Giving...

My girls had their first performance on Monday... after 5 weeks and 9 classes, the NYCs pulled off a great routine through seemingly insurmountable odds... can you feel a story coming on? I know I can... It has been a typically busy month, this time due to the South Asia Leadership Conference we are hosting for Habitat for Humanity International. Between the logistics and the budget I was beginning to become a better juggler than Knowlesy... yet somehow there always seemed to be just enough time to teach some hip hop at a local gym... The group numbers varied somewhat week by week; at its peak, 10 kids were attending, however by the final couple of weeks we were back down to 7, with only 4 or 5 to perform, due to the proximity of the date to exams... So with a handful of performers, a reasonably complex mix and some tight choreography, the crew was set to perform in front of the school assembly, after the lunchtime break... As I spent the morning balancing the Asia Pacific office...

These last few months I have been trying to put together enough money to "Build a Village"; 5 houses, 3 rickshaws in a village in the south of Bangaldesh. I had planned to begin construction in 3 days, which was beginning to make me nervous, as I only had enough money for 2 houses. Enter Emma Stroud and an anonymous donor... Their donations have lifted the fund up to 3 houses and 2 rickshaws... Thank you so much for your contributions, I sincerely appreciate your help! If you're wondering how the money is distributed: $50 AUD is equivelant to about 3,000 taka. That buys about 2,000 bricks. Each house costs about 56,000 taka to build, and each rickshaw about 16,000 taka. Thank you both again for your donations...

A couple of my pictures are on the Habitat Asia/Pacific site again for an update on the Cyclone Rehabilitation work. You can see them here . Blogged with the Flock Browser

Royal Visit To Habitat Build In Savar - 9 May 2008 On Friday, May 9th, Habitat for Humanity Bangladesh welcomed his Royal Highness, Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, to a building site in Savar. Accompanied by His Excellency Mr. Anwar Choudhury, the British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, a s well as Mr. Chris Austin, the Country Director of British aid agency DFID, His Royal Highness was given a practical tour of the “Save and Build” program, the cornerstone of Habitat’s work in Bangladesh. His Royal Highness, His Excellency and accompanying dignitaries were shown the ongoing construction of a home by volunteers, Habitat staff and homeowners, allowing the assembled party to personally experience the value of community involvement Habitat places upon its projects. Speaking to Habitat Bangladesh Volunteers Program Manager Sanjay Saha, His Royal Highness discussed the inroads Habitat has made in attracting and hosting both national and international volunteers, an essential part of th...

22,000 dead in Myanmar. It hardly seems possible...

Rough weekend. Cyclone Nargis missed us, but the winds it strummed up managed to injure 4 of my people in the field... I have tried to find any article about the force of the winds, to no avail... the focus has been (and rightly so) on the damage in Myanmar... Not really in the mood to recount how much work has gone into this weekend, so instead: FELIZ CINCO DE MAYO ! Cinco de Mayo always reminds me of San Antonio... mariachi bands, endless nacho chips, cold coronas, lime and salt, walking along the Riverwalk for hours and hours... almost beats Christmas ... almost . So here's wishing everyone a great Cinco de Mayo, and thanking good memories for making the rough moments bearable. By the way, if anyone has a bottle of Corona hidden anywhere, name your price...