Phi Phi Island, igorant tourists and Indian feminists

Moving on from our night of fun in Phuket Tom and I headed to Phi Phi island. Recommended by my colleague Gaurav - as well as the guidebooks - it promised to be the "real" Thailand - small coves and sandy beaches.

We weren't disappointed. Phi Phi is a gorgeous little place as you can see from the photographs. It is, however, full of farang. It's all the island really exists for. It's a backpacker paradise - with the small town area simply full of guesthouses, tour shops, stalls and restaurants. If you accept that, then you can just enjoy Phi Phi for what it is - a place where all you can really do is swim, snorkel, sunbathe and eat seafood. Not a bad way of spending a few days - I could have happily spent a few months there to be honest.

We saw some fantastic fire-throwers, ate some great prawns and snapper and I even managed to trek up the hill to the view point over the isthmus to watch the sunset. Oh and of course quite a bit of swimming and sunbathing.

Aside from the idyll, for me, the most interesting part of visiting Phi Phi was the people I met there. Up at the viewpoint, I got chatting to an American guy who had spent a lot of time in China and was now travelling round Thailiand before returning to university in Texas. You think that someone who had obviously had to look at a map at some point might have a vague understanding of world geography. However, he thought that Kenya was in the Himalayas, and looked pretty oblivious about the mention of Africa as a continent on the whole.  I returned from watching the sunset inspired by the beauty of the world but a tad depressed about the lack of curiousty and interest in life of some of its inhabitants.

However, the following day, when sitting on the ferry back to Phuket, I met Anu, an Indian girl from Delhi who was on her honeymoon. She met her fiance three months prior to the wedding through work. Her hands and feet were still covered in henna and her arms with the traditional wedding bangles traditional to her new husband's punjab tradition. She was a smart, gorgeous girl, with lots of ideas and a huge interest in the cross-fertilisation of cultures - and most importantly for her - the effect it was having on the rights of women in India. "Divorce is increasing - women don't have to stay in arranged marriages anymore in which their husbands don't respect them. Women can manage men in the workplace - we can get married later - have a career. It's all very new - we're on the threshold of change. It's exciting."



She told me with some incredulity that she had heard there was still discrimination against women in western cultures. The way she talked about western culture actually made me feel ashamed. I so often feel embarrassed by and saddened by the export of the "western" way of life. I am constantly critical of it, constantly apologising for it. That's not to say that those criticisms aren't valid but looking at things through Anu's eyes gave me a very different perspective. As a women, she just saw the freedom and the opportunities it offered. She also saw it as something to be proud of. "Doesn't it make you happy," she said, "When you see everybody wearing your clothes?" I was so surprised I had to ask her to explain what she meant. "When I loan one of my non-Indian friends a Sari, I'm always so proud when they enjoy wearing it. For you - you see people of all different countries taking on your fashions all the time - so many different people and cultures like the way you dress and want to wear your clothes. Doesn't that make you proud?"

I was at a loss for an answer. All I could say was that I'd never thought about it like that - because that was the truth - I hadn't.

An evening in Phuket - Ka Jok See

I travelled down to Phuket recently to spend a few days holiday with my friend Tom, who was over from Hong Kong. We had a couple of nights in Phuket town and decided we'd try and find a restaurant recommended by both our guidebooks called Ka Jok See. After a good half an hour of searching (why are all guide book maps so bad?!) we found this little wooden building on the corner of a side street of bars and restaurants.

We wandered up to the door and a short, slightly camp looking man greeted us. It seemed we had found the right place. "Yes, this is Ka Jok See - we are quite a private place - how did you find us?" We booked a table for the evening, and were told in no uncertain terms that we needed to dress smartly and that I was expected to dance. We walked away feeling slightly perturbed, but too curious to back out.

A few hours later we turned up and found the small restaurant half full and a very calm, slightly formal atmosphere - all candlelight and hush hush. We were welcomed and sat down. Shortly after being served drinks and an appetizer were presented with "frog companions" for our table by the waiter. Tom and I looked at the two small ceramic frogs and then at each other. "Salt and pepper pots?" I asked. Tom looked at the frogs. "No. Just frog companions".

The food was beyond delicious and as the evening went on, some of the waiters asked various women to dance with them during breaks in the courses. Tom and I laughed at all the men who sat there looking slightly uncomfortable when their women were up and dancing with the waiters - until of course one of them asked me to dance and I turned beetroot as I tried to remember a bit of salsa and Tom had his turn at looking awkward. We tried to figure out the story behind the other people at the restaurant - they were all farang. Some were families, some couples, and some male farang with their young Thai wives. But there was something Tom and I couldn't really put out finger on about the atmosphere...

Shortly, we thought we had found the answer. One of the waiters stood at the back of the restaurant holding up some flyers. Tom looked at me, a note of slight panic in his voice. "Those flyers say "sex sex" he said. All I could see from from my persepctive was the shape of a naked woman's back on the front cover. We looked at each other - had we somehow landed ourselves in a sophisticated Phuket swingers bar? I consider myself pretty liberal when it comes to sexual preferences but potentially being put on the spot by a Thai waiter was something I didn't feel quite prepared for...

Gradaully the waiter with the leaflets made his way round to our table. People at other tables had been taking them and looking at them with interest. I took one apprehensively and burst out laughing. It actually said "Sun Sea" and was just a promotional flyer for a local beauty salon and gave prices for facials, nails, massages... all the usual stuff. Tom and collapsed into slightly relieved hysterics. No sex was expected of us... yet...

It had barely got to 10pm when it became clear that the restaurant was keen for us to stop drinking and start dancing. Most people were pulled onto their feet to join in with some shuffling salsa moves and general downing of mojito shots.  A couple of dancers - obviously booked for the evening - were doing some positively amazing salsa in one corner. The atmosphere had changed from being quiet and slightly formal to be a bit louder and slightly tipsy.

And then the first trannie made an appearance. Modelling a figure hugging red sequinned dress, she marched into the middle of the restaurant - along with mike stand and launched into a half hour miming set. It was the worst miming ever - it almost seemed that whoever was choosing the tracks in the back was deliberately picking ones she didn't know for a giggle. She of course pulled it off - with the help of rose petals which were strewn over her at various intervals by the waiters.

Soon everyone was joining in the party. One of the waiter stripped down to just his jeans, grabbed a violin and jumped onto one of the tables and did an enthusiastic spot of violin-miming which much hip-grinding to go along with it. The bongos, tamborines and maracas were brought out. All the tables were pushed back, more mojito shots were brought out, cigarettes were lit and then - Beyonce appeared.



To be fair, she was more like Diana Ross as her hair was so big it was a personality in itself but her miming and strutting to a Beyonce megamix was really the highlight of the evening. She even had the dances down. By this stage, pretty much everyone (apart from poor old Tom) in the restaurant was hammered - either up on the tables or giving it large on the dance floor. It had gone from feeling like an exclusive dining club to a private house party. Tom and I were still recovering from the hilarity of thinking we'd landed ourselves in a members-only sex club. In fact, it proved to be the best food, best music and generally most entertaining night of our trip - and one that we'll both remember for quite a while. However, we did decide to head back to our hotel at about 1am and the party in Ka Jok See was still going strong so who knows what happened at the end of the night...

Eating bugs

At this time of year, the north of Thailand occasionally gets large swarms of bugs, that arrive in the towns and, well, die everywhere. They're called muenman and are a real delicacy. At the center, because we're really close to the forest, we have been visited by these bugs quite regularly, much to the delight of all the children. We've had quite a few evenings bug hunting, bug collecting, bug frying and bug eating. And you know, they are quite tasty. You fry them in oil and a little salt and they just taste a bit like crisps. Crunchy, and a bit addictive. Mmmm.

News from Kenya

I've had a slightly stressful few weeks. This statement from the CEO of my organisation explains why. Check out the video and you might understand why I find what has happened so heartbreaking.

Dear Sponsors, Supporters, Friends and all of our IHF Family,

In April, our non-Kenyan volunteers and directors at our center in Nakuru were expelled unceremoniously from Kenya.  I am deeply distressed and saddened by the experiences that these brilliant and committed individuals had to endure.  Their abrupt departure also leaves a very difficult situation for our children and for our center.  

I would like to try to explain the long and complex history that has contributed to this situation and ask for your understanding and support as we try to get through this difficult period.  Should you have any concerns or questions on reading the below, please do not hesitate to contact our Sponsor Relations Team at sponsor.relations@ihfonline.org.

Over six years ago, a Kenyan man, whom was working as a director for IHF in Kenya, embezzled large sums of money by faking pictures of Famine Feeds and taking the money for himself.  This man was secretly working for the head of a powerful clan and regularly manages to continue to infiltrate charity monies in the East Pokot region, and had previously done so in Subukia, as well.  Corruption such as this – even amongst the charitable section – is rife in Kenya, and very difficult to fight.  However, I was determined to take this man to court as I believed then – and still believe now – that it is vital to fight such corruption, as it only grows if kept quiet.  No one wants to be seen with “dirty linen” and the instinct to “protect the image of the organization” is a strong one.  However, as corruption and cons grow more complex and layered by the day, the only hope of reducing their prevalence is by trying to stand against them and support those honest and hardworking charities and individuals who are truly dedicated to what they do.  If people are not certain their money is being used for the right purpose, then they will abandon giving to charities – and the charities that will be hurt most will be the small volunteer organizations that do the most for the least money. So this is why, despite IHF being threatened with closure and seizure of our land, I was determined to take this case to court.

The court case has been going on now for six long years.  During this time, our evidence has vanished from police custody on three separate occasions: each and every time we reorganized evidence.  This strong evidence included original letters, notes and videos of meetings we could not replace, as police demanded custody of them immediately before we could make copies.  This valuable evidence has been “lost” by the police on three occasions.  After the third occasion, the Judge arranged for it to be kept securely in the court house, but despite this assurance before the defense hearing in March, we were informed that our newest re-gathered evidence had been “lost” yet again from the vault in the Court house.  There have been many delays to the hearings – often with dates having been rearranged at the last minute to prevent the attendance of myself and other IHF representatives.  Our directors have often been targeted and persuaded to believe various untruths about IHF – such as the fact, our center is not registered or that non-Kenyan directors steal funds. Obviously each time this happens, it creates diversions and strife within IHF, which is difficult to recover from.  However, we are a close and loving family and our financial transparency and our children’s own stories speak loudly and so we have so far managed to remain strong.

We are now getting very close to the summation of the court case and I believe this has resulted in the recent distressing events which occurred in Nakuru.

On Wednesday April 27, 2011, a disgruntled ex-director went to the media and to Nakuru Immigration and informed them that all of the non-Kenyan volunteers and directors were “working” there illegally.  This director had been asked to leave a week prior because he was not performing the work that he had committed to doing upon acceptance into IHF.   It is also now apparent that he had been contacted by members of the tribal clan we are suing in our court case and believed much of the incorrect information they told him about IHF and, as such, was determined to hurt our organization as much as possible – not realizing that he was part of a much more complex and difficult situation.

In going to immigration, this former director exploited a vulnerability that all NGOs in Kenya face. Technically, to do any kind of volunteer work in Kenya, the law states that you need a work permit. These are difficult to obtain and cost $2000 and if all volunteers to Kenya had to obtain one of these,
precious few NGOs would be able to survive.  It is a rule that is rarely enforced and NGOs in Kenya often deal with it successfully, by either stating their volunteers are merely “visitors” or arranging informal backhanders with immigration officials.  For the last 15 years, all our volunteers have helped at our center in Kenya, have obtained, and renewed their tourist visas for this purpose without any problems and we have certainly never paid any zany bribes whenever demanded and told we will be sorry if we don't.  It is the unfortunate situation however, that if the immigration authorities have any reason to cause trouble for an NGO, this is an ideal way to do it.  As the man we are suing has connections with the immigration authorities and with the media and has bribed often (as a way of life), it is not difficult to understand how, with the resolution of our court case imminent, this suddenly became an issue.

As a result of this, our volunteers and volunteer directors were arrested and charged by the immigration authorities.  They were threatened with jail, each were fined 20,000KES and asked to leave the country within seven days.  For one volunteer, the situation was even worse as she had not realized that her tourist visa had expired eight days prior.  Where as in usual circumstances, she would have been asked to leave the country and pay a small fine per day for the over stay of her visa, in this case, she was kept in jail for 5 days and bribed to pay large sums of money to a lawyer in order for her release and deportation.

Our directors and volunteers were made to feel like criminals.  They were in Kenya to generously give of their lives, their time, their money and their love to children that the Kenyan government has no interest in helping.  It makes me so sad that they were treated in this way and that IHF, as an organization, was powerless against the corruption that made this possible.  Of course, money makes the world go round and if we had thousands of dollars to bribe our way through this, the situation might be different.  However, as you know, we are a grass roots organization - all donated money goes to our children and we do not have such funds available - and that is even before addressing the hard moral question of whether giving money to corrupt officials would be the best way to resolve the situation.
The forced departure of our directors and volunteers has made our center very vulnerable.  Children’s Services had stepped in during this time and requested that all our children leave the center until more staff can be brought in and various changes made to the center.  All of our children, except for High School and Standard 8, have been forced to return to Pokot for at least the next 3-6 months.  Our children are currently housed at our old IHF Center in Pokot, but it is a difficult situation as access to food and education is not easy.  We obviously need new volunteer directors at the center as quickly as possible, but due to the issues with immigration, we cannot send anyone there safely who cannot pay the $2000 for a work permit.  The situation with the court case
makes it very difficult to know whom to trust when hiring staff and volunteers locally.  Currently, one of our experienced East African former director’s is flying back to Kenya to help stabilize the situation and interview new staff.  We are also fundraising to try to raise money to pay for work permits so that other experienced non-African directors can return to our Nakuru Center.  We do not know if we will ever be able to have short-term volunteers again at the center – something of which would be catastrophic for IHF, not only financially, but also because the education of the educated is just as vitally important to us as the education and support of our children.  It is precisely situations like this, that the citizens of “developed” countries should be aware of, as without awareness, we can never hope to create change.

I currently fear that the threat to close the center and to seize our land will somehow be realized.  I have been threatened with arrest at the border if I try to enter the country.  I have been reaching out to international organization heads for advice, support and some kind of momentum to try to combat the difficulties we are experiencing.  I have sadly been met with an overwhelming reluctance to fight or deal with situations like this.  It seems such corruption and exploitation of charity and goodwill is becoming a “fact of life” and does not provoke the outrage that I, and all of IHF, feel so deeply.

To all our generous sponsors of our Nakuru Center – we are so deeply grateful for your support. Please know that your generous contributions will continue to go towards feeding, clothing and educating the children as best we can in this situation.  We hope to have our center returned to the wonderful supportive environment it is as soon as possible.  Ensuring the safety of our children and the proper use of your sponsorship contributions and donations is our highest priority.  We will, of course, keep you notified of any further changes and beg that you do not desert our children in this particular time of need.

To all our IHF family - please reach out to friends, family, contacts, embassies, media, etc.  to tell our story.
Our children need our help now more than ever.

Carol Sasaki
CEO and Founder of the International Humanity Foundation