Sally's Story
Sally grew up in the North East of Scotland in a farming community surrounded by fields, cattle and sheep. Never fully attuned to her childhood home, she was off to the big city at the first opportunity. She was a city girl at heart just like her Mum who came from Manchester. The final years of her education were spent in Edinburgh and not really knowing what she wanted to do, she joined a large UK retailer on a graduate management trainee scheme and ended up staying for over 21 years.
The corporate world
Working her way up the ladder she found her niche was in project and creative work, needing to see a start and an end, being able to create and see the fruits of her labour rather than the constant treadmill of the retail calendar. Although Sally was very successful, award-winning, and passionate about her projects there was always a feeling of something missing. She struggled with anxiety and depression for most of her adult life and as with a lot of people it was well hidden from view. It wasn’t to be talked about as it would be seen as weak.
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Her work-life balance was completely out of kilter, living out of a suitcase for over 15 years did not do much to help this. She travelled the length and breadth of the UK, on a weekly basis, to store refurbishments, construction sites and new store openings.
Sally's first visit to africa
Sally first visited south eastern Africa in 2016 on safari, after many many years of wanting to experience the wildlife. Never really understanding what the pull was she talks of how ‘something lit up inside’ her on that first trip to Zambia. The next year she was back there but this time instead of just holidaying she wanted to do more so sought out a volunteering experience doing conservation, community and teaching work. Following this adventure, the light burned brighter. Not just being a tourist but being completely involved, learning and making a difference gave Sally a sense that maybe she could make her future in Africa doing something more meaningful. On her return to the retail grind, she began looking into how and what she could do to be where she wanted to be. She started applying for jobs way below her pay grade so she could just get there but nothing came from it.
stepping off the corporate ladder
Sally had always known that things weren’t right in herself; the anxiety, depression and self-medicating were ever increasing. She knew she had to do something about it so in 2018 started on a journey of self-healing by getting a therapist, a counsellor, a life coach, going on retreats and embracing various forms of healing treatments that became known as her scaffolding. The things that held her up when all around her was falling apart.
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The life coach sessions and retreats were invaluable as it brought to the forefront exactly what made Sally tick and where she wanted to go; helping others and Africa and although she knew this, what these sessions absolutely did do, was confirm them loud and clear. Even though Sally knew what she wanted to do it was easier said than done with a mortgage and loans to pay, a family who she thought would be disapproving and a community who would think she was crazy to leave behind the lifestyle she had worked so hard to achieve.
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Sally continued onwards waiting for something and that something came in the form of burnout, total and utter exhaustion and apathy. Sally finally left the career before she completely left herself, in 2019.
meeting the maasai
After a lot of resting and getting more scaffolding up and around her Sally signed up for some more volunteering in her beloved East Africa. She knew she would enjoy it but had no idea where, if anywhere, it would lead. After 7 weeks of conservation and teaching projects and feeling alive again it led to a job running where she had been volunteering and finally it was all coming together.
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On this adventure to East Africa was when Sally first got to know the Maasai, an indigenous tribe that lived a life a world away from what she was used to. On her first trip to stay in a Maasai village she had the most life affirming experience showing her what was really important in life and what had been missing in hers – community, love, support and family. There were no fancy cars, designer clothes or painted nails. By spending more time in the bush, living the simplest of lives, delving into and learning about the Maasai age old culture and traditions she finally found the peace, tranquillity, and happiness that had always eluded her.
Covid came to play
Believing she’d found her dream job managing projects that actually meant something in her beloved East Africa, COVID came to play. Sally spent weeks, single handily, closing down the volunteer organisation she had so many ideas and plans for and the dream life began to fade away.
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This, coupled with the death of her best friend and her Mum deteriorating to the evils of MND, Sally began to spiral into a world of psychosis and had to go back to her childhood home, the one which she had once vowed to never return. A living nightmare then enveloped her and she spent 9 months lay on a bed, not communicating, hardly eating with the most terrifying thoughts consuming her every moment. She thought life was over but eventually she came back stronger with more belief and exuberance for life. All the years of pain and anguish had cleared.
A foundation in honour of margie
Sally’s Mum, Margie, always loved travelling and although she was struggling with MND she managed to visit Sally in Zanzibar in February 2020 just before COVID hit. To see Sally happy in her new life was such a joy for Margie.
Sadly, Sally’s Mum passed away in August 2021 and a few months later the complete clarity came that Sally’s dream project was about to be born – Margie’s Foundation. A foundation in honour of her Mum; the teacher who was selfless, caring & considerate. The teacher who believed that reading was the key to child’s future. The teacher that helped many children see and reach their full potential. To be able to follow in her Mum’s footsteps and do the same as she did, but for Maasai children was the least Sally could do in return for them showing her that life was worth living.
Margie's foundation was born
So now it’s all come full circle, Sally is back surrounded by fields, cattle and sheep, but in a completely different setting, in a completely different mindset doing exactly what she was always meant to be doing; helping others in Africa and making her Mum proud.
‘We have everything but nothing and they have nothing but everything’
learn, love, laugh
OUR PROJECTS
We are incredibly proud of some of the projects we have already completed, thanks to generous donations. We have refurbished an entire primary school, bought cows & goats for over 20 children, donated countless clothes and items of stationary, and we are sponsoring 5 children to attend independent schools to give them a better level of education.
GET INVOLVED
We have already welcomed so many amazing people to Margie's family - do you want to get involved?
There are so many ways you could help the Maasai children’s futures. From providing a school uniform to a child in need for just £20, to sponsoring a child to attend an independent school for £500 per annum.