After almost three weeks in Southeast Asia there are far too many highpoints and wonderful memories to make a complete list. But, with all the meetings and all the progress we have made on so many fronts, nothing compares with the time we got to spend with all of those folks who receive our Stop Hunger Now meals through Children of Vietnam. More than once each of us had to wipe away tears.

With every visit we made in Vietnam, it was deeply apparent that our meals make a life-changing difference. We made site visits to orphanages, social service centers and were even able to watch our meals being eaten by children suffering from defects caused by Agent Orange.

Even though the government of Vietnam works hard to provide for all those in need, Stop Hunger Now meals are critically needed to provide enought food for the needy. Our implementing partner, Children of Vietnam, does a truly remarkable job in distribiting our meals to help those most in need.

And our meals are not only enjoyed, every agency is requesting more meals. Most do not receive enough meals to provide meals every day. The following photos give a glimpse of how touching these visits were for all three of us.

Thank you all for helpng make a difference in the lives of so many who live in such real and constant need. Working together we are changing the world.

I received an email yesterday from my friend, Dr. Jill Seaman, that brought tears of joy. Last November, while Mike and Jason Ward and I were visiting Jill in the village of Old Fangak in South Sudan, there was a young boy, named Rehok, who was close to death due to several failed surgeries to correct an intestinal problem. He had been sent back to the village to die.

Jill thought that the only thing that could save him was a blood transfusion that would provide the nutients that he couldn’t absorb through eating. I had the priviledge to give Rehok the transfusion necessary to keep him alive.

I shared the story in my post “a high holy moment in Old Fangak,” on November 27, 2011. Jill’s email I received yesterday completes the story.

Hi Ray!

its Jill – I think you remember Rehok – who I think has your blood?

Well we sent him to Leer – actually we sent him twice to Leer.  They were not able to solve the problem so I sent him to an American Mission hospital outside of Nairobi (Kijabe).  They did a huge surgery, to away some of his bowel, but have him all hooked up again!.  The doc there said that Rehok and his mom are all smiles.

What a lot of travel, money, time etc – but to have your stomach working together is really fantastic.

And your blood was surely key!

Thanks

I am certainly not deserving of thanks. I only did what all of us would do if given the chance.

The real thanks is due to a doctor who is so thoroughly dedicated and committed to the remote village she has adopted as her own that she will stop at nothing to provide them the absolutely best health care in her power.

I am truly humbled and honored to have Jill Seaman as a friend.

The photos which follow are ones from my original post which Mike Ward took the night of the transfusion and then two days later. And now, my “little brother” Rehok is “all hooked up again,” and well on his way to a full recovery and a healthy future.

The highlight of today was the Rotarian Action Group on Hunger and Malnutrion’s panel discussion. Allen did a fantastic job, and Stop Hunger Now fielded about 75% of all the questions asked by the approximately 100 Rotarians in attendance.

The first two photos are from the panel discussion, and the other three are images from our display booth.

All of us on the Stop Hunger Now team here at the 103rd International Rotary Convention in Bangkok have been amazed at the sheer size and scope of the event. None of us realized just how large a gathering this would be, or how many hours we would be on our feet.

There are almost 35,000 Rotarians here from over 100 nations around the world. There is a fleet of over 600 buses in use to transport Rotarians to the Center, and still travel time averages between an hour and a half and two hours a day, and that is if you just go to and from the Center once a day. Several of us attended a special event after the last seeion yestereday and we spent another two and a half hours on buses.

From the time we get the the Rotary Action Group Against Hunger & Malnutrition booth we are answering question about meal packaging and describing our program nonstop.  We have made some wonderful contacts with interested Rotarians from across the US and in dozens of other countries, as well.

And other than Allen battling a little bit of food poisoning yesterday, the team is faring remarkably well. Thanks to the Cipro we are all carrying,Allen has come through ok, and is ready for our panel discussion this afternoon.

More to come, so stay tuned in…

The first photo isn’t a parking lot…it’s typical traffic in Kuala Lumpur.

Stop Hunger Now continues to work in the infant nation of South Sudan. If successful, our Food Security and Community Development Project in the village of Old Fangak could be a model for other villages throughout this fragile new nation.

Hunger is rampant and the needs are immense, yet there is the real possiblity of change for the better if the growing conflict along the border with Sudan does not contiune to escalate. But the expanding fighting is creating more tragedy every day, increasing the desperation and hunger of those trapped by the conflict.

The following article by William Lambers, reprinted in its entirity, is a powerful description of the current state of affairs.

Hunger grows from conflict between South Sudan and Sudan

Civilians living in the border areas between South Sudan and Sudan are caught in the deadly crossfire between two rival nations. Lives have been lost, families displaced from their homes and communities. And it could get much worse.

The UN World Food Programme’s (WFP) Sudan director Chris Nikoi says, “The food security situation in the border states was already precarious. Now the border clashes threaten to displace more people and disrupt already fragile livelihoods.”

WFP, which plans to feed at least 2.7 million people in South Sudan this year, is facing a more than 100 million dollar shortage for relief operations. The UN agency relies entirely on voluntary funding for hunger relief missions. Many more resources will be needed by WFP should the conflict continue to escalate. 

There is fear the two nations will start an all-out war, a return to the level of suffering during the two-decade conflict that ended in 2005.

President Obama said directly to both Sudan and South Sudan last month, “It doesn’t have to be this way. Conflict is not inevitable. You still have a choice.” 

South Sudan and Sudan can choose to implement the much needed “safe demilitarized border zone” which the UN Security Council is urging them to adopt. By pulling back their forces, they can stop the bloodshed, lower tensions and the risk of miscalculations by their forces, and allow humanitarian aid to flow more freely. There is tremendous hunger and poverty in this region.

Food, water, medicine, shelter, and education need to constitute the sole focus on both sides of the border. This can only happen once Sudan and South Sudan pull their armies back from the brink.

John Quincy Adams once said about a buildup of arms on the Great Lakes along the U.S. border with British-ruled Canada in 1816, “the moral and political tendency of such a system must be to war and not to peace.” The U.S. and Britain chose then to demilitarize rather than escalate, having had enough of conflict from previous years. Treaties followed rather than war.

Such diplomacy is the only answer to South Sudan and Sudan’s struggle too. For it can open the only road to peace for the two countries: dialogue and negotiation.

Today is our third full day in Malaysia, and we are making good progress toward all the goals we had for our time here in Kuala Lumpur. We have had successful meetings at the US Embassy and with our partners at Ecopia, as well as a good lunch meeting earlier today with Dato Loy, the CEO of the Taylor’s Education Group.

We have also gone through about a third of the over fifty resumes and CVs we have received for the SHN Malaysian Director position, and even have been able to set up two interviews while we are here. And later this evening we have a dinner meeting scheduled with the District Governor of Rotary International for Malaysia.

After being in Kuala Lumpur five times in the past year and a half, the three of us are already feeling like this is a little like home away from home. It is especially nice to be able to reconnect with our partners we have been working with during that time.

Tomorrow is our last day here and it is going to be another full day of meetings. Then on Saturday we will fly out early in the morning to Bangkok where we will take part in the Rotary International Convention.

We have been so busy since arriving here the time seems to have just disappeared. And I have a feeling the same thing is going to happen once we arrive at the Rotary International Convention in Bangkok.

Stay tuned. Hopefully there will be some photos in upcoming posts.

I have often made the point in my posts that Judaism, Islam and Christianity all share the same spiritual roots and therefore they have a similar emphasis on helping the poor and hungry. All three of these great religions understand that meeting the needs of the poor and hungry is a matter of justice.

Chiniese traditions are quite distinct, with more of a direct focus on familial relationships, yet there is also a strong understanding about one’s obligation to help those in need it this tradition, as well. Our moral obligation to meet the needs of the poor is universal.

Mencius, commonly regarded to be the most authoritative interpreter of Confucius, lived about 300 years before the Christian era. In one of his works he describes a meeting with King Hui of Liang. Mencius writes that he told the king:

There are people dying from famine on the roads, and you do not issue the stores of your granaries for them. When people die, you say” It is not owing to me; it is owing to the year.” In what does this differ from stabbing a man and killing him, and then saying, “It was not I, it was the weapon?”

Our responsiblity for taking care of each other is not new. We know that to whom much has been given, much is required. We just need to begin realizing that we have far more required of us than we have been willing to accept.

Like King Hui of Liang, most of us have personal granaries overflowing at a time when there are children dying from lack of food. I think the knife is in our hand…

It’s Sunday morning, about 8:30, and Allen and I are already ensconced in the Detroit Airport awaiting the arrival of Dominic who is flying in from DC. All three of us will then leave here about 12:30pm for our flights to Seol, Korea and ultimately, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Getting up at 3:30 makes for a long day, and this especially true when you know there are 30 plus hours of international travel ahead of you before you get to stop. Nevertheless, Allen, Dominic and I are all excited about this Souteast Asia trip.

First, it will be good to visit with all our Malaysian partners, and continue our work on opening our first Asian office. Then we get to meet Lee Warren in Bangkok where we will all attend the Rotary International Convention. Again, we will be speaking and spreading the word about the expansion of our meal packaging program to Rotarians from around the world.

After that, the three of us will travel to Vietnam where will be monitoring one of our longtime partners, Children of Vietnam. It will be my second visit to Ben Wilson’s program based in the Danang area of Vietnam. This is extremely meaningful for me personally as this was the area of Vietnam where I served as a Marine in 1968–69 during the Vietnam War.

After we leave Children of Vietnam I will travel to Singapore where I have several visits with Stop Hunger Now donors and friends. Allen and Dominic will head back to Thailand where they will begin a well-deserved week of vacation.

The journey has officially begun, and for the next three weeks we will be working hard to help create the global movement to end hunger in our lifetime. Stay tuned for updates and photos of the trip.