doing good from the comfort of your own home: cambodia edition

As I’ve mentioned before, I recently took a vacation. While the purpose of the trip was to visit friends and family and take a break from school and work, I also managed to include an educational component (yes, I’m a geek). Specifically, I got a crash course on the state of education in Cambodia.

A lot of people couldn’t pick out Cambodia on a map. If you’re older than 30, your knowledge of Cambodia might be limited to the Vietnam War. You might also be familiar with the Khmer Rouge. You might not know that our incursions into Cambodia during the former had a great deal to the do with the rise of the latter.

The Khmer Rouge period has had a deleterious impact on Cambodian society today. Not only is the population very young, it is also not well educated. This is due to both genocide and emigration, but also due to the selective targeting of the intellectual components of society. In addition, infrastructure was heavily damaged during the Khmer Rouge period, and many parts of the countryside still contain landmines.

Add these together, and providing education across the countryside becomes difficult. In addition, poverty (and the increasing price of food) means parents are unable to afford to send their children to school, which then makes them vulnerable to trafficking. Young girls are sent over the border to work the sex trade in Thailand.

In the midst of this, I met some engaged and ambitious people working to improve this situation. Both work for NGOs in Cambodia - Schools for Children of Cambodia is local, though its board of directors is from the UK. This Life Cambodia is also local, founded by an Aussie expat.

This Life Cambodia is currently providing fundraising and technical assistance to Self Help Community Center in Puok District. I had the opportunity to visit SHCC and see the project firsthand. Puok District is well off the grid, which means they receive no electricity or piped water. As such, they run on generators (which grows expensive as fuel prices soar) and store water in their homes. This, of course, puts community members at risk of a number of easily preventable diseases. It also means that the things we take for granted (prenatal care, refrigeration, school) don’t exist.

To combat these issues, SHCC is building a school. It is a massive undertaking, but one in which the community is fully vested. When the school is complete, it will have 3 classrooms, a library, and a computer room. It will also run on solar panels (which will also help power the community) , 2 fishing ponds (for the sustainable production of fish), and various organic gardens. The hope is that the school will be self-sufficient.

The proposed costs for this project are around $12000. This includes construction of the school, the land lease/purchase costs, and materials (ie, books, farm products). 100% of donations received through This Life Cambodia will go towards this project (unless otherwise specified).

For my personal finance visitors, it’s conceivable that $12000 is less than your total non-mortgage, non-school debt. If you’re like most people in debt, some of that probably came from poor decisions and frivolous purchases. And for that same amount, about 200 children can be provided an opportunity that will literally be life-changing. Education (even at only the primary level) reduces child and maternal mortality, and it reduces risk of gender-based violence and trafficking.

Here is where you come in. Chances are, you’ve got a plan to reduce that debt. It probably includes being frugal, saving, and spending wisely. So consider adding another dimension to your debt reduction plan - philanthropy. What goes around, comes around, yes? Even a small donation of $5 or $10 will go a long way for SHCC… and will barely make a dent in your own budget.

And for those of you not in debt, well, we can all benefit from a little good karma.

(pictures of the school site)

april goals

I’ve decided to make April a rewind and renew month. This means I’ll be revisiting some of my older goals that have gotten a little derailed.

1. Become an early riser. I’m actually doing quite well on this, but I need to turn my focus back to it for reinforcement. (ETA: I’ll measure this by aiming to wake up by 7 am every day)

2. Stop eating crap. This one needs more than 30 days to stick. (ETA: I’ll measure this by the number of days in a row and out of the month that I don’t eat something overly processed or obviously unhealthy)

3. Create an outline for my thesis. I will hopefully have a topic shortly and will be able to develop a rough outline. I would even like to have a plan for literature search.

4. Go climbing 2-3x a week. It’s becoming easy for me to make excuses for why I can’t make it to the gym. But no excuses for April!

5. Crack down on my spending. I would like my spending to be 25% under budget for April. It’s a big challenge since my budget is pretty tight as it is. But we’ll see if I can do it.

teach a man to fish

Nicholas Negroponte has a vision. While most of us dream of clean water, adequate food, and access to essential medicines, Negroponte envisions a world in which we are all interconnected. This is no small task, and it takes a special kind of genius to bring this to life.

When he first proposed the idea, the world (particularly the tech world) laughed. What’s the value in providing a laptop to a child who doesn’t even have a proper school building? And even more cynically, where’s the profit?

But as he developed this further, value became apparent. His idea is simple - provide a low-cost, high-tech device to children in LMIC (low- and middle-income countries) to enable their learning process. It isn’t enough to provide books and teachers; children need to be engaged in their learning. They also need to be connected to something bigger than themselves. Engagement = empowerment, an equation that has had profound effects in the rest of the development community.

Anyone with a child knows how quickly they surpass the learning curve. So giving a child with no electricity a laptop isn’t such a crazy idea. And his idea has borne fruit - children with zero English skills have mastered typing and searching with ease. Negroponte jokes that the first English word his Cambodian pilot group learned was “Google”. And the kids themselves are eager and excited to learn.

The laptop itself provides not only connectivity (which OLPC enables), but also transforms into a handheld game device and e-book. This multifunctionality keeps children engaged, while also providing them multiple learning platforms.

There have, of course, been obstacles. OLPC is a non-profit, so it relies on donors to fund the laptop production. It also requires government buy-in, particularly in the form of financial aid. But these initial stumbling blocks have been overcome. Uruguay and Mongolia have both pledged to purchase laptops and recently have rolled them out. Even the city of Birmingham, Alabama purchased enough for each of their children.

So OLPC seems to be on its way to revolutionizes the education of the world’s children. I would like to think that providing this sort of access would help in other ways as well - not only teaching children (and their parents) the basics of health and sanitation, but also allowing them a platform to create local solutions to local problems. And all for $100 a child.

new term starts tuesday

So, I’m in the home stretch for school, with two terms (and a thesis) to go.  3rd term starts on Tuesday, and I’m registered for two courses.  I am hoping between the two, that I’ll develop the theme for my capstone project.   New courses:

1. Spatial Analysis and GIS:  Examines the use of Arc View Geographic Information System (GIS) software as a tool for integrating, manipulating, and displaying public health­related spatial data. Topics covered include mapping, geocoding, and manipulations related to data structures and topology. Selected case studies are used to demonstrate concepts. Focuses on using GIS to generate and refine hypotheses about public health­related spatial data in reparation for a formal statistical analysis. Although spatial statistical modeling is not a required part of the curriculum, related topics are discussed throughout.
2. Research Methods in Health and Human Rights: Introduces students to methodological issues relevant to the emerging field of health and human rights. Reviews and critiques both quantitative and qualitative approaches to the study of health and human rights. Topics include: (1) development of human rights indicators for health and human rights research, (2) quantitative, qualitative and mixed approaches to the study of health and human rights, (3) assessment of human rights violations, (4) operationalization and assessment of health as a human right, (5) advocacy and communication strategies applied to the dissemination of research findings in health and human rights, and (6) methodological tools and resources in health and human rights research.

january goals

I’m trying something new and setting monthly goals. We’ll see how it goes. By the end of the month I want to:

1. Be able to climb 5.9s comfortably.

2. Start an emergency fund (more than just nominally).

3. Become a 6 am riser.

The last is somewhat necessary - for two weeks I will be a TA, and I will need to be in Baltimore by 7:30 am every morning. That means rising at 5:30 or so. I’m hoping to use that as a springboard to a long-term change.

The second is because I’m tired of having to put emergency expenses on my credit card. The money is there (it’s the overflow from rent, etc), but it’s not all there right now. If I pull from the emergency fund for it, then I can put it back every month. I’d rather pay that back than a credit card! I’m getting paid for the TA gig so I’ll start with that.

The first - well, I’ll have to be comfortable on the 9s in order to take the lead class, so hopefully I’ll make it. So far, I’m doing well on 8s and not-so-bad on 9-’s. I plan to tackle some 10s this month to make the 9s feel easier.

01.03.08 update:  Zen Habits (see blogroll) posts a monthly challenge on the forum.  I entered #3 in the challenge, as it’s an everyday activity that I’d like to turn into a habit.  I’ll be tracking on there daily. 

details: resolution #5

Finish classes and my thesis and graduate! Classes are done in May, and I am aiming to complete my thesis by the end of August.

I have taken all the necessary classes by the end of May. Then I plan to write my thesis (which hopefully, will already have a basic outline) for the summer, and turn in a final version in early August.  Presentation is tentatively scheduled for August 20th. Now to pick a topic…

new years resolutions

So the new year has already started for me (Nov 10th), but it can never hurt to clarify intentions. Here are my goals for the next year and how I hope to achieve them:

1. Take the lead class in February. Climb 2-3 times a week to build strength.
2. Pay down all my debt and start aggressively saving. Frugal living is key, as well as funneling all excess income into debt repayment (with some set aside for savings).
3. Practice Level 3 yoga regularly. Attend yoga classes 3 times a week.
   
4. Take a vacation. A real vacation. Hopefully, my trip to Malaysia will work out, and I am also trying to find time to visit my brother in Utah and maybe even go to Hawaii.
5. Finish classes and my thesis and graduate! Classes are done in May, and I am aiming to complete my thesis by the end of August.
6. Learn to manage anger properly. Lots of deep breath. Counting to 10. Um, any help?
7. Lose 10 lbs. Isn’t this everyone’s resolution? But I’m planning on walking to/from work at least once a week, taking a dance class once a week, and hitting the stationary bike 2-4 times a month (I won’t be unrealistic by saying once a week - I hate the bike). I’m also committed to keeping the soda out of my diet. Now to cut out the other unnecessary sweets…

So, there we go.  In future posts, I’ll elaborate further.

turning 30.

I will be 30 in less than a week. 4 years ago, when I turned 26, I got all freaked out. Now I can’t wait to enter my 30s, and put some emotionally, professionally, and philosophically turbulent years behind me. I have to admit, I look, feel, and present myself the best I ever have.

In the past 10 years, I graduated from college, went home for a bit, and came back to DC (where I’ve been ever since). I also finally started getting myself into shape.

In the past 5 years, I underwent a major career shift into public health, started a masters’ degree in the same, and starting growing out my hair.

In the past 2 years, I made another major life change that will not be discussed just yet. I also got serious about yoga and climbing, though I still haven’t worked out a good plan for either.

In the past year, I made a workable budget, got my debt in order, took some fabulous overseas trips, and applied for a major fellowship that could change the course of my life.

And in the past month, I transitioned into a position that is closer to my overall career interests.

The only downside is that I still haven’t fixed some pesky habits. I still eat crap. I still yo-yo with an exercise routine. I still spend impulsively. I am still cleaning-averse. All have gotten a bit better, but I think there is one major underlying factor here (aside from laziness) - I have terrible time-management skills, and there is just always something “more important” to do.

There’s always something!

resurfacing

I am slowly returning to humanity, now that the grant proposal is done. Well, it’s done in the sense that I made the first deadline - now to deal with my campus committee, who will be sure to make all sorts of changes that I will then have to implement before my next deadline (mid-October). Yay!

In other news - Peru was fabulous, I made 25 days out of 28 for my yoga initiative, and then proceeded to go a month without yoga. But I’m back in the game tonight, and aiming for 2-3 times a week.

I’m also aiming for 2-3 x a week for climbing, because I’m finally getting around to learning to lead. October. Assuming life doesn’t screw me before then.

And in other other news - I might be getting a promotion.

a nomad at heart

I’ve never been the type who’s needed to set down roots (which is bizarre considering how long I’ve lived here). I think it’s telling that the commute to school was never considered a disadvantage, that every summer I dream of road trips and weekends away, that my brother moving across the country didn’t even faze (actually, I thought it was awesome).

So it doesn’t surprise me now that I’m planning my escape. I’ve still got another year to go in school (and a thesis), but I’m already thinking about the fellowships and grants I’ll be applying for so I can spend a year or so in another country (preferably one I’ve never been to before). I’ve definitely overstayed my welcome in this city.