News
Peanut butter project boosts Malawi nutrition Last year Alex Caskey received a call out of the blue from his college friend, Mark Histand. It was an invitation to go to Malawi, Africa, to oversee construction of a peanut butter factory. A St. Louis‑based organization called Project Peanut Butter (PPB), which produces fortified peanut butter for malnourished children in Africa, needed two people with construction experience and the flexibility to spend a year abroad. Mark and Alex had both. Histand’s brother, Martin, is a project manager at PPB and originally informed Mark about the position. After speaking with Mark Manary, founder of Project Peanut Butter and a member of Histand’s church in St. Louis, the two friends, both Goshen College graduates in environmental science, agreed to spend a year overseeing construction of a factory and office. Three weeks later they were on their way. The two quickly realized the challenges of building a 4,000-square-foot factory and adjacent office complex in one of Africa’s poorest and least‑developed countries. In Malawi, construction relies heavily on human power as many labor‑saving machines are not readily available. Histand knew how to build timber frame homes after working for Habitat for Humanity in St. Louis but in Malawi he had to learn how to build with concrete and steel. “We sort of jumped right in,” says Histand. One of their first challenges was to find and manage an architect and contractor who could design and build a long‑lasting concrete structure.
They also faced early setbacks obtaining a building license from the local district council and waiting for materials like cement, rebar and electrical equipment to arrive. After much planning, e-mailing, learning, talking with contractors and procuring supplies, the construction crew finally broke ground in late April. Some 50‑70 Malawian men dug trenches for the footing. In July, the concrete sub‑structure was completed and work began on the superstructure. Working with the large local crew was a highlight. “They take pride in helping the children of their country,” Caskey says. “It’s rewarding to work alongside them.” The new factory will produce a special peanut butter known as a “ready‑to‑use therapeutic food” (RUTF) for severely malnourished children. The blend of peanut paste, sugar, vegetable oil, milk powder, vitamins and minerals has been endorsed by the World Health Organization as one of
Alex Caskey and Mark Histand on the site of the peanut butter factory they helped build. the best ways to treat acute malnutrition. Clinical studies show that 95 percent of children treated with RUTF fully recover from malnutrition. Producing RUTF, called chiponde by locals, also boosts the local economy by using local ingredients and providing jobs for local peanut farmers and factory workers. Once produced and packaged, RUTF can be stored for
many months without spoiling and is eventually administered to children in rural clinics. Histand and Caskey say they heard stories about the wonders of chiponde from friends who work at the clinics. The factory was scheduled to be completed by the end of December with chiponde production up and running as early as January. — Ariel Ropp, Goshen College news service
Numbers don’t lie for prospective accountants For major accounting firms, it seems there just aren’t enough students like Corine Alvarez. She’s on the Dean’s List, plays tennis, has international experience, has had multiple internship and job experiences and has won student business awards. Some would say she’s a typical Goshen College accounting student. That’s perhaps why accounting firms are knocking on Goshen’s door. Three of the top 10 national accounting firms recruit directly from the
The Marketplace January February 2014
college, as do regional and local firms. It probably helps that the college has one of the only regional accounting programs with a required, paid internship, which usually leads to a job offer. “We are able to place nearly 100 percent of senior accounting majors in job‑track internships every year,” says Michelle Horning, professor of accounting. “Our accounting program can’t have enough students. Firms regularly ask, ‘Are there any more?’” 22
Alvarez is one of three accounting students who began her senior year with a job already in place for after graduation. She will move to Chicago to work for Deloitte, one of the largest accounting firms in the world. Five other senior accounting students all have job‑offer track internships, which means they too may be offered jobs. To sweeten the deal, starting salaries can be upward of $50,000 a year. “Our alumni network is strong and close knit and has
