Isara Visits India and Africa

[PK]

On Nov. 25th I will be leaving Thailand to visit India and Africa to research new areas for Isara to expand to and to make connections with people who can help us help others.



Temporary Itinerary:
Kolkata to Mumbai: Nov. 27th - Dec. 3rd
Kenya to Uganda: Dec. 5th - Dec. 8th
Uganda to Rwanda: Dec. 9th - Dec. 12th
Rwanda to Kenya: Dec. 12th - Dec. 16th

I've heard amazingly beautiful and terribly heart-breaking stories about India and Africa, so I'm anxious to get there and see what we can do to help.

If you have any suggestions or questions please post them here. Thank you for continuing to support Isara.
pk

[Ginafish]

How EXCITING!



I have lots more questions and thoughts, but am too excited to comment!

[KitKat]

  Exciting news for Isara!!    Go Isara!!    Isara's embarking on new territories to embrace with it's helping hands!    When hands reach out to give, they're also open to receive.    

[thartley]

Get video.

[lambie83]

Sweet! I love that you guys have big plans! 

[M3R1IN]

Wow PK, You sure are good to be going to all those places to find ways to expand Isara.  I am not sure I would be brave enough to go to East africa ( unless I was going to buy gems -lol) anyways I have some friends who went to East africa and they said you have to be very careful given the amount of unrest that can happen overnight there. 
I am sure you will be fine though... PK has good "street smarts".
Have fun, take lots of pics and video and please don't buy any conflict gems.

[PK]

Thanks for the support, everyone. Honestly, I don't know how I'm going to handle it. Seeing images like these, in person, are going to make me feel powerless.





But we're already thinking of ways to fix it.

[KitKat]

The photos are heart wrenching.     

[Stasven]

I only just noticed this on the Isara.org home page. Well I hope all goes well.

[Ming]

OMG....look at those trash. In Thailand the cow eat grass but there cow eat trash.

Those pics look so sad. It doesn't make any sense to me. Crazy  but I know Isara will do something to fix it most it can.

Let's do this!!!   

[Ginafish]

I have lots more questions and thoughts, but am too excited to comment!

I've calmed down a bit.
Will Isara try to focus on specific goals in each location keeping the three major project focuses in mind? Such as an environmental focus for India, but perhaps health and safety for Africa? I wonder if education would be to difficult to pull of long distance, other than helping set up libraries, or one time educational classes?

Will there be contacts in place or will you have to create new contacts before any sort of projects can be considered?

And are you going to have to leave us hanging the entire time you are gone, or do you know if you'll have internet access to give us progress reports along the way??

----------------------
You knew it was just a matter of time.

[Sean]

I am afraid PK might have trash overload and simply explode.  While I was in India, having the "streets" littered with garbage was just second nature, it is sadly a way of life.  I am actually more worried about PK's reaction to the trash than I am about his security 

The actual cities in India were pretty clean such as New Delhi, but once you get out of modernity it becomes overwhelming.  The poverty and seperation between the haves and have nots is stark. 

I just hope there is someone taking care of the ILC because knowing Kirk, he may not make it past the first stop on his trip! 

I wish I could go, this is my dream! 

[KitKat]

I wish I could go, this is my dream! 

Sean, I wish you could go too.     There will be future trips.  I think this is just the beginning.   

[Mus.]

Pfft, all that helping others dribble is just a cover-up. The real reason for this trip is elephants. That's right. PK has an inexplainable love for these animals, something he has only shared with me for some reason. Don't look it up, just trust me. "Coincidentally" he's going to India and Africa, both of which have a fair share of elephants. I think it's safe to say this is the main reason for his trip. Remember, you heard it from me first.

Good luck and all that, it looks pretty gnarly.

[hillscott]

Elephants aside (amazing as they are), remember that these cultures have lived like this for many years. While very sad, it's also extremely important. Let me give you an example of why.
One of my professors that taught the effects of globalization on communities, spent some time in India doing charity work. I'm not the greatest at re-telling stories, but I shall try.

My professor saw a child covered in garbage, teeth rotting from a total lack of hygiene, and clothes that had decomposed to nothing but rags. Her heart couldn't bear the sight of this, and she immediately gave the child a shower, a toothbrush, soap, toothpaste and new clothes. She told her that the garbage was dirty, and could make here sick. The child said thank you, and went back home. The next day she saw the child wearing the same clothes, jumping in garbage again. When she asked what happened to the clothes, and why she was playing in the garbage, the girl explained that her daddy sold the clothes to buy food, and "garbage is fun!"

This is just one example of what happens when you don't work on the underlying problem. These countries need massive improvements in education, Isara can help with that. They need safer bridges, clean water, access to medical care, and so many other issues. We can do our part to help with all of these if we approach it with the right mindset. Keep your ears and mind open. We can't fix everything, but we can lift people up that feel ignored by everyone else.

I for one am extremely excited to hear about what Isara will be doing in these programs. I can't speak for every individual, but I think it's safe to say that if there is anything we the Isara members can do to help you in your search, you need only say the words.

You the man PK!

[KitKat]

Thank you hillscott for your inspiring and uplifting words.  Your story of the child was very potent.     I know  PK will gain a lot of valuable knowledge on his trip.  This trip involves all of us, each one in a different way, but together we can touch lives and make a difference.   
I especially loved this:

We can't fix everything, but we can lift people up that feel ignored by everyone else. 

Caring is a link that joins all of us.     

[Mus.]

So wait, now that PK's on a crusade, who's holding the fort together?

[KitKat]

So wait, now that PK's on a crusade, who's holding the fort together?

  Excellent question Mus.  hummmm...........  I don't know.

       Maybe his students are taking a much needed holiday.

[PK]

Thanks a lot, Ian.  Great story. You're right, education is the solution and Isara will never stop trying to educate. But it sometimes feels like I'm learning more than our students.

Mus. and KitKat - Fortunately Ming is back in Nong Khai (arrived today!) and will be taking care of the ILC and any volunteers that stop by. She will teach the kids class and help with a few projects too.

Because of the award Isara will be given on Dec. 11th the Africa part of the trip will need to be postponed until early next year. The award ceremony is in Bangkok and it wouldn't be possible (financially) to fit Africa into the itinerary. So now the plan is to fly from Mumbai back to Bangkok.

What we didn't mention earlier (because it was a surprise for KitKat's birthday) is that In mid-December I will be heading back to the USA for the holidays. But, while in the USA, we will be actively seeking sponsors and help with marketing. It's time to take Isara to the next level. We need more help getting the word out and more help finding sponsors. So for the entire month of January that's what we'll be doing. Hopefully when we go back to the ILC we'll have enough reoccurring revenue coming in from sponsors to create more projects and to help us expand into India and then onto Africa.

[KitKat]

Mus. and KitKat - Fortunately Ming is back in Nong Khai (arrived today!) and will be taking care of the ILC and any volunteers that stop by. She will teach the kids class and help with a few projects too.

Thanks PK for the update.  Thanks Ming for taking over while PK's away.   It's good  you can be home, in Nong Khai, for awhile.      

[PK]

Looks as though Isara will be going to Africa after all. Wish it could be at another time (when we have more time - and money) but we couldn't get reimbursed for the ticket from Mumbai to Nairobi. So, rather than throw the cost of the ticket away, we'll go and just do as much as we can there from Dec. 3rd-9th.

Fortunately we'll be going back to the USA with a lot of good stuff to show potential sponsors. Can't wait to hit the streets and start telling people about Isara.

[Ming]

I'm glad to be back home again and really glad to taking care of the ILC while PK is away.

Can't wait to know about Isara's big journey!!!

[PK]

We don't like talking about money but when deciding where to do projects we always must consider the strength of the dollar in the respective country. Getting the most we can from your donations and clicks is always a big concern for us. With the small budgets we're dealing with it would be nearly impossible to open a Learning Center in the US, Japan, or a European country. But in Thailand it's possible (no red tape or licenses) and cheap ($300/mo). So we go where we can afford to help.

As you can see from the currency conversion charts below, the US dollar is strong in both India and Kenya. If we decide to do something in those places then we'll know that we're getting a lot for our charity bucks.

Indian Rupee


Kenyan Shilling


Thai Baht


Once we take a look around the two countries we'll have a better understanding of what we can do there.

[Ming]

PK left to Bangkok at 6:20 this evening.  We were already miss him. 
Good luck on your trip PK.   

[Ginafish]

Go PK!! Breathe in some India! Quick! Calculate the cost of doing good around the world!!

Priceless!