Jonny Harrison is sailing to Australia from the UK via the Panama Canal before he starts work in Sydney on a secondment at his firm PricewaterhouseCoopers »
Andrew Hebden is Assistant Editor (Business) of The Journal »
Katie Pringle has started her own business, Rock, Paper, Scissors »
Andrew Mernin is the Digital Journalist for nebusiness »
Matthew Rippon is an IP lawyer for BHP Law »
Formerly editor of a national business lifestyle magazine, Jez Davison is a business writer for the Evening Gazette in Teesside »
Ross Smith, Head of Policy and Research at the North-East Chamber of Commerce »
Julian Christopher from Footprint Public Relations, on media and marketing »
Norma Foster from the North East Regional Portal writes about e-business »
Ian Brown, Northumberland farmer and businessman writes about the agricultural industry »
Accessibilty Champion Steve Wilkinson on the importance of inclusion »
Andrea Wilkinson of Shared Interest is visiting Swaziland to deliver business training »
Jonathan Wheatley from Stokesley-based MC Ware writes about IT matters »
Mark Lisgo is a Northeasterner who works for law firm Eversheds in Abu Dhabi, UAE »
Adam Lopardo is director of the Sponsors Club for Arts & Business, bringing business and art together »
Curator Danielle Pender shares the peaks and pitfalls of working with 21 designers on a month-long exhibition »
Paul Williamson is from Deloitte »Well after another omelette-free breakfast and hot shower I am back in the Shared Interest office. It feels strange that you can be in central Africa one day and in Newcastle’s Groat Market the next – the wonders of Boeing 777’s!
This week is already a whirl of email catch up, paperwork and chatting with colleagues.
The reaction of people we met in Rwanda spurs me on. They are clearly keen to work in partnership and push forward the plans we proposed.
We now only have one day to go until our successful candidate formally accepts the role of Project Co-ordinator (although according to Joan from COFTA, the initial reaction we received leaves us little cause for worry.)
But then, even though I’m back in the UK, my thoughts are never far from Rwanda.
After reading Rwanda’s national newspaper, the New Times over breakfast this morning (old habits die hard so I brought a few home with me!) I was drawn to an article headlined Rwanda’s Food Crisis.
It made me think of the current economic downturn here. Do we consider poorer countries like Rwanda and how they may be crippled by the effects of rising world food prices? Sometimes we forget that the impact is global.
By creating, maintaining and strengthening handicraft businesses in Rwanda, the Shared Interest and COFTA project will serve to help establish ‘off-farm’ income so that people aren’t relying on the land to secure a livelihood and feed their families.
The next few months are going to be vital in helping this take shape.
And with that in mind, back to the emails....!
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