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  • COVID masks stopped people from smiling — they’re taking lessons to relearn

COVID masks stopped people from smiling — they’re taking lessons to relearn

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Now you can put a price on a smile.

People in Japan who have become accustomed to wearing a face mask have turned to the help of a professional — to learn to smile again.

After the Japanese government lifted its recommendation to wear masks for COVID prevention in March, many residents seemingly realized they had forgotten how to execute the facial expression.

“People have not been raising their cheeks under a mask or trying to smile much,” said Keiko Kawano, who teaches smiling through her company Egaoiku — which translates to “Smile Education” — told the New York Times last month. “Now, they’re at a loss.”

Lessons to perfect a perfect grin come at a cost: around $55 for a one-on-one session to teach people how to fire up the old cheek muscles and deliver a dazzling Hollywood smile.

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“I hadn’t used my facial muscles much during COVID,” Himawari Yoshida, a 20-year-old student of Kawano’s, explained to Reuters, adding that she’s taking the course at the recommendation of her school to prepare for the job market.

Kawano teaches the “Hollywood Style Smiling Technique,” which teaches how to achieve “crescent eyes” and “round cheeks,” plus learning to shape the edges of the mouth to show eight upper teeth.

She said there has been a “four-fold increase” in demand for lessons post-COVID.

One of the exercises instructs students to hold up mirrors to their faces and stretch the sides of their mouths with their fingers to get used to the feeling.

“Culturally, a smile signifies that I’m not holding a gun and I’m not a threat to you,” she explained to Reuters, adding that an influx of international tourists could mean learning how to communicate again using facial expressions.

In May, public broadcaster NHK conducted a poll that said 55% of Japanese people are still wearing masks as often as they were when the government guidance was in place, with just 8% not wearing a mask anymore.

“I think there’s a growing need for people to smile,” Kawano maintained.

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REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(CONSULTING SERVICES – INDIVIDUAL SELECTION)

 

OECS MSME Guarantee Facility Project

Loan No.: IDA-62670, IDA-62660, IDA-62640, IBRD-88830, IDA-62650

Assignment Title: Senior Operating Officer (SOO)

Reference No. KN-ECPCGC-207852-CS-INDV

 

The Governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have received financing in the amount of US$10 million equivalent from the World Bank towards the cost of establishing a partial credit guarantee scheme, and they intend to apply part of the proceeds to payments for goods, and consulting services to be procured under this project. 

The consultant will serve as the “Senior Operating Officer (SOO)” for the ECPCGC and should possess extensive knowledge of MSME lending with some direct experience lending to Micro, small and medium-sized businesses, knowledge of the internal control processes necessary for a lending operation and the ability to design and implement risk mitigation procedures. The ideal candidate should possess an Undergraduate Degree from a reputable college or university, preferably in Business, Accounting, Banking or related field, with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in lending, inclusive of MSME lending. The initial employment period will be for two years on a contractual basis. Renewal of the contract will be subject to a performance evaluation at the end of the contractual period. The assignment is expected to begin on September 30th, 2021.  The consultant will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer of the ECPCGC.

The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be viewed by following the attached link below. 

 

https://bit.ly/3iVannm

 

The Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECPCGC) now invites eligible “Consultants” to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have:

  • An Undergraduate Degree from a reputable college or university, preferably in Business, Finance, Banking or related field; and
  • Minimum of 5 years’ experience in MSME lending. Applicants should also have:
  • The ability to design and implement risk management procedures 
  • Extensive knowledge of MSME lending with some direct experience lending to small and medium-sized businesses
  • Extensive knowledge of MSME banking operations
  • Knowledge of the internal controls necessary for a lending operation and the ability to design and implement risk management procedures
  • Experience developing and presenting information in public, including responding to questions in real-time
  • Experience lending to MSMEs located in the ECCU
  • Knowledge of marketing and communicating with the MSME sector
  • Ability to draft procedures to be used in a lending operation
  • Familiarity with the mechanics of a loan guarantee program
  • Exceptional written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills, and
  • Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office suite.

The attention of interested Individual Consultants is drawn to Section III, Paragraphs 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers July 2016, [revised November 2017] (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Approved Selection Method for Individual Consultants set out in the clause 7.34 of the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers. 

 

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 0800 to 1700 hours:

Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation

Brid Rock, Basseterre,

St. Kitts.

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form by e-mail by August 11th, 2021, to [email protected]

 

For further information, please contact:

Carmen Gomez-Trigg                                                            Bernard Thomas

Chief Executive Officer                                                          Chief Financial Officer

Tel: 868-620-8144                                                                  Tel: 869-765-2385

Email: [email protected]                                          [email protected]