Skill-based volunteering

«Asante sana», Tansania!

When was the last time you have felt nothing but pure joy while doing something?

By Nelly Riggenbach

Leprosy patient

Published on 14/08/2020

I work for Novartis Switzerland in the field of social media and I am always on the hunt for touching stories and powerful imagery which can create little moments of digital magic. For this reason, I met with Estelle Roth from Corporate Volunteering two months ago, to learn more about stories of individual engagement that make a real difference. What happened next was clearly beyond my expectations.

Over a cup of coffee, Estelle told me about an upcoming volunteering opportunity in Tanzania at the Tanzanian Training Center for International Health (TTCIH) in Ifakara. Novartis and its predecessor companies have been active there since the 1940s when Rudolph Geigy visited the area and set up the core of a research center on tropical diseases, which in 1972 was expanded into a training center for healthcare professionals

After three decades, in 2004, the Novartis Foundation and the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute promoted its transformation into TTCIH as it is known today. In all these years, the Novartis Foundation provided uninterrupted support, co-funding several public health projects to strengthen the capabilities of the local healthcare system.

This year, Estelle told me, the TTCIH management had turned to the Novartis Foundation and to Novartis Corporate Volunteering for capability building support in areas such as finance, HR, strategy, leadership and – drum roll – social media. I could not believe my ears – did she really just mention social media? Hitherto, I had perceived such an engagement to be reserved predominantly for healthcare professionals and engineers. What a surprise!

Instantly and feverishly, I started doing my research on the Tanzanian social media landscape: 75% of social media users are under 34 years, and mobile phone usage is rising fast. It was clear to me that an educational institution such as TTCIH, working with students in their 20s, must have a social media presence. So, I went to Tanzania to do exactly what I do at Novartis in Basel: get people inspired and curious about the power of digital communication and storytelling.

The team of volunteers: (from left to right): Christina Liu from Sandoz Biopharma; Marco Franzosi from the Novartis Foundation; Estelle Roth, from Corporate Volunteering; Martin Kizek, Financial Compliance Controls Manager, Nelly Riggenbach and Tshepo Kgomo, Senior HR Business Partner.

After a stopover in the country’s capital Dar es Salaam, we landed on a dusty track in Ifakara in the early morning. As we reached the TTCIH, I was immediately impressed: in front of us was a safe oasis for learning, a green island where the next generation of healthcare professionals is being trained. I felt a first moment of genuine pride to be part of this project, a feeling that intensified over the course of my weeklong stay.

For the first three days, I was in the fortunate position of being more of an exploring observer, since my social media workshop was scheduled for later in the week. I took the opportunity to wander around and connect with locals. I gained a feeling for this place, with which, deep down, I felt familiar. I even managed to learn a couple of Swahili phrases thanks to the patience of my newfound friends.

I have always been confident that socializing was a piece of cake for me. But it was a huge personal win to pressure-test this skill in a truly intercultural context. It is the interaction with people that helps me charge my batteries – chatting, laughing and being close to one another. Meeting people eye to eye from different cultures and backgrounds is the most enriching experience I can think of. I was dancing and singing with orphans; leprosy patients, with utmost pride and dignity, let me take photos of them. I felt empathy without a single moment of pity.

Energized and highly motivated by this realization, I was able to host my workshop successfully – and by “successfully”, I mean in a fun way, neither lecturing nor patronizing, which will eventually empower my new friends at the TTCIH to make the best use of “Mitandao ya kijamii” (Social Media).

When the time came to leave, I felt enriched and energized. “Karibu tena, Nelly” (Godspeed and come back soon) – “Asante sana, marafiki” (Thank you so much, my friends).

The week had touched me profoundly. Both friends and colleagues said there was a “glow” around me when I came back from Tanzania – the glow when we are close to ourselves, when we feel that we serve a higher purpose. I feel deep gratitude for this enriching and humbling experience, and I can only recommend to anyone that they make “giving back” part of their personal journey.

While the trip has come to an end, the project itself has only just begun. The value delivered for TTCIH by this small team of Novartis volunteers from South Africa, the United States, Czech Republic and Switzerland goes way beyond the five days of workshops and training.

After the week on-site, we kicked-off a number of joint activities, to support the local team on marketing & sales, HR strengthening, finance (and, of course, a sparkling social media presence). This will help the TTCIH to launch new courses, improve its operations, and attract the best students who will strengthen the ranks of Tanzanian and African healthcare services.

And, one day, I will deliver on a promise and visit the east coast of Africa again. “Kwa heri, marafiki” (See you soon, my friends)!

Sister Agatha, from Nazareth leprosy center.

Skill-based volunteering

Novartis has been supporting the volunteering activities of its associates since 1997 when the company introduced the annual Community Partnership Day to celebrate its foundation a year earlier. By 2014, Novartis started a systematic approach to offer a diverse choice of skills-based volunteering opportunities to allow associates support a wide range of projects. According to Estelle Roth “empowering people in a meaningful way creates sustained impactful change and helps reach underserved communities that philanthropy can’t transform.”

«Asante sana», Tansania!

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