Field Reports

May Mi — A Tragic Story with a Happy Ending
Last Friday we visited Palel Myintta, a live-in facility in Yangon, Myanmar where 20 orphaned or abandoned children living with HIV are cared for in a safe, loving environment. Her is my colleague, Peter Scontrino, talking with the Director, Annie. That’s where I met four-year-old May Mi Than. Look at that smile. May Mi is HIV positive. Both of her

A Week in Myanmar
In Mid-May 2015 I headed north in Thailand to join my friend, Treasure Shine, in Mae Sot for a brief stop before we traveled across the border into Myanmar. There in Mae Sot we visited SAW (Social Action for Women) to see the safe house, orphanage, and crisis center they operate. They are doing great work that seems to be

January – February 2015 SEAF Trip
After bidding farewell to the TWCCTW group I headed back to BKK for a day and then on up north to Chiang Rai. So … as Paul Harvey used to say (I know some of you are old enough to know who Paul Harvey was)… Here is the “rest of the story” … My first stop was to visit Jit

January 2015 TWCCTW Trip
I’ve just recently returned from our January 2015 Together We Can Change The World (TWCCTW) trip to Thailand and Laos — a time that was busy, interesting, and productive. Here are some of the highlights. We began in Bangkok where my partner Scott Friedman and I were the featured speakers at the Bankapi Rotary club luncheon meeting. Judging from the

Current Status at the Wildflower Home
It has been a while since so many of you made your generous donations to our Wildflower Campaign so it’s time that I provided you with an update. I’m happy to report that the Good Shepherd Sisters have appointed a new leader for their Wildflower Home — Sr. Anurak, a Sister with whom I’ve worked closely for more than four

Three Trafficked Girls
This is a story about three little girls that have been trafficked – a story I wish did not need telling. Unfortunately, however, in today’s world it does need to be told – and heard – by those of us fortunate enough to be able to make a difference. For nearly four years now we’ve been working in support of

October/November SE Asia Trip
I’ve just returned from another most interesting and highly productive trip to SE Asia. I’ll share some of the highlights with you in this newsletter. Work began this time at the Fountain of Life Women’s Center in Pattaya where my partner, Peter Scontrino, and I conducted a weeklong workshop on Leadership, Management, and Supervision for the Good Shepherd Sisters and

June/July SE Asia Trip
But first I’ll report an important new development. Finally, after 13 months of waiting, the IRS has granted us Public Charity 501(c)(3) status. So, we now have a new non-profit called the SE Asia Foundation. (I’ll have a website up for it soon.) That Foundation will now be the home for all three of our active funds, namely the Bali

April – May SE Asia Trip Report
This trip began in Singapore where my partner, Scott Friedman, and I were offered an opportunity to speak at the nearly 4,200 attendee 2014 HR Summit. Needless to say, this was a huge gathering of interesting people from around the SE Asian region. Our talk, entitled: “The Secret to Employee Retention — Corporate Social Responsibility” was well received. Our unique


Sustainability: A Story of a Monk and His Machine
Here’s a story I love sharing – especially given our Foundation’s commitment to creating sustainability in those organizations we select for support. Meet U Vimala. (Oo-wee-mala) He’s the head monk

Searching for Sustainability
Philanthropy Is Never Enough. Every single day I spend working in SE Asia helping organizations do a more effective job of educating girls and providing job training for women, that

A Success Story — Thanks to You
Back in 2015 I visited a small Karin village about thirty minutes outside of Hpa-an, the capital of the Karin State in Myanmar. The 800 families living there had only

A Recent Trip to Myanmar, Cambodia, and Thailand
I’ve just returned from nearly five weeks in Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia. In this report I’ll give you a quick look at some (but not all) of the projects I

Lunch for 500
Shortly after we arrived at the Koenawin Monastery for our visit a couple of days ago, the Monk suddenly said: “The kids are coming. Let’s go for their lunch”. So,

The New Building at Koenawin
The highlight of my recent visit to the Koenawin Monastery was being there to celebrate the beginning of construction for their new dormitory for girls. You may recall from a

A Visit to the New Generation School
On a recent trip to Myanmar I visited an interesting school called Myo Set Thit. In Burmese that means “New Generation”. At this school, led by the impressive and inspirational,

People Joining Together to Help Each Other
Recently, our Myanmar Country Director, Treasure Shine, and I visited the Marga Society in Hpa-an, the capital city of the Kayin (Karen) State. In the Burmese language Marga means “blessing”

Mae Ab Education Center
Sometimes It Is Really Difficult To Say “No” Recently Carol, George, and I visited the village of Mae Ab where a dedicated group of volunteers is working to provide the

A Visit to the Guiding Star Monastery School
Recently we visited the Lan Pya Kyel Monastery School located about 45 minutes outside Hpa-an, Myanmar, the capital of the Karin State. In English Lan Pya Kyel translates to “Guiding