A Journey of Impactful Volunteering with PFS

“I was particularly interested in learning more about African cultures and now, even though I haven’t yet been to Africa, I’ve made many friends in Zambia, Tanzania and Malawi,” said Aashish Mane, business development manager at Bühler.

Originally from India, Aashish started off as a management trainee at Bühler in Austria and recently moved to Switzerland in his current role in their coffee business. Aashish began volunteering in 2021 to use his skills to help African food industry entrepreneurs and has since joined four projects. “I love working with new people who have different experiences, especially small and medium businesses who form the heartbeat of all economies. I also like working with people in the food industry. Partners in Food Solutions lets me do all of that,” said Aashish.

Aashish is currently the client lead for Universal Dairy, a dairy company in Malawi that produces Ultra High Temperature (UHT) milk, yogurt and milk-blended juices. Client leads are ‘project managers’ for clients, ensuring that projects run smoothly and get completed in a timely manner. They oversee project teams, manage timelines and act as a point of contact for the volunteer teams and clients. Through this role, Aashish has developed effective project management and communication skills. “Keeping the project on track and seeing that we achieve our objectives has been my main goal as a client lead. With the tools and experiences that PFS brings to the table, it’s been a great, judgment-free environment to learn and practice new skills,” he said. He also previously served as the client lead for GFP Foods in Tanzania and Sylva Foods in Zambia. He helped Sylva Foods secure a loan to purchase maize milling equipment by preparing a tool to calculate the return on investment of the machinery. “Volunteering with Sylva Foods was one of the most fulfilling experiences for me. It was a pleasure to work with their managing director, Mrs. Sylvia Banda, and I was very happy to see pictures and videos of the equipment running,” Aashish shared.

His message to any of his colleagues who are not sure where to start off with volunteering for PFS? “Just dive into it. It’s easy to get started and the connections you make will be very special. Breaking down the problems the business owners face and helping them find solutions along with other volunteers is a joy!”