What motivates me? Part one

I often get this question, either from people who have just met me or Facebook fans. What motivates me is a complex question and requires a complex answer. I will tell you about some of my recent travels and you will be able to glimpse into my motivation and the special people who make everything worth it.

After my journey to the Horn of Africa, I have travelled to Libya, Egypt and Japan. This made me look back at who is the source of my motivation and who/what drives me. I believe I have discovered the source and the drive.

After finishing my work in Mogadishu and Nairobi, I had to go to Benghazi, Libya via Istanbul from Cairo. On 30th September I landed in Benghazi, where I met with Tareq (Bakri, Partnerships Manager for The Humanitarian Forum). 

Our workshop was being held in Al Bayda and instead of waiting in Benghazi; we travelled and meet with our team there, 200km away. The meeting was very fruitful; not only did we meet our team of trainers; we also met the Libyan people coming to join our training programme. They were the source of our motivation and the power behind our drive.

From there, I travelled back to Benghazi to fly to Tripoli, the capital. In Tripoli, not only did I manage to meet the UN officials and Libyan ministers, but I also met with another source of motivation in the capital: 44 local start-up organisations.

Unfortunately on that day, Tripoli airport was closed. This meant I had to travel 8 hours by car to get to the Tunisian border and then take an early flight next morning to Cairo.

In Libya, I found there is no fatigue without reward and that the reward could be immeasurable.

To be continued...