Everyday at A4e we are trying to find new ways of Improving Peoples Lives. Everyday we look at different models, different clients, different places where we can bring our energy and passion to help a person, a family or a community. Some of the heroes in A4e for me are the people who take our service and vision to a whole new place, Sally with young people, Jon and Andy with Financial Inclusion, Liton with Legal Services, Andrew and Kate with our services to people who have been on long term Incapacity Benefit and David working in Prisons. Taking the vision of Improving Peoples Lives and reshaping it to meet another unique set of needs is a rare talent.

This week, I have seen opportunities to work with the Roma community in the Czech Republic and the key will be understanding the local need and working with the Roma community and Roma groups to deliver something very special to this community.

This week I have agreed to deliver a range of new programs in Poland to new groups of clients with some very exciting partners and outcomes.

And tonight I stepped into a new place to seek to understand if we can offer hope and capability to a group of people with clear needs. As part of the listening and understanding, I was taken to an arts and cultural festival called HIFA. The idea was to give me a good opportunity to meet local people, listen to their views and understand their aspirations.

The concert was fantastic; even I was moved to dance (ok wobble) to the music from the main stage. The audience of 10,000 + danced, sang, cheered and drank. The atmosphere was brilliant. Young and old, black and white, workers and students, music lovers and just lovers all come together for a great evening. The biggest cheer came when the group on stage said, “This land is a land of possibilities”. Under the dark night sky even the stars seemed to be joining in with the rhythm of the dance. And you could touch the hope and spirit of the local people who look for a brighter future and one of stability and security.

Against the background of such an evening it is true that the daylight will highlight the many challenges faced by these communities. Our focus will be in education, working with the schools and the teaching professionals to raise standards to lift the bar and improve many lives in the process. Our local partners will guide our work and direct our energies. Recruiting local staff and becoming part of the solution we shall earn our stripes. The task is not small and there will be many barriers and concerns to overcome, but our vision will guide us. Just as in South Africa and India, our role will not be simple, but “simples” is for Meercats. Whilst we don’t set out to look for tough challenges our markets are identified by finding local people with real needs.

Zimbabwe will be a great opportunity to work with local people and deliver real value in Improving Peoples Lives. I look forward to taking that journey with you.

Thanks for all your support.

Roy