“I write this letter and make it public so that everyone who knows about you and read this are as proud as I am to share a little bit of their lives with you.”
This is how a letter an anonymous person wrote a couple of years ago.
Today, I have taken the liberty of copying this idea, take over, and also write some words.
The period in which we live in, time passes by so quickly that we hardly give ourselves the chance to stop. It is a luxury that we can not afford.
We try to cover a thousand topics at the same time, attend to as many people as possible… and along the way we forget to enjoy.
But this project deserves that you do it.
It deserves that from time to time you stop to think about everything you have experienced, the good and the complicated things, and about everything that has made you get where you are today.
So, like that anonymous person, I encourage you to grant yourself a day off from KUBUKA.
Dedicate that time to see all of your pictures on Facebook, to review all of the blogs you have posted on your website, starting with the ones from the beginning. Remember every anecdote, every experience of your volunteers, every topic that has made you get home excited and made you want to share it with your friends and family.
Call all of those people with whom you have shared so many special moments in KUBUKA.
Did any of you think, when you started, that you would have opened so many projects? That you would work in two countries and several communities? Did you ever think that a project that started between friends would change the lives of so many people (beneficiaries, volunteers, followers…)?
Dedicate that time to think about all of the projects that you have carried out, about all of the achievements that you have achieved and the effort that has involved reaching them.
Remember each person who has passed through KUBUKA throughout the past almost five years, and all those people who you have spoken to about KUBUKA with the same passion that moves you every day.
Go back to feel the excitement with which you face each new idea or challenge. Smile like when you tell us about the new events or talks your are preparing, transmitting your excitement and pride.
Do you remember what first caught your attention from the NGO; what made you join the project?
Do you remember the first meeting you went to? The first person you spoke with about KUBUKA? What you felt when you packed your suitcase and arrived in Kenya or Zambia for the first time?
Enjoy!
And especially, remember the hardest days, the difficult ones. Because even in the moments of exhaustion or lack of motivation, worry, frustration because something did not go as you expected, incomprehension or not knowing how to continue…you have always found the strength and the engine to move forward.
You all share the same dream and you are all joined by the same idea!
You are an NGO which is different, that strives to do things well, that works hand in hand with the communities and does not stop looking for a way to truly achieve a sustainable development. For this goal is for what you sacrifice your time and effort.
Think that you are all in the same boat, paddling for a project that goes far beyond from yourselves… That is what will keep you afloat forever!
For those of us who accompany you on your journey, to see a group of people with such a clear aim and that determination to achieve it, is inspiring.
Your energy is contagious.
And your desire to continue learning and improving day by day, are worthy of admiration and satisfaction.
So go ahead and don´t stop enjoying!
We will join you.
Anonymous