THE CHALLENGES OF WORKING IN A DEVELOPING COUNTRY.....

Today in our series of meet the staff, we catch up with our Acting Country Director/ Fundraising and Partnerships Director, Jac, who explains why she is committed to working at Tiny Tim & Friends: 

How did you come to work at Tiny Tim & Friends? 
"When I first graduated from University I started working in PR, and I realised I was making money for people who had a lot already. I was once told by an old manager that I was pretty good at getting money out of people for a cause so it made sense I went into Fundraising. I initially came out to Zambia as a volunteer and then Tim told me about the position of Fundraising Director at TTF, I knew how passionate he was about the organisation so it seemed like a great move for me to help him achieve his mission."

Why do you think TTF's cause is important?
"There is a lot of focus on access to treatment and getting people on medication for HIV in Zambia. But getting onto medication is just the first step. Children don't always understand why they are taking medicine, or if they do they are scared of what their friends will say or think and therefore they miss doses. By closely working with children from an early age and supporting them through the difficult teenage years we can make sure they are empowered about their HIV status to help them stay healthy and increase their ability to lead a long, healthy life."

Why do you think people should support Tiny Tim & Friends? 
"I think the only thing which separates us as humans is that some people are luckier to have been born in countries with better health, education and welfare systems than others.  When you come from a developed country it is easy to take for granted services which can provide benefits to support people living in poverty. These don't exist in Zambia.

I  believe that everyone deserves a right to good healthcare and education. The intensive support we give the children at the TTF clinic can provide them high quality health care and hopefully enable them to be well enough to go to school - that in itself is an incredible gift."

What do you see as the future for TTF? 
"Tim started TTF over 12 years ago, the mission of a world where no child has HIV has never changed. I think there is great potential for Tiny Tim & Friends to change the lives of the children we work with, I see it happening every day - we may not be reaching out to millions of people but our impact on individuals is huge. We hope to continue long into the future and would love for our supporters around the world to continue with us on the Journey Tim started."