It was late in the afternoon in the humid city of Dar Es Saalam as Laz stared pensively at his reflection in his glass wall office, fitted with a working air conditioner standing on a Persian carpet he was gifted from Zanzibar. He allowed himself a wry smile as he remembered the tribulations and triumphs he’s been through over his 20+ years in senior executive management roles in three different countries. Commonly referred to as Laz by his colleagues, Lazarus was an astute finance professional who had risen fast in his career to the envy of his peers. In a few years’ time he will be celebrating his golden jubilee – “This is the perfect time to go pack my bags”, he thought to himself. He switched off the office lights and picked his Mac Air as he had done numerous times before on his way home.

The air was fresh and the temperature was perfect, just what he needed as he boarded his Uber at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to start his new venture in Kenya, his home. Everything was planned and ready for execution. He had been involved with major high-profile projects before but what was different this time is that this was going to bring empowering change to his community.

The buzz (pun intended) in the community was that Lazarus would be providing beehives at no cost to households, provided that the beneficiaries planted and maintained trees and supplied water for the bees. The plan was for the community to finance the beehives in instalments once they started selling the honey. Lazarus would buy the honey at a price higher than what the market was offering and using his connections he was going to export the honey.

Fast-forward to 2019 and each household is making $250 from each beehive harvested after every three months. The community is empowered, children are going to school, parents can afford decent clothing and healthy meals for their families. This is exactly what Laz envisioned back in Dar Es Saalam that evening.

One person can make a difference in this world. Be a catalyst of Human Connection and create a better tomorrow for those around you.