Most of the world suffered from the unprecedented COVID pandemic but, sometimes in life we are fortunate to learn that even bad things can lead to wonderful outcomes. The cancellation of a planned trip to South Africa with my wife in 2020 gave us, not only a new friend, but also an honest, caring visionary philanthropist, William Amon of Arusha, Tanzania. Finally, when masks were put away and travel opened up, we made it to not only South Africa but also Tanzania, Kenya and Zimbabwe. I planned a month-long trip without using a travel agency for October 2023; friends said I was crazy! Needless to say, the travel plans were worrisome—visas, inoculations, medications, dirt airstrips, multi-transfer border crossings, and a three-day period with a personal driver from Serengeti Trips whose owner wouldn’t accept a down payment and told me “Not to worry.”
The joy in this photograph of my wife, William Amon, and me illustrates not only the wonder of this amazing trip but also captures the life-changing impact of William, the business owner that wouldn’t accept advance payment. This dinner was our way to thank this honest, dependable, trustworthy man for a perfect three days but it turned out to be so much more.
William is a special breed and as we exchanged stories through dinner, we realized our common heritage—self-made men of humble circumstances who have achieved success and choose to share. William and I both know the value education. My wife and I have established and supported scholarships in multiple universities. William’s work is more “grass-root,” a desire not only to support education but to break the poverty cycle in Arusha. He realizes that poverty manifests not only in material deprivation but also in uncleanliness, poor sanitation, malnutrition, unhealthy home and family environment, inadequate clothing and so much more. William shared his passion for equipping young children with the tools and access for a basic education.
Although she was illiterate, my mother was a zealot for my education and when I was offered a college scholarship in the US, although my leaving broke her heart, she supported me. William’s ardor has the same fire as my mother, it is infectious! I was seized by the desire to be a part of this and this conversation continued after the evening ended. My wife and I were privileged to provide some much-needed funding and we are so proud of William. We are committed to support his noble efforts to improve the lives of young scholars in the Arusha area through making education possible. He has formalized his project as a documented philanthropic program—PESO (Panos Education Support Organization) and the adjunct organization Deborah Girls. He has completed a website and he is working to establish 501(c)3 status in the US.
“Our postponed trip has given us so much more than a vacation; we now have a special connection to the future of Arusha and the friendship of an extraordinary man, William Amon”
