Field Reports
A Recent Trip with the TWCCTW Group
I recently returned from another interesting and highly productive trip to SE Asia. This trip was a little different because I was traveling with Scott Friedman, Jana Stanfield, and a very talented “Together We Can Change The World” (TWCCTW) group of 10 people, including Rhonda Faught, Maria Kassova, Lynn Leahy, Jonathan Low, Rebecca Morgan, Robert Stack, and Carol Talbot. This
A Visit with Jit at Baan Saan Rak
Today, I had a nice visit to reconnect with Jit, a delightful Thai lady that runs a small, 21 child orphanage on her family property in a fairly remote outside Chiang Rai. Most of the information about Jit and her Baan Saan Rak (home with love) project is already on my website, but here’s an updated picture of Jit, with
Thai Cooking School
Believe it or not I ended up with an entire day almost free yesterday. No meetings until 5pm. So, I did one of the things I’ve always wanted to do here. I went to a Cooking School. Way cool experience. First we went shopping to learn about ingredients and to purchase what we needed. They took us to a big
A Day with the Good Shepherd Sisters in Chiang Rai
Wednesday (February 27, 2013) was a very full day … even a bit fuller than I’d anticipated. The morning dawned beautifully. Sunny skies; moderately cool. Perfect for a 45km motorbike ride to the Good Shepherd Sisters. The first half of the ride was wonderful. (It’s really pretty cool being back on two wheels again.) Then, at about the 20km mark
Our First Strategic Planning Session with the Fountain of Life Centers
Just finished up three long days (February 22-25, 2013) of meetings with the Fountain of Life Centers. They did great work on Vision and Mission … on to Strategic Goals … then identified six key measures of success … followed by quite a bit of Project work and Action planning. In spite of two languages, and their being quite unfamiliar
Give2Asia Ten-Year Gala Celebration
On October 2, 2012 Give2Asia celebrated its Ten-Year Anniversary with a Gala Event in the Grand Ballroom at the Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco. That evening, they recognized four of their many, many funds. We were greatly honored that we — with our two funds — were included in that group of four.I was away in Thailand on that
A Visit to a Lahu Village and Lunch with the Village Head Man
On my most recent trip in October 2012 I had the opportunity to visit a Lahu Village and meet the Head Man of the village. Being particularly interested in seeing a village typical of where our Peace Children’s Home kids come from … and to discuss with the head man the wisdom of taking kids away from their home villages
Changing Lives at the Crossroads
A couple of months ago I wrote about the time I went to prison in Cambodia. Perhaps you’ll remember. Now there’s more to that story I want to tell you about today. My
Education Breaks the Cycle of Poverty
One of my current NGO Partners is Anjali House in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Locally based and Cambodian led, they are truly making a difference in their local community. Here’s what
The Joy of Clean Water
Most of us take clean water for granted. I certainly do. Thirsty? Just head for the nearest faucet. Turn it on. Clean water appears. Easy as that! But what would
The Day I Went To Prison In Cambodia
Imagine this. Imagine small children in prison. Really. That’s what I saw when I visited the Siem Reap provincial prison along with Se Chhin the Deputy Director of my NGO
Avoiding the Risks of Early Marriage
Early marriage … sometimes for girls as young as 15 or 16 (or even younger) is a clear-cut pathway into continuing poverty. The pressures of tradition and the need to
Shelter Can Be Life Changing
It gets incredibly hot in Cambodia. And when the rainy season arrives, the rainfall is intense. For kids who play outside, these weather extremes can cause problems throughout the year. That
The Importance of Soap
Hygiene is a crucial issue Today I want to talk about soap . . . yes, soap . . . something we all take for granted. But what would life be
Listening to the Kids
One of my favorite NGO Partners in Cambodia is Anjali House. The leader there is Nadi. Nadi has a challenging job for sure. Just imagine caring for and educating more than 200
The Power of Partnership
Many of you know that “partnership” is an essential element of the work we do. In this spirit of partnership, we work with carefully vetted, local, grass-roots NGOs (non-government organizations)
The Awesome Power of Scholarships
University scholarships are a clear pathway out of poverty. So, you won’t be surprised to know that we fund a lot of scholarships. Sometimes more than 20 in one year.
