Kwaheri, Paula!

After nearly three years working on our flagship campus, Paula Casimiro, Mainsprings’ Administrative Director in Tanzania, is moving back to Spain to continue her studies.

Originally from Pamplona, Spain, Paula found herself volunteering for an organization in Moshi, Tanzania (near Mount Kilimanjaro) in the fall of 2014. Like most visitors to Tanzania, she totally fell in love with the country and decided she wanted to stay. Her desire to stay in Tanzania led her to Mainsprings, where she took on the role of Volunteer Coordinator originally, where she welcomed our nearly 150 guests to our campus and served as the energetic, fun, and funny contact for our groups. She always had a smile on her face and was always running around making sure our volunteers were where they needed to be and making sure they had everything they needed to have a fantastic experience.

After a year as our Volunteer Coordinator, Paula was promoted to our Logistics Coordinator for the Kitongo campus. With so many different programs happening at once, the central logistics person has quite the task, ensuring that all supplies for all of our divisions are ordered and secured in a timely manner, all while managing the cash flow and making sure the various schedules on our campus run according to plan (or at least as close as they can)!

Most recently, Paula took over the role of Administrative Coordinator, managing human resources for our ever-growing team in Tanzania and overseeing our financial tracking and procedures.

Anyone who has visited our flagship campus in the last three years has surely heard Paula’s infectious laughter, been touched by her dedication and constant positive attitude, and we will all truly miss an amazing coworker, mentor, and friend!

“I will remember that Paula showed me that sometimes when students are struggling, it’s not because they can’t learn but because we need to find other ways to teach them.” – Mr. Fred (7th Grade Teacher and Head of the Primary School)

“I will always remember Paula’s lovely heart and beautiful smile.” – Liku (class of ’15)

“Paula inspired me to keep working hard even when I felt like giving up, and also gave honest feedback. If food was bad, she would tell me it was bad! Now I cook good food!” – Jackson (Papa’s Manager)

“I will remember that she was charming and hard working!” – Anna (class of ’15)

“I will really remember Paula because she loved me like a daughter and she used to take care of me like a mum. We used to eat together like a family. I will really miss her!” – Salma (residential girl)

“I will miss everything about Paula. I will remember every moment that I spent with her – office time, outings, movies! She was my friend!” – Welima (Monitoring and Evaluation Officer)

“Paula, you certainly left your mark in a million areas, none more than in women’s empowerment and gender justice! We will love you forever and miss you dearly!” – Seth (COO)

Categorized in: Mainsprings staff, Uncategorized

This post was written by Mainsprings