Departure for South Africa...

Hi everyone.

Hope you are all doing fantastically well. So here we go... Friday February 26th, currently trying to finalise last minute things and pack my stuff to catch my night flight for South Africa, the start of a fantastic adventure. A long 11 hours flight, in which I hope to get a few hours sleep… Probably not. First because I am a very bad sleeper in planes and two, the excitement to get my two feet on African soil and start the field work with PROJECT HOPE UK team members around the Munsieville Model will most likely keep me up all night.

The last 3 weeks spent at PROJECT HOPE UK offices in London have been fantastic, providing me knowledge and background to help define how I can maximise my contribution. Three weeks of listening, reading, questioning, searching… to help forge my ideas around the tangible contribution I can bring to the development and launch of the innovative Munsieville Model of Excellence.

Three weeks where I was also able to be infected with PROJECT HOPE leaders Paul Brooks and Ellie Higgins passion, conviction and belief towards the development and successful implementation of a ‘global footprint potential’ Munsieville Model of Excellence for the care of orphans and Other Vulnerable Children. And believe me…this passion and belief is dangerously contagious!

I invite all of you to follow my journey over the next few months on this page, where I will be posting regular updates, stories, photos, videos and progress towards the building and launch of the Munsieville Model.

GSK PULSE ‘Be the Change’. Count on us to ‘Be it’! Talk to you soon

Martin

Martin Lafontaine
GSK Pulse Volunteer
Project HOPE UK

Martin Lafontaine joins Project HOPE UK to work on our South Africa programme

Martin Lafontaine, currently National Vaccines Sales Manager for GlaxoSmithKline in Canada, has joined Project HOPE UK for a six month PULSE assignment. Project HOPE is in the early stages of establishing a “model of excellence” programme seeking to push the existing boundaries of care of AIDS orphans and other vulnerable children, located in and around Munsieville in West Rand, South Africa.
After spending a few weeks in London preparing the programme Martin will be located in Johannesburg, South Africa, for three months starting early March 2010. He will be contributing his project management, strategic and communication skills, in order to help create and implement the marketing and communications plan and play a leading role on setting up the first field-based beneficiary programme under the scheme.
PULSE volunteers serve global non-profit organisations locally or abroad on a full-time basis for three to six months. The programme is a win-win for both non-profits and GSK because it helps make a sustainable difference in each community served while supporting leadership development of GSK associates.
Check back next month for news from Martin in South Africa as the project gets underway.