I certainly think all options have to be explored as donor funding is more difficult with piracy and the recession. Private funding also may change the nature and ownership of the project from its community owned one. Is this a problem or not?

Great! Thanks for all of the feedback so far folks. I especially like the picture of the sultan (is the famous M Ali Shireh?) and one of the latest important figures on the ground, Gen Ilka Jiir. I have heard a lot about both of these men in my discussions so far. How do people feel about the current difficulties faced by the project? I am a fan and I hope it succeeds but there is still some way to go. nisar

If anyone does want to me directly feel free to use nisarmajid68@googlemail.com

Hi Nassir, thanks for that. You mention many interesting points and I have many questions in response to your points. Here are a couple: 1. What do you think about the public vs private ownership issue? Can public work? 2. Why do you think the older generation and women have been most supportive? Where are the on-line documents by the way?

Thanks for the pics Cowke! Very nice. Do you know which port/s they are taken in? Where did you get them from by the way? And yes, interesting dynamics between Bosasso and Las Qoray. Would be interested to hear more about your thoughts on this when you have time.

Thanks Gheele. T, thanks for the welcome and i think you are right - those that know about the project will have more to say. (just clicked - a PM is a private message i guess)

Garaad Bari, I think there is a facility on the site to send private messages but i'm new to the site so i don't know how it works yet.

Hello camel threaders. Thanks to maakhir_lady for the introduction and starting off this new thread. My name is Nisar Majid and I have been working in the Horn of Africa since 1998 for various organizations and have especially worked in the Somali populated areas of the Horn. I am now living in the U.K., in Bristol, and started a PhD two years ago. The title of my research project is ‘Somalis in the Global Political Economy: the Limits and Possibilities of Indigenous Transnational Development’. I have known Horn Relief (Fatima Jibrell and Degan Ali) for many years and they have given me permission to look at the Las Qoray Jetty Project as a case study for the PhD as it is about mobilising the diaspora for developmental purposes. I have already spoken to a lot of people about the project, in Somalia, Kenya and the U.K., and I would be interested to hear from more people who have an opinion about the project. Some of the general questions I have are: - Why are people interested or not to support the Jetty Project? - How has support been generated and mobilised? - How does generation or age and gender influence peoples’s interest or involvement in the Project? - How do the local contexts in Somalia and in the diaspora influence people’s involvement and support of the Project? I am happy for people to contact me and develop a discussion either publicly or privately. Thanks and hope to hear from some of you, nisar