Taylor appeared in our offices in Addis Ababa (no doubt wearing a bright and sunny shirt), working on a political economy analysis for the World Bank - it must have been 2005. I liked him then - but only got to know him better when he and Sam were both involved in the start of the 'industrial scale' (Sam's word) Civil Society Support Programme in Ethiopia through theIDLGroup. Taylor helped Chekol complete the PEA; and Sam helped make our M&E approach much more human than it might otherwise have been. Then, by a quirk of fate, Taylor and I ended up working together on the Enabling State Programme in Nepal - and later on Ikiraro in Rwanda. Over the years, as I think is almost always the case with Taylor and Sam, the professional relationship became a strong friendship - one that has made a difference to the way I think and work. I still cannot quite believe that I won't pitch up in some corner of Kathmandu, Kigali or Addis Ababa and find him there, working on a process or product, yet imbibing the sociability of cafe culture. But I am absolutely sure that Taylor's spirit will roam among us, reminding us to see the beauty in small things, and the opportunity in big things - and making gentle irony out of the world's twists of fate.
Taylor appeared in our offices in Addis Ababa (no doubt wearing a bright and sunny shirt), working on a political economy analysis for the World Bank - it must have been 2005. I liked him then - but only got to know him better when he and Sam were both involved in the start of the 'industrial scale' (Sam's word) Civil Society Support Programme in Ethiopia through theIDLGroup. Taylor helped Chekol complete the PEA; and Sam helped make our M&E approach much more human than it might otherwise have been. Then, by a quirk of fate, Taylor and I ended up working together on the Enabling State Programme in Nepal - and later on Ikiraro in Rwanda. Over the years, as I think is almost always the case with Taylor and Sam, the professional relationship became a strong friendship - one that has made a difference to the way I think and work. I still cannot quite believe that I won't pitch up in some corner of Kathmandu, Kigali or Addis Ababa and find him there, working on a process or product, yet imbibing the sociability of cafe culture. But I am absolutely sure that Taylor's spirit will roam among us, reminding us to see the beauty in small things, and the opportunity in big things - and making gentle irony out of the world's twists of fate.
