Changes

As the weeks go by, we have the feeling that we have just done our last newsletter. There is no lack of inspiration...! But the quiet time behind our screen to type these few lines.

Doors have opened

In February 2020, we shared openly that Nicolas was looking for a professional reconversion. Computer science remains a field that he loves and knows relatively well, but he feels that it is not his long term calling. We've come a long way since then and we want to take you with us!

As a result of our thoughts, Nicolas was able to get in touch with another NGO here in Liberia. Their vision is to support small local NGOs in their projects. They do what is called "project management". They offered Nicolas a contract as a consultant (hourly contract) for one year maximum and they agreed to train him in particular in the management of development projects.

Virtually

On the SIM side, Nicolas and Melvina have started a training program for "leaders" with SIM at the international level. This training takes place over 2 years and is mostly online. We have webinars (online courses) once a month in which we discuss the question "How to be good leaders? Each meeting ends with case studies and we are then dispatched in small groups to virtual rooms to discuss the case in question. About ten couples from all over the world take part in this program. It's really exciting! In addition, we have a couple of mentors. They have lived in Malawi for 15 years and also have a lot of experience in team management. We speak with them regularly and can learn from their experiences and wisdom. We are very grateful to have this opportunity to learn and it is an area we are both very excited about.

A New Role

However, to begin putting this into practice, Nicolas was recently appointed as the Deputy Director of SIM Liberia. For the moment is mainly setting up the MK co-op school, but the idea is that he can gradually get a foothold in a field he is passionate about: team management. As you can see, Nicolas is trying to pass the torch as much as possible as far as IT is concerned. But of course, this is a step that is done gradually.

We look forward to sharing with you more concretely what these changes will entail. Stories and anecdotes will help you to better integrate this information, which is currently very theoretical!

We leave you with this quote that reflects some of our thoughts:

"If you want to build a boat, don't gather your men and women to give them orders, to explain every detail, to tell them where to find every thing. If you want to build a boat, make your men and women feel the desire for the sea."

-- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

With all our friendship, Melvina, Nicolas, Théotime, Siméon, Gabriel and Caleb