Faida (Goodbye) Tanzania
Four weeks have gone by so fast but it time for this experts to return home. My colleagues Alexandru Manole, and Sascha are on their way to the Serengeti National Park for a five day safari.
We presented our findings and recommendations to PWC in a marathon 5 hour session. We had over 12 areas of funding we worked on, from banking investment options, to livestock strategy, to establishing a culture of member’s social responsibility, new membership for friends of PWC, and new fundraising options.
It felt oddly strange to be giving livestock strategy recommendations: “ Sell cows to buy sheep. Keep your cow and goat numbers constant and grow your sheep.” The livestock model that Alex created, showed how PWC could invest and get a return on their investment.
Sell cows, buy sheep. Keep cows and goats constant, grow sheep
In PWC fashion, we took a break by standing up, singing, clapping and swaying to the rhythm. It was funny that they were all singing a song about the VICOBAs (Village Community Bank), one of the empowerment programs from PWC.
At the end, our clients sang another Maasai song in appreciation to us and presented us with gifts. It was a very special moment and I was touched by their appreciation of our work.
Maanda, the Executive Director, is an inspiration for the work she does. I was lucky to have had time with her and to be able to help her in mission to empower women.
Friday was an emotional day. Team Pamoja shared the results of their work with the rest others, the clients were there and all were so appreciative with kind words for the work we had achieved in four weeks. We all bid farewell, after and evening of dinner and hanging out at Twiga 105 (the suite we worked from when we did not go the client site).
This was an unforgettable experience. We all came together as colleagues and acquaintances four weeks ago, and we left as friends and family. We all learned we could do things we didn’t think we knew how to do, we leaned on each other, and made it happen. Our team of twelve became national conservationist, livestock managers, peanut farmers and peanut butter producers, and health educators for the Tanzanian youth.
Thanks to SAP for making this experience possible
