Name: Elwin Wolters
Role: Randstad: Business Adviser, Catholic Diocese of Eldoret
Location: Eldoret

It is estimated that approximately 1.8 million people aged between 0 – 19 in Kenya live with a disability. In Eldoret, Kenya the needs of children and their families living with a disability are being addressed by a workshop run by the Catholic Diocese of Eldoret. This provides resources such as wheelchairs, crutches and artificial limbs.

However, the people employed in the workshop needed guidance to show them how to work more effectively with management figures. In addition, the people who run the workshop thought that there may be the opportunity to manage it as an independent business, enabling them to use the profits to support growth and therefore ultimately helping more people.

VSO volunteer Elwin Wolters from Breda, the Netherlands completed a nine month placement in Eldoret during 2006. In his capacity as a business advisor, he helped the management assess the workshop and to look at how its services could help more people. ‘In Holland’ says Elwin, ‘I was a supply chain manager and a logistic project manager. This was a totally different role because I was working in a very structured environment. I had a goal target for each day and that was it. In Kenya I had to adapt to a more flexible approach to working where things are done in a more considered manner and completely different challenges arise such as working with very basic equipment and basic resources. But whilst the working environment was different, the way my skills were utilised was similar. I had to assess processes – I have to look at how things are done and how people achieve different tasks. This meant looking at individuals in an organisation and assessing how they implement something.’

How Elwin worked with colleagues is seen in the development of the workshop. ‘My objective was to help build for the long term so we looked at the basics of how the workshop works. We looked at how people operate, we looked at the equipment there – how it was being used, if it was being used. Once we had collected this information we decided to do some fieldwork and had a look at other disability workshops. There are particularly successful ones in Nairobi, Kunjabi, Kisomo that we thought would give us an idea of where our workshop should be heading. Basically, we looked at applying their processes and methodologies to our workshop.’

Having collected this information Elwin compiled a report that showed how he thought the workshop could work. It was originally thought it could be an independent business supplying equipment at a cost to people living with a disability. The business report showed this wouldn’t be possible as many of those who need support the most do not have the means to buy their own equipment, even at a minimal cost.

It did demonstrate however that the workshop could operate as a supported programme that provided local people with resources for their disability, which they only have to pay for in part.

The impact of Elwin’s work is highlighted by one of the people working at the workshop, sister Dimitillah Chemtai:

‘Elwin advised people here on what to do and helps to compare production against expenditure. They’ve been going to different homes looking at how children benefit from the workshop, Elwin made them realise there was a connection between the workshop and small homes in the community – their wellbeing and their prosperity. He made them look at what they do here. He also really encouraged people in the work shop and most of all, he helped them to focus their plans.’