Sarah is our Lead, Partnership Development. Before this, she lived in India for many years and ran Aspire, our concept-stage program in Dehradun along with other programs. 

JoyCorps, like many organizations, has its feet in two worlds. We have incredible East-based local entrepreneurs building and impacting their communities, and partners in the West who fund our work. These two worlds are not easily understood by each other. Programming and partnership, though on the same team, are sometimes like ants pulling a heavy load: each knows where they are going and that they are carrying a treasure, but they cannot see how they are helping each other.

In my years at JoyCorps coordinating and facilitating programming, I saw incredible tenacity. Our entrepreneurs yearn for more. Not more profits or relevance, though they want those too, but to become better leaders: founders who create safe spaces for employees, business owners who bless their communities, and better spouses and parents. Kelly, a partner founder, bought an alarm clock during the Collaborative Exchange because she knew she needed to be more present to lead well. Now she walks on her lunch breaks instead of answering endless emails. After Aspire, Pankaj and Tressa opened a restaurant serving delicious pizza and more. They want to see the Pahadi (hill) people of North India thrive and to give them a loving place to work.

Last year I became Lead of Development, and it was eye-opening to hear foundations, donors, and partners ask for more than numbers. They want context. They ask how they can help, what support they can give, where the victories are, and where there is room to grow.

So, how can we know what is happening on the other side of the world?

It starts with stories. A number cannot tell you that Kelly bought an alarm clock, or what it means for a Pahadi (hill) employee to be known and cared for at work. Those details are where the impact lives.

It also takes people willing to stand in the middle. Moving from programming to development, I realized I carry the faces and conversations of our entrepreneurs with me. My job is not just to ask for support but to translate: helping partners see what our entrepreneurs see, and helping entrepreneurs know that people across the world are cheering for and thinking of them. When I tell a founder that a donor has been thinking about her family, something shifts. The load feels lighter.

Ants do not carry their treasure blindly. They leave trails for one another that say "this way" and "keep going." I hope JoyCorps can be that trail between our two worlds.

If you are a partner, come closer. Ask about the victories and the struggles, and in what other ways you can support. If you are an entrepreneur, know that your story matters far beyond your community. We are carrying this treasure together, and it is worth every step.