 key stakeholders representing different areas within the housing development and housing finance sectors. Attendees discussed key challenges and issues facing low-income housing development in Pakistan. The roundtable also highlighted successful models locally and globally, key challenges to scale, and what steps are necessary at the private and public sector levels to facilitate on the ground movement in the affordable housing space.

The group included:
- Representatives from the State Bank of Pakistan
- Representatives from Sindh and Punjab government housing agencies
- Stakeholders from private banks and microfinance organizations
- Affordable housing developers, urban planners and architects

The event itself was an energizing and aspirational experience for the Acumen Fund Pakistan team – we have rarely before seen such a dedicated, informed, engaged, and impassioned group of individuals who sincerely have a stake in the low-income housing space in this country. The depth of knowledge and level of commitment to catalyze change in the sector was unparalleled.

In this day and time, with so much attention on housing for the poor, we came out of the meeting with an awareness and an understanding that we have a real chance to solve some substantial problems that are global in scale but with innovative local initiatives, we can genuinely tackle.

Within the two overarching themes of Housing Finance and Housing Development, there were some key emerging ideas, possibilities and learnings that were tangible take aways.

For the last two years I have been fortunate enough to be linked with the leaders of lo-cost housing in Pakistan–the likes of Tasneem Siddiqui and Arif Hassan, as well as others.  During this time, and with my involvement at Saiban, I have seen many individuals and organizations come forth with lo-cost solutions to building materials.  The common features in all of the proposals are two: alternative materials are a fraction of a cost of conventional materials, and (the claim is) the material is more efficient.    

For an ‘educated/privileged’ person, there are 3 questions that need to be answered before accepting the technology:

-How long has the technology been available in this region?

-Is there scientific data endorsing the claims of efficiency?

-Where has this been tested on a larger scale?

Once these 3 questions are answered properly, one is ready to continue a conversation with the salesperson.

A ‘less educated/poorer’ person does not ask the same questions.  He/she has one question: Is this the conventional method?  If not, he/she is not interested.  The misconception in lo-cost housing is that the poor man needs a low priced house/a roof over his head.  In reality, he wants a low priced house/roof over his head that looks like everyone elses.  If the alternative material does not meet this simple criteria, then it is not welcome.

A well known townplanner recently visited our site with a group of professionals and told some of the proponents of alternative material, ‘For the love of God, do not run your alternative building materials market tests on the poor.  If you want to be successful, get the rich folks to accept it, let it become mainstream, then offer it to the poor’.

A waiter once told a friend, ‘In all my years as a waiter in Pakistan I have noticed one thing–a rich man will always leave a small tip, and a poor man will always leave a big tip….the reason is that the rich man never wants to be identified as rich (for safety and security reasons) and the poor man never wants to be identified as poor’

The same principal holds true in lo-cost housing!

So with the investor gathering behind us I find myself in Nairobi where we need to find a place to live! Thanks to the immense generosity of a friend of Catherine’s (a fellow fellow), Lisa (my wife) and I are all staying for the first two weeks in an apartment near the centre of Nairobi. But come December we need to find a place of our own.

Catherine, Lisa and I went house-hunting today. It’s proving surprisingly complex. We’re trying to find a place which is safe, with internet access, within our relatively limited budget and with reasonable public transport links to the places we work. The most complex bit however seems to be working out how comfortable is ‘too comfortable’. We don’t want to be in a place that feels too grandiose - some of the early apartments we were shown felt a bit like four-bed mansions! At the same time, there is clearly something a bit rediculous about these consideration. There is a slight danger of us becoming like ‘Gap’ year students who take delight in living in the most-run-down place we can find so that we can say that we ‘lived with the poor’. It is also clearly rediculous for us to pretend that by living in a two-bedroom flat in a walled compound rather a four-bedroom one we are just like the people we are here to serve.

On another note, I have noticed again (sorry Lisa) how clumsy my wife is. The score for today: one bashed head and three minor trips. She swears that she wasn’t like this until she met me! Having almost wet myself last week watching Catherine bend down to pick up a piece of paper and almost knocking herself unconscious on the table she was sitting at, I feel a competition between the two of them may be in order.