From Maputo to Waterloo

Perhaps a few of you may have already heard the news through the world wide grape vine, but I thought I would nonetheless share with you this latest development in my life. I have accepted a job with MEDA, the organization I currently work for here in Mozambique, at their head offices in Waterloo, Canada. My new position will be as Microfinance Coordinator and I will be working alongside other MEDA employees on overseeing the many international long term microfinance projects that MEDA currently has throughout the developing world. I will also be kept quite busy writing new project proposals and investigating new programming opportunities for MEDA in microfinance as well as in the important cross cutting areas of HIV/AIDS and Youth services.

I am quite excited about this new opportunity and honoured that MEDA has selected me for this position. This will allow me to become involved more in MEDA’s “big picture” development strategy, continuing to provide me with the chance to work in an environment where I am able to combine my academic interests with my spiritual convictions. I am also excited about some of the travel and research opportunities that I will have through this new position as I am anxious to explore new destinations and areas of work. I also am looking forward to working directly with some of the exceptional MEDA “veterans” that I have had the chance to meet and share stories with while here in the field in Mozambique.

Of course, transitional stages do not come with out their fair share of mixed emotions. This opportunity came up very quickly for me and I will be leaving Mozambique, my home for the better part of the past year and a half, in just over two weeks time. I love the community here in Maputo and the life that I have made here in Africa and I know that it will be difficult to adjust back to the surroundings and the pace of life in Canada. There are also many things that I would to do before I go but will likely have to wait until the next time I am in this part of the world.

So for those of you good folks in Winnipeg, I should be home from March 1^st to the 4^th preparing my things then driving my car out to my new home in Waterloo. It would be great to see as many of you as possible so let’s keep in touch!!