I remember quite vividly the moment, back in 2005, that Manuela was sitting on the floor of our very first office in Chiang Mai. Her main task was trying to make sense and order of our small HR section. We knew Manuela from our time as bankers back in Hong Kong. She had a wealth of experience in Human Resources, including dealing with university students while at HSG in St. Gallen. She also had some time on her hands, so she came to volunteer for us and apparently enjoyed it. Daniel and I realised that growing Child’s Dream into something more powerful needed some skills we both did not have, but Manuela did, so an ideal match led to the enlargement of our management team to three as Manuela started with us officially at the beginning of 2007 in the role of Chief Operating Officer. Now 12 years later, and all of us with a few more grey hairs, an era in Child’s Dream comes to an end with the early retirement of our colleague. During her time with us, she has not only contributed greatly to the success and growth of the organisation, but also, being the oldest in the team, added tremendous value and stability to Child’s Dream. I can’t count how many younger staff she has coached, how many university students she has mentored and how many young careers she has guided. For Daniel and me, Manuela has been a pillar of support, helping us to manage difficult situations successfully.

Manuela, Child’s Dream would not be the organisation it is today without your unconditional and indispensable support and for this, Daniel and I and the entire regional team want to express our deepest gratitude. We will definitely miss your triple sneezing and your heartfelt laughter. Your leaving is not good-bye, but merely a ‘see you later, alligator’. We all wish you an exciting and healthy new chapter in life. We are going to miss you! See you around, my friend.