It was very hot on Monday, June 25th at the Château de Rouillac, south of Bordeaux, France. But in spite the heat, TSF’s partners gathered to celebrate our 20 years of existence, and importantly, 20 years of common engagement. It goes without saying that it is thanks to the long-lasting support of our partners that we have been able to continue changing the landscape of humanitarian emergency telecommunications since 1998.
Representatives from the Regional Council of Nouvelle-Aquitaine and leading companies in the telecommunications sector such as Inmarsat, AT&T, Vodafone Foundation, Eutelsat, PCCW Global, Marlink and the Thalès Foundation were present on this very symbolic day. Our other faithful partners, IT CUP and Capacity Media in particular, also attended.
This was the perfect opportunity for them to meet the women and men of TSF who spend weeks and months on the humanitarian field to help hundreds of thousands of people every year. Because, in addition to the presence of our president, Jean-François Cazenave, and our director, Monique Lanne-Petit, all our staff, some of our volunteers, TSF alumni and members of our board of directors were also present.
In small workshops, our engineers presented the technologies they use and the projects they carry out so enthusiastically. Indeed, in addition to emergency response to natural disasters or population displacements related to conflicts, TSF is involved in other kind of emergency projects, notably education, capacity building, protection & assistance and bridging the digital divide.
According to Pia Ceccaldi from the Thalès Foundation, this day enabled her to "measure the impact of [our] actions, but also the importance of the support of this faithful community of partners and volunteers over time." As for Del Ashley, from Inmarsat "It was a genuine honour to have been invited and discover the wider solutions TSF are promoting in the humanitarian environment.”
The highlight of the day was, undoubtedly, when we handed to each of our partners a sculpture symbolising their commitment to TSF. This was such an emotional moment! Indeed, partnering with TSF, it is not only about maintaining strong and long-lasting links, it is also about sharing the stories of millions of people that together we have been able to connect thanks to the technology deployed on the field since 20 years.
So, dear partners, once again, thank you and see you in 10 years.
