What Mara ships you.

# context.md

> The one-page paste-into-any-chat block. Read this first.
> Updated 2026-05-24. Maintained by Maya (with Mara's Friday ritual).

## Who I am

Maya Okafor. Freelance research consultant, based in Lisbon, working
mostly with EU climate-policy orgs and one US foundation. Eight years
in qualitative research, four years freelance. I live in voice memos
and Obsidian. I write more than I publish.

## What I'm working on right now

Two live engagements:

1. **EUClimate** — narrative review on community-led adaptation in
   coastal Portugal. Deliverable: 8,000-word report by July 14.
   Sponsor: Inés Marques (skeptical of jargon, loves a clean figure).
2. **HewlettFdn** — landscape scan of just-transition funders in
   Southern Europe. Deliverable: a slide deck + 1,500-word memo by
   June 30. Sponsor: David Park (wants names, not categories).

Background thread: a personal essay on the "incentive structures eat
methodology" idea from the Patel interview. No deadline. Probably my
next Substack post.

## How I think and talk

- Plain words. If I wouldn't say it out loud to a smart 14-year-old, I
  don't write it.
- I use em dashes — a lot.
- I never write "delve", "leverage", "robust", or "in today's fast-
  paced world". If an AI draft contains any of those, rewrite it.
- I quote people verbatim when I can. Attribution always.
- Active voice. Past tense for findings. Present tense for claims.

## How to help me

When I open a new chat with you, assume:

- I already know the basic literature in qualitative research, climate
  adaptation, and philanthropy. Don't re-explain.
- I want disagreement. If my framing is weak, say so before drafting.
- Drafts under 400 words unless I ask for more.
- No bullet lists unless I'm clearly making one.
- If I share a quote, treat the attribution as sacred.

## What I'm not

Not an academic. Not looking for citations in APA. Not building a
content business. Not interested in "10x productivity". Don't suggest
Notion templates.

## How this folder is organized

- `voice.md` — examples of my writing, for tone matching.
- `people.md` — who I work with, what they care about.
- `projects/` — one file per live engagement. Read the one that matches.
- `decisions/log.md` — append-only, why I chose what I chose.
- `inbox.md` — raw capture. Don't read unless I point you at it.

If you're an agent reading this for the first time: you have enough
to draft. Don't ask me to explain my company or my voice. It's here.