document.write('<ol class="tumblr_posts">\x0a    \x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a            <li class="tumblr_post tumblr_video_post">\x0a                <div class="tumblr_video">\x0a                    <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript" src="http://assets.tumblr.com/javascript/tumblelog.js?13"></script><div id="photoset_220615237" class="html_photoset">    <p><img src="http://8.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kry8k2k2Ky1qz6fvvo1_400.jpg" alt="Sitting with the directors of the Center" class="photoset_photo"/></p><p class="photoset_caption">Sitting with the directors of the Center</p><p><img src="http://3.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kry8k2k2Ky1qz6fvvo2_400.jpg" alt="The first few to trickle in for the mtg" class="photoset_photo"/></p><p class="photoset_caption">The first few to trickle in for the mtg</p><p><img src="http://9.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kry8k2k2Ky1qz6fvvo3_400.jpg" alt="Chatting about their lives at home" class="photoset_photo"/></p><p class="photoset_caption">Chatting about their lives at home</p></div><script type="text/javascript">    replaceIfFlash(9, "photoset_220615237", \'<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="/swf/photoset.swf" bgcolor="#000000" quality="high" class="photoset" flashvars="showLogo=false&amp;showVersionInfo=false&amp;dataFile=/post/220615237/photoset_xml/tumblr_kry8k2k2Ky1qz6fvv/500" height="300" width="400"></embed>\')</script>\x0a                </div>\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                    <div class="tumblr_caption">\x0a                        <p>A meeting held by The Center for Women&#8217;s Development and Research where I was allowed to ask questions!</p>\x0a                    </div>\x0a                \x0a            </li>\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a            <li class="tumblr_post tumblr_text_post">\x0a                \x0a                    <div class="tumblr_title">Women of India Taking Steps Forward</div>\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                <div class="tumblr_body">\x0a                    <p>This is Clare Rutz reporting from Chennai, India.</p>\x0a<p>India overrides the senses with powerful smells fighting for room in your nose, colors too bold to capture in a piece of art, and the spices that leave you looking frantically for water.  So when I got on the plane to make my way back to America there was a sense of relief.  A quieter, calmer way of living was soon to be.  Of course I would miss the intensity of India, but to walk down the street unnoticed sounded splendid.  As a young blonde hair, blue-eyed woman traveling alone I knew it wasn’t going to be <i>easy, </i>but there was no way I could picture it until I was there, in a crowded street where all the women seemed to be missing, and each pair of eyes followed me until I was out of sight.</p>\x0a<p>India is a paradox.  There is the modern, wealthy, and educated side, but then there is the side where women are married off at the age of fourteen, living in slums, and allowed to leave only in their husband’s company.  I managed to experience both extremes of India, but the latter version was the bit that added some shock value to my trip.  I will never again under appreciate the Women’s Rights Movement and what was accomplished in order for me to be viewed as an equal.</p>\x0a<p>In India too there are those who are making vital efforts to give women their rights, while creating awareness about gender issues.  Domestic violence is not uncommon in India, and as I was trying to dig a little deeper into this societal issue, an Indian woman fighting to stop abuse explains to me that, “India’s culture holds family as a sacred thing, so women understand that violence is wrong, but when her husband hits her its not something that you go against”.</p>\x0a<p>I met this woman and many others working towards the same mission at The Center for Women’s Development and Research.  The non-profit rents out an apartment in Chennai and somehow cram a staff of more than twenty into the tiny space.  The Center works with the women in fishing villages outside of the city where loans are allocated to start businesses and vocational training is also provided.  I was invited to attend a meeting where a handful of the women affected by these programs come and talk about their progress and obstacles.  We meet in a small room with three computers lining the wall which the women take classes on to learn basic computer skills.</p>\x0a<p>The discussion begins, and they look to me for a question.  GlobalGiving funded a project that provided services to the children of these women in this room after the tsunami hit.  So I ask, “How has your life today changed because of the tsunami?”  Apparently I just asked an easy question.  They all begin answering at the same time, but the translation encompasses all their concerns.  “The fish are gone.  We have no work.” Donor countries respond quickly and generously to a crisis, but after that initial relief we often forget how lasting the effects of such a natural disaster can be.</p>\x0a<p>The vocational training became an instant success after the wives could no longer sell fish at the market.  The women needed to create a good that could be sold in order to fill that void created by the tsunami.  That’s where The Center for Women’s Development and Research comes in.  We continue to talk about the crafts they’ve learned and why the computer classes are beneficial, but the more interesting bit came after the official meeting was over.</p>\x0a<p>All the women gathered around the door trying to speak with the director.  The voice of the group began in a confrontational tone, and so I quickly asked my translator what she was saying.  The products <i>were </i>being made, but the demand for handmade paper bags was just not there.  “Why can’t we export?” was the question that needed answering.  Without the issue being thoroughly addressed we all piled back into the van and I asked the director, “So why can’t you export?”  Turns out there are lots of reasons.  Firstly, the consistency of quality is lacking and a much larger quantity needs to be produced for the goods to be exported.</p>\x0a<p>Microfinancing has received an overwhelming positive response from the developing world, but with every new policy there are flaws.  Flaws that fortunately can be addressed, but many new projects are only now introducing microfinancing because of the buzz, and the details haven’t been worked out quite yet.  These women are willing to work hard and responsibly, but to have a vocational skill is one thing, and to have the skills of an entrepreneur is another.  Is it the new expected role for these non-profits such as The Center for Women’s Development and Research to act as a business by collecting their goods and distributing them where there is a demand?</p>\x0a<p>The Center’s accomplishments are clear in regards to gender rights, but it has also left me with many thoughts about the much talked about microfinance boom.  We’re on the right track by giving tools rather than food, but the details that will vary in every community need to be addressed.</p>\x0a<!--EndFragment-->\x0a                </div>\x0a            </li>\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a            <li class="tumblr_post tumblr_video_post">\x0a                <div class="tumblr_video">\x0a                    <div id="photoset_213224572" class="html_photoset">    <p><img src="http://22.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_krj1k6GNu71qz6fvvo1_400.jpg" alt="The girls&#039; bedroom" class="photoset_photo"/></p><p class="photoset_caption">The girls&#039; bedroom</p><p><img src="http://23.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_krj1k6GNu71qz6fvvo2_400.jpg" alt="Best behaved children in the world" class="photoset_photo"/></p><p class="photoset_caption">Best behaved children in the world</p><p><img src="http://20.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_krj1k6GNu71qz6fvvo3_400.jpg" alt="Performing their English songs for me!" class="photoset_photo"/></p><p class="photoset_caption">Performing their English songs for me!</p><p><img src="http://21.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_krj1k6GNu71qz6fvvo4_400.jpg" alt="Smiles are good to see." class="photoset_photo"/></p><p class="photoset_caption">Smiles are good to see.</p></div><script type="text/javascript">    replaceIfFlash(9, "photoset_213224572", \'<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="/swf/photoset.swf" bgcolor="#000000" quality="high" class="photoset" flashvars="showLogo=false&amp;showVersionInfo=false&amp;dataFile=/post/213224572/photoset_xml/tumblr_krj1k6GNu71qz6fvv/500" height="267" width="400"></embed>\')</script>\x0a                </div>\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                    <div class="tumblr_caption">\x0a                        <p>The Dazzling Stone Home for Children in Chennai, India</p>\x0a                    </div>\x0a                \x0a            </li>\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a            <li class="tumblr_post tumblr_text_post">\x0a                \x0a                    <div class="tumblr_title">The Dazzling Stone Home for Children: India</div>\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                <div class="tumblr_body">\x0a                    <p>This is Clare Rutz reporting from Chennai, India.</p>\x0a<p>The tuk-tuk pulled into the Dazzling Stone Home For Children, and without knowing if it was actually the place that was expecting me I climbed the stairs built on the side of the building.  I made my way into the first room I see with a cloth hanging at the doorframe that is not attempting to keep out the warm or cold.  More than often a project is the director’s home and I quickly realize I am in both the office and a living room.  My presence is detected and soon I am speaking very slowly and with easy English to a beaming older man happy to show me his accomplishment.  We make our way through the language barriers using a bit of sign language and I learn that he and his wife started the Dazzling Stone Home in 1994 and it has grown to 120 children with a staff of 18.  The children have come from pasts that include pick pocketing, stealing, and slum life that take them away from their education.  Some children are abandoned while others have parents who are unable to support them.  For these children they stay with the parents for one month out of the year, while the parents are allowed to visit the second Sunday of every month.  As you can see, the definition of “orphan” is much different in India than it is in the United States.</p>\x0a<p>Orphanages that feed and care for the children and encourage them to continue their education are in high demand (to say the least).  It is never an issue to find the children to fill up these homes, but rather to keep the numbers down.  The Dazzling Stone Home just opened their doors to twenty more children while trying to expand the orphanage.  The infrastructure is there, but it remains to be a few cement buildings with limited lighting and not much comfort.  They are hopeful about future plans to continue building, but they work as fast as the money comes. The first and most basic need is food, and I’m told the children can live off seventy cents a day.   Clothes come next, and then the fancy stuff like a paint job and tiles for the floors.  I ask, “What happens if the money doesn’t come?  How are you going to care for the additional children?”  The reply comes with a smile and assures me that, “God will provide.”  The protocol is much different than any kind of children’s home you’d find in America with a trust in a higher power to keep the revenue flowing and to work from the bottom up with the children already there.  However, I always have to keep reminding myself that in almost all cases this situation is better than the one they left.</p>\x0a<p>I can scan the room and guess how long they’ve been at the orphanage.  The twenty who arrived a couple of months ago are easy to spot.  They aren’t completely present in the activities and their eyes glaze over just a bit.  Their faces are hardened and it kills me to know that laughter would seem out of the ordinary for them.  Those who know the space and are comfortable with the adults who line the room look as children should.  There’s a lightness about their expression that indicates a happy innocence.  I am encouraged to see the difference and know that these children who have only known what a hard life feels like are capable of finding that laughter again that should come so easily.  Even without floor tiles or shelves for the food, this is a safe place, and safe places don’t need to be fancy.  They just need to feel like home.</p>\x0a<p>To help make Dazzling Stone feel more like a home please visit <a><a href="http://www.globalgiving.com/1834">www.globalgiving.com/1834</a></a>.</p>\x0a                </div>\x0a            </li>\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a            <li class="tumblr_post tumblr_text_post">\x0a                \x0a                    <div class="tumblr_title">Not Your Typical Orphanage in Chennai, India</div>\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                <div class="tumblr_body">\x0a                    <p>This is Clare Rutz reporting from Chennai, India.</p>\x0a<p>After about forty-five minutes in a tuk-tuk, the crowds of people slowly begin to diminish outside of Chennai.  Turning into a small road off the highway (after passing it three times unintentionally), I see Iyyappan waving to show us that we’ve finally made it.  Iyyappan is the founder of the Sri Arunodayam Charitable Trust, a home for the abandoned mentally challenged children of Chennai.  After six years of work, and starting with only one child in 2003 he still has that burning passion in him that gives him reason to keep going.  Today there are ninety children that are cared for at Sri Arunodayam.  They have found the children by working with hospitals, the police force, and the Child Health Department and slowly they have become a trusted and respected organization in the community that the city turns to when a mentally challenged child is found, which happens all too often here.</p>\x0a<p>When a child is brought to them they go through a medical and psychological check-up to understand what the child’s specific needs are.  There is also an effort to find the parents, which is a distinguishing characteristic of this non-profit.  If they do find the parents they work with them to provide an understanding of what their child needs and what can be done.  With continuous support the parents are encouraged to raise their child in a traditional household.  So far, twenty-seven children have gone back to their families while the non-profit overlooks the parenting.</p>\x0a<p>This past year Sri Arunodayam has begun working in the prevention of abandoning children and also handicapped children.  It has become a goal of the center to increase the public awareness of the benefits the government provides that is meant to help parents raise their mentally challenged child.  There are also efforts to provide counseling for pregnant women to teach them how to take care of their unborn child and to give them an understanding of what causes mental retardation.</p>\x0a<p>After going through all the details of what exactly Sri Arunodayam does we cross the street to the orphanage, adjacent to the office building, which is merely a couple of rooms and Iyyappan’s home.  Throughout this cramped building there are thirty staff members taking care of the children in many ways including supervision, teaching, and physical therapy.  Fortunately, in the near future Sri Arunodayam is moving down the street into a bigger building to comply with the amount of new children that keep coming through the doors.</p>\x0a<p>The first floor of the building is for the newborns all the way up to six year olds.  A few are in physical therapy as three staff members teach the children how to use their legs and arms.  The main room has about fifteen children seated with a few playing in the corners hiding from something and giggling at not being found just yet.  Up the stairs we visit the seven to twenty year olds who are all taking part in classroom activities.  The older and more capable students are writing in the notebooks in front of them.  They are mostly boys who all look up at me and greet me with ‘hellos’ and the little bit of English they’ve picked up.  Although a tiny space is shared and things aren’t easy for these kids (some who are not much younger than me) they all wear a smile that’s true that proves their appreciation for such a place.  I couldn’t imagine where they would be without this place.</p>\x0a<p>The funding of Sri Arunodayam comes from individual sponsors, the majority of them being local residents of Chennai and the rest are GlobalGivers.  The needs are becoming greater as more children are requiring their services, and there isn’t a regular flow of funds.  Iyyappan does not take an annual salary and it looks to me as if he has devoted his entire life to the home of these precious children.  The support is incredibly needed and in many ways.  Volunteers are always welcome and called for so if you have three months or more and want to explore Chennai in India off you should go!  This is a good place.</p>\x0a<p>To learn more about the Sri Arunodayam Charitable Trust go to <a><a href="http://www.globalgiving.com/2756">www.globalgiving.com/2756</a></a>.  Your concern is appreciated.</p>\x0a                </div>\x0a            </li>\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a            <li class="tumblr_post tumblr_text_post">\x0a                \x0a                    <div class="tumblr_title">Video Volunteers: Understanding the Power of Empowerment</div>\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                <div class="tumblr_body">\x0a                    <p>This is Clare Rutz reporting from Goa, India.</p>\x0a<p>During my travels one of the most concerning issues concerning the INGO world is the lack of communication between a project and well, everyone else.  Very rarely do charities work with one another or have the proper relationship with their funding organizations.  Video Volunteers go against this unfortunate trend entirely.  Their mission is to organize Community Video Units (CVUs) that produce a film on a certain topic chosen by the team with the purpose of empowering the community and educating them on how they, as regular civilians, can make a difference.  In seven of the eight states of India, Video Volunteers work with other non-profits to train their staff on how to make a film pertaining to the NGO’s mission which can be anything from women’s rights to ending government corruption to safe water issues.</p>\x0a<p>During my visit to the office of Video Volunteers I was first led up slippery steps and it felt as if I was taking a tour of a jungle.  The India heat made the tiny climb immediately discomforting, but by the time we got to the offices I realized the benefit of being tucked up away in the woods.  Let’s just say it had a different vibe than most cubicles we know so well.  I had come just in time for lunch (not intentional, I swear) so the entire staff sat down for a family style meal and we talked about the development work India needs to see and Video Volunteers’ role in all of that.</p>\x0a<p>In the 15 CVUs there are 130 community filmmakers who are trained by the Video Volunteer staff.  The staff goes to the NGO by train and spends six months with the CVU to teach them about filmmaking and also what comes <i>after</i> the video is made.  When there is a screening of the film, the community is invited to come and participate in watching the film followed by a discussion of how they can help.  The goal is to create clear solutions that are feasible for the community to take on.  On average, about 250 people attend the screenings and only two people take action, but change is slow.  To plant the seed in the minds of the community that teaches them that they are able to make a difference, and to also create an awareness of the societal problems that are happening around them is crucial for every developing country.  The media is a powerful force and often times when there is proof of an issue that can actually be seen it holds much more weight in the community and also puts a greater pressure on the government and players.</p>\x0a<p>I’m concerned that I’m making the job of the staff at Video Volunteers look easy.  It’s far more complicated than the mere filmmaking training.  Monitoring impact is an important part of their work, but it’s easier said than done.  How does one measure a rise in the sense of empowerment of a community or the rise of self-esteem among women in India?  These are the issues they are working with and more often than not, numerical and quantitative data don’t really get the gist across.  Video Volunteers follow the community’s progress as well as the NGOs they are partners using qualitative data as well as quantitative in hope to measure the impact of the film screenings.</p>\x0a<p>It’s also a thorough and long process to determine which NGOs become CVUs.  A partnership with Video Volunteers requires the non-profit to be well established because the program costs a fair bit of money.  It is also vital for any partnership to share the same mission and long-term goals as Video Volunteers.  By creating this criteria the end result is an entire community stretched across India working together with the people of India to build a stronger, fairer, and better country.  I can definitely get behind that.</p>\x0a<p>If you’d like to “get behind” it as well visit their GlobalGiving page at <a><a href="http://www.globalgiving.com/1524">www.globalgiving.com/1524</a></a>.</p>\x0a                </div>\x0a            </li>\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a            <li class="tumblr_post tumblr_photo_post">\x0a                <img src="http://4.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kqyfo7PTz81qz6fvvo1_400.jpg" alt="" class="tumblr_photo"/>\x0a                \x0a                \x0a            </li>\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a            <li class="tumblr_post tumblr_text_post">\x0a                \x0a                    <div class="tumblr_title">The India Excursion</div>\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                <div class="tumblr_body">\x0a                    <p>I’ve been back in the States for a couple weeks now, and when I think back on me being in India it seems a bit like a dream.  The motorbike adventures, the bold colors and spices overriding the senses, and the hundreds of beautiful eyes staring up at me seem too out of this world to easily go back to in my mind.  It is this world though… this very crowded, conflicted, beautiful, needy world.  I can’t figure out if this has made the world seem smaller or much larger in my mind.</p>\x0a<p>In India, just walking down the street will make you feel as if you accomplished something in the day.  My long blonde hair and blue eyes didn’t make it any easier either, but if you can look past the heat and dust or exhaust and the crowd of people that never seems to thin, beauty remains.  Each time I took the overnight train it was as if I had traveled to another country.  The variety of culture and landscape throughout India will keep a traveler occupied for their stay, no matter how long it may be.</p>\x0a<p>I was able to visit eight GlobalGiving projects in Southern India, and although I climbed the ruins of Hampi and explored the beach of Goa, the projects truly had the biggest impact on me.  The hundreds of children who are being supported by GlobalGiving donors who share their living space with other orphans who seem to trickle in continuously (if there’s room) are what I think of first when I recall my time in India.  They have nothing, and yet often they haven’t reached the age to understand self-pity.  They amuse themselves with each other’s company and each thing that is given to them they treat as a gift that wasn’t expected.  I saw a level of innocence that blinds poverty, but I know better.  I know that these beautiful children will be stuck in a ruthless cycle of poverty if they don’t receive the proper education or support.  India is struggling.  I have traveled across five Asian countries in the past three months, and India remains to be the hardest story.</p>\x0a<p>On behalf of those hundreds of children and from me personally, I want to thank all the GlobalGivers for your attention, your concern, and your gifts.  These things are not wasted.  In the next couple of days I will be posting a story from each of my project visits to give you a few examples of the good that is being done with the help of donors.  Be on the look out!</p>\x0a                </div>\x0a            </li>\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a            <li class="tumblr_post tumblr_video_post">\x0a                <div class="tumblr_video">\x0a                    <div id="photoset_202967090" class="html_photoset">    <p><img src="http://11.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kqwy3zZ9gB1qz6fvvo1_400.jpg" alt="Andee happy with her new gift!" class="photoset_photo"/></p><p class="photoset_caption">Andee happy with her new gift!</p><p><img src="http://21.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kqwy3zZ9gB1qz6fvvo2_400.jpg" alt="Spinning wheel providing family&#039;s income" class="photoset_photo"/></p><p class="photoset_caption">Spinning wheel providing family&#039;s income</p></div><script type="text/javascript">    replaceIfFlash(9, "photoset_202967090", \'<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="/swf/photoset.swf" bgcolor="#000000" quality="high" class="photoset" flashvars="showLogo=false&amp;showVersionInfo=false&amp;dataFile=/post/202967090/photoset_xml/tumblr_kqwy3zZ9gB1qz6fvv/500" height="300" width="400"></embed>\')</script>\x0a                </div>\x0a                \x0a                \x0a            </li>\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a            <li class="tumblr_post tumblr_text_post">\x0a                \x0a                    <div class="tumblr_title">SEDA&#039;s Never-Ending Effort in Laos</div>\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                <div class="tumblr_body">\x0a                    <p>This is Clare Rutz reporting from Vientiane in Laos.\x0a\x0a\x0aAs an In-The-Field traveler I was able to see a side of Laos that most backpackers wouldn’t.  I was able to talk to the people, visit their homes, and catch a glimpse of their daily lives. SEDA, a small non-profit that reaches out to many different communities with a thoughtful approach to each, gave me the opportunity to ask what it was the people of Vientiane and the surrounding villages needed.  Their response was often exactly what SEDA was determined to help them with.  \x0a\x0a\x0aSome projects help thousands of people, while others help just one, but when given the chance to see the smile that comes from that one person in thanks for what was given to them, you do not question the importance of such philanthropy.  Andee is a twelve-year-old girl who was completely paralyzed until six months ago.  With physical therapy and medicine that helps rejuvenate her nerve cells given to her by SEDA she is able to show some movement.  When asked to move her arms she did with a proud smile immediately following her accomplishment.  I was fortunate enough to come on a day where Souly, the founder of SEDA, was delivering a surprise to Andee.  We had brought a full set of sheets and a bright pink blanket for her bare mattress.  Her simple joy for such simple amenities could easily ground anyone.  With the right funding another surprise will hopefully make its way to Andee.  Souly is currently looking for a hospital bed that will help her with physiotherapy and exercise!\x0a\x0a\x0aJumping back into the car we head towards another project of SEDA’s.  We are visiting a woman who is apart of the microfinance opportunity that SEDS provides.  When we arrive the first thing I notice is the spinning wheel.  It’s the main attraction of the tiny building the family resides in.  “Without the spinning wheel there would be no building”,  was what I was told after I asked how their lives changed since the microfinance program.  It provides them with a job that pays for the necessities.  The microfinance project gives three to four hundred women loans in order to start spinning.  The women collect old collars and bits of cloth from the factories and spin it back to useable string.  SEDA provides the loans and helps the women with marketing.  They are required to set up a group of five to ten women with one accountant and one secretary, and as a team they are responsible for repaying their loans.  The interest rates compared to the local banks are extremely low, which allow the women to take the risk and begin working.  The program provides a sustainable income for these women, and sustainability is a large component to the path towards self-reliance, the greatest goal of SEDA.\x0a\x0a\x0aOur last stop is a once abandoned house that was previously owned by a USAID worker.  The swimming pool is empty and weeds burst from the cracks, but something remarkable is going on in the backyard.  A greenhouse full of potted plants is the beginning of a huge step forward for the farmers of Laos.  SEDA is researching the most effective farming techniques that can be taught to farmers to increase the quality and quantity of their agricultural goods.  They are also researching “cash crops”, which are the crops that are in high demand.  Agarwood is the leading product in this field, and SEDA is making long strides to grow this special wood used for medicine and cosmetics, distribute the seedlings, and train farmers on how to tend to the crop.  The difficulties of the process include the transportation of the seedlings, which is very costly and the training.   Agarwood needs to be grown in a very specific way in order for the quality to be adequate enough to use, therefore, the training process will need to be long and thorough.  With each great idea come obstacles!  Follow the progress of SEDA on their page on GlobalGiving at: <a href="http://www.globalgiving.com/2219">www.globalgiving.com/2219</a> to check up on Andee and to support the women in the microfinance program go to <a href="http://www.globalgiving.com/2504.">www.globalgiving.com/2504.</a>  To read about the agricultural program that completed its funding goal go to <a href="http://www.globalgiving.com/2012.">www.globalgiving.com/2012.</a>  \x0a\x0a\x0aI visited only three of the six SEDA projects that GlobalGiving donors have helped fund so be sure to look out for those remaining three!  There is a lot of work to be done in the beautiful country of Laos, but with the help of the global community made up of people like you, and the determination of the people of Laos the country is slowly lifting itself out of poverty.  I urge you to go see for yourself!  I want to share the Laos experience with everybody.  \x0a\x0a\x0aIf only we could teleport…\x0a </p>\x0a                </div>\x0a            </li>\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a</ol>');