Success!

I had a leaky tap in my house.  It started off 2-3 months ago with a slight drip which gradually got worse, turning into a steady stream of water coming from the tap.  I reported this to my NGO and Dusmant organised a plumber to come to my house to fix it.  That was the first problem  I live in a house with no name.  It is on a street with no name.  Organising anyone to come to the place is awkward, to say the least.

The first arrangement was for 8:30 Saturday morning.  I'd been told to take a day's leave on Saturday to make up for one of the festival holidays on which I'd worked to meet my deadline for finishing my manuals so there was no problem with me hanging around waiting at the house for a couple of hours.  I waited until around 10 when Dusmant called me to say that the plumber had called and I wasn't there.   I can only assume he called at the wrong house. 

A new appointment for 8:30 on Sunday morning was arranged and along came the plumber, accompanied by Karna for directions and some translation.  I assumed that he would isolate the tap, turning off the water supply before dismantling it to get to the washer.  No.  Tap removed, water squirted everywhere - up the walls, out of the window, over the floor and all over the plumber and Karna who was cracking up laughing while he shoved his hand over the outlet to try to stem the flow.  But my tap is fixed and he also sorted out the leaky tap in the bathroom which poured water out between all the joints as well as the tap outlet when I turn it on so I'm happy, even if I do have a big puddle on the floor.

The most exciting thing this week has been the completion of my manuals.  I had submitted the procurement and HR documents about a week ago and managed to finish the finance one on Thursday.  Dusmant promised me immediately that he would follow it but there are bound to be a few things that need refining or even a radical rewrite if they prove unworkable for the NGO environment.  Writing procedures that work well in a commercial environment complete with sophisticated systems to capture information and suppliers that provide official printed receipts for every purchase is one thing.  Writing procedures for field-workers that have to buy fuel from a guy who fills up his mobile tanker at one of the bigger towns to take into the interior to as there are no filling stations for miles around is something different.  Many of these traders are unlicenced, providing a much-needed service for the community but not able or willing to give out receipts.  What do auditors here make of books showing that x thousand rupees have been spent on fuel without any proof of purchase?  We will see. 

The field workers here do a fantastic job.  They work closely with the community in their project districts, advising and supporting them to achieve what they are entitled to get under Indian law, helping tribal people to reclaim land taken from them, helping kids get to school, helping people to get the health care they need, supporting the set-up of self-help groups, installing grain banks in villages where there is risk of malnutrition and starvation - should they also have the hassle of having to drive 80 kilometres (and back) to get to the nearest official filling station to refill their vehicle so they can submit their claim with a printed receipt?  I don't think so.  We've had to devise procedures that I hope will satisfy auditors and funding agencies but don't intefere with the work that's being done.

I just hope that my solutions are accepted and we can start trialling things - that's when the hard work will really start, trying to make sure that people follow the documented procedure.  It's sometimes easier not to have documentation then noone can point out that you don't do what you say you do!