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A bit of recap, perhaps.  Our purpose in coming down to Managua was largely threefold: 1. establish relationships, 2. purchase enough merchandise to float a pilot, and 3. develop and vet the viability of our business plan.  Oh, and get in a bit of vacation time, too.  I can safely assert that when we landed last Thursday afternoon, we hadn’t the faintest notion of the absolute bounty and providence that awaited us.  And I certainly do not command the eloquence necessary to adequately capture all that has befallen us these last five and a half days.  Though certainly not for want of trying.

Drawing your attention again, then, to the purpose of our trip.  We have been more wildly successful in all three main areas than we had ever dared hope.  (Though, to ascribe any of that success to our direct efforts is laughable.)  The fourth?  Well, we might need a vacation when we get back…  Allow me to regale you with some highlights:

The people in Nicaragua that we have encountered are incredible.  This ranges from the remarkable folks working at Manna Project International, to the remarkable folks working at NicaHope, the remarkable folks working at Fabretto, the remarkable folks that cheerfully and helpfully give us directions when we’re helplessly lost.  (For the record, we were never lost—just exploring parts of the city we’d never seen before).  The kids in La Chureca (the city dump). The artisans working in Masaya and San Juan de Oriente.  The families in Cedro Galan and Chiquilistagua (the Manna communities).

We came down to Nicaragua expecting to implement an acceleration of the microfinance process.  We’ve come to realize that, while microfinance is an effective tool, there are several other initiatives and programs that are striving to affect the same kind of change and deliver the same sort of impact, and that we would be fools not to extend a hand in partnership.  Narrowly, we had assumed that microfinance would be the best means to an end.  But this trip, among many other things, has opened our eyes, and our hearts, to the inescapable truth that the focus belongs on many viable means to that end—families working to make a better life for themselves and their communities.  These are the answers that we want to be a part of.  That we want you to be a part of.

So where does this leave us?  In a spectacular place, I think.  Again, I wish I could convey to you the excitement, fervor, and passion that have driven Neil and me these past few days.  The opportunities.  The partnerships.  The hope.  Sure, we’re bringing back suitcases crammed full of products we’ll be piloting on our site.  But it’s more than just the physical merchandise.  Jewelry made by children whose potential was limited by their ability to collect recyclables from the massive trash heaps of the city dump.  Pottery made by a father whose dream is for his son to go to college and become a computer engineer.  Woodwork and purses sold by women whose livelihoods, and the lives of their families, depend on the success of their businesses.  And, of course, the relationships.  With the entrepreneurial artisans, not just their businesses.  With the compassionate social workers, not just the organizations.  It’s those meaningful, empowering, hope-giving impacts that have us most excited.  And hopefully have you excited, as well.

I find it hard to believe that we’re on the return trip home tomorrow morning, and that this time Wednesday night, I’ll be back in DC.  But just because we’re not in Nicaragua anymore doesn’t mean that things aren’t happening anymore, nor that updates won’t be forthcoming.  Really, the work has only just begun, and Chaka has only just started.  This prospect thrills us to no end, and we’re simultaneously grateful and pleased that you, dear reader, are right there with us.

Car-Rental Clerk (nice lady): ¿Cuantos años tienes? (How old are you?)

Neil Paine (flirting with the car-rental clerk): Suficiente. (Old enough.)

We touched down at 12:30, Nicaragua time, and were on the road, zipping around in our Toyota Yaris, by 2:30, with all our stuff (even the suitcase we checked, in spite of that ridiculously short layover…props to the C0ntinental baggage crew at Houston Int’l).

A quick word about the Yaris.  It doesn’t have a lot of power (none), and has the darkest tinted windows I’ve seen this side of Obama’s ride.  And usually, when you rent a car, they look it over with you, for existing dings, and give you the basic tutorial (lights, windshield wipers, gas cover lever).  Here?  The fellow who handed us the keys was quickest to show us the spare tire, tire iron, and the jack.  And, honestly, it’s a small miracle we haven’t yet had need of them.

However, the Yaris does have a lot of character.  And the capacity to “seat” 8.  Neil and I are hanging out with the folks at Manna Project International (and if you aren’t familiar yet with who they are or what they do, then, frankly, you’re missing out) who are, among many good and gracious things, fantastic hosts.  And part of our first evening’s frivolities included a trip to many of Managua’s most happening night spots: dinner at Galerias (Tacontent0).  After-dinner libations at Mio Mi Gato.  And then one of the most distinctive experiences I’ve ever had (and no, that is not hyperbole) at a nightclub called Chaman.  Where we arrived rolling 8-deep in the Yaris.  And then some spectacular dancing.  Techno/hip hop/salsa/everything.   With some of the most talented salsa dancing I’ve ever borne witness to.  Neil maintains they were robots.

Lest you get the wrong idea, it hasn’t all been bacchanaliando (partying).  We’ve been to some eye -opening places (La Chureca—the city dump), and listened to some heart-wrenching stories—only confirming for us the real need that exists here in Managua.  But there are also stories of real hope.  The good work that Manna is doing, and the lives and communities that they are impacting.  Other initiatives like NicaHope, Empleo Listo, and an awesome cooperative started and run by local Nicaraguan 20-somethings to help the Managuan preschools called Nicayuda.

As I write this, it’s almost 9:00AM on Saturday—we haven’t even been in Nicaragua for a full two days.  But we’ve already had enough adventures, conversations, and perspective-altering experiences to fill many, many more paragraphs.  More on all that later, but we’re both really excited about how the work we envision for Chaka—the support of folks like you—can have a meaningful impact in the lives of the people we are meeting.  It’s been a raucous good time, and I have no reason to doubt the continuation of that trend.  Hasta pronto!

Now, this introduction is pretty well summed-up by Neil in the first video blog post, and the About Us section also touches on it briefly.  But I’m going to recap it here, just for consistency’s sake.  Moving forward, I don’t really intend to parrot too much of the other updates we post, as I’d like to capture as many fresh perspectives as possible.  Which means that, although mine might be the most oft-appearing name in the by-line, you’ll get to see Chaka’s progress through the eyes of Neil, Todd, and Geoff, as well.

At Chaka, our vision is to create an online, peer-to-peer marketplace for entrepreneurs in developing countries.  The artisans we partner with in these countries are supported by microfinance loans.  These loans provide them with the capital they need to start their business.  However, what many artisans lack is the access to a wider demand–a larger market–to help them grow their business in a meaningful way.  The microfinance loans start these folks off on the right step, but this limited demand is a major obstacle toward a viable business.

And that’s where Chaka comes in.  We intend to partner with these artisans in a sustainable way to bridge them to a larger market–an online marketplace–that will help them grow their businesses and allow them to support their families and their communities.  We offer their products to you, the consumer, and your purchase of these products is not just a business transaction.  It’s an investment.  An endorsement, even.  Of someone’s idea, their family, their livelihood.  A partnership.  To that end, Chaka isn’t about bridging just supply and demand.  We invite you to meet these entrepreneurs.  Learn their names and listen to their stories.  As you do, I have every confidence that you will begin to see that merchandise and dollars aren’t the only currency involved in each transaction.  Rather, that these are real relationships, bridging lives through compassion, opportunity, and hope.

A journey of a thousand miles, as they say, begins with a single step, and our single step right now is Nicaragua.  Neil and I are headed down to Managua (the capital) on Thursday.  And we couldn’t be more excited.  We only have a week, but our intent is to meet with local microfinance institutions (MFIs), meet some of the entrepreneurs, and begin to forge relationships that will help us realize our vision.  Admittedly, the weather is considerably warmer, and I am thrilled about the notion of being on a beach in January.  And learning how to do this.  Or this. Neil, on the other hand, mentioned something about a museum.

At any rate, while we’re down there, we plan on updating this page with as much information as we’ll have time to include.  Pictures and video, stories and faces–everything.  I’d encourage you to check in from time to time.  And let us know how we’re doing: what you like, what annoys you, what you think we could be doing better.  There are comment features scattered all throughout the blog.  If you find you have a lot to say, pen an e-mail (matthew.farrell@chakamarketbridge.com).  We certainly need your support.  And thank you.  Sincerely.  Honestly.  Whole-heartedly.