document.write('\x3cmeta http-equiv=\x22x-dns-prefetch-control\x22 content=\x22off\x22/\x3e\x3col class=\x22tumblr_posts\x22\x3e\x0a    \x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_video_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_video\x22\x3e\x0a                    \x3cscript type=\x22text/javascript\x22 language=\x22javascript\x22 src=\x22http://assets.tumblr.com/javascript/tumblelog.js?721\x22\x3e\x3c/script\x3e\x3cdiv id=\x22photoset_220615237\x22 class=\x22html_photoset\x22\x3e    \x3ciframe class=\x22photoset\x22 scrolling=\x22no\x22 frameborder=\x220\x22 height=\x22456\x22 width=\x22400\x22\x0a                style=\x22border:0px; background-color:transparent; overflow:hidden;\x22 src=\x22http://globalgiving.tumblr.com/post/220615237/photoset_iframe/globalgiving/tumblr_kry8k2k2Ky1qz6fvv/400\x22\x3e\x3c/iframe\x3e\x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                    \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_caption\x22\x3e\x0a                        \x3cp\x3eA meeting held by The Center for Women\x26#8217;s Development and Research where I was allowed to ask questions!\x3c/p\x3e\x0a                    \x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_text_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x0a                    \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_title\x22\x3eWomen of India Taking Steps Forward\x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_body\x22\x3e\x0a                    \x3cp\x3eThis is Clare Rutz reporting from Chennai, India.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eIndia 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.\u00a0 So when I got on the plane to make my way back to America there was a sense of relief.\u00a0 A quieter, calmer way of living was soon to be.\u00a0 Of course I would miss the intensity of India, but to walk down the street unnoticed sounded splendid.\u00a0 As a young blonde hair, blue-eyed woman traveling alone I knew it wasn\u2019t going to be \x3ci\x3eeasy, \x3c/i\x3ebut 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.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eIndia is a paradox.\u00a0 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\u2019s company.\u00a0 I managed to experience both extremes of India, but the latter version was the bit that added some shock value to my trip.\u00a0 I will never again under appreciate the Women\u2019s Rights Movement and what was accomplished in order for me to be viewed as an equal.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eIn India too there are those who are making vital efforts to give women their rights, while creating awareness about gender issues.\u00a0 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, \u201cIndia\u2019s 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\u201d.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eI met this woman and many others working towards the same mission at The Center for Women\u2019s Development and Research.\u00a0 The non-profit rents out an apartment in Chennai and somehow cram a staff of more than twenty into the tiny space.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 We meet in a small room with three computers lining the wall which the women take classes on to learn basic computer skills.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eThe discussion begins, and they look to me for a question.\u00a0 GlobalGiving funded a project that provided services to the children of these women in this room after the tsunami hit.\u00a0 So I ask, \u201cHow has your life today changed because of the tsunami?\u201d\u00a0 Apparently I just asked an easy question.\u00a0 They all begin answering at the same time, but the translation encompasses all their concerns.\u00a0 \u201cThe fish are gone.\u00a0 We have no work.\u201d 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.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eThe vocational training became an instant success after the wives could no longer sell fish at the market.\u00a0 The women needed to create a good that could be sold in order to fill that void created by the tsunami. \u00a0That\u2019s where The Center for Women\u2019s Development and Research comes in.\u00a0 We continue to talk about the crafts they\u2019ve learned and why the computer classes are beneficial, but the more interesting bit came after the official meeting was over.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eAll the women gathered around the door trying to speak with the director.\u00a0 The voice of the group began in a confrontational tone, and so I quickly asked my translator what she was saying.\u00a0 The products \x3ci\x3ewere \x3c/i\x3ebeing made, but the demand for handmade paper bags was just not there.\u00a0 \u201cWhy can\u2019t we export?\u201d was the question that needed answering.\u00a0 Without the issue being thoroughly addressed we all piled back into the van and I asked the director, \u201cSo why can\u2019t you export?\u201d\u00a0 Turns out there are lots of reasons.\u00a0 Firstly, the consistency of quality is lacking and a much larger quantity needs to be produced for the goods to be exported.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eMicrofinancing has received an overwhelming positive response from the developing world, but with every new policy there are flaws.\u00a0 Flaws that fortunately can be addressed, but many new projects are only now introducing microfinancing because of the buzz, and the details haven\u2019t been worked out quite yet.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Is it the new expected role for these non-profits such as The Center for Women\u2019s Development and Research to act as a business by collecting their goods and distributing them where there is a demand?\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eThe Center\u2019s accomplishments are clear in regards to gender rights, but it has also left me with many thoughts about the much talked about microfinance boom.\u00a0 We\u2019re on the right track by giving tools rather than food, but the details that will vary in every community need to be addressed.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3c!--EndFragment--\x3e\x0a                \x3c/div\x3e\x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_video_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_video\x22\x3e\x0a                    \x3cdiv id=\x22photoset_213224572\x22 class=\x22html_photoset\x22\x3e    \x3ciframe class=\x22photoset\x22 scrolling=\x22no\x22 frameborder=\x220\x22 height=\x22363\x22 width=\x22400\x22\x0a                style=\x22border:0px; background-color:transparent; overflow:hidden;\x22 src=\x22http://globalgiving.tumblr.com/post/213224572/photoset_iframe/globalgiving/tumblr_krj1k6GNu71qz6fvv/400\x22\x3e\x3c/iframe\x3e\x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                    \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_caption\x22\x3e\x0a                        \x3cp\x3eThe Dazzling Stone Home for Children in Chennai, India\x3c/p\x3e\x0a                    \x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_text_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x0a                    \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_title\x22\x3eThe Dazzling Stone Home for Children: India\x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_body\x22\x3e\x0a                    \x3cp\x3eThis is Clare Rutz reporting from Chennai, India.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eThe 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 More than often a project is the director\u2019s home and I quickly realize I am in both the office and a living room.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 The children have come from pasts that include pick pocketing, stealing, and slum life that take them away from their education.\u00a0 Some children are abandoned while others have parents who are unable to support them.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 As you can see, the definition of \u201corphan\u201d is much different in India than it is in the United States.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eOrphanages that feed and care for the children and encourage them to continue their education are in high demand (to say the least).\u00a0 It is never an issue to find the children to fill up these homes, but rather to keep the numbers down.\u00a0 The Dazzling Stone Home just opened their doors to twenty more children while trying to expand the orphanage.\u00a0 The infrastructure is there, but it remains to be a few cement buildings with limited lighting and not much comfort.\u00a0 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\u2019m told the children can live off seventy cents a day.\u00a0\u00a0 Clothes come next, and then the fancy stuff like a paint job and tiles for the floors.\u00a0 I ask, \u201cWhat happens if the money doesn\u2019t come?\u00a0 How are you going to care for the additional children?\u201d\u00a0 The reply comes with a smile and assures me that, \u201cGod will provide.\u201d\u00a0 The protocol is much different than any kind of children\u2019s home you\u2019d 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.\u00a0 However, I always have to keep reminding myself that in almost all cases this situation is better than the one they left.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eI can scan the room and guess how long they\u2019ve been at the orphanage.\u00a0 The twenty who arrived a couple of months ago are easy to spot.\u00a0 They aren\u2019t completely present in the activities and their eyes glaze over just a bit.\u00a0 Their faces are hardened and it kills me to know that laughter would seem out of the ordinary for them.\u00a0 Those who know the space and are comfortable with the adults who line the room look as children should.\u00a0 There\u2019s a lightness about their expression that indicates a happy innocence.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Even without floor tiles or shelves for the food, this is a safe place, and safe places don\u2019t need to be fancy.\u00a0 They just need to feel like home.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eTo help make Dazzling Stone feel more like a home please visit \x3ca\x3e\x3ca href=\x22http://www.globalgiving.com/1834\x22\x3ewww.globalgiving.com/1834\x3c/a\x3e\x3c/a\x3e.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a                \x3c/div\x3e\x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_text_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x0a                    \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_title\x22\x3eNot Your Typical Orphanage in Chennai, India\x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_body\x22\x3e\x0a                    \x3cp\x3eThis is Clare Rutz reporting from Chennai, India.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eAfter about forty-five minutes in a tuk-tuk, the crowds of people slowly begin to diminish outside of Chennai.\u00a0 Turning into a small road off the highway (after passing it three times unintentionally), I see Iyyappan waving to show us that we\u2019ve finally made it.\u00a0 Iyyappan is the founder of the Sri Arunodayam Charitable Trust, a home for the abandoned mentally challenged children of Chennai.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Today there are ninety children that are cared for at Sri Arunodayam.\u00a0 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.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eWhen a child is brought to them they go through a medical and psychological check-up to understand what the child\u2019s specific needs are.\u00a0 There is also an effort to find the parents, which is a distinguishing characteristic of this non-profit.\u00a0 If they do find the parents they work with them to provide an understanding of what their child needs and what can be done.\u00a0 With continuous support the parents are encouraged to raise their child in a traditional household.\u00a0 So far, twenty-seven children have gone back to their families while the non-profit overlooks the parenting.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eThis past year Sri Arunodayam has begun working in the prevention of abandoning children and also handicapped children.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eAfter 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\u2019s home.\u00a0 Throughout this cramped building there are thirty staff members taking care of the children in many ways including supervision, teaching, and physical therapy.\u00a0 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.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eThe first floor of the building is for the newborns all the way up to six year olds.\u00a0 A few are in physical therapy as three staff members teach the children how to use their legs and arms.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Up the stairs we visit the seven to twenty year olds who are all taking part in classroom activities.\u00a0 The older and more capable students are writing in the notebooks in front of them.\u00a0 They are mostly boys who all look up at me and greet me with \u2018hellos\u2019 and the little bit of English they\u2019ve picked up.\u00a0 Although a tiny space is shared and things aren\u2019t easy for these kids (some who are not much younger than me) they all wear a smile that\u2019s true that proves their appreciation for such a place.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t imagine where they would be without this place.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eThe funding of Sri Arunodayam comes from individual sponsors, the majority of them being local residents of Chennai and the rest are GlobalGivers.\u00a0 The needs are becoming greater as more children are requiring their services, and there isn\u2019t a regular flow of funds.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 The support is incredibly needed and in many ways.\u00a0 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!\u00a0 This is a good place.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eTo learn more about the Sri Arunodayam Charitable Trust go to \x3ca\x3e\x3ca href=\x22http://www.globalgiving.com/2756\x22\x3ewww.globalgiving.com/2756\x3c/a\x3e\x3c/a\x3e.\u00a0 Your concern is appreciated.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a                \x3c/div\x3e\x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_text_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x0a                    \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_title\x22\x3eVideo Volunteers: Understanding the Power of Empowerment\x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_body\x22\x3e\x0a                    \x3cp\x3eThis is Clare Rutz reporting from Goa, India.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eDuring my travels one of the most concerning issues concerning the INGO world is the lack of communication between a project and well, everyone else.\u00a0 Very rarely do charities work with one another or have the proper relationship with their funding organizations.\u00a0 Video Volunteers go against this unfortunate trend entirely.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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\u2019s mission which can be anything from women\u2019s rights to ending government corruption to safe water issues.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eDuring 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Let\u2019s just say it had a different vibe than most cubicles we know so well.\u00a0 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\u2019 role in all of that.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eIn the 15 CVUs there are 130 community filmmakers who are trained by the Video Volunteer staff.\u00a0 The staff goes to the NGO by train and spends six months with the CVU to teach them about filmmaking and also what comes \x3ci\x3eafter\x3c/i\x3e the video is made.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 The goal is to create clear solutions that are feasible for the community to take on.\u00a0 On average, about 250 people attend the screenings and only two people take action, but change is slow.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eI\u2019m concerned that I\u2019m making the job of the staff at Video Volunteers look easy.\u00a0 It\u2019s far more complicated than the mere filmmaking training.\u00a0 Monitoring impact is an important part of their work, but it\u2019s easier said than done.\u00a0 How does one measure a rise in the sense of empowerment of a community or the rise of self-esteem among women in India?\u00a0 These are the issues they are working with and more often than not, numerical and quantitative data don\u2019t really get the gist across.\u00a0 Video Volunteers follow the community\u2019s 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.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eIt\u2019s also a thorough and long process to determine which NGOs become CVUs.\u00a0 A partnership with Video Volunteers requires the non-profit to be well established because the program costs a fair bit of money.\u00a0 It is also vital for any partnership to share the same mission and long-term goals as Video Volunteers.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 I can definitely get behind that.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eIf you\u2019d like to \u201cget behind\u201d it as well visit their GlobalGiving page at \x3ca\x3e\x3ca href=\x22http://www.globalgiving.com/1524\x22\x3ewww.globalgiving.com/1524\x3c/a\x3e\x3c/a\x3e.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a                \x3c/div\x3e\x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_photo_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x3cimg src=\x22http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kqyfo7PTz81qz6fvvo1_400.jpg\x22 alt=\x22\x22 class=\x22tumblr_photo\x22/\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_text_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x0a                    \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_title\x22\x3eThe India Excursion\x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_body\x22\x3e\x0a                    \x3cp\x3eI\u2019ve 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\u2026 this very crowded, conflicted, beautiful, needy world.  I can\u2019t figure out if this has made the world seem smaller or much larger in my mind.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eIn 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\u2019t 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.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eI 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\u2019s room) are what I think of first when I recall my time in India.  They have nothing, and yet often they haven\u2019t reached the age to understand self-pity.  They amuse themselves with each other\u2019s company and each thing that is given to them they treat as a gift that wasn\u2019t 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\u2019t 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.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eOn 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!\x3c/p\x3e\x0a                \x3c/div\x3e\x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_video_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_video\x22\x3e\x0a                    \x3cdiv id=\x22photoset_202967090\x22 class=\x22html_photoset\x22\x3e    \x3ciframe class=\x22photoset\x22 scrolling=\x22no\x22 frameborder=\x220\x22 height=\x22610\x22 width=\x22400\x22\x0a                style=\x22border:0px; background-color:transparent; overflow:hidden;\x22 src=\x22http://globalgiving.tumblr.com/post/202967090/photoset_iframe/globalgiving/tumblr_kqwy3zZ9gB1qz6fvv/400\x22\x3e\x3c/iframe\x3e\x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_text_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x0a                    \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_title\x22\x3eSEDA\x26#8217;s Never-Ending Effort in Laos\x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_body\x22\x3e\x0a                    \x3cp\x3eThis 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\u2019t.  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\u2019s.  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\u2019s the main attraction of the tiny building the family resides in.  \u201cWithout the spinning wheel there would be no building\u201d,  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 \u201ccash crops\u201d, 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: \x3ca href=\x22http://www.globalgiving.com/2219\x22\x3ewww.globalgiving.com/2219\x3c/a\x3e to check up on Andee and to support the women in the microfinance program go to \x3ca href=\x22http://www.globalgiving.com/2504.\x22\x3ewww.globalgiving.com/2504.\x3c/a\x3e  To read about the agricultural program that completed its funding goal go to \x3ca href=\x22http://www.globalgiving.com/2012.\x22\x3ewww.globalgiving.com/2012.\x3c/a\x3e  \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\u2026\x0a \x3c/p\x3e\x0a                \x3c/div\x3e\x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a\x3c/ol\x3e');