Notes on the SAP Social Sabbatical in Arusha, Tanzania: A 12 month journey before the start.
Flashback to June 2016. At 2:30 pm, on a business trip on the other side of the Atlantic, I receive an email that starts like this: “Dear Nic, Congratulations, you have been selected to participate in the SAP Social Sabattical 2016/17 cycle! Based on your profile, you have been allocated to the following assignment: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from July 8 — August 4, 2017.”
Excitement takes over and I immediately search for more backround on Tanzania and Dar es Salaam to learn more about the country, its demographics, economy, weather,…
One year and several conference calls later, the excitement is still there, and piece by piece all 12 of the selected SAP team have gotten to know more about eachother, Tanzania, the fact that we’ll be going to Arusha in stead, and finally, our assignments. We chose Twiga (Giraffe in Swahili) as our representative symbol to go with our team motto Pamoja (Together in Swahili) underscoring how we want to approach our assignment.
A team of three amongst which myself, will be working with a Arusha-based non-profit non-governmental organisation called Honeyguide to develop a financial feasibility plan and marketing & communications plan for the operational management of a to-be-built conservation center. Please do visit their website and read about their mission, programs and activities.
The choice of our team motto was not a coincidence. Several preparation sessions over the past months have been used to explain how Pyxera Global, the organisation SAP partners with, defines its goals and selects their clients. The difference between Global Aid and Global Engagement is striking and requires totally different mindsets. In summary, we’re not going to Tanzania to do something to or for our client organisation, but to do things with them so they will have more impact with their work for a long time.
I encourage all of you to watch this Ernesto Sirolli Ted Talk video that really opened my mind. It’s a 17-minute video packed with crucial life-lessons and messages.
More posts on this exciting (ad)venture will follow!
