Interview day

We have arrived. In fact we arrived two days ago but there has been no internet coverage in Gunjur so we have been unable to post any updates. But the internet is back and we are in business.

We arrived Tuesday late afternoon to a warm welcome from the people at Gunjur Project and generally just collapsed after eating due to the 4am start from home. So yesterday was our first ‘working’ day. We looked at the application forms - 43 of them, and realised that the maximum we would be able to take on this workshop was 30. A further application form arrived later so now - how to whittle them down to 30? Whilst thinking about this we set off into the village to do our courtesy calls. First up we saw the Alkalo (mayor) of Kajabang, the part of Gunjur where the programme is run. Then on to see the Imam who was on good form - no one knows his exact age but it is somewhere in excess of 90. Then on to see Nansymba (the leading lady in the village) who was unwell so we saw her daughter, and finally on to see the Alkalo of Gunjur itself, and many of his committee of Alkalos. We had some great conversations about what is happening in the village with each of them and also about how the programme is progressing. The tribal chief was to be our other call but he was working and so we arranged to see him on Friday (tomorrow). Whilst in the village we ran into several past participants of the programme and it was good to catch up on how their businesses were doing.

So today… we have interviewed, starting at 9.30 this morning, finishing after 5pm, speaking with all the candidates. A great bunch of people with huge enthusiasm. Some already have their businesses up and running but want to grow their businesses; others still want to start. We decided that we would take all those that met the selection criteria and we would have to offer a second workshop, early in the New Year. We had planned to do another workshop then, but we did not realise that we would half fill it on this trip!

Really good to be working with Buba and Lamin again as our facilitators who continue to work tirelessly with us.

Two days of logistics coming up for us before the workshop starts on Sunday.