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

Let’s Be The Ones To Finish This Great Project
In late October 2016, along with my two northern Thailand Rotary colleagues, Carol and George, I visited the Sisters of Providence for the first time. Located in the northern town

Programs in Need of Sponsors at the Life & Hope Association
I had an extensive visit with Life & Hope Association yesterday. L&HA has two main programs. PAGE: Program for Advancing Girls Education and Sewing. PAGE: Under this program the Monks,

Join us and help support three essential programs run by this fine organization in a very rural, poor location in Cambodia
CEDF – OpCam is a Cambodian charity registered with the Ministry of the Interior in agreement with the Social Affairs Department. Opportunity Cambodia, an Australian NGO*, partners with CEDF –

Sponsor a Year for a Child’s Education at Good Shepherd Sisters, in Nongkhai Thailand
We are seeking for several sponsors for 25 school girls available at the Good Shepherd Sisters in Nongkhai. Here’s some information about the program, in the words of the Sponsorship

A Visit to the Palel Myintta Orphanage
Last week we once again visited Palel Myintta. You may remember this as the small child-care facility for about 20 HIV positive kids either orphaned by the disease or abandoned

A Story of a Very Industrious Monk
I’m delighted to share with you the story of one of the finest Monks I’ve ever met. This man is named Ashin War Thithta. He is the Head Monk, called

Coaching the Future Leaders of Myanmar
Along with my colleague, Peter Scontrino, I’ve just finished four full days coaching the future leaders of Myanmar on leadership and management skills. How, you ask, did that come about?

Village Meeting About Organic Farming at Rak Phan Din
My good friend and fellow Rotarian, Carol Acosta, asked me to help with a meeting so that the people in a local Hmong village called Rak Phan Din could explore

San Leung Village Visit
Today we visited Lahu village of San Leung, about 40 miles south of Lashio, Myanmar. There we met with the Village Leader (a nice fellow called U-Tone-See) his village committee,

Hpa-an Education Foundation
This evening we met with the Hpa-an Education Foundation, including the current Chairman, a dedicated man called U Khin Shein. This is a group of 300 local citizens dedicated to