http://microaidinternational.org/WP field updates and notes from founder Jon Ross Sat, 04 Sep 2010 17:04:04 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Hello MicroAid supporters. I hope this note finds you happy, healthy, and secure. I have been laying the groundwork for disaster recovery projects in Samoa (tsunami 2009) and Peru (devastating floods and mudslides 2009-10).  I am doing as much research and contact-building with local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), while I raise the ... http://microaidinternational.org/WP/?p=903 - YOU ARE VISITING THE MICROAID “BLOG FROM THE FIELD” PAGE - - TO RETURN TO THE MAIN SITE PLEASE CLOSE THIS WINDOW - 4-21-10 I am happy to report that I am back from Sri Lanka having completed all the post-disaster recovery projects we set out to do. As you know, MicroAid ... http://microaidinternational.org/WP/?p=822 - YOU ARE VISITING THE MICROAID BLOG FROM THE FIELD - - TO RETURN TO THE MAIN SITE PLEASE CLOSE THIS WINDOW - 4-8-2010 Can’t remember when it started, but the Soodin kids now call me “Jon-uncle.” So sweet, really, as long as they don’t start calling me, “Jon-uncle Buck.” [caption id="attachment_747" align="aligncenter" width="300" ... http://microaidinternational.org/WP/?p=746 It’s funny how once you fix one thing in your house it can spur a host of other home-improvement projects. When we started to install the doors and windows in the Nagakanni home—the second project in Batticaloa—the family tidied up the inside of the house; mended and straightened the fence ... http://microaidinternational.org/WP/?p=716 A quick note about traveling: the more you do it, the less different the world seems--slight variations in clothing, architecture, food--and the more similarities become obvious: most people just trying to make a living, feed their families, and get along. [caption id="attachment_600" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="the richest people you meet are often ... http://microaidinternational.org/WP/?p=599 24 Hours in a Day In so many ways I am getting used to being here. I don’t feel bedraggled all the time, and a breeze in the shade, even at 90 degrees, feels a little cool. Not understanding what anyone is saying seems normal—maybe that’s because it’s true in ... http://microaidinternational.org/WP/?p=540 A Village in the Jungle After a few days in hot, smoggy, congested Colombo, the capital city on the edge of the Indian Ocean, I headed south to the first MicroAid project site in Hambantota. (A quick aside: as I write this, in my small bungalow, with it’s lazily twirling ... http://microaidinternational.org/WP/?p=504 I am very happy to report that thanks to our donors and board of directors we have raised enough money to help a few of the remaining victims of the tsunami here in Sri Lanka.  As all eyes have been focused on Haiti in the last few weeks, it is ... http://microaidinternational.org/WP/?p=475 Hi.  I hope this note finds everyone secure and happy. Of course, the big news is that there was a terrible disaster in Haiti.  The good news is that the world humanitarian community has responded appropriately: quickly and with huge resources.  The news at MicroAid is that I will be ... http://microaidinternational.org/WP/?p=470 Hello everyone: I just wanted to let you know that MicroAid is moving forward despite these tough economic times, and the difficulties that that presents for nonprofit fundraising. Thanks to you we are one third of the way to reaching our goal of $52,000 for the Sri Lanka projects.  Even ... http://microaidinternational.org/WP/?p=458