This week has been uneventful for the most part.

At AABN i have been given the role of project manager for the business plan competition. It is a lot of responsibility, but I am trying to get a head start on many aspects of the competition so I do not get overwhelmed. Right now I am drafting the assessment criteria and capacity building content. The assessment criteria is going to be used to determine the semi-finalists who will be going on to the next level. Before that next level, each semi-finalist will receive some sort of capacity building, or training in business practices such as applying for financing, basic accounting, public affairs, etc. The semi-finalists will also be prepared for their presentations at the Main Event. I do not expect to be performing either the assessments or the capacity building workshops; instead I hope to find local professionals and government officials that are willing to help.

I have not been given the go ahead to kick off the fundraising drive, and that has me worried. The goal I have to meet is very unrealistic, even if it was lowered a bit (from $650k to $500k). This is a very poor country, after all, and I do not have much time to do it. After looking through previous timelines created by prior volunteers, it appears that the fundraising drive was supposed to begin back in May. I have been given to indication as to why this was never started.

I was supposed to go away last weekend, but I ultimately decided not to travel. Originally the other volunteers wanted to explore the Volta region, which is supposed to offer great views of lakes and rivers. Unfortunately the hotel we really wanted was overbooked. Instead, the volunteers decided to go to a beach town called Ada for a relaxing weekend. Unfortunately, the hotel that they booked did not have running water or electricity. For me, this was the third hotel in a row without a shower, and the second in a row without power. I decided to stay home, and spent my weekend running errands and vegetating. This weekend we may stay in town, and head over to the Golden Tulip Hotel. We can pay to use the pool for a day (about $3 per person), and its one of the nicest hotels in the country.

Tonight I am making red-red (rice and beans with a spicy tomato sauce), keliwele (fried plantains covered with spices) and pineapple ravioli for dessert. Someone from Ikando is going to be on hand to make sure that I don't screw the dinner up; dessert is my own recipe. I will be documenting this process, so look to this space for some pictures in a couple of days.