I’ve always been passionate about social impact. Even before joining Oliver Wyman, I knew I wanted to take advantage of the Nonprofit Fellowship offering. Prior to consulting, I completed a Master’s in Climate Science, and was eager to merge my sustainability background with my strategy toolkit. When deciding to work with TechnoServe, an international non-profit that seeks to address poverty through the private sector, I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but I now feel extremely lucky to have ended up in Zimbabwe. It was a unique opportunity to use my consulting skills on an impact-driven project while learning about and experiencing new sectors in new places.

While I was only there for four months, I quickly realized that Zimbabwe is an amazing country. I was there during summer, and despite the heat, the landscape was impressively green and lush. I was based in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, which was bustling, but nothing compared to New York. During my stay, my project was focused on pre-investment support for an organic farming business that worked with small-holder farmers to grow and advocate for indigenous products. Our goal was to set the business up for a round of investment, which meant creating pitch materials and business plans, updating financial models, and working with the organization to size their potential impact. We also facilitated conversations with investors and have continued to support them through a round of investment.

I was the primary executor of the project, working with a team of supervisors based in the UK. I worked daily in the client’s office, collaborating closely with their CEO and CFO. Like any consulting project, while the work was rewarding, there were some challenges. For starters, I had limited expertise in agriculture or background on the history and economics of Zimbabwe. While there was a steep learning curve, being on the ground was a great way to learn.

Outside of work, adjusting to life in Harare also took some time. For example, so much of the country, and the region, deals with daily power cuts (also known as load shedding). Some neighborhoods in Harare had solar power, which would luckily get us through most of the days. But there are plenty of less fortunate areas which did not have the same resources, and would go hours, if not days, without power. Additionally, my Zimbabwean friends also had to adapt to my vegetarian lifestyle. Though they did convince me to try some biltong before I left.

It took me no time to realize that Zimbabweans are extremely resilient and constantly face a lot of adversity. I learned so much from their experiences and will forever be changed by my own experience there. Most of our work focused on empowering women in some of the poorest and most marginalized communities through agriculture. It was amazing to hear their stories, and I hope we contributed to a brighter future for them.

Outside of Zimbabwe, I had the opportunity to travel around Southern Africa, both on field trips to some of the farms and for fun with friends. During my stay, I visited seven countries, culminating with a trip up Mount Kilimanjaro! Harare is rich in art and culture, so I spent a lot of my free time attending concerts, art shows, practicing in new sports like squash, and picking up a few new skills (French and dance lessons). I was also lucky to be so close to such incredible nature — I made trips out to Victoria Falls, and easily spotted the Big Five within my first few weeks.

Overall, I had such an incredible time in Zimbabwe and was so lucky to meet and work with so many amazing people. Everyone was so welcoming, and I keep in constant touch with the friends I made. I had the opportunity to be the lead executor of a project, and working closely with clients, presenting materials, and driving progress was a great challenge this early in my career. The company I had the privilege of working with in Harare is full of so many dedicated and impressive people, and I cannot wait to see what they accomplish. I am so jealous of future fellows who will have the chance to take their consulting skills and use them for impact (and even more jealous if they end up in Zimbabwe). It goes by so fast, so I hope they’re able to learn and enjoy new types of work in new places as much as I did.