How do you say no to one more child?
My Defenses Go Up
I walk into our office on the grounds of a Buddhist temple in Battambang, Cambodia, saying good morning to the staff of our on-the-ground partner organization, the Salvation Centre Cambodia (SCC). They're seated at a...
Posted April 21, 2011 | 15:17:24 (EST)
In the wake of allegations that "Three Cups of Tea" author Greg Mortenson lied about his story, his charity's operations, and the misuse of donations -- coupled with Madonna's school in Malawi being nixed after $3.6 million was spent -- I feel small nonprofits like my own will suffer the...
Posted April 6, 2011 | 12:10:24 (EST)
I hope Madonna and Oprah read this. My nonprofit, the Face-to-Face AIDS Project, has realized many things about making the most meaningful impact with our charity dollars. A lot we've learned the hard way, and we've made our share of mistakes. But with regards to our program of offering scholarship...
Posted February 23, 2011 | 17:50:56 (EST)
Why the Truth Isn't Our Goal in an Interview
Sok and Sinay
Ouch Sok is a lovely man. Thirty-seven years old, dark skin, a few scars, that gaunt look common in people recovering from AIDS.
When we first...
Posted February 15, 2011 | 11:23:34 (EST)
Our charity looks to define its school mission in Cambodia so that all its students -- and not just the good students -- benefit even after they leave our program.
Meet Ri Sotheara
Ri Sotheara can't remember his birthday, except...
Posted February 13, 2011 | 13:53:15 (EST)
A Deaf Cambodian Gives Us Ideas On How To Sustain Charity Through Happiness.
Pea Has Something To Tell Me
I'd just started down the road outside our newly built SCC*F2F Community Center in Battambang, Cambodia when Pea (pronounced Pia) came running up to me, waving her arms, and emitting...
Posted February 8, 2011 | 15:30:42 (EST)
Our hearts are in the right place, but is our charity doing more harm than good? What we learn from our work with HIV and poverty in Cambodia.
A Fire in the Middle of the Night
In 2001, Ek Sam Ol (pictured on right, with our translator Him Sothea...
Posted July 8, 2010 | 18:04:57 (EST)
I spend 9 days in Malawi trying to turn deformed maize, witchcraft, and HIV into catalysts of change. Join me and my Face-to-Face AIDS Project and see how our ideas of charity evolve with on-the-ground experiences. Charity as a Drop in the Bucket, If the World Doesn't End It's 8am,...
Posted June 10, 2010 | 17:07:48 (EST)
I spent nine days in Malawi trying to turn deformed maize, witchcraft, and HIV into catalysts of change. Join me and my Face-to-Face AIDS Project and see how our ideas of charity evolve with on-the-ground experiences.
DAY 8: A PROJECT THAT ISN'T MEANT TO BE FOR US
A Call for...
Posted June 4, 2010 | 17:08:07 (EST)
I spent nine days in Malawi trying to turn deformed maize, witchcraft, and HIV into catalysts of change. Join me and my Face-to-Face AIDS Project and see how our ideas of charity evolve with on-the-ground experiences.
DAY 7: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AUBREY
At the end...
Posted May 25, 2010 | 16:36:38 (EST)
I spent 9 days in Malawi trying to turn deformed maize, witchcraft, and HIV into catalysts of change. Join me and my Face-to-Face AIDS Project and see how our ideas of charity evolve with on-the-ground experiences.
DAY 6: MEMORY CRIES AND GIVES ME A LETTER
Fifteen-year-old Memory Chisite,...
Posted May 12, 2010 | 15:30:23 (EST)
I spent 9 days in Malawi trying to turn deformed maize, witchcraft, and HIV into catalysts of change. Join me and my Face-to-Face AIDS Project and see how our ideas of charity evolve with on-the-ground experiences.
DAY 5: A FIELD OF DEFORMED MAIZE BEARS SEEDS OF PROMISE
...
Posted April 30, 2010 | 18:30:36 (EST)
I spend 9 days in Malawi trying to turn deformed maize, witchcraft, and HIV into catalysts of change. Join me and my Face-to-Face AIDS Project and see how our ideas of charity evolve with on-the-ground experiences.
DAY 4: "WHAT DID YOU EXPECT? THIS IS AFRICA"
At breakfast...
Posted April 27, 2010 | 12:09:43 (EST)
DAY 3: SURE, EDUCATION IS NICE. BUT DOES IT MAKE YOU HAPPY?
The Failed Hope of Educating 21 Girls
In 2008, scholarship money for girls in secondary school had become available. Paradiso House, a community-based organization in Lilongwe, was selected to be the recipient. Parents and guardians rushed to nominate...
Posted April 21, 2010 | 15:20:34 (EST)
DAY 2: WE CONFRONT WITCHCRAFT AND DON'T DO SO WELL
Something's Afoul In Our Perfect Village
For several years, our Face-to-Face AIDS Project has visited an umbrella organization called Luzi Community Based Organization (Luzi CBO) that operates in an expansive rural district an hour's drive outside of Lilongwe. This...
Posted April 19, 2010 | 17:28:38 (EST)
Day 1: Malawi and the Trouble With Maize
High Above
As usual, I like checking the scenery out the window on my flight from Joburg to Lilongwe. It's an expansive, rolling landscape, punctuated by a few isolated mountain crags and the mighty Zambezi River forming a dramatic boundary between Malawi...
Posted September 15, 2011 | 11:52:00 (EST)