Thursday, October 01, 2009

Chance encounters...

Truth be told I remembered the meeting but didn't remember her name. It was all of four years ago in, somewhere in the garden restaurant of Paloma, over drinks and lamenting on the lack of good female role models in the IT sector. It perhaps was no more than an hour or so, exchanges of ideas, discussion of issues and that was the last I heard of her. In fact I recalled elements of that meeting last week when I had been asked to sit on a panel discussing options for women in the sector - see Rain in Africa for an overview of that session.

So yesterday, there I was in my Rotary meeting when the President introduces a visitor to the Club who wanted to see how to partner with us on setting up a mentoring programme. You can imagine my surprise when she stood up and mentioned that she herself had been mentored by me - it was the same person from all those years ago over drinks at Paloma! The ideas we had discussed she had went on to develop, and implement and is doing a fabulous job in being a role model and mentor herself! Cool isn't it?

For more on Ama Pomaa Boateng. the face behind Ghana High-Tech Women, an NGO focusing on 'empowering women with technology' and what she has been doing see a write up on the Case Foundation website, where earlier this year she was profiled as one of the mentees.

We chatted briefly after the meeting and lamented not staying in touch - she had lost my contact details and I had moved organizations and countries. Needless to say we are connected again. Cool what chance encounters can create isn't it?

6 comments:

Emmanuel.K.Bensah II said...

It is clear that one good turn deserves another!

The Author said...

Good for you. I can imagine your pride in seeing something you started come so good.

posekyere said...

Serendipity? synchronicity?.
I guess you are coming into terms with the good seeds you have sown in people's lives.
Come to think of it, Ghana is the place for you. Wink, wink!
Bless you, Denise.

Denise said...

Hi Emmanuel, thanks for popping by. Yes, sometimes one good turn does deserve another.

Denise said...

Nana, it was so unexpected. I thought it was just another one of those discussions - in my line of work I am always meeting people who really are just searching for funds and not really prepared to go the whole nine yards. This was so cool

Denise said...

Posekerye, I have always loved that word - serendipity - its the way it rolls off one's tongue. I digress. Who knows, Ghana may just be the place for me - will see. Wink, wink.