Help Thai children below the sight line by:1. Donating $70 per child toward their development. 
2. Forwarding this email to a colleague asking them to join you.
3. Become informed through Dreams InDeed's
new web site.
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Also Featured
|  | | Read about another dreamer making headlines with kids below the sight line. See Staying In, Not Escaping Out |
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You may have seen the Thailand crisis headlines... - Bangkok like war zone as military cracks down on protesters.[1]
- Are Bangkok protests just a taste of things to come?[2]
- Heartland of Thailand, still angry and divided.[3]
"This is the worst crisis Thailand has had, ever....and where we go from here I don't think anybody knows," noted Charles Keyes, career Thailand specialist and Anthropology professor emeritus. [4] But some insiders do know. They are living an alternative, below the sight line. And we're in their corner.
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Seeds of Transformation
Grow Quietly.
 In the wake of civil conflict,
there is no quick fix. How to encourage the
marginalized poor to reject revenge and pursue the common good? That takes transformation. And transformation takes time.
Our latest Dreams InDeed
visionary knows this well. Now age 73, he's
trekked Thailand's jungle mountains, serving the poorest, most isolated villagers
his whole adult life. He sets up
educational youth hostels to take in children too remote to attend school. He equips caring dorm parents to provide
tutoring and ensure a safe, loving place near a decent school - for 430 kids so
far this year.
But he knows that is not
enough to sustain change against a tide of violence. Most significant
of all, they nurture these kids' spiritual formation by modeling values and
developing character.
The aim for these sidelined
kids?
To serve as leaders, pursuing
unity while affirming diversity. That's
a tall order with a threadbare social fabric being violently ripped apart at
the seams. Can these minority kids in
remote villages be touched to make a difference, against such steep odds? We had to go see for ourselves. |
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A Little Child Will Lead Them.
 A grueling, bruising 4x4 marathon taught us what "remote
jungle" means. We arrived wrung-out, and collapsed on plastic mats in
a bamboo shelter. Awakened by young
voices singing at dawn, we saw huddles of kids tucked here and there eating
rice from metal bowls. Then in a flurry,
59 children from ages six to seventeen washed up, brushed teeth, and greeted us
as they hiked off to school giggling.
The dorm parents are
college-educated; their intern trainee a fresh high-school grad. They have options. So why do they care for strangers' kids in a remote
jungle far from the luxuries of steady salaries, grocery stores, and medical
clinics, much less electricity, cooking stoves, and running water?
Passion. Humility. Faith. They'd grown up in hostels
themselves, transformed by those values.
The life of the intern
trainee told the story. She knew the
pangs of poverty. The dead-end of jungle
illiteracy. The numbing choice between
family and school. The shame of
ignorance of the majority language. The ache
of neglect and fear of abuse, far from parental protection.
"When my mother died, my father
became a monk. He couldn't care for me,
so he sent me away to a public school. I
was alone and afraid and miserable. Then
I heard about these dorm parents. They were
kind and their hostel organized; I loved the tutoring. So I pleaded with my father, and he allowed
me to stay here. Now they have become
like my family, and I graduated this year."
"So what's next?" I
asked. She grinned shyly, "After
training, my goal is to serve as a dorm parent, too!"
She passes the age-old
servant leadership test modeled by Jesus - do those served choose to serve also?
And this girl isn't alone. Two generations of dorm parents before her
chose to trek back into the jungle to serve others even yet more remote. She's at the forefront of this third wave of
multiplying servant leaders. |
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Turning Their Dream
into Deeds.
At age 73, this
visionary's concern is sustaining impact through that next generation. After a Dreams InDeed visioning process with
his sons, he said, "I thought all my work would die with me, but you helped
reveal what was in my heart. Now my sons
understand and will continue this mission with me!"
Their shared dream? "Develop
the marginalized as servant leaders to uplift their communities to bless their
neighbors and lands." And that blessing
extends right across their region's dividing lines. What do they need to bring their dream to
life, facing political turmoil and economic crises?
Strong,
courageous servant leaders. Wise
strategy. Effective networks. Sustainable resources.
This summer, a four-person team from Dreams InDeed will invest a second
month this year in Thailand to coach these leaders, facilitate strategic planning, guide network
weaving, and strengthen resource streams. |
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Sustaining Their Momentum -
A Call To Action.
 This conflict cost Thailand an estimated $1.5 billion
nationwide. Local entrepreneurs
supporting the hostel network saw their revenues halved even before curfews and
arson threats shuttered their shops. Undeterred, one is diversifying into a new enterprise, confident of emerging
opportunities in the crisis.
Meanwhile, our 73-year-old visionary exploited
school closures to train student leaders, trekking six weeks to remote villages
and youth hostels. Much of the hostel
and community service needs are funded by growing their own food, parent food contributions,
income-generating projects, and local donations. Dreams InDeed is also advising on sustainable
business revenue models.
But Thailand's current crisis has left many needy
children in the lurch. If this gap is
not bridged, we leave these kids at risk of dropping out of school into child
labor, trafficking, or lose-lose conflict.
Dreams InDeed is standing in the gap for these kids
today, and building lasting solutions for tomorrow.
Our goal is to raise a total of $30,000 ($70/child) which
will: - Provide
scholarships for 430 children.
- Train
dorm parents.
- Provide
coaching for network visionaries.
Over half the goal
in matching funds has been raised, but $14,700 is still
needed by June 30 to support 210 children.
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Here is how you can join us in
making headlines below the sight line:
- Personally fund 1 to 10 children ($70 - $700).
- Ask a group of your friends to join together and fund 10 children
($700).
- Ask your employer or a community foundation to match your gift to fund 20 children
($1,400).
- Help get the word out by forwarding this email.
Thank you for helping us turn dreams into deeds.
David and Janice Haskell
Please contact us with your questions and how we may be of better service to you.
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[1] (http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/05/19/thailand.protests/index.html,
19 May 2010)
[2](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/8696912.stm, 22 May 2010)
[3](http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/24/world/asia/24thai.html?ref=world, 24 May
2010)
[4](http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/22/world/asia/22thai.html?emc=eta1, 21 May 2010)
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