My first week at Plan

By Carlos Jalil, Program Manager, Plan Bolivia

On a Sunday in January, a quick and quiet arrival to the airport in El Alto (La Paz) gave way to a new phase of my life and a sea of unknowns that was to change me. I was about to begin “my first week at Plan.”

The warmth of the southern zone (the location of the country office) did not compare with the human warmth of the Plan team that I was about to meet. From the start, the attentive and friendly greeting from the guard and Cecilia, the secretary, invited me to be a part of a new story and to enter a door (literally!) to the final destination: Plan International Inc. Bolivia.

The internal environment was illuminated by a busy team that was at the same time both serious and personal. I would get to know this dynamic team little by little.

Every single person contributed to my first encounter with friendliness, consideration and openness. In fact, after a month of introduction, I am still processing all of the information I first received! Everybody has a lot of experience and is “very chura” (an expression from Tarija).

As one of several new program managers at Plan Bolivia, I share the ideal of working with and for the boys and girls and contributing our grain of sand to the valuable human and professional team that we have found and are now a part of.

But at that first introduction I felt like a box of children’s toys . . . hundreds of disorganized toys that are then orderly arranged little by little into smaller boxes. I should grow quickly here; the rhythm of Plan does not permit me very long periods of rest . . . .

The biggest headache was understanding the language of Plan. I learned quickly to speak in code: “Don’t forget to make the new PO with grants financed by the NOs for the OP of Sucre that has to cover the 2 PUs and be coordinated with the CO, who is in the process of making the CSPIII for the approval of the CMT and the subsequent approval of the CD and RD, to be joined to the PPM and GL in foundation to the FOB.” Crazy!

I am now one more who knows how to speak in this difficult language, after my “first week at Plan.”

But wait! This story does not stop there: during my first week I also traveled to a community in Altiplano (thanks to all of the team) where we learned a lot about the sponsorship system and building relationships. I think they baptize all the new managers this way. We had to walk seven and a half hours (three and a half there and four on the way back) on the path walked by everybody. I finished with a much greater appreciation for the sacrificial work that the field staff does and the way of life of all the children and families in the communities.

The thanks is in the gratifying smile from a girl or boy who affectionately identifies us as aunts and uncles of Plan. They are the heart of all that we do.

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