Orientation trip day 2

Wednesday our orientation schedule was slightly interrupted by a "hartel" or strike. People don't go to work and you can't drive motor vehicles. None of us minded a day on foot and rickshaw after the long journey the day before. We first were told about the projects based in Myenmesingh which are primarily in job creation. They are working with projects to develop their products for selling. MCC has been very successful in this. There is a popular shop called Aarong that was started by MCC, and they are in the process of making a marketing/distributing company called Source independent. We visited a place that makes woven and paper mache items first. They provide income for women who are maybe widowed or divorced or underpriveliged in some way. We also visited a project which provides employment for handicapped people. There was a young man drawing with his mouth, a deaf and mute man who does these amazing carvings with such expressions, people unable to use their legs doing weaving or making paper cards. It was really remarkable. I maybe have mentioned 2 others that came with me. Since this is public domain I won't mention names, but they are both in the MCC SALT program which are service opportunities for people 18-27 for one year. They are both studying language in Myenmesingh so they were getting oriented to that. At the end of the 2 months of study, the young woman will stay there and teach English at a Catholic mission, and the young man will go to the area where I will be headed a month later.