Sunday, 5 February

Hard to believe, but its five days since I arrived in Dhaka and am almost used to the crazy traffic and near 30C weather. After an initial orientation in the VSO offices I was able to meet with the owner of Classical Handmade Products (CHP), the company I am here to help.  CHP was established in 2008 and makes rugs, baskets and baskets from natural products such as jute and bamboo as well as from recycled materials , and exports them to KIK, H&M, Walmart, Zara and other major retailers in the US and Europe. Of their 2,600 employees most are rural women located in over 20 plants, one with almost 1,000 employees. You can read more about them at www.rugsbd.com.

I am staying in a VSO apartment with two other guys in the Banani area of Dhaka, right opposite the police station– power seems reliable, there’s hot water and wifi, so no complaints. The VSO Country Director hosted a lunch for the new arrivals yesterday – many different skills represented as VSO has some large projects in rural areas, mainly working to improve farmers’ livelihoods.

CHP is looking after me very well, driving me to and from their offices and serving me lunch, always concerned to know if the food is to my liking. It usually is, but I have no idea what I’m eating.