This week Fi Glover presents three conversations between strangers Edrees and Hameeda who both came here from Afghanistan under the previous Taliban regime, about their deep concerns for the plight of their families and their countrymen living under the new regime; colleagues and friends Edie and Lai Leng, about how much they relish working from home; and strangers Sandra and Jane, two mums on how their lives are about to change as they prepare to see their children off to university.

The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation lasts up to an hour and is then edited to extract the key moments of connection between the participants. Most of the unedited conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in this decade of the millennium. You can learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject

Producer: Mohini Patel