People in Kantolomba often end up spending far more for their commodities over time than their slightly more affluent neighbors; they purchase the same cheap version over and over and over, never having enough capital at any one time to buy something that will last—one of the many tragic traps of poverty.
Theresa told me recently that the high-quality beds the cooperative carpenters build are selling like hotcakes in the community. “But people have never been able to afford beds before, Theresa, how are they suddenly able to buy any bed, let alone the excellent ones we are making?” She explained that they pay over time. They order the bed, set up a plan to pay, and as soon as it is paid off they get the bed. Why don’t all retailers in Ndola do this? Trust, or lack thereof. A buyer cannot trust a merchant not to walk off with their payments before the product is delivered; the seller cannot trust the buyer enough to give them the product before the payments are finished.
“The community has learned to trust us,” Theresa went on. "They know we make very high quality things, and they know their payments are safe with us.” These are folks who have only ever slept on reed mats on a dirt floor. Imagine the first night in one of these beautiful, handmade beds. Makes me smile in my heart. Trust. Goodness. Practice takes infinite forms.
Gasshō,
Jen