If you wait until you can do everything for everybody, instead of something for somebody, you’ll end up doing nothing for nobody. These words appear at the end of a short video currently doing the rounds on Facebook. In it, a young homeless man in a ripped t-shirt stands on a cold Manhattan street, holding … More “Just Stop”
Waking on Friday morning, it seemed as though just another day in paradise lay ahead. Karen was attending her final class at the five-day cooking course being held at the home of the cookbook author and her husband, who run these courses several times a year. I was invited to join the 11 students and … More Another Day in Paradise
Charlie Pickering presented a very funny satire about Australian foreign aid on The Weekly last week (ABC (Australia) television), which has been doing the rounds on Facebook. On average, a group of polled Australians believe that 16% of our gross national income is spent on foreign aid. These same people, probably influenced by the political … More Foie Gras and Truffle
When I was home in New Zealand at the end of last year, one of my stories about Cambodia had a strong impact on an aunt of mine. The sister of a colleague in Cambodia is in her 60s, unmarried with no children and lives alone. She is also completely blind, since birth. Two of … More Disconnection Syndrome. Again.
Accurate statistics on disability in Cambodia are, as with most poor countries, unavailable. However, United Nations have estimated that Cambodia has one of the highest rates of disability in the developing world. Some reports suggest as many as 15% of the population have some form of disability. Estimates include around 50,000 landmine victims; 60,000 Polio … More On Disability and Departure
I have European friends in Phnom Penh who went broke helping people. They are closer to retirement than away from it and they are in debt with no assets despite having well paid jobs as professionals with international organisations for many years. They have lived in a few different developing countries over the past twenty … More Different Degrees of Broke
The more global citizens there are, and the more active and effective they are, the more progress the world will make. We hope you will show your support by signing up, because we believe that people can and must work together more to make the world a more equitable place. In fact, we’re betting on … More Toilet Village to Tuk Tuk City
There are so many worthwhile causes in this world. I find myself saying “no” to requests for donations to all kinds of charitable organisations who approach via door knocking, mailouts, emails and telephone calls. It seems overwhelming sometimes. Only recently have I realised that the reason “we” in the western world are so inundated by … More So Many Worthwhile Causes
Cambodia has an impressive total of 28 national holidays per year. That’s another 5+ working weeks of days off added to the annual leave people can take. Not that most people are entitled to annual leave given that less than 20% work in occupations which follow the labour laws. Most people work seven days per … More Millions of Monks
It’s now over a week since I saw the homeless lady with her baby. I like to think that she was able to find a safe alternative and has gone onto better things, kick started by the money earned from selling her hair. In reality it’s just as possible that she has been trafficked to … More The Difference a Little Can Make
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