Mathias works for the same NGO as I do in Lilongwe. He is a good friend and a great guy to discuss development with. He loves to read and usually has a book under his arm. His more recent books include Sachs the 'The End of Poverty', and Colliers 'The Bottom Billion'. (He was very much looking forward to meeting Robert Chambers at our recent conference, but sadly Mr. Chambers visit was prevented by pesky volcanic ash).Mathias began his life in a village. His parents were not wealthy and they struggled to raise the money to send their four sons to school. However, they did impart a strong belief in the importance of education in all their sons. As a dedicated student Mathias won a place at one of Malawi's universities to study Agricultural Economics and after he graduated he found work with our current employer. But, he wasn't content to rest with a Bachelors degree and he applied to do a Masters of Development Studies.
When he was accepted to do his Master he founded out that he wouldn't be funded and that he would need to pay his own tuition. Despite this, he decided to leave the security of his job and to head back to school. The second year of his program required him to write a thesis based on original research. Mathias borrowed a bicycle from a friend and headed out into the villages in the south of the country to collect the information that he needed.
Mathias is a man of many dreams. I'm not sure where he'll be in the future (he wants to run his own business, do a Ph.D., write a book, and work for the UN as a program head), but whatever he does I know it will be inspiring!
No comments:
Post a Comment