Compassion Trip: Journal

Progress Report

On Monday we met with the architect who has been advising us. Though we were under the impression he had a village in mind, he instead referred us to Jurgen Putz. The following meeting on Tuesday was very productive; we were surprised to learn that because of problems within the government, the tsunami donation money is no longer being distributed effectively and any more volunteer efforts toward rehabilitation would be a wash. Jurgen's group does a lot of work with rural development and ecological landuse; they have been very successful in establishing women's groups in the surrounding villages to help them gain confidence, skills, and an independent status in their communities.

He suggested our resources might be best put to use designing and building a women's center. His organization already has a plan in mind for the upstart and self-maintenance of the center and they would be willing to let us build on their property. He thinks that the scale of the project matches our timeframe and $4,000 budget, providing his group can contribute an additional $1,000-$1,500.

Though it is a bit astray from our initial vision, we trust that Jurgen is sensitive to the current needs of the area and that with the help of his contacts and resources, the project will be a success. I sincerely feel that this will be an equal contribution to the area; perhaps moreso since we know it will be maintained after we leave.

Travis and I understand that the many generous donations we have received were given to build an orphanage; we would never wish to use any of the gifts under false pretenses. Will will do our best to make donors aware of the circumstances, but if you wish to have your gift returned due to our change of plans, please contact us at lauren.farquhar@gmail.com.

posted by Lauren and Travis @ 10:29 PM