At the University of Dar Es Salaam, many student-led groups exist in various colleges and schools. The top three active and engaging were AIESEC and the Finance Association. I was a member of both in my first year. And I attended both of their biggest events in the first year.
In my second year as a leader in the associations, I gained firsthand knowledge of how things work. I also got practical experience in managing events and people.
As the general secretary of the Dar es Salaam University Finance Association, I often got blamed when things went wrong. But I also received praise when they went well. It was a position of scrutiny.
One of the association’s biggest events was the East African Business School Forum. The forum gathered students from business schools across East Africa for two days of sessions.
The first day featured experts and leaders from different fields. The second day included a road trip to tourist spots for team-building and networking.
Organising the event took months of preparation. It involved hundreds of proposals to potential sponsors and thousands of follow-ups. In a batch of a hundred proposals, we usually get two or three companies to sponsor the event. So, it was tough work.
I didn’t realise in the first year how much hard work and planning the team put in to create such an amazing event. Now I was in the front seat to send and make follow-ups on the proposals.
We went to various companies to deliver proposals. Meanwhile, other students were in class or at meetings. While others were on social media, we were busy making calls and sending emails to the receptionist for feedback on our proposals.
A month was remaining and the potential of landing a big corporate sponsor was low. The morale was getting low as days went by. We did almost everything in our power and worked twice as hard, but it didn’t seem to be in our favour. We went for a short holiday after the university mid-semester. I travelled to Arusha.
I walked around Arusha town to get to know it better. Then, I found the headquarters of the East African Community. I was amazed by its size and beauty, so I greeted the guards and passed
Fifteen steps past the gate, I remembered we were organising an event for East African university students. I wondered if they might be interested in joining us.
I wasn’t there to sell proposals for the event. I had nothing to offer. I wasn’t dressed as formally as I am when I seek sponsorship from companies. But I felt like I had nothing to lose; hence, I went back to the guards and explained who I was and what I wanted. They allowed me to enter and talk to the receptionist.
I’ve worked with receptionists. They’ll take your letter or request and inform you they’ll respond soon. I did not have any documents to leave with the receptionist, which was unfortunate. I talked to the Rwandan lady who was the receptionist, and she was very supportive. She took me to someone inside who deals with youth affairs.
In the next thirty minutes, I met three ladies in charge of youth issues for the East African Community. They were ready to sponsor the event. They requested if someone could send an email with the proposal and the amount we needed.
I told them that if we got 7,000 USD, we would cover the entire event; they accepted without seeing the proposal. With their funds, the event was far more successful than in the previous year.
We dropped hundreds of proposals at receptions. Then, we made thousands of calls and sent emails. We didn’t get the money despite all our hard work. We received funds from an unexpected organisation during an unplanned visit. They had a proposal we didn’t even prepare.
That experience taught me an important lesson: success doesn’t always come from hard work. Also, failure or poverty aren’t always because of laziness.
The team’s effort in sending those hundreds of proposals was great, but it didn’t lead to much success. The effort I put in with the East African Community was in a lazy and vacation mode. But it yielded a lot.
I learned to respect that there is no guarantee that your hard work will bring the results you want and expect. Don’t judge people who aren’t successful or making progress. It shouldn’t mean that they are lazy or not trying hard enough.
We raised money from the East African Community. Yet, other groups cancelled their events due to a lack of funds. They also sent out hundreds of proposals, like we did.
Yes, hard work increases the chances of success, but it is not a guarantee of success. Some of your hard work won’t pay off. Meanwhile, some peers might succeed with little effort. You need to accept this.
Some entrepreneurs can raise funds easily. But you might struggle and have to close your business for lack of money.
Some people get many job offers without asking. Others may apply to over a hundred companies and never get a single interview call.
Some people struggle with one relationship, while others have many affairs. Some people are struggling to find one woman to marry, and some people have married four women.
Some things in life are a mystery; don’t try to understand. Do what you can control: that is enough.
#iThinkSo
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be free from suffering.
May you find peace and joy.
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Rogers Katuma
Chieftain, Mphami Estate
