Getting a new job is always a great feeling. Your emotions vary from happiness, anxiety, anticipation and even a fear of the unknown. These were some of the emotions I experienced when I received my job offer letter from Arifu in May earlier on this year. From the onset, I knew that Arifu would be a great fit for me and 7 weeks in, I have been able to appreciate how amazing the company is and the role it is playing in making the world a better place.
Before we get too far, let me explain what Arifu is and how the company operates. Arifu is a digital advisor and content marketplace which can be accessed free of charge on feature phones via a short- code of 22744 (in Kenya) and on WhatsApp, Telegram and Facebook Messenger on smartphones. Arifu offers insightful and impactful content on good agricultural practices, financial literacy, business management and even youth employability skills, free of charge. We even have content on covid-19 which addresses signs and symptoms to be aware of and also prevention measures like learning how to make DIY facemasks and hand sanitizer.The content is action oriented and focuses on creating the desired behavior change amongst the learners who are able to utilize this information and make great strides in improving their lives.
We also help our partners to increase awareness about their products and services. My manager @Ritika has an awesome way of describing Arifu as a Netflix of content because learners are able to access a variety of insightful information on different subject matters from our partners.
Reasons for Joining Arifu
I joined Arifu because Arifu’s main aim is to positively impact people’s lives through education. My educational background has enabled me to fully understand how learning new skills and acquiring more knowledge can help you achieve your goals in life. I also joined Arifu because I wanted to challenge myself as a business development professional and find ways on how Arifu and its cutting edge interactive technology can add value to businesses that have direct linkages with the communities. I’d like to learn more about how technology plays a role in agriculture, finance, energy and even youth employability training which is an area I especially feel that we can contribute a lot. Embracing digital learning through platforms like Arifu can help boost economic development in emerging markets such as sub saharan Africa, India and other regions where digitally disseminating knowledge on good agricultural practices, business and financial management and other impactful information can help improve living standards for people in underserved communities. These are some of the top pull factors that got me to join Arifu. The next section will cover details of my first day Arifu, my responsibilities and how I think Arifu fits well with my long term career goals.
My first day at Arifu
My first day at Arifu was a memorable day for sure. I had been eagerly waiting for this moment ever since I signed the offer letter which was immediately an hour after I received it. The day started off with an email inviting me for a team lunch and receiving lots of emails from the Arifu family welcoming me as one of their own. The team lunch had to take place virtually though, because the entire company was working from home because of the Covid-19 pandemic. It was a lot of fun getting to know the team and also answering some of the questions that the team inquired about me. Some of the questions they had included what my interests and hobbies are and what book I was currently reading.
What are my responsibilities
My role at Arifu is to help the organization generate more revenue and seek out more opportunities to expand learning to millions of learners. My specific responsibilities at Arifu involve assisting the team with stitching technical and strategic partnerships with potential partners, building and maintaining successful relationships with existing clients and prospects, attending networking events, conferences and webinars. My function leads to expanding Arifu’s network through attending networking events, writing insightful articles and tracking work.
What am I learning?
In my first 7 weeks at Arifu I have been able to learn a lot. The work culture that the company has, encourages us to learn on the job and to also become innovative and provide solutions that can enable further growth and development of the organization. One of the things I have learnt about Arifu is that our services such as content based marketing, training and providing real time data analytics about our learners to our partners helps our partners to tailor their strategies towards meeting the needs of the target audience. I am also learning about the relationship between technology and other sectors such as agriculture, financial services, employability, energy amongst others. Working at Arifu has also shown me that a phone is much more than just a device, but it is also a medium that can be used to share very insightful and life changing information. I have also come to understand that education and information can be a great enabler in the fight against poverty across the globe. If more people continue to embrace learning and implementation of new skills, then we can grow to become more self-sufficient and independent as well.
How does Arifu fit into my long term – goal?
Arifu fits into my long-term goal because the company has provided me with an opportunity to learn as much as I can about how we can positively impact the lives of people in our society. I always believe that in everything we do we should always strive to positively impact those around us and to leave the world a better place than we found it. In the next 5 years, my career goal is to grow as a business development professional and help Arifu secure strategic partnerships with more companies across the globe that are looking to positively impact the underserved people in different communities. Arifu provides a platform whereby I can be a change agent and help to socially and economically empower people from low income communities across this wonderful continent and across different parts of the world. My aim is to do more to effect change through education because as a direct beneficiary of education, I would love for others to embrace and enjoy the benefits of education and Arifu provides the perfect way to achieve this goal.