Helping Cambodia is like buying a beautiful broken mug

Last November, I was in Cambodia for about three weeks doing work for the Savong Foundation which I created to help a community in the northern part of that country. 

A few days before I made the long trip back home, I met a lady who was trying to make a business by selling Cambodian pottery.  She had a few samples for me to look at and I was very impressed at the quality and care that had gone into shaping each piece.  Since I love to drink coffee out of large mugs, I thought it would be perfect to have her make a custom design for my morning caffeine ritual. 

She was thrilled to have a new customer and I was excited about taking home a souvenir from a country that I had grown to love over the past couple of years.  We sat down and I told her everything that I wanted:

The size. 

The shape. 

The colour. 

And I wanted Khmer writing all over it.  I didn’t really care what the writing said.  I just wanted it to be covered in the beautiful Cambodian script.     

She smiled and nodded and took notes and I was convinced that she understood everything that I said.  I asked her how much and she told me $20.  It seemed a bit high (keep in mind that many Cambodians make $50/month or less) but I was happy to support her fledgling business.  I was told that it would be ready at least a day before I was scheduled to leave and we agreed on a time and place for the pick-up.  In my mind, everything seemed very clear and simple. 

A day before leaving, I contacted the woman because I had not yet heard from her.  Everything was fine she said but the mug wasn’t ready.  She assured me that it would be ready before my flight.  I was a little worried about this because I had other last minute things to do besides picking up a souvenir but Cambodians are such gracious and happy people, I told her that it wasn’t a problem and we would meet the morning of my departure. 

I couldn’t wait to see the mug.  The delay only increased my excitement.  On my previous trips, I had taken a few souvenirs back with me but this was something I could use every morning and in my mind’s eye, I saw exactly what it was going to look like. 

At the agreed upon time, I anxiously awaited the woman’s arrival.  She was late but not by too much time.  After spending three weeks in Cambodia, I was quite familiar with how fluid appointment times were and since I was still on Cambodian time, it really didn’t bother me.  She greeted with a huge smile and proudly pulled four mugs out of a large shopping bag.  I took a look at each one. 

None of them looked like what I had described to her.  None of them. 

I picked each one up.  There was no doubt that they were all beautiful.  Handmade.  Rustic stain.  And on the bottom was a Khmer signature.  They were large but not the giant size that I had requested.  I was disappointed but the woman was beaming with a smile and in some weird way, I felt like I couldn’t disappoint her. 

“I’ll take this one” and picked up the one that had an elephant head for a handle. 

“Would you like to take all of them?”

Did you ever read those books when you were a kid that gave you a choice at the end of the page?  If you chose one thing, it would send you off to a certain page and if you chose something else, you would flip to a different page?  The flow of the story would change depending on your decisions so you could read the entire book a couple of times and have several different versions. 

I felt like there were several different ways I could answer pottery lady and each answer would take me to a different outcome. 

For example: 

“You can take all your mugs and stick them where the sun don’t shine!”  Although this may have required some Khmer translation, the emotion behind the words would have gotten my point across. 

Or

“Are you kidding me?  I gave you EXACT details on what I wanted for a mug and not only did you NOT do what I wanted, you are trying to sell me FOUR mugs that cost as much as a luxury meal in Los Angeles!”

Or

“Well, I’ll take one but it isn’t really what I wanted so I’ll pay you $10 for it.”

Or

“They’re all so beautiful but I only need one.  Here’s $20.  I wish you the best luck for your business.” 

I chose the latter and handed over my money.  She was thankful and she told me that she hoped she would see me again when I returned to her country.  I assured her that I would keep my eye out for her—and buy my pottery somewhere else.

Actually, I only thought that last part.  C'mon, I'm a polite Canadian.     

Despite my crappy packing skills (I just throw everything in and hope for the best), the mug managed to make its way across the Pacific in one piece.  I’m not sure if I was so lucky but I was at least happy to stuff fast food down my gullet once again and have a really long hot shower.  You have no idea how luxurious a hot shower is until you’ve been deprived for three weeks.    

Several days after arrival, I pulled my mug out of the suitcase, cleaned it up and poured some steamy hot brew into it while I was weeding through my morning emails.  Moments later, I noticed that the coffee that was supposed to be inside the container was now outside of it and dripping onto the floor.  I snatched up the mug and lo and behold, the beautiful souvenir that was supposed to be useful and meet my design expectations was clearly leaking from a defective seam in the bottom. 

The older I get the more patient I get.  I think it’s from all those years working with animals.  I have learned that the more upset I am, the worse it gets for me and anger really doesn’t improve a situation.  Ten years ago, I probably would have thrown the mug against the wall and stomped on all the pieces.  Instead, I calmly emptied the remaining coffee into the sink, rinsed out the residue, cleaned up my desk and poured some stain remover onto the carpet.  I dried the mug and contemplated its fate.  I wasn’t going to throw it away; I paid $20 for the damn thing.  In the end, I stuck some pencils and pens in it and proclaimed it my Cambodian homemade pencil and pen holder.

And actually, I kinda like it.  It is far prettier than the hazy piece of glassware that I used before and as a pencil and pen holder, it hasn’t disappointed me at all. 

Working in Cambodia is very much like the story of this mug.  The Cambodian people are wonderful and NGOs (Non Governmental Organizations) such as The Savong Foundation want to see them succeed.  Yes, we can do lots of planning to make everything perfect but everything seems to cost more and take longer than what it should.  And the end result is usually not what was expected.  Should we be frustrated and angry and give up?  Of course not because that doesn’t help anyone.  A better approach is to be flexible, open and explore other possibilities within this unique culture and then something good will usually happen.  Therein lies the reward and everyone goes home happy even if it means using a big Korean Starbucks mug for their morning brew.

The Savong Foundation is dedicated to helping the communities of northern Cambodia.  Please visit us at our website www.savongfoundation.org for more information.  

How to be an international hero

The Savong Foundation is a 501(c)3 registered charity based in Los Angeles, California. Its mission is to support projects in northern Cambodia which includes the Savong School, the Savong Orphan Center, the Student Center as well as outreach projects in the community.

I'm very proud to write that we just had our first year anniversary and what a year it has been!  

We have worked with people all over the world and have been involved in projects that range from finding sponsors for the children at the orphan center to installing a solar panel at the school.  Earlier this year, we opened the student center which is home to ten "big kids" who attend the local high school and university.  And on the horizon is extending the dental hygiene program implemented by the Angkor Hospital for Children so that more people are aware of the health benefits of a great smile.  

But like all charities, we can't do our work without you.  

We count on your support to help spread the word about the foundation and raise money for our projects.  We are a small charity but we work hard in making sure that the donated funds go towards the people who are much less fortunate than ourselves.  None of our board members take a salary and we cover all our travelling expenses to Cambodia with our own money.     

Would you like to join our family?  Here's how:  

• Follow us on facebook   http://www.facebook.com/savongfoundation
• Mention us on twitter  @savongfoundn
• Buy from our store  http://www.zazzle.com/savong
• Set up a birthday wish http://www.facebook.com/savongfoundation/app_2318966938
• Make a monthly tax deductible donation through Razoo  http://www.razoo.com/story/Savongfoundation
• Sell your items on eBay and donate some of the profits  http://donations.ebay.com/charity.jsp?NP_ID=46695
• Donate $10 to the new student center  http://www.razoo.com/story/The10fundraiser
• Join our cause to support Cambodian youth  http://www.causes.com/causes/650509-support-cambodian-youth
• Sponsor a child at the orphan center or a student at the student center.  Email me at phil@savongfoundation.org for more details.    

And of course, if you go to Cambodia, you can see everything for yourself!

On behalf of the Savong Foundation, I sincerely thank you for all your support.  

Phil Caldwell
CEO Savong Foundation

The opening of the Savong Student Center!

I'm very pleased to announce that the students are finally moving in!

The Savong Student Center (or Centre if you're English, Canadian or Cambodian or pretty much anything else besides American) will be a home for ten older students who are attending the local high school or university.  These are great kids and they are blessed to have such an opportunity.

Only five out of the ten students have sponsors to cover their living expenses so we are still looking for generous donors.  $40/month will cover the basic expenses such as food.  If you are willing to donate more, then we are always looking for sponsors willing to cover the cost of education which is about $360/year for a high school student and about $400/year for a university student.  The university students are also given a laptop which costs about $600.

But I assure you, even the smallest donation will be put to good use.

The best way to donate is through the Razoo page:

www.razoo.com/story/savongfoundation

Here is a video which was taken of the center while it was still under construction in November 2011. 

Thank you everyone.  The Savong Foundation is very pleased to be a part of these students' lives!  

Year end thoughts for The Savong Foundation

This was the best year ever for the Savong Foundation!

I can say that with 100% honesty since the Savong Foundation became official on May 4, 2011.  On that day, we received our 501(c)(3) paperwork from the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) which allows American contributions to be tax deductible.  This process took nine months from start to finish and involved a lot of fun paperwork with interesting challenges like “Show us proof that you are not  funding terrorist organizations within Cambodia.”  I wanted to write that all of the children promised me that they would never ever build nuclear weapons at the SOC (Savong Orphan Center) but from what I hear, the IRS does not have a sense of humor. 

In Cambodia, it seems that progress can be a slow painful process.  Savong doesn’t subscribe to that philosophy because in 2011, it seemed like his projects were evolving at a rapid pace.  At the Savong School, a new outdoor classroom was built and free Korean instruction was added to the curriculum.  (English and Japanese were already being taught).  Three of the older students (Pomsen, Orong and Seyha) signed up for University and they received their tuitions, living expenses, a laptop and a small amount of spending money thanks to generous donations from their international sponsors.  Savong also made the decision to go back to school because he clearly does not have enough to do in his spare time despite the fact that he welcomed a new baby into the world.  (A big welcome to Lucky!) 

After a short downtime, the Medical Clinic at the SOC was back up and running.  Dr. Phin Sopheak leads the helm and she sees about fifteen patients a day at no charge from the surrounding community as well as from the SOC.  Also at the SOC, a full time guardian, Nan, was hired and the child safety policy was implemented (you can read about it here http://www.savong.com/ChildSafety/tabid/173/Default.aspx).   The care, well being and happiness of the children at the SOC are always a top priority and if you have ever visited this care center, you know that they deserve the best!     

Construction of the new student center began this year and we are still doing some finishing touches.  This will be the home for the older students (ranging in age from 15 to 24) who are attending the local high school or the university.  All the land and construction costs (which were considerable since Siem Reap is just not as cheap as you might think) came from private donations.  We hope to get the students into this facility by January or February at the latest.    

For me, the most fun I had this year was the trip to Cambodia in mid November.  I was there for a couple of weeks with the treasurer of the foundation, Eddie Lamborn.  I say “fun” but for most of the visit, it was all about business and there never enough hours in our days.  Savong was gracious with his time and we discussed current projects and future ambitions.  We had a great discussion about needs and wants and Savong was very helpful in teaching us about the Cambodian culture.  That knowledge is essential; if you want to help a population of people, the first step is understanding them.  And Cambodians are not Americans.  Or Australians.  Or British.  That seems obvious but it is amazing how ingrained the Western culture can be and without even realizing it, visitors such as ourselves can make judgements which are misinformed or worse, just plain wrong.  In other words, I learned that working in Cambodia means leaving a lot of cultural baggage at home where it belongs.  

What is in store for 2012?  The main focus for the foundation at this point is getting the student center operational and making sure that the students learn as much at school as they do outside of school.  We do not want to make them into adults who are dependent on outside help but instead want to foster their independence while working as a team with the other students.  When we were in Cambodia, we interviewed all of them and I’m excited about all the potential they hold.  There is no question in my mind that they have what it takes to make the most of the wonderful opportunities that they have been given.  Beyond the student center, there are some other exciting projects on the horizon which will be discussed with Savong, Duncan (in New Zealand) and the foundation.  We are working hard on improving the website (stay tuned!) and a fundraiser dinner is in the works for February. 

As always, I want to say a huge (HUGE) thanks to all of you.  Your commitment, financial or otherwise, is much appreciated and without your help, there is no way that we could do the things that we do.  I had no idea that the foundation would take up as much time as it does but it is worth it because the kids are worth it.  If you haven’t been to Cambodia yet, I hope you do someday because you will see what I mean first hand.  For those who have been to the Kingdom of Wonder, you know exactly what I’m talking about.   The foundation is dedicated to making their lives better and we will do so with both accountability and transparency. 

Please continue with us on our journey. 

Have a great 2012!

Phil Caldwell

CEO The Savong Foundation

Cambodia Dos and Don'ts

I've been to Cambodia four times now and I am DEFINITELY not an expert but I feel like I've had enough experiences around Siem Reap to at least be knowledgeable enough to share some insight.  It is a very complex country but a fascinating one and there is a lot to learn even for those world travelers who think they've seen it all.

So take this advice  ... or not.  Part of the complexity of Cambodia is that everyone has a different opinion on what to see, how to behave and how to help.

DOs

• Buy a temple pass late in the afternoon (I believe the time is after 5pm).  You will be able to enter that evening for free and enjoy the pass on the subsequent days.  
• Getting up at dawn to see Angkor Wat is definitely worth the effort.  The crowd is a lot of fun and the people watching is just as entertaining as seeing the sun come up over the iconic building.  Get there early and rent a red chair.
• The only time to see the Bayon (the temple with the big heads) or Ta Prohm (the temple with the large trees) is either very early in the morning or last thing in the evening.  If you go during the other times, you will be swamped by large collections of Korean tourists who will take pictures of EVERYTHING.  
• Go see Preah Khan.  This is a huge overlooked temple that is one of my favorites.  If you go when it is raining, you will think that you've entered another world.  
• Buy a red wool "bracelet" from an old woman.  It will give you protection when you decide to climb up some of the steeper temples such as Ta Keo.  
• If it's your first time in Cambodia, hire a tour guide.  They will give you some insight into the fascinating history of the temples and also show you the best places to capture that great photo.  
• Drink from a fresh coconut.  Not only is it cheaper than a coke but it is much, much better for you if you're sweating your ... ahem, extremities off.  
• Go enjoy pub street.  Yes, I know, it isn't very "Cambodian" but it sure is a lot of fun and there are some good restaurants (Tigre de Papier, Molly Malone's, Grand Cafe, Khmer Kitchen, Picasso's--not all technically on pub street but close enough).  
• If you can find yourself a local to take you to a karaoke bar, it is well worth it.  These are private rooms and even bad singers can sound remarkably good.  You can have yourself a female escort for a couple of bucks an hour.  Leave with her and it will be more.  (Keep in mind, prostitution in Cambodia is illegal).  
• Go see Apsara dancing.  Intricate steady movements make this an interesting spectacle to watch.  There are a couple of free shows in town but I saw one combined with a buffet and it was a lot of fun.  
• Support the tuk-tuk drivers.  For $2 they will take you all over town.  For $10 to $15 you can have a private driver for the whole day.  
• If you want to take a picture of a monk with their very photogenic orange robes, ask them first.  They are just like regular people and will enjoy practicing their English.  
• Take your shoes off before you enter someone's home.  
• If you would like to help Cambodia, support the organizations that are well established and have a good record.  Here's one that you should help out:  The Savong Foundation.  I'm the CEO so perhaps I'm a little biased.  
• Take the side trips out to Banteay Srei (the incredible "women's temple"), Kbal Spean (with its carved river beds) and especially the sacred mountain of Phnom Kulen (the big waterfall is amazing!).
• Check your money for any rips or tears.  In Cambodia, the main currency is American dollars and they won't take a damaged bill.  No one has ever explained to me why this is so.     
• Buy yourself a local phone for about $20.  You can call your favorite tuk tuk driver to pick you up wherever you are.  

DON'Ts; 

• Don't buy trinkets from the children.  Don't even give them money.  You're just turning them into beggars and giving their parent(s) an excuse for the children NOT to go to school. 
• If a Cambodian shows up unexpectedly while you're trampling around a temple and offers some "tour guide" information, politely decline his company or else he will expect a tip when he decides he has spent enough time with you.  If a policeman does the same thing, don't be shocked; they hardly make any money and kind tourists are a good source of income.  
• Don't drink the damn tap water.  Or even brush your teeth in it unless you like EBD (explosive butt disease).  
• Don't play with the stray dogs.  They may look cute but they can also bite unexpectedly and I'll bet you a couple thousand Riel that they aren't vaccinated against rabies.  The same goes for monkeys who can harbour even more dangerous diseases.  
• Don't be rude to the vendors who are walking around trying to sell you a scarf or a carving.  They are trying to make a living and won't appreciate being barked at like a dog.  
• Don't go visit an "orphanage" just to see smiling kids and take pictures of them.  If you want to help, make sure the orphan center is legit (keep in mind that even the legit orphan centers don't always have orphans.  Many of them have parents.) and donate money directly to the organization in charge. 
• Don't let the poverty get you down.  Cambodia is a developing country and needs a lot of help but things are slowly changing for the better.   
• Don't expect that Cambodians do things the way we do.  They don't.  (This has been the hardest lesson for me to learn.)

So that's it.  I'm sure I'll think of more but I've got to go eat.  

Winding down in Siem Reap

As you may have noticed (if you pay any attention to this blog), I have not posted lately.

There are two reasons for that:  I have been insanely busy trying to make some progress with the Savong Foundation and when I have some downtime, I prefer to sleep but also, I wrote a couple of posts on my phone which were promptly lost due to an app error.  Thank you Blogpress! 

One of my posts was about Cambodian Karaoke and I'll have to go back and re-write it since the experience was so unique.  But not tonight.  Maybe when I get back home which will be in about four days.

Of course the time here has gone by very quickly and quite frankly, it has been a roller coaster.  There are days when I think everything is going well and there are definitely days when I think everything is crashing around me.  Tonight I'm in a good mood because everything went well today.  We started the day early and bought a couple of more things for the student center but most of the day was spent interviewing the eight students (out of ten) who will call the center their home.

One by one, we talked to the students about their families, their experiences at the orphan center (where they previously lived), their school lives and their dreams for the future.  All of them want to go to university (three of them are there already) and they have big plans.  The opportunities that they have been given are so enormously appreciated.  If it weren't for the work of Savong (and his very extended network of donors), most of these kids would be leading very dead-end lives in very menial jobs.  I  am thrilled and excited to be a part of their journey.

But OH MY GOD, it has been challenging.  The Cambodian culture is very different from the one in which I grew up and it takes a complete mind bend to understand how they do some of the things they do.  This trip was all about getting information and really looking at things from a different perspective because to help a culture, you really need to understand it.  For example, in Western Society there would be no way that teenage boys would sleep together in one bed and so a dormitory in the United States would provide a bed for each teenager.  Over here, it's okay (and preferable?) for a couple of boys to sleep together so there is no need to buy extra beds because they will be wasted.   And getting the right answer over here depends on how you ask the question.  You WON'T get the information you need unless you phrase the question very carefully and even then, don't expect to find out everything.

But Cambodia is not the US and we can't expect them to do things OUR way.  Americans are in love with efficiency and organization and structure but Cambodia --well, they're not but that's okay.  We just have to bend with the wind if we want to continue working over here because banging our head against the wall is very bloody and really not at all productive.

So tonight, I'm sitting here listening to the sound of the tuk-tuks and the general hum of a very busy street outside my guesthouse.  Eddie and I don't have a lot of plans for tonight.  We may go to Picasso's which is a very American (or possibly British) style tapas bar down in the busy area of town known as Pub street.  For lunch, we had macerated chicken "porridge" from a street vendor (which may haunt me tomorrow when I see what comes out of my ass) so I don't feel too bad about having a little slice of home this evening. 

Cambodia--what a strange, wonderful, frustrating, sad and happy place.

The crazy chaos of Siem Reap, Cambodia

Today, I'm celebrating three days of solid bowel movements.  That's quite an accomplishment considering some of the crap that I've eaten since I first stepped on Cambodian soil a couple of days ago.

The flight from Los Angeles to Siem Reap went by much better than expected.  Korean Air has really great service and I feel far more comfortable flying half way across the world in one of their planes than flying in a cramped seat on one of our domestic airlines.  And Korean Air has really hot fly attendants--I think it is a job requirement to look really pretty in a tight fitting size O dress.  Safety is my biggest priority, of course, and I made it into Cambodia in one piece.  Very tired after 18 hours of flying but very safe.

The day doesn't begin slowly and easily in Siem Reap, it gets ripped wide open.  I woke up the first morning to the sound of honking cars, screaming kids and barking dogs.  My friend and I are staying at the Seven Candles Guesthouse (where we have stayed for the past three visits) and it's always a treat to stay with Ponheary Ly and her gracious family.  There are plenty of places to stay in this town but my vote goes to this guesthouse where you feel like you're a relative visiting from out of town.  Four generations of Ponheary's family live in this house and you will not be disappointed by the warm and friendly ambience.  The location is on Wat Bo road providing easy access to the downtown area.  Give a tuktuk driver a buck or so and you'll be there in a couple of minutes.  As an added bonus, if you stay at the Seven Candles, you are helping to support a very worthwhile charity called the Ponheary Ly Foundation (organized by Lori Carlson, an American) which provides clothes and supplies to children so that they can attend school.  And school is the answer--at least that is what their tshirt says.

But did I mention that there is another charity that needs support?  The Savong Foundation???

The main reason why I'm here is to do work for my charity, the aforementioned Savong Foundation (www.savongfoundation.org).  Today, we met with our fearless leader, Savong, and discussed some of the plan for the coming two weeks.  There is sooooo much I would like to accomplish that I worry that I won't get everything done .... but I'm optimistic at this point.  The main focus will be to see what is needed to get the Savong Student Center up and running.  This is a home for the older children so that they can attend a better school in Siem Reap.  Unfortunately, we are short on the funds needed to get this project completed (the building is there but the students aren't) so a lot of our discussions will be about the cost of ongoing support and how we can raise the necessary funds.  Savong has accomplished an incredible amount so far so I have no doubt our collaborative efforts will eventually result in success.

And now, the sun is getting lower in the sky.  It's a beautiful sunset once again (similar to the one I witnessed on top of the Pre Rup temple last evening) and I'm already thinking about what's on the dinner menu for tonight.  I'm listening to the hum of the trucks and the cars outside--the noise hasn't really died down yet--and the air is cool and comfortable.  It's going to be a good night.

The Big $10 Fundraiser

Five years ago, I never would have guessed that I would be so involved in a country very, very far away from home.  

But Cambodia is a magical country and I have no regrets about starting a foundation which helps the people who live there.  

The Savong Foundation was officially recognized as a 501(c)(3) registered US charity on May 4, 2011.  Its mission is to support the Savong School (which teaches English, Japanese and Korean to over 600 students at no charge), the Savong Orphan Center (home to about 35 children) and the medical clinic (which sees about 30 patients from the surrounding community at no charge).  These are great projects and I'm very pleased that we are just about to embark upon another ...

The Savong Student Center

This center will allow the older students from the Savong Orphan Center to attend a better school in Siem Reap.  It hasn't opened yet because we are still waiting to get the financing in place.  

And this is where you can help.  

I've started the Big $10 Fundraiser for the Savong Student Center.  100% of the donations will go towards the center and with all the support that is out there, we hope to raise $3000 to fund the center well into the future.

For me, fundraising is a tough business because I HATE asking people for money.  I remember when I was a teenager spending some time in England and back in those days, the hostels charged 5 pounds for a night.  My friend and I completely ran out of money--and I mean completely--and those were the days before ATMs and neither of us had a credit card.  We met a girl at the hostel and very painfully, we asked her to loan us the money to stay one more night.  She was so kind and didn't hesitate to help us out but an hour later, we gave her back the money.  We just couldn't keep it.  Instead we decided to sleep in a leek field and hitchhiked back to London (which took us a day) so that my dad could wire us some money to an international bank.  

But I am passionate about this cause so that's why I'm asking for your help.  And I'm only asking for $10 a person which is about the cost of two coffees in LA.  

Here is the link for more information:  

http://www.razoo.com/story/The10fundraiser?referral_code=share

And please follow our progress on facebook:  

http://www.facebook.com/savongfoundation

Thanks for your support!  

A new orphan center!

There is a new building going up in Cambodia and it's our new orphan center.

But the children aren't *technically* orphans. They are older kids who come from very poor backgrounds and who will get the opportunity to attend a school in the nearby town. The center will give them a place to stay and study.

So we need a great new name for the center ...

Check out our facebook page and place your vote!

www.facebook.com/savongfoundation

Hey eBay users? Got anything to sell?

Image via CrunchBase

The Savong Foundation has joined MissionFish which allows generous people to sell their items on eBay and donate some of the profits to the foundation!  

I've never sold ANYTHING on eBay before (yeah, I'm a bit of a hoarder) but I decided to give it a try and it was amazingly simple.  

And kinda fun.  

So give it a try and help out our projects in northern Cambodia.  Click on the link below ... 

http://donations.ebay.com/charity/charity.jsp?NP_ID=46695

And if you don't have anything to sell, then show us your support and become a fan on facebook ... 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Savong-Foundation/138441669535877

For the official website of the Savong Foundation, check it out here ...

http://www.savongfoundation.org

Your support (financial or not) is invaluable and truly appreciated.

THE SAVONG FOUNDATION

Check out the new Razoo page for The Savong Foundation.

THE SAVONG FOUNDATION

Thank you for helping us out!

BREAKING NEWS!

After nine months, The Savong Foundation is officially a 501(c)(3) US registered charity!!!

I know that it isn't very professional to add three exclamation points after a sentence but I feel like I've just given birth.    

What this means is that American donations are tax deductible and will go directly to support our projects in northern Cambodia.  

I am hugely relieved.  Now I can focus our efforts on fundraising and our generous sponsors will be able to get some tax benefits.  There will be multiple ways to donate and one of the ways is already right here on this blog.  Just  scroll down on the right hand side and you will find the paypal widget.  

Or you can buy a Tshirt or a coffee mug from Zazzle.  They are great quality and fully customizable.  The widget is available on the right hand side of this blog.  

But most importantly, please tell all your friends and sign up on facebook.  The more people who know about The Savong Foundation, the easier our fundraising efforts will be.  

Thank you!  

The spilled cups of tea

If you’ve been paying attention to the headlines lately, there is a scandal once again in the publishing industry.  This time, it surrounds the accuracy of the best selling book “Three Cups of Tea” co-written by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.

This book was passed on to me by my mother who knew that I would find the story about building schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan inspiring.  She was right. Like so many others, I loved the book which detailed Mortenson’s struggles to raise money for his Central Asian Institute (CAI) and educate children most of whom are girls.  Three Cups of Tea made Mortenson look like a hero and it raised millions for his projects in the most remote regions of the earth. 

But word has recently come out that the book may not be entirely truthful.  With a report on 60 minutes and an essay by author Jon Krakauer, a dark shadow has been cast over Three Cups of Tea and the entire Central Asian Institute.  The allegations include embellishment  of the adventures of Mortenson in Afghanistan,  mismanagement of funds and exaggeration of the number of schools built.  Krakauer, an early supporter, obviously felt like he had been slapped in the face and called the book “a beautiful story and it’s a lie”.   I’m sure that other supporters have since felt the same way. 

It’s very unfortunate that all the good that Mortenson has done (and I’m sure there has been considerable good) will be overshadowed by these allegations, whether true or not.  We haven’t yet heard from the complete story from the person at the center of the controversy; he is scheduled for  surgery which may or may not be a convenient excuse to escape the glare of publicity.  The details will unfold with time but whatever happens, there are some important lessons to be learned for for all non-profits who operate in faraway lands.

Transparency.  It is absolutely essential that a non-profit be very open about the flow of money; where it comes from and where it is going.  Annual statements should be posted which clearly state how every donor dollar is spent.    

     

Treat donors with utmost respect.  Thanks to their money, the organization can grow and make changes in the world.  Supporters will find out sooner or later if management is being irresponsible with their donations.

      

Don’t spread the organization too thin.  It’s important to complete projects but it’s even more important to make sure completed projects are still functional six months, a year and ten years down the line.  In this sense, a project is never truly completed and time as well as resources must be allocated to maintain it.

      

Learn from other’s mistakes.  Organizations have found out the hard way that building beautiful schools in remote areas is not enough.  Schools need great teachers and motivated students or else these are just empty buildings full of good intentions. 

Remain humble.  The people we are trying to help don’t need to be “saved”.  We  need to work together to improve their lives and they can help us as much as we can help them. 

It is possible to make big differences with a small number of people.  I think it is safe to say that Mortenson built the Institute from scratch and changed the lives of thousands of people.  That is incredibly inspirational.  For that reason alone, we shouldn’t bury him under a pile of bad press.      

I started The Savong Foundation whose mission is to support two orphanages and an English Language School in northern Cambodia.  Please check out our facebook page or the websites www.savong.com and www.savongorphanage.com.  

Related articles

• "Greg Mortenson's 'Three Cups' Charity Pledges 'Full Transparency'" and related posts (huffingtonpost.com)
• The Fall of Mortenson (schoolsuppliesforafghanchildren.wordpress.com)
• Greg Mortenson's Climbing Partner: I "Must Have Misspoken" To Krakauer (blogs.forbes.com)
• Greg Mortenson's dizzying fall from grace (guardian.co.uk)
• 'Three Cups of Tea': Greg Mortenson has hole in the heart surgery (dailymail.co.uk)
• Greg Mortenson & 60 Minutes (gooseberrybush.wordpress.com)
• IT KEEPS GETTING WORSE: Greg Mortenson's 'Three Cups Of Tea' Web Of Lies Grows (businessinsider.com)

The Savong Shirt from Zazzle.com

Yes, I know that it is winter in most of the United States and Canada but is there really a WRONG time to buy a t-shirt that supports a good cause?

Zazzle is a very cool website where you can design your own t-shirt (among other things).  I made a Savong t-shirt and ordered one in the "burn-out" style and I was very impressed with the quality.

A small portion of every sale goes to help The Savong Foundation support an orphanage and a school in northern Cambodia.  We are in the process of building another orphanage so extra donations are hugely appreciated.

Hopefully I will soon be adding more products.  Check it out with the link below!

The Savong Shirt from Zazzle.com

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2011, is this the beginning of a beautiful friendship? 

I hope so. 

For new year's eve, I was catching the aloha spirit down in Malibu at a restaurant called Duke's. The food was incredible, the service was amazing ... well, there are a lot of superlatives to describe this restaurant. It was a great time and as an added bonus, there was very little traffic to get down there. From North Hollywood to Malibu, it took me about 40 minutes. In Los Angeles, that ain't too bad.

2010 was a good year; I travelled to Canada, Cambodia (twice), and Las Vegas, met some cool new friends, moved to a bigger and nicer apartment, started The Savong Foundation which will benefit a community in Cambodia and I think I helped a lot of animals at the clinic where I work.  But I also lost my best furry friend, Dusty, who had to be euthanized at the age of 17 1/2 years.  That was tough, really tough.

For 2011, I have a lot of hope.  I know it's possible to start anew every single day but the start of a new year is very symbolic and I want to make the best of it.  I want The Savong Foundation to be successful, I want to travel as much as possible (Boston, Canada, and hopefully Cambodia are on the list), I want to get back at my writing (especially my screenwriting), I want to get another pet and I want to believe that everything good is possible. 

So, we'll see what happens.  Stay tuned. 

For anyone out there who is reading, I hope that you get what you dream about too.  Because dreaming is what makes us human and sometimes, sometimes, sometimes dreams do come true. 

Trip to Phnom Kulen

I've been back from Cambodia for about a week and I'm still in recovery mode.

My sleep schedule is off.  I haven't done any of my laundry.  And paying more than $10 for a dinner just seems unreasonable. 

But it's time to get a grip.  Get back in the daily routine.  Put those dirty clothes in the washer ...

Oh hell, I can do all that later.  It's my day off and I want to post some pictures of our incredible trip to Phnom Kulen. 

Phnom Kulen is the most sacred mountain in Cambodia.  It is there that Jayavarman II proclaimed himself a god king and started the Khmer dynasty.  It takes about an hour  or so to get there from Siem Reap and although the road is mostly paved, it can be quite a bumpy ride.  The main attraction is the giant waterfall although some would argue that the massive reclining Buddha is the most important reason for Cambodians to make the trip. 

We took about 25 kids from the orphanage.  With the adults, it made for quite a tight squeeze into two cars but we did it.   Everyone have seatbelts?  Sure, officer ...

After the long drive, the first stop was the bathroom.  In Cambodia, don't expect luxury.  Most of the time, you just get four walls and a hole.  No toilet paper?  No problem.  There's usually a hose. 

Here were the "facilities".  At least there was good ventilation. 

At Phnom Kulen, it is customary to buy a stack of riel (the Cambodian money) and hand out the small bills to the beggars who line the stairways.  There were children and elderly and handicapped. 

Then we made the uphill pilgrimage to the reclining Buddha.

And when we got to the top, there he was--a really big Buddha who had a very serene look on his face.  The Cambodians touched him and took their pictures and made offerings.   

  

And then it was off to the waterfall and it was a doozy.  We were coming off the rainy season so the water pounded down.  It was an incredible sight.  

Phnom Kulen is a beautiful place and if you're tired of the temple trampling, then you should make the trip.  It won't be cheap by Cambodian standards (a car, guide and entrance fees may cost over $100) but it'll be worth it. 

We played for hours; swimming, splashing, posing for pictures and generally goofing around.

I was a little worried about the little ones.  There were several times when I rescued them from flowing waters but at the end of the day, there weren't any of the casualties that I feared.  These kids were remarkably tough and even when they slipped on the rocks, there weren't any tears. 

This picture cracks me up.  We have muscle guy on one end and naked baby at the other.   

Everyone is happy showing off their stuff.  Yahoo! 

I'm the white guy.  And there's naked baby again posing on a damn pole! 

This is my buddy, Sehn otherwise known as monkey #1.  Nicest guy.  Hard to believe he is 16. 

For some odd reason, I got stuck with naked baby at one point.  He didn't really like me and was squirming to find his mother.  We were BOTH trying to find his mother.  I have no parenting skills.  Didn't she know that? 

And then it was lunch.  The adults brough along a couple of uncooked chickens, vegetables, rice and lots of cold drinks. 

Cambodians eat a lot of fish so the chicken was a special treat. 

I call it massacred chicken because the meat isn't carved; it's butchered.  I suppose they do it this way because there isn't a lot of meat and it's just easier.  Makes for more difficult eating though.  Watch them bones!   

And nothing is wasted.  Even the chicken feet. 

Chicken feet are a little rubbery but apparently still edible. 

Phnom Kulen was really an amazing trip, probably the highlight of my latest trip to Cambodia. 

But it wasn't necessarily the place, it was the people.  Cambodians are the friendliest people , kindest, most sincere people that I know and I can't wait to go back to see them.