A few years ago I was in Madagascar working for the Dodwell Trust during my university holidays: http://www.dodwell-trust.org/

I met a lovely lady called Lova Randriamielison who was running a holiday for a group of Scout children, teaching them how to make camp fires, taking them to the beach, singing songs and having fun.

We became firm friends and a couple of years later, Lova asked me to stay with her for a weeks holiday on the island of Tsarabanjina, where she was working. She had me to stay in one of the most amazing island hotels on the planet at a rate of £15 a night all inclusive! This is the hotel’s website: http://www.tsarabanjina.com/

A year or so later, we decided to go into business together. Originally we thought of some sort of solar power initiative because I was in a green tree hugger phase at the time. However, the reality was that neither of us had enough expertise with solar technology, so instead I have funded Lova’s internet cafe on the island of Nosy Be, which was her idea. It’s an internet cafe and it also sells consumer products in the same store. Lova is running computer lessons for the locals there, so it doubles up as an educational resource, which is awesome.

It’s so exciting! The photo above is the first photo of the cyber cafe that I have ever seen. Lova sent it to me today. After months of planning, our cafe actually exists! Our company is off the ground – what a feeling.

The photo is a bit hazy; I think Lova took it on her phone camera this afternoon. We are having a website done, so we will take some proper photos for that.

It is so cool when projects come together. Taking on risks and challenges can be a nightmare but it is fun when you see the fruits of the labour!

I have a full-time job in UK politics, so this is a only a sideline for me that I dabble in, but what a pleasure to have successfull international relationships and the beginnings of a business … now all we need is for the place to actually work and make enough money to stay afloat … the real work has only just begun, and that work and that success will be Lova’s and not mine. I am just the facilitator, the dude in the UK with a little bit of cash to help get the project off the ground. Madagascar is one of the poorest countries on the planet, so it is a pleasure to be involved in starting something up there.

Maybe this won’t be very interesting to you. t5m mainly reviews cultural content like movies and films and stuff like that, so you may not care too much about my amateur business dealings in exotic countries! Why would you care?!

I don’t know. Maybe it might make you want to go to Madagascar some time. It’s definitely a cool place.