The Dhaka Project

I have found a short cut to talk about Bangladesh. Here everything is difficult but everything is possible. What is also extremely interesting is the way I have to break my mental structure in order to adapt myself to the new culture and what has to be done. That's where I realise that us, western people, we cannot come in those country and apply our technics. It just does not work. I guess that's one of the reason of the success of Maria and the Project. Maria has applied a very practical way of management giving daily tasks to the team. I follow her technic including the skills I acquired during the last years. Our days are really long, with an average of 14 hours but what we are doing is so exciting and needs so much attention that the time flies.
I just moved in my new flat and renovating it has been a challenge but a good training session for everybody. They laugh when I ask them to redo the job but I cannot have a mirror not straight on the wall or a shower licking or a full flat painted in white except the dirty ceiling ;-).

I found furniture in the neighborhood as the idea is to find people making those in the community in order to test their quality, improve it and give them more work. If we increase the production, they will be able to train more people and give them a job.

I also spent 2 days hunting in Dhaka what could be produced and sold abroad as decoration and house hold items. I filled 2 suitcases and sent them to Dubai. I will do a school sale next week to test if people like those items. Then, depending on what will have the most success, we will create a line of products made by our community. It will be a very good source of income for the project.

2 days ago Maria has decided to have a general meeting with the new staff and teachers. As she does not like to speak, I made it.... What we wanted to tell them is that we are one and only one team. We all work for the success of the project and the future of the children and the country.
Our goal is to educate the children with strong values and a real rexpect of each other. It's also to provide medical care for everyone and train the adults in order to make them the source of income of their family. We don't want any more kids begging in the streets or girls of 13 years old working in the garment factories. That's why we all work hard and we will achieve it. It's already on the track ;-)