Now I don’t want to seem heartless, but I was a little annoyed when the phone was ringing. I often get calls at random times of the day with random requests. Sometimes it’s the 7am call to say thank you for paying for our rent, a lovely gesture from a few thankful hearts which may drive me INSANE.

I work full time and have my share of a social life, but the nature of caring for people is you can’t really pick your hours. So I always leave my phone on and field calls from families saying everything from, “We miss you,” to the occasional emergency. I’m usually, however, a little happier when they don’t wake me before the roosters.

This week I answered the phone with my ‘what now?‘ attitude only to find out a family had been out of food for a few days.

My heart sank. I shirked the attitude and sent $30, enough to last this family almost two weeks, right away.

Calls like this one really jolt me back to the importance of the work we (me and YOU) are doing together to help families. This is the biggest part of the In Search of Sanuk project and I’m up at 3am writing about it because this year I’m aiming to do more than the $8,000 or so in aid we gave to families in 2011.

To do more for more families in 2012, I’m going to need to stretch myself and this partnership WE have together.

On my end, there will be more nights up late writing updates to share the project with you (some of which are sure to be rewarded with early morning phone calls).

On your end, I’ll need more of what you have to contribute. Whether it’s time, money, prayers or all of the above I’m asking YOU to step up the production this year.

Every month, in commemoration of our partnership, I’ll be updating the following “fun meter” to illustrate how much we’re accomplishing together:

As of January 15th we have given out $1320 in direct aid to the needy. Which means about 87% of what was given went to help families like those you saw in last week’s Children’s Day video report. Awesome! But there’s more to do and we spent about $300 on families I haven’t yet matched with sponsors. In addition to sponsorships we raise money with events like next weekend’s Big Bite Bangkok to cover where the budget falls short.

I hope the monthly “fun meter” encourages more people to visit our donation page and give.

Similar to the sporadic phone calls, I will learn to think these updates not as a shrine to insomnia, but as a privilege and reminder of the change we’re creating in the community. I hope you will too.

Until then, goodnight!

 -Dwight

The first of the accidents happened when a student named Tham was struck from behind by motorcycle while she was walking. The impact sent the nine year old flying into a nearby wall.  The concussion she suffered caused her brain to swell and she spent two days in the ICU. When her condition improved she was moved into a crowded hospital room where we were finally able to visit. There we talked with her some while she peered at us through the only eye that wasn’t swollen shut.

Not long after Tham was hit, we learned of a more tragic accident involving a student in Yommorat, the community along the railroad tracks. Usna (oohse-na), one of our regular Saturday kids, was on the way home from school when her and her brother took a motorcycle taxi. She was unaware the driver was drunk and when he failed to stop before the oncoming train, the tail of the bike was clipped by the train and the children were thrown off. One of Usna’s legs was caught underneath the train and had to be amputated below her knee.

Tham has since been released from the hospital and rejoined us on Saturdays. Everyone is glad to have her back, especially her friends and classmates who visited and decorated cards wishing she would get well. She’s not as energetic as before, but still just as sharp and shows up to class in a skull cap while her hair is growing back. For Usna, there’s a much longer road to recovery ahead and she will likely spend more than a month in the hospital. Despite the circumstances, however, everyone has been impressed with her toughness. Which is important as she must cope with more physical challenges such as the healing of her wound, a skin graft, and eventually learning to walk with a prosthetic limb.

Two bright students from two different communities. They don’t know each other and aren’t in very close proximity. Yet, their neighborhoods are plagued by the same issues. Sad, unfair and enraging, these aren’t the types of stories I like to share, but they do offer a glimpse into the difficulties of growing up in the communities we’re serving and exemplify why these children benefit from any love and encouragment we can offer in our time with them.

We’re doing more to help Usna and her family during her hospital stay. Because we don’t want to see her fall behind in her school work, we’ve hired a tutor to come and teach her a few times a week. We’ve also given the family $100, a small gift to help with incidental expenses (the majority of her hospital bill is covered by the Thai government). If you’d like to help, make a donation like normal, but email me (insearchofsanuk@gmail.com) directly to let me know it’s for Usna and her family.

~Dwight

(Click here if the video does not appear.)

As you can guess, we’re still recovering some from the action packed days in Mae Sot. I’ll share more about the trip and what we’re doing to help the orphanage next week. This weekend we hope to get back on schedule teaching in Bangkok’s slums and reviving our group of volunters. Enjoy your weekend whereever you are and help us share what we’ve been busy doing by forwarding the photos and videos to friends and family. Thanks.

-Dwight

“Dream big, work smart, start local.”

However, there are usually quick fixes to minor physical discomfort. Pop some aspirin, a sinus tablet and get back on my feet, right? Not quite. The most discouraging thing about the political battle that has my neighborhood up in smoke, is witnessing the devolution of public discourse. Rational dialogue with all it’s beleaguering complexities has promptly been evicted and people on both sides have found, fed and fortified something more simple: hatred. A hatred wrought with ill will, fear-mongering, and deception so insidious, that regardless of the political outcome, it could only engender more of the same hurtful enmity in the future.

But before you airlift me a lifetime supply of prozac, let me share that like many here I still hold on to the hope that a peaceful solution can be arranged. And a runny nose coupled with a few people’s ugliness can’t really efface the search for sanuk friends described in the last post. On the contrary, trials have actually provided the contrast by which we can value what we take for granted. For example, this month we sponsored extra supplies for five refugee families. All of the five families were having trouble purchasing basic needs; two families of widowers, two with small children, and all very grateful for any help. With the recent escalation of violence here, you can be sure the goods (rice, sugar, cooking oil, etc…) were more than timely. Also there have been a lot of interruptions in volunteering because of the situation here, but similarly, it has made us all the more appreciative of moments we do get to spend in the community.

Thanks to everyone who expressed concern for Thailand. We’re staying safe and being patient. The next few weeks while things are being sorted out, I’ll be sharing some of what I learned working with Bangkok’s homeless.

-Dwight

There we joined the Little Light Project by playing games, snacking, singing and dancing together.

The next photo is with a student named Daw, expressing her gratitude to everyone who participated. On the far right is the founder of LLP, Prae Sunantaraks. Join her group on facebook to learn more about their project or join the next activity. I’m very proud of this photo with them, except that it was taken while I wasn’t wearing my clown nose.

After lunch was Sanuk My Saturday, where we celebrate being child-like weekly and teach English (yes, in that order).

In the community we teach in, the smallest students are the ones who have the best attendance. Luckily, we are joined by great volunteers who are ready to help even when we change our plan to teach at the last minute to better engage the kids who come.

This week we begin an art project making a book called Big Fish. Big Fish is short story for kids about love and companionship that anyone will enjoy reading. The book is an original work written and illustrated by ISOS volunteer Lola Rainey to help us fundraise.

Until the end of February, when you donate $10 or more online you will receive a free copy that has been colored and autographed by the kids from Sanuk My Saturday.

Thanks for reading. In the next update I will share more about our plans to expand the program into another slum community in Bangkok.

-Dwight

Contemplating what’s been accomplished is difficult to do without being honest about what’s still to be done. Some of last year’s challenges are still ambitious goals this year. I’ll update you on my vision for the year and invite you to comment and offer suggestions. The changes are a result of the goals I’ve set after becoming more mature about my scale and focus in the last year.

[Pioneering Volunteering in Bangkok]

By far, the major focus this year will be taking the lead in providing access to volunteering opportunities for people living, working or sojourning in Bangkok. This will be both through making more reliable, high quality information available and through our own volunteering project. After six months of the Sanuk My Saturday program, we will expand the project to another slum community at the end of February. I have already made several visits to the new location. There will be many new challenges that come with starting over, but the community there is eager to have their children participate.

[Smalltime Big]

Last year, I set out to promote urban gardening in Bangkok. While this was an idea many people loved, it never took root far beyond the beginning phase. This happened for a few different reasons that are more clear in hindsight. Most importantly, the price of food in Thailand, despite the recession, has remained fairly cheap. Unlike the US, Europe, and many other cities where people are scurrying to create alternative food sources, the public demand that has created change in those places doesn’t exist here. This really played itself out when the ngos I wanted to partner with put this idea on the back-burner or attempted to change it from a gardening project to a beautification project.

So one of the frustrations from last year was spinning my wheels trying to get this project going to no avail. I’ve decided instead of trying to convince the entire city to do something they have no clue about, I’m going to spend this year investing time in my own little corner. The remaining funding will support the volunteering project where we’ll be creating more awareness about caring for the environment, conservation, and do it yourself gardening in the communities we’re already working. We’ll be incorporating these ideas into the curriculum for Sanuk My Saturday and special events we’re designing to unite our the communities around being more green.

[Hands on Homelessness]

At the end of 2009, I received some funding to gather information about the homeless in Bangkok from a group called Hands on Helping. Since then I’ve begun hanging around some places many Bangkok residents try to avoid even in the daytime, interviewing people and genuinely trying to understand their situations. This has already made the beginning of 2010 exciting in various ways I’ll report more on later (with some video footage I’m working on too).

[Overachiever Goals]

More wish list goals that I’ll take a crack at this year:

• [Sponsorship] It costs about $75 per month to run our project in one location. With the expansion to a new location, it will be important for me to spend more time finding sponsors who believe in what we’re doing and agree to help support us financially. My goal is to get as many months this year sponsored as possible. You can help by contributing on our donation page. Thanks to Thrilling Heroics for entirely sponsoring Sanuk My Saturday last month.
• [Work More With the Elderly] With the big focus on kids, this is an area I haven’t delved too far into. However I’ll be looking for more opportunities to do more this year. Most of the inspiration comes directly from my mentor, Marc Gold, who has spent a considerable time aiding neglected elderly people in poor countries. Take a look at the video of him helping Papa Tak, a 70 year old man living in a dump in Sulawesi, Indonesia.
• [Go Native] I’m already fluent in colloquial Thai and can even manage most intermediate reading a writing. However, all of that is not enough for all I hope to accomplish. So in addition to maintaining good relationships with people already committed to our project, I need to spend more time recruiting more local Thai volunteers. My goal is to eventually have so many Thai volunteers that there’s a sense of co-ownership among everyone participating whether local or international.
• [More Dirty Work] There are really some people I’ve been lucky enough to come across who I’d consider on the front lines battling some issues that can’t be too openly discussed. I want to do more to help this year. Mostly I mean the people who are dedicated to helping minority groups and refugees. They are often the most needy and most difficult to help because there is little awareness or understanding about their plight.

#10 – Painting

Confession: I didn’t paint anything.

All of the art was done by refugees living in Bangkok. This was the first big In Search of Sanuk project of 2009 and gave us a big running start for the year. We raised almost 60,000 baht for the Bangkok Refugee Center and had travel photographer Gavin Gough there to document it. For a look back see his photo blog: Picture from my mind” Art Exhibition in aid of the Bangkok Refugee Centre

Hindsight: We didn’t know at the time how much of a difference we were making. Unfortunately, a lot of 2009 was a rough year for refugees here as arrests have increased and services decreased.

#9 – Writing

Confession: This was very hit and miss.

The lesson here is perseverance–something I’m still learning.  I’m lucky to have a had a great encouragement in the way of an awesome community of bloggers Cody Mckibben has introduced me to. Everyone has been really welcoming and willing to share advice. I don’t take that for granted. Not everyone will invite you into their community when your ideas are unconventional.

Hindsight: One milestone was getting a chance to write an article for Cnngo. However, blogging is hard work and it took me a while to find my voice. The biggest challenge is balancing all you’re doing, with keeping people who care about your cause informed and involved.

#8 – Dating Miss Universe

Confession: This doesn’t actually happen until December 28th.

You thought I would quit after meeting Michelle Yeoh earlier this year? Nope. This time I’ve won an auction for a date with Natalie Glebova, Miss Universe 2005. Proceeds from the auction, of course, are going to build a medical clinic in Mae Sot near the Burma border. It’s a tough job I have, but I can’t complain!

Foresight: This really exemplifies what kind of random episodes which spring up when you’re willing to extend yourself for worthy causes. Whatever happens on this date, it’s already been successful. Through all the communicating with the organizers, I have already gotten a commitment from them to donate medicine to get all the kids at our teaching project checked up. Sorry Natalie, but that made me jump up and down a little more than the dinner plans.

#7 – Traveling

Confession: I now am in the habit of going somewhere and looking for ways to help. You don’t have to travel to do that.

When I first met my mentor, Marc Gold, the idea of traveling to do good was still novel to me. This year I have met and joined quite a few traveling philanthropists. I hope this is a sign that there is a growing trend of people realizing how rewarding it can be to spend your holiday helping others. Some memories that stick out are the slum kids in Denpasar, a restaurant employing street kids in Vientienne, teaching in the Thai countryside, visits to orphanages in Bali and on the border of Burma.

Hindsight: You can go looking for trouble, but you may not be prepared for what you find.

#6 Drinking

Confession: I wish I had been told earlier that you can sure sculpt a nice event, but it’s better to build a strong community.

Through both the Bangkok Tweetup and a larger party we organized this year called LUSH, we have really pioneered the idea of cause focused events in Bangkok. Some people come out for a great cause. Some people come out for a great party. Most people come for the community that enjoys both. In any case, we don’t discriminate. In addition to funneling money to our Sanuk My Saturday project and numerous other groups, we’re well known in the city for breaking bar records and having to send our sad faced supporters home after cleaning out all the spirits.

Hindsight: This was a great idea because we casually exposed people to our project that we couldn’t otherwise drag to come volunteer with us. Yes, you can reach people with something besides gala dinners in the grand ballroom.

#5 Basketball

Confession: No unwanted stress ever came from the little people. It’s the big ones I have trouble dealing with.

Some where along the road in these shenanigans a friend offered tickets to see the Harlem Globetrotters. The Globetrotters hadn’t been to Bangkok since the sixties and I saw them perform in Atlanta when I was about twelve. So I got to feel kinda like a dad when I showed up at the arena with kids from our teaching project in tow. We had a section of the arena reserved for us (the other group they did this for was the US embassy) and all the volunteers who also tagging along.

Hindsight: This would not have been possible without all the people who attended the Bangkok Tweetup, drank and gave. The tickets were free, but we had to cover transportation, snacks and dinner for all the kids.

#4 Tweeting

Confession: Any meal is a happy meal. I can do gourmet too.

Cnngo caught up with me eating on the street earlier this year to tell the city who hasn’t caught on to twitter what you already knew— that I’m addicted to the internet and volunteering. Take a look at the article: Bangkok’s fun-seeking, volunteering, tweeting American

Hindsight: A more accurate headline would have been Bangkok’s handsome, single, fun seeking internet addict volunteers to be attacked by kids whenever he leaves the house.

#3 Thrilling The World

Confession: I’m not to blame for this one!

I had just finished the Twestival global event, when In Search of Sanuk supporter Lola Rainey said we had to learn the moves to Thriller. In true zombie form, I admittedly dragged my feet at first. Lola, however, took the reigns and round up a great group of dancers to not only participate in breaking the world record for largest simultaneous dance, but also perform in front of hundreds (zombies keep their cool even when the wrong music is played haha), raising over $1,000 for the Bangkok Refugee Center. A touching moment in this adventure was when another friend, Shimona Kee performed Michael Jackson’s Heal the World in front of a huge audience at Bangkok’s Central World.

Hindsight: Surround yourself with change makers and don’t pout too much if they put you to work.

#2 Booty Shaking

Confession: I thought my butt would be more famous by now.

The reason this one is ranked so high is because of the sheer spontaneity of it. I led a group of volunteers from visiting an elderly home to relax in the park. It was there that we stumbled over one man’s magic hips and captured what we still secretly hope will make us youtube stars one day (only 3,000 views so far). So it didn’t make my butt famous, but it is the one moment that has generated more laughter than any other this year.

Hindsight: Should have found the man in that video and invited him to some of our parties.

#1 Begging

Confession: I couldn’t have done any of this without you.

In 2009 I beg, borrowed, and generally pestered people I’m close to. This really runs the gamut from convincing Cody to get involved, to asking Shimona to sing in front of hundreds, to getting an entire section of the arena reserved for our kids and volunteers. Forget the amount of money we raised. We have really challenged people’s thinking about what it means to give back and surprised some needy groups with funding that wouldn’t have otherwise reached them. People are beginning to believe they have something to contribute. That’s powerful. For that I thank everyone following along and on the ground here participating.

Hindsight: If you can’t convince your friends, who then?

[In General] There are a few large slums in Bangkok, but what is more common in this big city is a very mixed housing structure with smaller patches of unconnected slums all over the city. This describes the community we teach in. It’s on the way to plush Bangkok suburbs and hidden behind a large temple, less than a kilometer from the area’s largest shopping mall. Almost every Saturday we meet a group of 25-40 kids. Their ages range, but the majority of them are 4-11 (but as you’ll spot in some of the photos, holding babies may also be on a volunteer’s to-do list).

My outlook on teaching is not too different from my outlook on life. If I was honest we should probably call this time “fun with foreigners” instead of English class. The biggest goal is not English fluency, but building relationships with the kids and having them associate fun with learning. For an hour class, I typically plan to teach about fifteen minutes. The rest of the time? Well, I will let you either come volunteer with us, or examine the incriminating video below. Teaching also varies because Sanuk My Saturday has a unique problem. Quite often, we have too many volunteers! If you can imagine, one Saturday we had 25 kids and TEN teachers. That’ll change your lesson plan a little, right? I want to make sure that volunteers who come get connected and feel that they have a role, so now we’re looking at a few other small slums or homeless communities around Bangkok where we can spread Sanuk My Saturday.

Can you save the world teaching English? I have an answer, but I won’t debate with you. Just know that the plan is to use this program to build bonds in these communities. That access is invaluable because in the future when we have more funding we can expand programming, using Sanuk My Saturday as the launch pad for micro-loans, urban gardens, or whatever we plan to implement.

[Lessons Learned] This program would be impossible without partnership with Thai friends who wanted to do something special in this community. You can’t just show up anywhere and plan to teach English and help people. Now that I want to expand the program, I’m going to have to be careful to make sure I spend a lot of time building the same connections with the community. I have to also tell you about new team member Chris, who joined the program a few months ago by telling me I didn’t have enough help and taking the reigns. Because of her initiative and dedication, she’s now the go to gal for spending your Saturday in Bangkok doing something worthwhile.

[A Special Treat] We have a jambalaya-like mix of good for you here from the last few months. This was put together by another In Search of Sanuk team member, Cody Mckibben. More than being the guy who designed this great looking site, Cody’s also one of those people who will jump up and booty shake or do whatever it takes to put smiles on kid’s faces. You’ll see a little bit of that in this video of our campaign in search of sanuk from Cody’s recent blog, My Secret Recipe for 100% Guaranteed Happiness. Enjoy.

“Dream Big. Work Smart. Start Local.”

-Dwight

“In spite of everything, I still believe people are really good.” ~Anne Frank

Is it really July already? June felt like stepping off of a five month roller coaster. I was wobbly on stable ground at first, but thankful as hell to be still. That’s some culture shock, man. Finally over the self-isolating solitude, I reached out this month and spent more time with colleagues, families, and even another volunteer or two.

A place as quiet and slow as this, seems like it never changes, like it has been the same for a century. Spending time at the homesteads, keeping warm next to a garbage can functioning as a stove, (it is unacceptably cold right now) it’s nice to listen to the old memes (women/mothers) chatter. It’s even sweeter when they occasionally try to fill me in through broken English, pantomimes, or a child/interpreter.

“Jenny, we get donkeys with wood before. Donkeys take men to town with goat and mahangu. I member tar road. I member no car … These people too fast now.” Yet another recent car accident spurred the memes’ conversation about life before the paved road. They remember when it got paved. They remember a lot. Many of them remember colonial raids or have family members who were kidnapped in the night and never seen again. Most of my learners’ parents were either not allowed to attend school or offered only limited education.

“…but now they follow foreigners more often than cattle, roaming between bars rather than beehives.”

Listening to the elders and hearing stories from various people, including students, about Namibia’s still very recent history, really made me realize how much the country has grown in just a speck of time – in my lifetime. There is still a lot of room for improvement and development, but sometimes I forget to give Namibia credit for what it has been through and its many accomplishments. I also forget about the shadows that accompany the bright lights of this desired “development.” “We belong to a time in which culture is in danger of being destroyed by the means of culture.” As the oral history recedes and the culture gets tweaked by the youth and the west, will the family also fade? How much will the pace pick up? Twenty years ago, in the northwestern town of Opuwo, the Himba people used to roam with cattle between beehive-hut settlements, their hair, faces, bare breasts all caked with red earth, ochre and animal fat. Must be great for the complexion, but they never wash it off, so who would know? Today, the Himba still roam Opuwo and they still dress traditionally, but now they follow foreigners more often than cattle, roaming between bars rather than beehives. Some still live traditionally, but a large number are trying to make money in a developing town, selling jewelry and photos or begging and stealing. In all of Namibia, (and most of sub-saharan Africa) alcoholism is a major problem and now, for the Himbas, so is prostitution. In 2006, the national newspaper reported the first ever suicide by a Himba woman. Coincidence?

The Owambos are the highest numbered tribe in Namibia though, and seem to be coping fairly well with their country’s changes … other than the alcoholism, car accidents, and HIV of course. On the bright side, HIV numbers are diminishing and drivers licenses are now accompanied by tests. Unfortunately, alcoholism is just as debilitating as ever. I would guess that all the drinking is a result of hopelessness or maybe isolation. Imagine living in a village of less than 100 people and you’ve never been further than 30 minutes away. They have no idea how much more is outside of the boundaries of “Owamboland.” And although I admire the African sense of extended family, I’ve mentioned before their atypical lack of affection and warmth between each other. I’d probably drink too.

“Her situation is infinitely more challenging than mine.”

This month, I also visited my friend Erica in her village. Erica is an inspiring Californian love child. She, unlike my cynical self, is what every volunteer should be. If I didn’t admire her so much, she might make me sick. But in the distant village where she was placed, her sugary-sweetness is exactly what those kids need. With a freshly painted school, reward store, clothes, books, organization, decoration, hugs and endless kisses, she tirelessly pours all her beautiful being into her kids, making every effort to give them some hope. Her situation is infinitely more challenging than mine. It is more remote (two hours by car from a paved road) and inhabited by a heartbreaking majority of orphans and vulnerable children, clothed – quite literally – in dirty rags and deprived of any shred of self esteem. Erica greets them each day and tucks them into their cots each night with the only reliable smile in their lives.

She had plenty of culture shock of her own, of course, and I remembered her struggling specifically with the emotional absence of her kids. She was discouraged by their lack of gratitude and shocked by how uneasy they were in an embrace, how they’d wince with a kind hand on their shoulder. So I instantly knew what an impact she’d made my first night at her hostel, when I walked in and was mobbed by barefoot girls hugging my legs and kissing my hands, pleading this stranger to pick them up. Most of the kids can’t stay in the small hostel, and so I looked at their skinny frames in awe, wondering where they sleep, who cares for them and how they get to school. But then, we’re just glad they come and now they smile too.

“Could the answer to all of society’s ailments be so simple?”

Someone smarter than me once wrote that the greatest truths reveal their wisdom in the guise of simplicity. Another person smarter than me once wrote, “All you need is love.” Could the answer to all of society’s ailments be so simple? Humanity has been suffering from, and punishing one another with a shameful case of love-deficiency? Can you think of a problem that doesn’t start there? No, baldness isn’t a real problem. You keep thinking on it…

In the meantime, I returned to my own village with a little more flower power in me and the kids responded instantly. The more smiles, conversations, effort and attention I give them, the harder they try to please me and the better they eventually perform. It’s just that simple.

Love,

~Jennifer White (See also Peace, In April)

Often doing something heroic comes with it’s share of obstacles. This is the case when it comes to volunteering in Bangkok, where it’s usually easier to remain over entertained and under challenged. Information about opportunities is hard to find, with tips and guidelines even more scarce. While there is a real need, busy organizations can’t answer the flurry of email inquiries or they don’t have staff who can communicate in English. Many businesses are offering foreigners chances to volunteer for high fees. This is unappealing and unaffordable for many. To offer an alternative to this, I am now coordinating a project to have volunteers teach in a nearby slum (in addition to sending people to the Bangkok Refugee Center). Also, I’m teaming up with Lindy from Real Volunteer Thailand to freely share information on organizations, guidelines, and ways to contribute. For example, Lindy recently told me about a special place she visited for people suffering with AIDS. Here’s what she said about Baan Gerda:

A recent visit to an AIDS village in Lopburi was nothing short of incredible. Baan Gerda was founded in 2001 by Karl and Thasanee Morsback as a hospice for HIV and AIDS orphans to give them comfort in their last days, but with the introduction of new anti-virals it has morphed into a community where children and foster parents live independently in a loving and secure environment. Their motto is that they give these children a life worth living and that was particularly evident when visiting the village. These children are not only living but they are truly thriving. It is a testament to the resilience and determination they have to live

If you have a special skill that you’d like to share with the kids you can contact them to arrange a visit. In the past they have had professional photographers who did a one day workshop with the older children to teach them basic photography and music composer Bruce Gaston who teaches them various musical skills. Share your knowledge with these bright and enthusiastic children.

In you’d like to find out more about their organization or make a donation to help keep the village up and running you can visit their site Baan Gerda.

“As a leader it is your responsibility to put your followers in the best possible position to succeed.” ~Colin Powell