Field Reports

February 2014 Thailand Trip

This Thailand Report covers the third and final leg of my February 2014 SE Asia trip. In the event you might have missed the earlier reports, you can see the Cambodia segment by clicking here, and you can see the Myanmar segment by clicking here. Leaving Myanmar, I headed straight for Pattaya, Thailand where I had meetings at the Fountain

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February 2014 Myanmar Trip

Here’s a report on the Myanmar segment of my most recent trip Just getting to Myanmar is a bit more of a hassle than traveling to other countries in SE Asia. Myanmar requires a Visa – in advance. That involved downloading the proper forms, sending them along with my passport and a $20 money order to the Myanmar consulate in

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February 2014 Cambodia Trip

This most recent trip to SE Asia was a particularly long and busy one. So, I’ll report on it in three separate sections — one for Cambodia, one for Myanmar, and one for Thailand. Here’s the Cambodian segment. In Siem Reap I connected with my good friend Jana Stanfield and joined in with a group of good-hearted people from Atlanta

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My November 2013 Thailand Trip

This most recent trip to SE Asia was a very busy and productive one, with the full three weeks spent in various locations in Thailand. I was particularly pleased to be joined for the first week of the trip by a long-time friend and colleague, Peter Scontrino. Together, we began working with the Fountain of Life Women’s Center and the

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Sangkhalaburi & Myanmar

Here’s the final episode in what has been a long, busy trip to SE Asia this time. Returning from Cambodia, I was met at the Bangkok airport my my good friend and colleague living in Thailand and Myanmar, Treasure Shine, Thailand Project Manager for Partners Asia, a US non-profit headquartered in Seattle and San Francisco. Off we went, first by

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Future of Khmer Children - Jana, Bill, and Scott

Fourth of July … and Cambodia

My Fourth of July was amazing. Along with a couple of my American colleagues and dear friends (Scott Friedman and Jana Stanfield) here in Siem Reap we concentrated on being the best of Americans and demonstrating what caring, compassionate Americans have to offer to the less advantaged people in the world. Jana, Bill, Scott We began the day with a

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Good Shepherd Sisters – Chiang Rai entrance

Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai

Still catching up on my recent travels — this time about my visits in Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai. Entrance First stop in CR was to visit the Good Shepherd Sisters Girls Home an hour south, in the town of Phan. Sister Lena is still in charge there, but otherwise there has been turnover in the Sisters assigned to that

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Good Shephers Sisters - Bangkok entrance

Two Days in Bangkok

Entrance Upon returning to BKK from Nong Khai, (which is in the north east of Thailand, not the north west, as one of my astute readers pointed out to me) I was met at the airport by Sister Louise who escorted me to her facility in central Bangkok. This a very large facility that I had visited on a prior

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Nong Khai - Friendship Bridge

Two and a Half Days in Nong Khai

Nong Khai is an important town located right alongside the Mekong River in the northwestern part of Thailand, known as Isan, a mostly agricultural region. Vientiane, the capital of Laos, is right across the Freedom Bridge. People here speak their own dialect of Thai. And, they face the many challenges of a rural life, impacted by the vagaries of nature,

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Widhya Asih in Bali - Stiti, Development Director

Three Days in Bali

Hi All, Busy time in Bali to begin this trip. Three-day off-site meeting. 30 people. No opportunity for an advance design. It was all on the fly. Arrived Sunday afternoon. Met with Nengah and Yati right after that to plan the first 1/2 day. Began the meetings first thing Monday morning (no time for jet-lag recovery) and designed and led

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Large group of adults and children standing on front porch with sturdy white columns and railing.

Helping Abandoned Children

Here in Cambodia, “orphanages” are often viewed in a well-deserved, unfavorable manner. In way too many cases, so-called “orphanages” are simply scams run for the benefit of the sponsor, not

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"The Green School Cambodia" logo

These Kids Crave Education

All too often when I was growing up school seemed like such a drudge. With most of my friends feeling the same way, that only reinforced my attitude. Why did

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Pisey Khim gesturing toward the entrance to the "Women's Resource Center"

A Safe Haven for Marginalized Women

In Cambodia it’s not unusual for impoverished women to find themselves in difficult situations. Often, it’s financial. Sometimes it’s a bad marriage. Sometimes it’s domestic violence. Often it is a

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Outhouse-style toilet number 555 in the Cambodian village of Tapour

Only 23 More to Go!

A few days ago, I wrote about the new toilet block we provided for a village school in Cambodia. That was certainly good news for the kids and teachers there.

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Close up view of running water in hand wash facility

Toilets Change Lives For Kids

Let’s talk about toilets. Here in America, and in most of the western world, we take toilets for granted. That’s not the case elsewhere on the planet – especially at

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Kids with bicycles in front of "Build Your Future Today" school

The Importance of Bicycles

Today I want to talk about bicycles. Here in America bicycles are readily available and often taken for granted. But, in many of the villages where I work in Cambodia

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Smiling students seated in front of open laptop computers

Computers Open Up Education

I’m delighted to share with you another edition of our Voices From the Field. This one is from another of our wonderful NGO partners in Cambodia – the Kamboo Project

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