Growth and New Beginnings

February 3, 2020 11:25 am Published by

 

We’re incredibly grateful for the seven years of dedication and sacrifice that our COO, Seth Diemond, has given to Mainsprings. While we are going to miss seeing him daily in Tanzania, we are sure we will work together again in the future. Here he shares a few of the transformations he has been a part of during his time at Mainsprings.

Growth is something that is part of our lives and a reality for any individual, family, and organization. Since I joined the Mainsprings family and organization in May 2013, I have had the privilege of witnessing so much growth; growth in individuals, growth of a family, and the growth of an organization.

Over the course of these nearly seven years, I have watched young girls such as Neema, Elizabeth, Rose, Vero, Leticia, Happy, and many others (nearly 30) grow from teenagers to young adults succeeding in college, university, and workplaces across Tanzania. I have seen employees such as Mama Maggie, Mr. Fred, Mr. Max, Ms. Deo, Ms. Atamba, Edward, and many others grow from being classroom teachers, farm workers, and support staff into being inspirational, confident leaders on our management team. I have witnessed a farm grow from fledgling trees commonly eaten by goats to a booming  40 acre permaculture institute that produces 110,000 pounds of food each year. I have witnessed a school with 200 students grow to a school with nearly 400 students. I have witnessed a girls’ home go from one of lots of little girls, to one that graduates strong, confident, capable young women, many of whom are now self-sufficient and pursuing professional goals and dreams. I have seen one campus turn into two with the addition of our Kahunda site. I have seen a leadership team of Americans and a few supporting Tanzanian managers grow into a leadership team of experienced, professional, competent Tanzanians; it is this type of growth- an organization for Tanzanians led by Tanzanians- that has been a dream of Mainsprings since the beginning.

The individuals who make up Mainsprings’ family and organization still have a lot of exciting growth ahead. From the completion of our girls’ home and school construction in Kahunda, to the expansion of Mainsprings’ Permaculture Institute of Tanzania throughout East Africa, to the growth of the Joseph and Mary schools into a premier STEM school in Mwazna and Tanzania, the future is bright. The leadership team that we have been able to grow- Mr. Lyimo as our Country Director, Peter as our Administrative Director, Mr. Ojala, Mr. Jonas, and Benson as our Campus Directors, Welima as our Monitoring and Evaluation Director, and our many department managers and assistant managers- are exactly what Mainsprings’ needs at this moment to achieve that exciting growth. They can, and they will, do it.

I often consider leadership to be something of a relay race. We each get a chance to carry the baton and to contribute and, when the time comes, we hand off the baton to the next person or team. Mainsprings has had a huge impact on my life as well, helping me grow as a professional, as a leader, and as a person. After over ten years in East Africa and nearly seven years with Mainsprings, it is time for me to grow, as well, and hand off the baton. At the end of February, I look forward to handing over my role in this organization to a wonderful team of professionals here and, in order to be closer to family and friends, I will be moving back to New England. While I look forward to continued involvement with Mainsprings in one form or another for many years to come, it is time for me to move on to new opportunities.  These nearly seven years with Mainsprings have been some of the best years of my life and have provided me with hundreds of memories that I will never forget; thank you to everyone, from Chris and our U.S. team, to our residential girls, to our staff and our team here, to the many visitors and volunteers that I have had the privilege of hosting over the years. I love you all!

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This post was written by Mainsprings