The SDC is one of the first official donor organisations set up in Bangladesh soon after independence.

This year, for the first time, the Swiss government has fused ambassadorial and developmental activities. Commenting on the fusion, Rapold said: "We are not the only country in Bangladesh to have the same person as ambassador and director. The Scandinavian countries do this too."

Rapold claimed that cost-cutting measures by the Swiss were not the reason for the fusion, but that resource optimising was more important.

"There are so many advantages when fusing the activities," she said, adding that "Twenty years ago, when developmental work was more technical, the job separation made sense. Today, development co-operation has a political dimension. Now it's better to rejoin the Director's and the Ambassador's job."

Rapold believes that by the fusion her work as ambassador and director are both made easier.

She said that access to high level authorities is simpler and this makes her work as country director more effective.

"I do realise, though", she explained, "that being ambassador can make receptions at field level more formal." Something Rapold experienced a taste of during her four-day tour of Rajshahi district.

At Mohonpur, a community supported by the SDC-sponsored Livelihoods, Empowerment and Agro-forestry Project (LEAF) urged Rapold to open the yearly field day event by cutting a red ribbon. They covered her in petals and staged a musical theatre in her honour.

At Paba, a class of 30 girls and women would not let her go, before they had sung her a song. The school was set up under the nationwide programme of Post Literacy and Continuing Education (PLCE), also an endeavour sponsored by the SDC.

At a tribal village under the Pakri Union of Godagrai Upazila, Rapold was greeted with a traditional dance. Eight women linked arms and chanted, while the Swiss ambassador made her way to the village's centre, guarded heavily by a police escort. Then the women sat her down and washed her feet to express the honour they felt of her visit.

However, Rapold does not believe that this hinders her work in anyway. "Whether I come to the village as ambassador or just as country director, I have to look beyond the welcoming ceremonies to understand whether the NGO-activities we are sponsoring are really making a difference."

The SDC provides a yearly budget of about Tk 75 crore. It focuses on projects dedicated to sustainable land use and agro forestry, on non-formal education, and on micro and small entrepreneur promotion. As of 2006 the SDC will be funding activities promoting local governance on a major scale.