Week of Welcome!

Work has officially commenced for the us, the new interns, and what a week it has been! From getting to know the culture and relearning the language to crunching numbers in complicated Excel spreadsheets to relaxing on the beach in Huanchaco, our days have been filled to capacity learning our place here in Trujillo, Peru.

Much of our time Monday and Tuesday passed quickly as Douglas and I studied over financial projections and expenses of each of the six ongoing plans. Making the numbers work and finding spots that can use improvement brought early satisfaction to our labors.

Wednesday and Thursday brought the projects to life as we accompanied Elena to visit a number of existing businesses. One visit early Thursday morning was especially exciting. MoniC, the clothing manufacturing business, has recently been one of Elena's worries. Carmen (the "C" of MoniC), was able to only pay interest on her loan payment last month. Heading to the visit, Elena was prepping us for the possibility that Carmen could be going through some difficulties that would make repayment difficult and our jobs a little more complicated. To our delight, Carmen has had a run of good fortune and her business is picking up. She recently has contracted with local businesses to increase her clothing production. She also has moved some of her work to her own home to make it more convenient and has begun selling out of her house. She continues to look for opportunities and has a great optimistic attitude about the future.

Other visits have proved to be enlightening and fun, all of which are helping us get on our feet and really get to work. It's exciting to be a part of something so real with real impacts for real people. We only hope to do our part.