May 2026

Dear Pharo Family and Friends,

In April we were fortunate to host trustees Guillaume and Farah, and shortly after Reshma from Tricolore Management, while Funsho visited Ethiopia. Time on the ground, out of the office, is critical: it is one thing to review plans and reports, and another to see implementation, speak directly with teams, and understand where things are working and where they are not.

Three themes are emerging from the first four months of the year: transparency, prioritisation and teamwork. Our trustees have been clear, do not just tell us what is going well, tell us where you are struggling. Delivering sustainable impact in Africa is genuinely difficult, and shifting from a model built around handouts towards one where services are valued and paid for, even when supported by philanthropy, takes a real change in mindset.

Being busy is not the same as being effective. The challenge is staying focused on the few things that drive the most impact, and being disciplined enough to stop what does not. As a matrix organisation we also have to work across boundaries, not around them, challenging each other constructively and making decisions that are understood and owned. The focus for the next phase of the year is clear: strengthen prioritisation, deepen alignment, and operate with greater transparency at every level.

Onwards, Tom Mason CEO, Pharo Foundation