So on the 9th day of July TOFAUTI ON THE MOVE held their Annual General Meeting at Parklands Sports Club under the patronage of their very able patron Ms. Georgina Ndombi.
Among the people in attendance was Mr. Pepe Minambo who is a world renowned and acclaimed motivational speaker. He challenged us to always live to inspire and make sure those around us never expire, "it is not just enough to be very good when you can be exceptional”.
Mr. Julian Rowa, the General Manager of the Stanbic Bank was also among the invited guests and he encouraged us to be a brand in our own right, “be a brand so that when someone hears your name it resonates in their minds because of what you represent”.
Other guests included our partners represented by their heads. Mr. Tedd the local chapter president of AIESEC in Strathmore, Mr. Dan the headmaster of Magoso, Mr. Declan Magero, the chair of UNESCO’s Youth Forum and Ms.Njeri Gikonyo the head of Hatua.
Key items on our agenda were to review our progress and also the way forward with emphasis on reviewing our operational structures in order to attract sponsors and also for accountability and transparency purposes. "We have come a long way since inception of Tofauti from doing volunteer work around the different communities in Nairobi to partnering with other organizations and getting international students who do their internships and community service here. We should now focus our attention to sourcing permanent sponsors of our activities in order to effectively create economically sustainable communities and therefore change lives,” were the words of the projects manager.
With our greatest focus being re-structuring our operations, it is only realistic to hold General Elections as one way of streamlining our operations and management structures to increase efficiency, participation of all members, promote accountability, transparency and sponsorship.
The meeting coincided with Jack Bevan Hook’s farewell party and he was lost for words on his experience of Kenya. Highlights of his stay were the beer (Tusker) and the trip to Konza where we had a lot of fun culminating in a bone fire and barbecue in the bush! All the best Jack in your efforts to join the army.
The interns were so happy and comfortable in the Tofauti residence were they all live and especially during dinner when every one is on the table creating one big and diverse family: thats the essence of the meaning of the swahili word tofauti!
Among the many light moments in the house was when Daily, Chinese came, she had no good command of the English language so she did not get the jokes people were laughing to. When asked why she was so quiet even when someone made a joke, she gave an honest answer and said she could not understand anything and this sent the whole house into the biggest laughter of the night. Amber had so much fun in Konza and also some lots of beer that she decided to sleep in the bush but lucky for her we were all there to keep watch over her.
As we go into the new financial year (1st July 2011/2012 30th June), we are fully charged and optimistic of achieving greater things and changing the many lives that are on the verge of desperation and others that are already desperate.
We also thank our mother patron Ms. Georgina Ndombi for her continued support and for the priceless guidance she offers to us, may she live long enough to watch us grow to the unprecedented heights that we intend to rise to!
All the friends and well-wishers tofauti and also our parents who have been with us all through the way may God bless you for your efforts towards ensuring that we succeed in our endeavors.
Deo omnis gloria!
JOsHuA nZuKi
Projects Manager.
