Saturday, January 9, 2010

closing up at safe haven / the power of one update

i just got back into chiang mai from safe haven orphanage yesterday. my colleague josh and i spent the last couple of days fine tuning the water system that we put in. the second spring that we tapped went dry, so we connected a third one that will hopefully hold out and provide water to the orphanage through the dry season. in addition, we made some provisional improvements to the boys' shower area and fixed leaks in water storage tanks.

for those who have been following my power of one fund idea, here's how things panned out at the orphanage:

3 people decided to contribute to the fund, with donations totaling $220. One person donated $20 to Partners in Health Malawi, with the remaining $200 still yet committed to one cause. if you are interested in doing something similar and/or spreading the power of one idea, please do. every little bit helps.

i tried to match this to the best of my ability to buy lots of fruit for the kids (about 55 of them); outfitted the kitchen with some utensils, cutlery and other supplies; bought more drinking containers; and also bought more than 100 trees for the orphanage to start growing its own fruit and better develop its own food security and lessen dependence on outside party food donors. i was limited at times with what fruit were locally available for purchase, as the orphanage is located 3 hours from the nearest market hub either way on the road. i also put money towards odds and ends around the orphanage, like buying wire and electrical parts to put a light at the older girls' shower.

picking up fruit trees in mae sot


of 12,016 THB ($1 USD = 33.13 THB)going towards these expenses, i payed 6,116 THB ($184.61 USD) and was able to have my organization offset the reamining 5,900 THB ($178.09 USD). as $220 was pledged to other organizations, i still have to match another $35, and will donate the remainder to a charity when i get back stateside in a week.

just a quick update of itemized accounting-i will give more about my feeling and reflections on working at safe haven in the next post. [there are of course plenty of conflicting thoughts about how to best to help others, with much time and energy spent trying to reconcile good intentions versus actual impacts on communities. i.e. are we actually strengthening communities, or making them more dependent on others/ what is (mal)development? i'll try to flesh out some of these often times at-odds ideas in later posts].

december 28, 2009
20 apples
5 kilos of oranges
(free bag of tart, apple-like fruit)
total: 400 THB

december 29, 2009
9 bunches of bananas
10 small watermelons
5 bags of tamarinds
total: 395 THB

december 30, 2009
10 kilos oranges
5 pineapples
12 pomelos
total: 428 THB

december 31, 2009
12 pomelos
50 apples
total: 600 THB

january 1, 2009
10 kilos oranges
4 bunches bananas
15 small watermelons
total: 470 THB

january 2, 2009
none: got to town too late, stored closed

january 3, 2009
4 bags sweet guava
5 bags tamarind
5 pineapples
5 kilos dragonfruit
total: 588 THB


january 3, 2009 tree run to mae sot

5 lumyai trees @ 40 THB/each
20 chomphu / rose apple trees @ 35 THB/each (i gave one to one of the local workers)
10 orange trees @ 45 THB/each
10 mango trees @ 30 THB/each
20 papaya trees @ 20 THB/each
10 noina / custard apple trees @ 40 THB/each
10 pomelo trees @ 35 THB/each
10 guava trees @ 30 THB/each
10 mangosteen trees @ 35 THB/each

105 trees (104 for the orphanage, 1 for a local worker)

total: 3,500 THB

setting up the tree nursery at safe haven


january 4, 2009
22 apple pears
10 kilos of oranges
3 pineapples
4 small watermelons
6-pack of liquid dishwashing soap
2 peelers
2 water scoops for kitchen
3 packs of steel wool/sponge/mini-soap sets
3-pack of sponges
1 ladle
1 12-pack of spoons
1 pair of school shoes for one girl
total: 1,480 THB

january 5-6, 2009
no fruit, in mae sot visiting migrant schools

january 7, 2009
50 apples
5 kilos of dragonfruit
total: 659 THB

january 8, 2009
20 kilos of oranges
8 pineapples
46 apples
1 small water container
wire, switch, and other electrical components for putting a fluorescent light at the older girls' shower
total: 1,725 THB

january 9, 2009
2 small water containers for widow weavers
16-pack of plastic cups
2 bags of tamarind
6-pack liquid dishwashing soap
2 laundry brushes
2 12-packs of spoons
40 apples
2 liters of gas for motorbike
total: 1,018 THB

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