Oh TFFT Blog Reading Community! I may not know you, I may have never met you, maybe I have emailed with you…if you are a sponsor, I probably know your name and address by heart. Well, whatever our connection, I have been writing to you for a long time now. After over 3 years of working for TFFT, it is sadly time for me to send a farewell.

I would like to take you back to the first blog I wrote for TFFT, an introduction to me—I wrote this blog, sitting in my childhood room in my parent’s house, surrounded by clothes and suitcases the night before I left to come to Tanzania. I wrote that blog as a very different person, in a very different circumstance. Now, I have built a huge network and family in Tanzania (including a certain group of 112 students). I have greatly improved my Kiswahili since the time that I accidentally said “Wash me!” instead of “Leave me alone” to someone pestering me on the street. I have learned how to manage a program, do a baseline study, work with students and teachers alike, drive in a very ad-hoc traffic situation, and I know how to pay for electricity through my phone.

Clearly, we have come a long way!

I cannot possibly convey the impact the working for TFFT has made in my life. The work experiences that I have had, the support I have received, and the things I have learned are invaluable to me. I might be biased, but never in my work experiences, or in any organizations that I have seen, have I witnessed a more cohesive and dedicated staff. As we celebrated my time at TFFT last week with a lunch, the memories were flowing—and I wouldn’t trade them for the world!

I am very excited to have the opportunity to use the skills and knowledge I have gained with The Foundation For Tomorrow in a new position, with a new organization called AgriCorps in Ghana. I am inspired and looking forward to seeing what this will bring to my life, knowledge, and skills. I think back to the people and experiences that shaped me in my TFFT adventure and remind myself of this as I face the same anxiety and fear that I did when I boarded a plane to Tanzania in 2011.

I will be eternally grateful that I went ahead and boarded that plane! And each of you has played a part in my experience. Thank you to all of you—the supporters, the donors, the partners, the sponsors, the people who are inspired by TFFT’s Mission and Vision! Thank you for your contribution to our work, and my work experience. Thank you for holding dearly the rights of children and supporting TFFT to work in this. It has been a huge honor working with all of you! Karibuni Ghana and I can’t wait to see what TFFT’s future has in store!