Adeus Lizbeth

A minha colega, esta a sair
E eu vou ter muitas saudades para voce
E por que?
Porque nós não nos conhecemos
Assim como nós devemos ter
Eu aprendi amar-te quando não havia muito tempo
E aprecie suas ofertas somente quando ja foi.

Falamos uma lingua,
Mais que Portanhol ;)
E um lingua das nossas almas
Unido pela harmonia de nossa canção ao Senhor

Nós trabalhamos para servir-lhe,
Nós amamos para elogiá-lhe
E nós procuramos encontrá-lhe.

Pode você ir completamente do espírito,
Dirigido por suas palavra e ação
E protegido por sua mão

Sempre estamos juntos
Na mente, no corpo e na alma

Sua colega e amigo,

Jared

This past Wednesday we had an emotional despidida (going away party) for one of our senior staff members Lizbeth Martell. Liz was the longest standing employee here at MMF and was an important pillar of this organization. Her insight, her smile and her wealth of experience in microfinance and development will be surely missed. Liz has decided to return to home country of Hondorus to begin a new chapter in her life. We all hope that peace and happiness with follow her during this long journey and new career direction.

In honour of Lizbeth, we went to one of her favourite restaurants in town, the classic Costa do Sol. This is a place that has been owned by the same Greek family for nearly 80 years, never ceasing operations during the civil war and continues to serve the undisputed “best LM prawns in Mozambique.” While this final statement can certainly be up for debate, there is absolutely no arguing with the high quality of the seafood at this timeless Maputo icon. We enjoyed a spectacular feast and the shared stories, laughter and vinho verde late into the night.

The staff had a chance to each say a few tributary words and present Liz with some gifts of appreciation for her time here in Mozambique. I was particularly impressed with Cremildo’s simple yet touching gift to Liz, an old 5000 meticais note bearing the image of the Samora Machel, Mozambique’s revolutionary hero and first president of the independent state. This small rare note, representing the spirit of the small yet significant contributions of microfinance clients in this country, will follow Liz around the world and into this next chapter of her life.

It was truly a special night that none of us staff here at MMF will soon forget.