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Mpingo Project
My remit was to implement QuickBooks. This was going to be a tricky task in the timeframe however made even trickier having spent my first week in Dar without the package to commence work and never having had exposure to NGO accounting or QBs. The Excel spreadsheets in place were well maintained. Good financial controls were also in place.
Thankfully, there is internet access in the office and though the electricity is pretty unreliable, the generator kicked in to allow us to continue working and more importantly keep the fan working!
Upon leaving, the basics had been set up and process notes written to enable the data entry to be completed. However, only one month’s data had been entered, all prior month’s data was to be uploaded by Steve. Budgets had not been entered though the new accountant will probably be able to do this. Reporting had been looked at to ensure all the information they required was available but Steve wanted to set up his own custom reports. I went through the system with Steve to show him how things work and how to enter various types of data.
There is still a fair bit of work to do to get all the information into the system and to ensure the month end process runs smoothly and ensure the data being entered provides the information they require but the new accountant does have experience of QBs and so may be able to update the system or direct the office manager to complete the task (this is subject to his time availability as he will only be working 1 day a week and also the office manager is pregnant and will be off from the end of Jan 10).
Free time: the beach is close to the office/Steve’s house and the water a very nice 30c. One of the holiday lodges provides scuba diving courses or you can hire snorkel equipment and swim out to see some corals.
Kilwa Kisiwani, a nearby island accessed by dhow from the port is home to a UNESCO heritage site and worth a visit whilst in the Kilwa region. The ruins attract travellers/backpackers and there is a lot of budget accommodation in town. The lodges are slightly more expensive but are on the beach. Kilwa is also popular with expats getting away from Dar or Arusha for weekend breaks. Flights to/from Dar cost US$250 each way for those that don’t fancy the roller coaster ride with the chickens for 7 hours!
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