TravelStream™ news feed for member martysb on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/martysb en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sun, 09 Nov 2008 16:09:28 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/martysb/1/1222269600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/martysb/1/1222269600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/martysb/1/1222269600/tpod.html Sun, 09 Nov 2008 16:09:28 -0500 Bali,India and Bangladesh Trip

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Dhaka City, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Grameen Shakti - or Grameen Energy is the leading alternative energy company in Bangladesh with large programs in Solar Energy, Biogas and Improved Cook Stoves.  Only 30% of the Bangladesh population has access to the national electricity grid.I met with Abser Kamal - GS General Manager, toured their assembly facility in Dhaka, and went out into the field where I visited a solar lighting home, a biogas facility, an improved cook stove in a home and a village assembly and repair facility.GS has installed 180,000 solar home systems, 10,000 microutility solar systems, 4,500 biogras plants, and 16,000 improved cook stoves.  Their installations are currently impacting over 2 million people. Their target for 2012 is 1 million solar home systems, 500,000 biogras plants and 10 million improved cook stoves.  They currently employ over 2,650 employees - mostly engineers.  There are targeting 100,000 green women entrepreneurs -  by 2015.  They have 20 Grameen Technology Centers.The solar home systems provides energy to light lights, operate TV's, cassettes, audios - operate small fans and amplifiers, run computers and recharge cell phones and run dc motor driven equipment such as drill machines, soldering irons, etc.The advantages of a solar power system include: user becomes owner of power system, easy and safe to operate and use, no monthly bill (free energy after payment of system), useful life span of more than 20 years, no fuel costs, no load shedding, not easily damaged, can be installed in any part of country, no system noise, environmentally friendly and health hazard free.The price of complete and installed systems range from a 10 watt system for $162 which includes on 18 Ah battery,  one charge controller, one 5 watt compact flourescent light, 2 LED lights and all other swithches/wiring and installation - to a 130 watt system for $1,070 which includes two 100 Ah batteries,  one 15 amp charge controller, eleven 6 watt flourescent lights, all other switches/wiring and installation.There are four payment options: (1) 15% down, 36 months to pay, 6% flat service charge, (2) 25% down, 24 months, 4% flat service charge, (3) 15% down, 36 months (with 36 post dated checks) and 5% flat service charge.There "Micro Utility Systems" are sold to one person who uses the energy for their own home and sells the excess energy to others around them who can not who can not afford to buy a system themselves.They purchase their solar panels from Kyocera in Japan.  They are paying $3 - $4 per panel - be they 40, 50, 65, 85, 120 or 13 watt.Their 6 watt flourescent lamp comes from Toshiba in Japan and costs them $1.50.Grameen Shakti is very big in biogas - something that I learned about earlier in the trip and found quite a great idea for rural dwellers with annimals that produce waste materials that are the raw materials that can be converted into gas for cooking and lighting and fertilizer for crops and to provide nutrients to the fish farms.The Biogas Plant pictures in this blog are of a plant that is automatically gravity fed by the poultry waste.  Two cages, each holding 500 chickens feed by gravity into the biomass tank located between the two cages.  The owner uses the gas for his needs and sells the excess and the fertilizer to others.  The gas can also be used to feed a generator that then produces electricity.  In this case it is used as backup electricity for when there is a power failure of the normal electrical grid.  As with the solar systems - Grameen offers various loans which can be paid off in one or two years.Grameen Shakti also has engineered and installs "Improved Cook Stove for Better Health, Environment & Fuel Efficiency."  In rural Bangladesh more energy is used for cooking their any other use.Click here to see an 8 minute video of Grameen Shakti and its energy products. 
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/martysb/1/1218114000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/martysb/1/1218114000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/martysb/1/1218114000/tpod.html Mon, 03 Nov 2008 10:57:22 -0500 Bali,India and Bangladesh Trip

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Bangalore, India

I am now just four days into my visit to India and just two days into directly connecting with the poor being supported through microcredit and I am already reflecting on my experiences and going deeper into my thoughts.A part of my reflection was precipitated by a helpful e-mail from Sarah "As for pix in the Third World: I hope you come home with some photos of the lived reality of India--not just picturesque eye candy of adorable big-eyed children looking into the camera and smiling. We have a mutual acquaintance who does this well. This sort of photo make Americans feel all warm and cozy, but it isn't the real Africa or India or wherever...."I keep thinking about what Sarah shared and walking home from dinner last night (Pizza Hut) I was thinking about writing a private e-mail more completely sharing the experience of India - the India that Sarah knows correctly and asked that I capture and describe.I then felt my own energy diminish and the overwhelming challenges that India has felt heavy upon my heart - the seeming futility of solving so many overwhelming challenges in the country with a population of nearly four times America.  I felt like I was losing my ability to make a real difference.Then it occurred to me that I think that we American's do know and have heard/read (even if we haven't experienced) about the trash, the beggars, the horns/noise, the people living in the streets, the dogs running all over and living in the trash, the bad roads and on and on - I think we know these things and they are all true.  Then it occurred to me that what we may not know is the India that I am experiencing (albeit within all of the negative things) and reporting on - the India of great people making a positive difference and how microfinance is making a gigantic difference in many lives and is expanding at a incredible rate.  Grameen Koota that I am visiting now has nearly 150,000 borrowers and plans to expand to 2,000,000 in 2011 - amazing. I am interviewing borrowers (including video interview in some cases) and it is very clear that their lives are dramatically being improved through microcredit.  You don't even need to talk to them - you can see it in their radiance and their smiles. Then there are people like my new special friend Vikash who is extremely talented and precocious and is moving from full time employee of Grameen Koota to part time consultant so that he can develop several marvelous programs that he is putting together and I hope to help him with. He is single and working night and day developing incredible leading edge ideas.  Then there is Mr. Mukundan - someone my age and in poor health that, like myself felt drawn to making a major difference in his 60's.  There are my two wonderful hosts - Niranjan in his 30's who created a new and fast expanding microfinance organization in the last two years and my other host Dr. Kulkarni nearly 60, who heads up Grameen Trust India which has already being significantly involved with creating 25 microfinance institutions in India and funded with $125 million raised in Bangladesh.It is also true that I have not reported the other end of what I am observing - the incredible four month old airport here in Bangalore that is more beautiful, clean and modern then any airport I have ever seen in the US (and Niranjan tells me that the next airport that I will fly to in Hyderabad is even nicer) connected by a 6 lane freeway as nice as any in the US into Bangalore where the roads are poor and the driving is insane, the software and high tech companies here in Bangalore that look like the great buildings in Silicon Valley.Thanks to you who are coming on this journey with me - it is very exciting and it wouldn't be the same if I didn't have people to share it with through this blog.P.S. I too was calling India 3rd world and was told that it is "emerging world" and not third  world - it would be classified as nearing 2nd world if it was classified in those terms - but I am not satisfied that these definitions are clear - or at least they are not yet clear to me.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/martysb/1/1216953660/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/martysb/1/1216953660/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/martysb/1/1216953660/tpod.html Sun, 02 Nov 2008 22:34:38 -0500 Bali,India and Bangladesh Trip

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Santa Barbara, California, United States

Table of Contents by Topic Tourist & General3.   Taking Off Tonight8.   Finally - some time for fun and to see Bali9.   All Day Tour of Bali10. Hello From Chenai, India12, The Privilege of Being a Mentor13. Reflections and Introspection18. Raman - My Host in Hyderabad23. Niranjan - The Personal and Family Side34. Random Thoughts Half Way Through My Trip    39. Visit to Gandhi's Ashram in Ahmedabad45. Jaipur and the Road to Agra46. Visit to the Taj Mahal47. Agra to Delhi56. Mother Teresa Operations in Calcutta57. My Sari Compulsion58. Ramakrishna Mission Microcredit, Microfinance4.   Hello from Bali5.   Opening Day of the Conference6.   The Asian Pacific Microcredit Summit Meeting7.   Closing Ceremony14. Grameen Koota Headquarters - Microcredit15. Grameen Koota - The Borrowers - Microcredit  18. Raman - My Host in Hyderabad24.Time with the Former Head of IBM India25. Nirantara Micro Finance Program28. Pretap - Chairman Nirantara35. Visit with Vijay Mahajan - BASIX Chairman36. SKS - India's Largest Micro Finance InstitutionCenter for microFinance43. Center for micrFinance50. Rupaal - My Host in Delhi51. Visit with Mathew Titus - Sa-Dhan52. Visit with Brij Mohan54. Visiting Moses and Nirmaan Bharati55. Visit with MicroSave IndiaCooperatives and Self-Help Groups16. C. S. Reddy - India Leader on Self-Help Groups17. Urban Microcredit District Cooperative Bank - Bidar22. New Generation Cooperatives in India27. District Cooperative Bank - Bidar40. Visit with Jayshree Vyas - SEWA Bank16. C. S. Reddy - India Leader on Self-Help Groups17. Urban Microcredit District Cooperative Bank - Bidar Other Development Programs19.  Livelihood Training Institute26.  Optimizing Crop Productivity44.  ARAVALI - Serving the Rural CommunitiesMicroFranchising or Social Businesses 20.  MicroFranchising with Vision Spring (Scojo)21.  Marty Buys Reading Glasses from Vision Spring41. SAATH - Serving the Slums & Home Management53. Drishtree60. Grameen Danone61. Grameen Shakti (Energy)62. Grameen Eye Care Hospital63. Grameen Fisheries & Biogas Plant Energy, Solar, Biogas 11. Innovation That Makes A Difference - Kerosene Burner42. A Muslim Financed Program - Biogas48. Light Up A Billion Lives & Visit with Nobel Peace Prize Winner Dr. Pachauri49. How to Become Involved with Lighting One Billion Lives61. Grameen Shakti (Energy)63. Grameen Fisheries & Biogas Plant Satyam, Satyam Foundation, Byrraju Foundation, Emergency Call System and Medical Call System - Corporate Social Responsibility29. Satyam - Corporate Social Responsibility Leaders30. Satyam Foundation - Serving Urban Areas31. Byrraju Foundation - Serving Rural Communities32. Emergency Call System - EMRI 10833. Medical Call System - HMRI 104 Other 37. Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India59. Visit to Ahsania Mission Cancer & General Hospital64. "Let There Be Peace on Earth - And Let It Begin With Me" Marty Jenkins, RespectfulDialogue@cox.net , 805-964-2550, Skype marty.jenkins.sb     
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/martysb/1/1222257600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/martysb/1/1222257600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/martysb/1/1222257600/tpod.html Wed, 22 Oct 2008 11:13:25 -0400 Bali,India and Bangladesh Trip

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Bogra, Bangladesh

One of the most important objectives of my trip was to get to know/study Grameen Danone which is the model of Social Business that Muhammad Yunus had written his last book on and he is currently traveling the world speaking about. Having participated in the creation of Silicon Valley I have been particularly drawn to this model of creating companies whose focus is to do good (while not loosing money) rather than to make profits. I started by meeting the original Executive Director and friend of Khalid Shams - Md. Imamus Sultan and then the current Executive Director - M. Wahidun Nabi in the Grameen Bank Buidling in Dhaka. I then traveled five hours ride away to Bogra where I met Engr. Probir Kr. Sarker - Plant Manager of Grameen Danone. Grameen Danone (GD) is going through early struggles and challenges and is working to learn through experience, adjust to conditions both within and outside their control, make modifications and emerge successfully as many other of the Grameen businesses, starting with what Grameen Bank itself has done. Keeping costs down and prices at a level that the poor can afford has been a major challenge.  The cost of milk, which is nearly 60% of the overall cost of the product, has nearly doubled in the last year.  Labor costs - which represents 30% of the overall costs has also increased significantly. Attempting to adjust to these cost increases - Grameen Danone increased the price from 5 taka to 8 taka for an 80 gram container of Yogurt and the poor could/would not absorb this increase and sales volume, which never achieved planned volumes, went down.  GD has come out with a 60 gram, 6 taka version which has increased nutrient fortification so that a child still gets 30% of the necessary daily requirements from one cup of yogurt - which is now more affordable for the poor.  An 80 gram, 8 taka cup is also being sold - primarily into shops. Another major challenge is the lack of reliable refrigeration due to lack of refrigerators by most of the poor and numerous power blackouts for those that do have electricity.  Currently, the yogurt has a 72 hour shelf life, which is proving to be inadequate in many cases - which has also negatively impacted sales.  Danone has been tasked with the challenge of increasing the shelf life to 7 days and is working on it. The original yogurt formula was not as thick as that desired in the Bogra area and the formula has been modified for the local desires for a thicker yogurt. The factory is working wonderfully well.  They have 26 employees including 12 in production, 10 in maintenance and 4 in the office/administration.  The mixing process is de automated (from what is used the large Danone plants in France) while the yogurt insertion and final packaging is highly automated with a machine from France.  This portion could not be done manually. Sales/Distribution has been the key challenge.  The yogurt ladies are women who are already Grameen Bank borrowers who are then trained two days to sell yogurt.  They are often widows.  Each lady is assigned a territory which typically includes two village organizations (50 - 80 Grameen borrowers in each village organization.)  The yogurt ladies pick up their yogurt early in the morning (it was delivered in insulated containers earlier in the morning) from the bank branch.  They load 48 containers of 60 grams of yogurt into an insulated carrying case and head off by rickshaw or foot to the villages.  They do this four days a week and it typically takes them two hours to visit a village meeting, sell what they can in that meeting and then sell whatever is left (if any) door to door in the village.  The yogurt lady buys and pays cash each day at wholesale - 5 taka, then sells at retail - 6 taka and keeps the 1 taka difference - meaning that she grosses 288 taka a day, pays 240 taka when she picks up her 48 cups of yogurt and keeps 48 taka.  She typically pays 10 taka for the rickshaw to the village and then walks back - so she nets/keeps 38 taka a day times 4 days a week, times 4 weeks per month for a total of 608 taka or $9.50 per month.  She normally has additional work - so her yogurt business is supplementary income for her. Yogurt is being distributed through five bank branches, each having 35 or so yogurt ladies or a total of 175 yogurt ladies through the branches.  Closer to the factory, the factory manages 70 additional yogurt ladies.  Sales are also made through local shops.  Grameen Danone is looking at expanding the model and trucking yogurt to other cities - including Dhaka. The Yogurt Lady I followed is a widow who took her yogurt to the village organization that she is already a member.  She sold all 48 containers that she had in less than five minutes and the kids were scoffing down the yogurt in no time.  She could have sold more yogurt had she had more stock with her - and she certainly did not need to go door to door.  She carries a smaller amount of yogurt, as the program would rather have her have less to sell than more than she can sell - otherwise, the excess would have to be scrapped due to lack of refrigeration and short shelf life.  Witnessing firsthand the incredible reception of the yogurt was very amazing and gave me hope that this program will eventually work. A study to determine the nutritional impact on the kids began in August and will be completed after six months and one year.  This study will evaluate the impact of fortified yogurt on morbidity, growth, cognitive development and status indicators.  It will evaluate fortified versus non-fortified yogurt and fortified yogurt versus no regular yogurt consumption at all.  The Principal investigator is Sunil Sazawal MD, MPH, PhD.  The Primary Institution is Johns Hopkins University, USA.  The Collaborating Institution is Center for Micronutrient Research, India.  This is done in Partnership with GAIN (funding and technical advising). The plant has a capacity of 83,000 cups per day and is currently working at 1% of capacity.  Break even is 45,000 cups per day.  They are currently loosing around 1.5 taka per cup or a net loss of 25% per cup. Not only was I amazed at the wonderful reception the borrowers and particularly the children have for the yogurt - even more amazing is that I am one who has never liked yogurt - and I found this yogurt delicious and scoffed down two cups quickly. Back in Dhaka at Grameen Bank I met with Emmanuel Marchant - Deputy General Manager of Danone Communities which oversees the Danone Social Business projects.  He serves on the Board of Directors of Grameen Danone.  Emmanuel had not had a chance to review my observations but provided me his insights into this business. Emmanuel feels that the greatest challenge has been the issue of Governence and working out the roles of Grameen and Danone and particulary the direction and culture that would emerge in managing Grameen Danone.  Although Grameen and Danone were very compatible with and committed to doing social good - there individual approaches and cultures are quite different which has caused significant challenges and kept the  program from moving forward at an optimum rate. It took them a considerable amount of time to recruit an Executive Director that was neither from Grameen or Danone - but has the business sense of Danone and the social - heart felt passion of Yunus/Grameen.  Emmanuel feels that being able to lower the costs to allow a profit at a price that the poor can afford as well as extending the shelf life are both quite doable in the future - whereas the challenges will primarily be working through the governence issue and expanding the distribution through the yogurt lady program. Emmanuel indicated that Yunus' book "Creating a World Without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism" coming out in paperback (January 2009 according to Amazon.com) will have updates on what has been happening with Grameen Danone since Yunus wrote the original hardback book a year ago. I appreciate Grameen Danone management for sharing the challenges faced in such a first of a kind start up as this.  There openness will aid others as they may face their own challenges in creating a Social Business - a business to do good - while not losing money - rather than a business to make a profit. ------------------------------------------------------Professor Yunus Update – written approximately September 2008, Published January 2009.  Afterward in the paperback version of Creating a World Without Poverty – Social Business and the Future of CapitalismPage 253 – "Grameen Danone, the yogurt business we created in partnership with France's Groupe Danone to bring nutritious, affordable food to the poor villagers of Bangladesh, is up and running with our first plant in Bogra in full operation.  Around four hundred small milk producers and 250 'Grameen ladies’ have been employed to supply the raw materials for the yogurt and to sell the product in the surrounding villages.The growth of the yogurt business, while steady, has been slow.  Owing to the current global food crisis, which has sharply increased the prices of all food production inputs, from milk to the electrical power, costs have increased and the spending power available to the rural poor has fallen.  As a result, it has been difficult for the members of our target market, the rural poor in Bangladesh, even to buy essentials.  Consequently, sales of yogurt have fallen below the levels that we had hoped for.  Nonetheless, yogurt remains quite popular, especially among schoolchildren.  We are confident that our product – Shokti Doi – will have long-term appeal for children in rural areas and a beneficial effect of their health, and we are going ahead with ground-breaking on a second yogurt plant.  Ultimately, our dream of a network of up to fifty such plants around Bangladesh remains achievable, although it will take longer to realize than we’d expected."----------------------------------------------------January 2009 Update - Grameen Danone enters Dhaka MarketplaceTo view a 5 minute video of Professor Yunus on Social Business - click here. To view a 3 minute video of Professor Yunus speaking on Grameen Danone - click here. To view a 2.5 minute video on Grameen Danone - click here. To see the entire Grameen Danone Photo Album.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/martysb/1/1220190600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/martysb/1/1220190600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/martysb/1/1220190600/tpod.html Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:35:57 -0400 Bali,India and Bangladesh Trip

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Ahmedabad, India

This afternoon I had another peak experience as I visited Gandhi's Ashram in Ahmedabad.  Please click on the link that will take you to the photo album which I will let tell you the story of the Ashram.On the grounds I came across Manav Sadhna - Service to Mankind and incredible program for youth.  My life is a little richer for being with these kids and spending time in their website - I invite you to experience them through their website.  This kids have performed over much of the United States and some of the pictures that you will see are of them rehearsing this show.If you would like more information on the Ashram - you can go to this link.Being at Gandhi's Ashram brought back memories of another peak experience in my life and that is of the four days that thirty of us had the privilege of spending with Arun Gandhi, (this link is a three minute video on one of the things he learned from his grandfather - well worth watching)  Grandson of Mahatma Gandhi at a Peace Retreat at La Casa de Maria in Santa Barbara, California.Arun lived with his grandfather most of his teenage years and inspired us all with his "Stories of Grandfather."  Here is the one I remember most (paraphrased):"One day my grandfather asked me to take him to town to attend a meeting and while he was in the meeting I was to take his car to the mechanic to be serviced and to return to pick him up at 5:00 PM.  I took the car to the mechanic who serviced it and had it ready at 4:00 PM.  I had noted that there was a great movie showing in town and I decided I would go see it - even though I knew I would be late picking up grandfather.  I picked grandfather up at 5:30 PM - telling him that the reason I was late was that the mechanic was late in working on the car - not knowing that grandfather had already talked to the mechanic on the phone and knew that the car had been ready at 4:00 PM.Grandfather turned to me and said - Arun, I must walk home (a major distance).  I was shocked and when I asked grandfather why he was going to do that he replied - I must walk home so I will have time to think about what I have done wrong that my grandson would lie to me like this."I hope that by clicking on these links and spending some time taking in the story and wisdom of Gandhi that you will have a glimpse of how I am feeling as I send you this blog.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/martysb/1/1221858000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/martysb/1/1221858000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/martysb/1/1221858000/tpod.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:45:14 -0400 Bali,India and Bangladesh Trip

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Dhaka, Bangladesh

The Dhaka Ahsania Mission is a humanitarian organization based in Bangladesh that has taken a giant leap towards setting up a state of the art modern Cancer hospital to alleviate the sufferings of people who have currently no access to specialized medical treatment of Cancer. This hospital project is the result of a remarkable initiative taken by Kazi Rafiqul Alam, the visionary president of the Mission which is dedicated to humanitarian service, specially to the poor and the socially disadvantaged regardless of race, religion, caste or creed.The new medical facility which has been dubbed by Kazi Rafiqul Alam as a "People's Hospital", will be purely a "Social Business" with a clear social mandate to provide health care services to people who may not be able afford the treatment costs. The hospital plans to provide free treatment to at least 30% of the patients who may be too poor to afford any medical service. In addition, it will have an outreach program to provide diagnostic services and counseling for patients living in the rural areas of the country.   The hospital is being established as a "Social Business" - a business to do good rather than to earn profit. At the same time it will be a "non-loss" business, meaning that the income generated from those that can afford to pay, will cover operational costs and profits will go to expansion and improvements of the hospital. This is also similar to Professor Muhammad Yunus' approach to socially oriented business.Khalid Shams, former Deputy Managing Director of Grameen Bank and a close associate of Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, had told me of his new passion for facilitating the creation of a major Cancer Hospital in Bangladesh during his visit to California in July '08.  He requested that I urgently visit him in Dhaka, meet the hospital leadership and see the hospital under construction, during my planned trip to Bali - India and then Bangladesh, in August and September.  Khalid has recently joined the Governing Body of Ahsania Hospital and brings with him substantive experience in initiating and managing large social enterprises of the Grameen family.The new hospital located 20 km (12 miles) from the Mission head office in Dhaka, will be accommodated in a modern 15 story building on 3 acres of land. Upon completion, it will have 500 beds, outpatient care facilities, 7 Operating Theatres, a hospital staff that will ultimately comprise 200 doctors, 450 nurses, and a total of 2000 employees. The hospital plans to procure state of the art diagnostic, therapeutic and operation equipment.  A key element of the Cancer Hospital will be the Children's wards of the hospital.  There will also be a full-fledged medical college that trains doctors and nurses to not only staff this hospital - but also to help overcome the major deficiency of specialist doctors, oncologists and trained nurses in the country. The hospital construction began in 2005 with donations from individuals and institutions who responded spontaneously to a nationwide appeal to raise funds for the new hospital. The status to date is that civil construction of infrastructure of 10 of the 15 floors has been completed. $8 million has been raised through local contributions and another $5.7 million has been committed by the government.  However, in the meantime, costs of building materials have skyrocketed since the original construction budget was created and there is now a big cost overrun with the overall project budget now likely to approach $50 million. Additional finances have to be raised urgently, for the hospital to be able to commence operations by end of 2009. There are minimal cancer facilities in Bangladesh and many people in both urban and rural areas of the country are dying due to lack of hospitals and doctors, to serve their cancer needs.  It is estimated that there are 1,000,000 people in Bangladesh who already have cancer and 200,000 new patients are added each year.  Currently, with existing hospital facilities, Bangladesh has the capability to serve 20,000 patients each year - which means that 180,000 patients go altogether unserved - thousands of them will needlessly suffer and ultimately die without any cancer care.  The Ashania Mission Cancer and General Hospital will serve approximately 73,000 patients each year, preventing as many as 40,000 deaths and reducing the suffering of approximately 270,000 patients all over Bangladesh. The Ahsania Mission Cancer Hospital project is being supervised by a Governing Body, comprising eminent professionals of the country. It is chaired by Barrister Rafiqul Huq (himself a major philanthropist), one of the most renowned lawyers of the country. National Professor Dr. M.R.Khan, a famous pediatrician (he has established a children's hospital in Dhaka and a general hospital in his home district) and Dr. F. Karim (a social worker, he has promoted modern treatment methods of Cancer), an internationally reputed Oncologist, are members of the supervisory Board.  It has been further strengthened by the addition of Khalid Shams who recently retired after working for 17 years as a close associate of Professor Muhammad Yunus, who, with Grameen Bank won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize.  The hospital project is led by M. Fazlur Rahman, Managing Director of the Hospital, who was a career civil servant, including his long tenure as Secretary of Health of Bangladesh Government and as the Secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology.Dr. Md. Lutfar Rahman was hired in July as Project Director of Ahsania Mission Cancer & General Hospital Project.  Dr. Rahman's extensive career experience includes hospital management expertise. He was the former Executive Director, Bangladesh Institute of Health Sciences Hospital, an enterprise of diabetic association of Bangladesh-Netherlands Joint Cooperation. He had earlier worked as the Project Director, Shurawardy General Hospital, a major medical care establishment of the country operated by the Ministry of Health.   He had also worked with the World Health Organization (WHO)Subject to the approval of a new Business Plan - we are expecting commissioning of the Cancer hospital in the following three phases: Phase 1 -Seven of the 15 floors of the hospital to be completed by August 2009 and essential professional staff will be hired. AMCGH will commence its basic outpatient medical care services by the October - December quarter of 2009. Phase 2 - By January 2010 the hospital will open for business.  It will have completed the hiring and training of the initial staff of 200 employees (40 doctors, 100 nurses and 60 support staff) and purchased and commissioning the equipment and furniture required to launch the facility. Phase 3 - Targeted for completion by the end of 2010 includes two additional floors and ground breaking for the Doctors and Nurses Training at the newly established medical college. During my last night before returning to the United States, President Alam hosted a dinner in my honor at Dhaka Club.  During that dinner I shared my own experiences with and passion for Hospice and recommended that a Hospice be included as a part of the project.  This was well received as there are minimal Hospice facilities in Bangladesh and those at the dinner were quite aware of this outstanding program and agree that this would be an outstanding addition to the overall program of Ahsania Mission Cancer and General Hospital and Hospice. Based upon my enthusiasm for and willingness to try to be helpful in doing what I can to help this outstanding facility and program move quickly to implementation - President Alam has designated me as the Mission Ambassador to the United States, where I will look forward to sharing what I have learned with those in the United States who are interested in this work.  We created an initial action plan that would include my involvement in consulting on improvements to their website and sharing the Ashania story with contacts that Khalid developed while in the United States and helping in any way I can energize and enable the expeditious completion of this work.  I closed the evening by making a $50 donation on behalf of Maryellen Kelley who had given me a total of $200 so that she could "travel with me on my trip and for me to give away in whatever way and to whoever I felt led."  I was delighted to show my own support of this work by making this small donation which is meant to have large symbolism. To view the entire Photo Album of pictures of the in construction Ahsania Mission Cancer and General Hospital. Interview of Kazi Rafiqul Alam - President Dhaka Ahsania Mission - Part 1 Interview of Kazi Rafiqul Alam - President Dhaka Ahsania Mission - Part 2To view a five minute interview of Khalid Shams. To visit the Ahsania Mission Cancer and General Hospital website.  
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/martysb/1/1217325600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/martysb/1/1217325600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/martysb/1/1217325600/tpod.html Sat, 04 Oct 2008 21:32:24 -0400 Bali,India and Bangladesh Trip

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Bali, Indonesia

Hi Friends:Updated version with photos and additional description.I have been having trouble loading photos and having enough time to blog.http://www.results.org/website/article.asp?id=19This is a very exciting conference.  926 people from 50 nations - all dedicated to aleviating poverty.  Most of the worlds's greatest leaders in Micorcredit, starting with Professor Muhammad Yunus are here.  It is an incredibly good place to network.  The last two buffet lunches I looked for someone sitting alone - went over and told them that I thought they look interesting and the joined the for two incredible discussions.  Both were from India.  Both want me to visit them in India.  It looks like one will fit into my schedule.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/martysb/1/1217206800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/martysb/1/1217206800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/martysb/1/1217206800/tpod.html Sat, 04 Oct 2008 21:28:52 -0400 Bali,India and Bangladesh Trip

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Bali, Indonesia

It is now 5:00 AM and I can hear the Muslim call to  prayer outside my window.The flights over (LA to Taipei, Taiwan to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Densepar, Bali,  Indonesia) were uneventful but veeeeeeeeeeery long.  I probably had five or so meals between the three flights.Professor Muhammad Yunus was paged at the airport in Kuala Lumpur and I was hopeful that he would be on my flight - but he wasn't.I am staying at the Ashton Inn Tuban which is a very nice and reasonable.  It is in the Nusa Dua resort section of Bali.  I understand that there was a major Global Warming Conference in the same convention center awhile ago.I am attending the Asian Pacific Microcredit Summit.  You can learn more about it by clicking on the link.The President of Indonesia is going to address us this morning and the security was out of sight before the recent bombings in India and Turkey - so it will be interesting to see how this  goes this morning.  I am not yet registered - so I am leaving at 6:30 AM by shuttle to get registered.Yes - I am going to Ahmedabad, India where there have been recent bombings - arriving August 26.  No - I am not fearful of going there.   One of the things that I hope my trip is all about is healing relationships in the world - primarily by getting to know, learn from  and respect each other.  I am feeling very good and rested - very much looking forward to today and the practical starting of this incredible journey.I welcome your comments as you travel along with me through this blog.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/martysb/1/1213633860/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/martysb/1/1213633860/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/martysb/1/1213633860/tpod.html Sat, 04 Oct 2008 10:45:19 -0400 Bali,India and Bangladesh Trip

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Santa Barbara, California, United States

Welcome to my Travel Blog to Bali - India and Bangladesh.  I welcome comments from you during my trip.  You will see a link to send me an e-mail as well as you will find a link to unsubscribe if you like.I am looking forward to embarking on what I expect will be the most significant and fulfilling trip of my life.I will first be going to Bali for the Asian Pacific Microcredit Summit which starts July 28.  There will be around 1,000 microcredit practitioners from all over the world attending this four day conference with the three top world leaders in microcredit being among the keynote speakers at the conference:  Muhammad Yunus of Grameen Bank, Fazle Abed of BRAC and  Shafiqual Haque Choudhury of ASA.  All three of these are founders of their institutions which have been immensely successful Microcredit organizations in Bangladesh.  Together they have loaned out approximately $20 billion to approximately 20 million people (97% women) with typically 5 people in each family which means that 100 million of the 150 million people in Bangladesh are being impacted by microcredit.In India Niranjan Sheelavant who is the Founder and CEO of Nirantara Community Services and Dr. B. K. Kulkarni who is Director of Grameen Trust, India will be my hosts.  I met and spent a great deal of quality time with the two of them during my trip last November to Bangladesh and Grameen Dialogue.After the Microcredit Summit in Bali, I will be traveling to India to spend six weeks (August 2 - September 19) obtaining a first hand knowledge and experience of microcredit, microfranchising and development - as well as supporting my two friends and their microcredit programs in any way that I can.  From India I will be going to Bangladesh for one week (September 19 - 26) to visit Grameen-Danone, which is the model Social Business that Yunus has written about in his new book - Creating a World Without Poverty.  Additionally I will be visiting Grameen Eyecare Hospital  (another Social Business), Grameen Fisheries, as well as meeting with others friends in Grameen Bank and Grameen Trust.  I have asked to meet with Professor Yunus - but am not sure he will even be in town.Here is a link to Marty's Bangladesh Trip Blog (November/December 2007) for any who are interested in reviewing that.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/martysb/1/1216938600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/martysb/1/1216938600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/martysb/1/1216938600/tpod.html Thu, 02 Oct 2008 18:40:02 -0400 Bali,India and Bangladesh Trip

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Santa Barbara, California, United States

This is a Chronological Table of Contents of All My Blog Entries 1.    Topic Table of Contents2.    Chronological Table of Contents3.    Taking Off Tonight4.    Hello from Bali5.    Opening Day of the Conference6.    The Asian Pacific Microcredit Summit Meeting7.    Closing Ceremony8.    Finally - some time for fun and to see Bali9.    All Day Tour of Bali10.  Hello From Chenai, India11.  Innovation That Makes A Difference - Kerosene Burner12.  The Privilege of Being a Mentor13.  Reflections and Introspection14.  Grameen Koota Headquarters - Microcredit15.  Grameen Koota - The Borrowers - Microcredit16.  C. S. Reddy - India Leader on Self-Help Groups17.  Urban Microcredit18.  Raman - My Host in Hyderabad19.  Livelihood Training Institute20.  MicroFranchising with Vision Spring (Scojo)21.  Marty Buys Reading Glasses from Vision Spring22.  New Generation Cooperatives in India23.  Niranjan - The Personal and Family Side24.  Time with the Former Head of IBM India25.  Nirantara Micro Finance Program26.  Optimizing Crop Productivity27.  District Cooperative Bank - Bidar28.  Pretap - Chairman Nirantara29.  Satyam - Corporate Social Responsibility Leaders30.  Satyam Foundation - Serving Urban Areas31.  Byrraju Foundation - Serving Rural Communities32.  Emergency Call System - EMRI 10833.  Medical Call System - HMRI 10434.  Random Thoughts Half Way Through My Trip35.  Visit with Vijay Mahajan - BASIX Chairman36.  SKS - India's Largest Micro Finance Institution37.  Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India38.  Visit with Rajesh Shah - SAVE39.  Visit to Gandhi's Ashram in Ahmedabad40.  Visit with Jayshree Vyas - SEWA Bank41.  SAATH - Serving the Slums & Home Management42.  A Muslim Financed Program - Biogas43.  Center for microFinance44.  ARAVALI - Serving the Rural Communities45.  Jaipur and the Road to Agra46.  Visit to the Taj Mahal47.  Agra to Delhi48.  Light Up A Billion Lives & Visit with Nobel Peace Prize Winner Dr. Pachauri49.  How to Become Involved with Lighting One Billion Lives50.  Rupaal - My Host in Delhi51.  Visit with Mathew Titus - Sa-Dhan52.  Visit with Brij Mohan53.  Drishtee Visit54.  Visiting Moses and Nirmaan Bharati55.  Visit with MicroSave India56.  Mother Teresa Operations in Calcutta57.  My Sari Compulsion58.  Ramakrishna Mission59.  Visit to Ahsania Mission Cancer & General Hospital60.  Grameen Danone61.  Grameen Shakti (Energy)62.  Grameen Eye Care Hospital63.  Grameen Fisheries & Biogas Plant64.  "Let There Be Peace on Earth - And Let It Begin With Me"     
]]>