In Beijing this past May I met some visually impaired, wonderful musicians. They are beneficiaries of the Bright Angel Fund program. Through my company’s consulting work for high net worth individuals, multinational corporations and family foundations, I have directed funds to BAF’s free job training project for the blind last year.

One of the highlights of having my own philanthropy advisory business is building relationships with heroes who are making a difference in the lives of the poor and vulnerable. Mary Chiang is the founder and director of BAF and she never fails to inspire me with her colossal vision for the blind in China. She is using her vast influence to effect social change – what a role model! I will be writing more about her and her important work in the months to come (in other writing projects).

For me, philanthropy is a way of life, a passionate pursuit of changing lives & community.

With blind musicians and performers in Beijing. I'm in black (leftside) and Mary Chiang is at the far right

These young people are all so sweet and sensitive. They can “feel” the aura of a person and know immediately what the person is like. Their loss of sight has heightened their other senses especially intuition. Hey, I think they should be part of every company’s hiring process to measure a potential employee’s character! (this could be explored further – will raise it with Mary).

A few of these blind young people performed at the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics in 2008.

Mary Chiang continues to open doors for these performers and wants to see them perform in other countries.

On another note, Mary is a highly influential woman who brokered the first Chinese presidential visit to the US – for president Jiang Zemin. To illustrate how connected she is, there is a glossy large-ish magazine that targets elites in China that had Premier Wen on one side and she graced the other side (this mag had 2 covers). In many media interviews, she has boldly spoken of how her faith motivates her to defend the blind who are extremely vulnerable to exploitation, slavery and abuse. Mary is revolutionizing the world of the blind in China. Amazing, extraordinary woman.

In the photo below, they performed some songs for me. I recorded it and will see how I can upload it.

-Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God

Me and the cutest 3-year-old - she has the sweetest voice and loves to sing, but also can be very strong-willed. This one is a leader and needs to be nurtured in the right way so that her spirit won't be broken by harsh discipline

Thankful for times and people who change your life… thankful for the ability to choose where I want to work and everything else. The former trafficked women I met in The Golden Triangle region do not have the freedom to choose because they were born in a village and have had limited education, nor have they developed confidence in themselves to fulfill their dreams. Those of us who do have decision-making power can help empower the voiceless. We have a huge responsibility if we’re willing…

It’s been quite a journey since a few months ago when I frantically packed for The Golden Triangle region and with fingers flying and burning up the keyboard, I finished a book project (actually it’s 3 separate books). After flying to multiple cities, and traveling by trains, planes and automobiles, my head feels like it’s spinning with the faces of different people I have met and the colours, the textures, the outlines, the smells of the vastly differing contexts all run in a long smoky blur. The challenge now is to write what I’ve witnessed.

I miss the folks at my last pit stop… the former prostituted women I had met and interviewed and especially this adorable 3 year old Ai Xin who left a mark on me. I haven’t uploaded her photo yet. But I can share this: her father is a pimp and her mother was a 16 year old who was forced into prostitution. Her 35-year-old father could no longer care for her full-time. Ai Xin was out with her dad all night while he did his pimping work and she had the filthiest mouth (she’d repeat what her father would say). Some abolitionists convinced Ai Xin’s dad to release his daughter to their full-time care and it turned out that he had asked his older sister to take her in, but she refused (he beat her up for some other issue and she was angry with him). Now Ai Xin’s in a safe home for former sex slaves who are single mothers and her innocence is being restored.

She’s a three-year-old child again!

Here’s another photo with elderly ’Asian Holocaust’ survivors of the Asia Pacific War from my collection of memories this year:

These grandmas are so girlish and happy in this picture. They loved taking these photo booth style pictures.

I have been without internet for sometimes the entire day and I have lived to tell about it. (half kidding)

It’s intense to be around abandoned kids and former sex slaves. So some of us volunteers decided to kick back and hang around with some elephants at the minority village!

No twitter and facebook access and spotty wifi + a very intense schedule on the road = neglected blog. I have a few more cities to go before I have an extended time of work.

I call him Bif. He had his wheaties and then some this morning. FYI: he responds only to Chinese with a heavy dialect.

Poseurs for a day in minority dresses. I'm wearing a Jingpo outfit at the far right.

I am this minority rock star's biggest fan for the moment

Hani minority guy at the village well

At a touristy village theme park that features 26 minorites... I need another day to go through all of the minority villages

Cheesy photo of the day: What IS this thing? Flour grinder? Ancient Chinese clock? Torture device? hmm... The first to give the right answer will get a prize.

Isn't he so sweet? He was hard of hearing but loved to talk and shake my hand

I asked the nai nai (grandma) what her marriage was like and she said it was comfortable and satisfactory. Awwww... they have a sweet and tender love after many decades of marriage

These grandmas howled at taking these photo booth style shots and loved seeing their image on the little camera display.

Very cool: An old fashioned stove in a Chinese village

A Shanxi museum on the Chinese military efforts during the Japanese invasion (Asia Pacific War)

The museum walls were painted with anti-Japanese slogans like this

Getting wide shots for our doc.

My lil brother (adopted him a few months ago!) Ocean (yes that's his name!) is an up & coming great film maker. He'll do great things but more importantly, he's an amazing human being

One of the many photos of the outdoor bathrooms in rural China that I took. One day I'll have to post them all. I rated this a 6 out of 10 (10 being the worst)

Isn't she so cute? Wang nai nai

I’ve hoped and prayed for a permanent home for Wang nai nai ever since I heard her story. After meeting with a highly influential woman in her 70s who has contacts coming out of the wazoo in every sphere of society and in every high place, she has helped find a home and even governmental support for Wang nai nai.

Now the challenge is in getting this nai nai connected to this help. I pray that she’ll receive this much-needed support quickly. There is a block concerning someone’s opinion on how to approach giving this help which is maddening because I believe the most important thing in this situation is that nai nai has a nurturing environment asap so that she will not have to roam from house to house every few days desperately seeking a safe home… what a horrific way to live. Every human being has the inherent right to not only a loving community and family but to dignified living conditions, food and the ability to take care of their health among a host of other rights.

What else is burning in my heart today? Psalm 84

Verse 10: “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
   than dwell in the tents of the wicked.”

This verse has lit a fire (huge) in my heart as of last night… what else truly satisfies us in this ephemeral world? Not riches, fame, even our spouse can’t fill the God-sized vaccuum in our hearts.

My nephew David - congrats on your graduation from kindergarten!

I just had to take a pic with these lil watermelons at lil David's grad ceremony!

Fire purifies – gold is for the glory of God we see reflected in pure souls

Lovely nai nai's (grandma in Chinese) who have endured so much and yet possess a certain girlish innocence. One of these nai nai's is in need of a permanent home - we need to find one for her asap

Scrumptious 8 course dinner in rural China

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Donkey meat - what do you think it tastes like???

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s taking forever to upload photos… will have to do this when I have faster internet access. Ciao for now!

I am in food heaven. I didn’t think I could find another place in the Middle Kingdom that beats Yunnan, but this province I’m in, could very well take the cake. The dish I’m enamored with is nicknamed “BBQ grandma” and it’s a potato noodle with some fried chips scattered throughout. Yum! (I ordered this at every lunch and dinner! it became an inside joke among us)

"BBQ Grandma" dish unique to Shanxi

The people here are so very nice and down to earth… kind of like the Midwest of China.

I’ll do the big reveal and will let you know the location in a few days after I post the photos! It’s been mind-blowing… everything from the filming to the people we’re meeting… extraordinary souls.

With "Nai nai" (grandma in Chinese) - isn't she adorable?

Nai nai - I call her the joyful grandma

Woman protester in Libya

A country by country look at the state of women on this CNN blog.