Meeting E-ducare's volunteer in Tanzania, Gianmaria Marcatelli 

By Anella Conte

Gianmaria Marcatelli, 48 years old, sales lead in LinkedIn, describes  his volunteer experience with E-ducare.

When did you join E-ducare as a volunteer and why?

It is difficult to pinpoint an exact moment.  In 2015, I met Pierluigi Coscia, E-ducare’s founder, and I was immediately inspired by his story and how he decided to help kids to break the cycle of poverty through education. His passion was contagious, and I decided to collaborate through fund-raising events.

What aspect caught your interest?

It is about the timing. At that point in my life, I felt the need for a bigger purpose.  I consider myself privileged, simply because I was born in Italy in the seventies.  This privilege brings an accountability to use the resources at my disposal to help others.  E-ducare’s projects gave me the platform to fulfil this personal need to make a positive impact in our world.  

When did you decide to travel to Tanzania? For how long?

In 2019, I decided to travel to Tanzania together with a group of LinkedIn colleagues.  I only spent 1 week in Tanzania focused on reviewing our projects there, with the Maasai community in Lengiroti and with Karim Orphanage in Arusha.   The trip was a transformational and enriching experience, and I would highly recommend it to anybody looking to have a different perspective in life.     

Can you tell us more about your personal motivation that drove you there?

The decision to travel to Tanzania is linked to my involvement in TravelIn4Good, a LinkedIn employee lead group, that brings together like minded explorers who want to use their time away from work to contribute to society and learn about other cultures.   Our goal is to facilitate initiatives which combine travel with charity.​   Our vision is to “transform the lives and worldly perceptions of LinkedIn employees while positively impacting local communities and exploring the world.​”  As a leader of TravelIn4Good, and after spending time and energy in fund-raising for the Tanzania projects, it was a MUST to travel there and understand the positive impact of our efforts.

Which programme did you join? What was your main task over there? How did you help?

I was the bridge between LinkedIn’s TravelIn4Good and E-ducare.  I had been supporting fund-raising for all E-ducare projects both in Vietnam and Tanzania.   However, I am more emotionally attached to the Tanzania projects because I have travelled there, and I have built strong personal connections with the Maasai community elderly and Rehema that is running the Karim orphanage. Together with my wife we also decided to sponsor education for Abby, one of the little girls that joined the Karim Orphanage in 2020; we take care of all expenses for her schooling years.  

What was your expectation before your trip?  And what did you find different from what you were expecting?

I did not know what to expect as it was my first trip of such nature.  That said, I was expecting the trip to be emotionally tougher, to find dramatic situations to face both at Karim orphanage and at the Maasai community.  The reality was far from this.  I have found the Karim kids and the Maasai community to be very happy people.  The community leaders are also aware of the challenges ahead and it is inspiring how they tackle them to create opportunities for the next generations.  I feel fortunate that I can contribute to create these opportunities.