Field Reports

The Power of a Thank You
Today I’m delighted to share with you another edition of our Voices From the Field. This one is from our NGO partner in Cambodia – The Global Child (TGC). In their modest facility in Siem Reap, TGC provides a strong education along with life-skills training for 36 fortunate young people. Havingpartnered with TGC for the past six years, I know

Voices From The Field
A few days ago, I was talking with Mike, a good friend and a generous supporter of our work. Mike asked me a lot of questions. Some really good questions. He wanted to know more about what was happening with our work – on the ground – in country. As our conversation continued it occurred to me that others might

Partnerships Are The Key To Our Success
Recently I’ve stopped using a few sensitive words when I talk about our work. Which ones? I’ll get to that in just a moment. What I really want to talk about first is partnership.Partnership. That’s the critically important feature of how we work with NGOs in Cambodia and Thailand. Why do I emphasize partnership? For a very practical reason. Here’s

The Need is as Great as Ever
The Need is as Compelling as Ever Now is the perfect time for you to make an important difference in the lives of so many kids Normally I begin these newsletters by sharing a few stories with you. Today, I’ll take a different approach. We recently made a new video to tell about the work we do – and why

These Cambodians Really Need Your Help
I’ve just returned from another of my regular trips to Cambodia and Thailand. While there I visited with more than 25 of our NGO partners. As I ventured out to the countryside I got a first-hand look at the fine work they are doing. It’s inspiring to see how they improve the lives of the villagers they serve. Awesome. Proud

Let’s Keep The Momentum Going
I Need Your Help to Keep the Momentum Going When I was speaking with a friend recently our conversation wandered through a variety of topics. However, his queries invariably returned to our activities with the SE Asia Foundation. Afterwards, with a blinding flash of the obvious, it occurred to me that progress should be the theme of this spring newsletter,

Holiday Gift Giving with a Creative Flair
During the holiday season my mind invariably turns to gratitude. Like many of you, I have a multitude of blessings. At this stage of my life, however, I realize that I am most grateful to you – our generous donors – who make it possible for us to continue our work eliminating poverty in Cambodia,Myanmar, and Thailand. Because of you

Today I want to talk about books . . . the power of books
Think back with me. Think back to the time you were a kid. What role did books play in your life back then? If you were anything like I was in those early years, books were essential. For me, books were HUGE. I’m not talking about just school books . . . those were always there. I’m talking about storybooks.

Three Stunning Success Stories
Even though I was unable to travel to Myanmar during this most recent visit to Southeast Asia, I did have the opportunity to meet with two of my wonderful Myanmar partners who happened to be in Thailand at the time. So I’ve got some great, first-hand reports for you today. Kwan Lhar Village Preschool Several years ago, in response to

Looking Back to Strengthen Our Way Forward
Why, you ask, would a forward-looking guy like me talk about looking back? That easy. The past happened only because of YOUR generosity. More importantly, your continuing support gives us confidence that we can move forward in the year ahead and accomplish even more.I’ll begin this with a quick overview of what YOU accomplished during the fiscal year we just

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

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

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,

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

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

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

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

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)

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,

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.