Anna Taft

It's hard to decide what to write about Anna. In one sense, she is the reason we were even able to come to Ecuador in the first place and experience this life-changing time. Anna Taft is the founder of the Tandana Foundation, and is still very much the engine that drives it. While she obviously has some of the characteristics that one would think typical of a person involved in humanitarian work, like kindness and an eye for the less fortunate, she is much more.

Let me explain. When I began to look for an opportunity to volunteer, I ran up against an unexpected stumbling block: I was not single. And even worse than being married, I had children. Let me start at the beginning Much to my surprise (although I probably should have guessed), the non-profit world has developed and specialized to such an extent that if you don't have prior experience with being concerned and helping those in need, it is difficult to find an organization that could use your assistance. I had thought that with 5 years of pretty high-level experience, I could find someone that would want me to work for them for FREE. Not so. I had not worked for a non-profit before and thus was of little use. This was how the mountain of opportunities that I pictured become whittled down to a few organizations that were willing to take a gamble on me. It was like I had just graduated from high school all over again. Among those few organizations that were interested in taking on such a risk, all save one turned tail and ran once they learned that I was not alone. Those that were US based tried to be somewhat coy in their distaste for a volunteer with a family, but not with much success.

For a while it seemed to me that if you are not a single person, you are automatically deemed unfit for international humanitarian work. And remember that I was willing to work for free and pay all of my expenses. This still seems terribly stupid to me. I felt like I was just spinning my wheels without going anywhere until I met Anna, who was like a breath of fresh air. She was the first person running a humanitarian organization who thought that the idea of involving my young family in a year of volunteer work was not only tenable, but an awesome idea. She is such a wonderful person, and helped to make our year in Ecuador unforgettable. Thanks, Anna.