Asad on Soksabai.com

Not too long ago Asad took some time out to share a little bit about Project Enlighten. An article was recently posted on the following site:

http://soksabai.com/pg/pages/view/9131/

Please enjoy!

Marillion & Project Enlighten

We are nothing without our family of supporters! We graciously send out another big THANK YOU to all of you! Special hugs & gratitude to Marillion, The Web UK and all Marillion fans!

Love, Love Love...
Project Enlighten

Marillion & Project Enlighten in Holland

Trying to find words to express the overwhelming love and support that Olivia and I and Project Enlighten felt during the Marillion 2009 Convention has been struggle to put on paper.

Marillion has been more than a just a band, but truly a culmination of friends and family that share the same ethos of wonderfully powerful and emotional music and kinships.
I first saw Marillion many moons ago opening for Rush. Yes I was there to see Rush but always enjoyed hearing new artists and exploring new music. Little did I know the impact that this opening band would have on the rest of my days. Overwhelmed from what I saw and heard, I quickly purchased their cassette at Tower Records, (Am I dating myself?) From that point on I have faithfully followed and with great admiration and respect all things Marillion, a band that would provide the soundscape for my life!

In 2007 Olivia and I attended our first Marillion Convention in Center Parcs Port Zelande, Netherlands. Olivia surprised me with a pair of tickets for my 40th birthday. I was so excited and overwhelmed! At that point I made a conscious decision that via this Convention that I wanted to propose and ask Olivia to share the rest of our days together in marriage, but how? Well I wrote Lucy Jordache who was part of Marillion’s management, I had conversed with her a few times via Myspace on our work in Cambodia and she was always supportive. I asked Lucy if it would be possible if I could propose to Olivia on stage. My heart was racing as I inched towards the “send” button. Click and it was gone…

I received a reply shortly thereafter from Lucy that the band was busy in the studio and that we should write her back one we come back from our trip to Cambodia and Vietnam. Fair enough I thought!
So once we returned I sent Lucy another email to follow up and to my great surprise Marillion said YES! Now my heart was pounding beyond belief, what would I say, what if I flub my words, what if I freeze, what if…
The obvious question, which I never thought of, was what would I tell Olivia, “Oh by the way we are going on stage to say hello?” Thankfully Lucy had already solved this quandary for me. “Why don’t you take a few minutes to tell the audience about your work in Cambodia” Lucy replied. Brilliant!
I will let the picture express one of my happiest moments in my life!

Fast-forward to 2009, Marillion has their convention every two years and with great excitement we purchased our tickets for what was sure to be another fantastic and exciting gathering of friends and family! We were able to convince our dear friends and PE Board members Matt Keys and Riva Duncan to join us on this delightful escapade!
Along with Matt and Riva we were also able to share this experience with one of my best friends Kipp Morrill and his wonderful wife Miriam. The stage was set, can it get any better, and well actually it did.

We were contacted by Lynne Wells and Andy Rotherham from the WEB UK the Official Marillion fan club, they asked if Project Enlighten would like to be the Web UK’s charity of choice for the 2009 Marillion Weekend. At this point you have to try and visualize Olivia and I jumping up and down like excited school kids who just received a perfect report card in grade school.
The plan was relatively simple as we would have a table set up for fans to part with one Euro and the opportunity to win via a raffle a wonderful selection of items donated by the band. Steve Rothery guitarist offered a free guitar lesson, a massive and beautifully arranged book with pictures and hand written lyrics was lovingly donated, fans who purchased a raffle ticket could sign and pass on their thoughts and memories forever documented in this keepsake.
It kept getting better as Lynne informed us that a wonderfully humble and kind Marillion fan Paul Baines was going to match every Euro donated up to 2000 Euros! We were truly at a loss for words for these amazing acts of compassion and kindness. So for three days straight Lynne and her wonderful friend Anne worked our table on PE’s behalf.
Our dear friend Andy whom we spoke of earlier was in charge of showcasing the Marillion Museum, a wonderful exhibition of tour memorabilia in which people stood in line to eagerly see and snap photographs. Andy decided he was going to do his humble part and offer the fans the ability to fill up two containers with Euros. One to keep his beard or one to shave it! It became very obvious that Andy truly loved his beard and there were those who made sure the “shave” container was going to be the hands down winner.
Andy you were a trooper and great sport!

I could continue to rant about the wonderment and sheer joy that we experienced during this convention. It was hard to leave all our old and new friends from this magical gathering. The memories and support from the Marillion Family will leave a wonderful legacy for our continued efforts in Cambodia.

We cannot thank enough Marillion (Steve Hogarth, Steve Rothery, Mark Kelly, Pete Trewavas and Ian Mosley) Lucy, Stephanie, Anne, Lynne, Andy, Jim, Paul and everyone who contributed to this amazing gathering of friends and family!

A life-changing trip!

By JOHN DARLING
for the Mail Tribune
ASHLAND — After a nearly 30-year career of shooting portraits of everyone from local families to celebrities and political powerhouses, photographer Chris Briscoe wanted to get out of his comfort zone.

So last year he hopped on a plane to Bangkok, not knowing where the journey would take him.

Where it took him changed his life.

Traveling around Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam by moped and bus, Briscoe quickly found himself among the common people, giving them the first portrait they ever had, printed immediately on his battery-powered Hewlett-Packard photo printer.

Just as the photos were a high point in their lives, the people of Southeast Asia were a peak in Briscoe's life — even though some of his best pictures were taken in a garbage dump, where refugees from tyranny and violence in Myanmar were eking out a living.

His journey led to a touching, privately printed book called "Common Ground," which has found its way to the U.S. State Department, which now wants Briscoe to do a similar project in Haiti, the poorest nation in the hemisphere.

"What I learned is that families living in garbage dumps have the same threads running through their lives as we do," Briscoe says. "They want the same things: a good education for their children, a happy life."

In one picture, a small girl stands atop a pile of trash, her tent home in the background, wearing a wild array of castoff clothing and addressing the camera with an expression of pure joy.

"In a lot of respects they are happier than we are," Briscoe says. "They're grateful for everything. I was struck by that over and over, even though their lives are defined by their struggle."

Mae-Wen Richards of People's Bank of Commerce in Ashland points to a large print of the picture in her office and says, "She's in a dump with a very happy smile. Immediately you realize she really has nothing and lives there in that dump. What Chris is telling us in this picture is that maybe they're the happiest people of all."

Coming home to the U.S. was, for Briscoe, the real culture shock, as he saw our culture with fresh eyes.

"We don't have to struggle," he says. "We're on third base already. We don't have to dodge bullets to survive. Over there, in the jungle regions, one in 250 people have lost limbs because of land mines or from bombs left over from the Vietnam War."

So moved was Briscoe during a month in Southeast Asia in spring 2008 that he came home to take his 15-year-old son, Quincy, back to the region in summer for another month. Quincy, a member of the Ashland High School varsity tennis team, took two racquets and 100 tennis balls with him. He taught Asian kids how to hit the ball and gave the balls away, to their delight.

The book is a set piece of contrast, with awe-inspiring studies of the lined faces of the aged and workers struggling under heavy loads beside shots of irrepressible kids in classrooms, shooting rubber bands in the dump or chasing after Quincy and his tennis balls.

John Davis of Davis & Cline Gallery on A Street, writing in the book's foreword, lauded Briscoe's pictures for their "artistic completeness and vision of humanity" amounting to a contemporary work of fine art.

Virtually everyone Briscoe met saw America as the golden land of opportunity, security, choice and a good education — and they wanted to come here, Briscoe recalls.

"It gave me a new perspective. When you grow up in the jungle surrounded by land mines, how do you take anyone out of that and put them in Costco and Disneyland?"

Briscoe established contacts in the region with the help of Project Enlighten, which is run by volunteers and gives aid in Southeast Asia for humanitarian, educational, environmental and other purposes. The organization, at www.projectenlighten.org, is using Briscoe's book as a fundraising tool and gift to some donors.

Briscoe, a Santa Barbara native, came to Ashland in 1971 and taught third grade at Walker Elementary School. He found his way into photography by freelancing for the Ashland Daily Tidings starting in 1980. Among his clients have been Kirk Douglas, Catherine Zeta Jones, Dennis Miller, Rob Lowe, Olivia Newton-John and former Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev.

Briscoe's "Common Ground" is available at his studio at Fourth and A Streets in Ashland or can be ordered by e-mail at photo@chrisbriscoe.com.

John Darling is a freelance writer living in Ashland. E-mail him at jdarling@jeffnet.org.

Project Enlighten and Marillion video..

We wanted to share a wonderful video that our dear friends Miriam and Kipp Morrill comprised for PE on their recent trip to Cambodia. Enjoy the video and the some of the music from our favorite band Marillion!

Refugee Camp Nu Po under threat.

As we at Project Enlighten begin to put the final touches on our new Program with Abitsu we share this article with you. Stay tuned, if you are wondering how you can help with this desperate situation, we will have some sustainable and positive solutions soon!



By Daniel Pedersen | January 31, 2009

Mae Sot (Mizzima) - As night closes in on Noe Poh refugee camp, about five hours south of Mae Sot in northern Thailand bordering town with Burma, the road that skirts its edge clears of people.
By 9 pm, should anyone be reckless enough to light a candle, Karen National Liberation Army, the armed-wing of Karen National Union, one of the longest running ethnic rebels in Asia against the military-ruled Burma, soldiers will quickly ensure it is extinguished.
By now though, after two weeks of bolstered security in the face of intrusions upon Thailand’s sovereignty by Burmese government-backed fighters, mostly no one would be foolish enough to dare light their surroundings.
No one moves from their ramshackle perches in the night, a strict curfew is policed by both Thai soldiers and KNLA foot patrols.
Two weeks ago the camp was shutting down at 8.45 sharp, but one inhabitant said the “situation has calmed down a lot now”.
Just weeks ago brazen sorties by the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, a break away Karen faction but aligned with the military junta, had everyone on edge.
DKBA “spies”, Karens not part of the camp population, were intercepted creeping around in the darkness four nights in a row.
So paranoid were camp security officers that, at the height of tensions in the area around the camp, one accused spy was arrested and executed.
“I don’t think he had a trial,” said Carl Browne, one of two foreign teachers working at the camp.
“They’ve caught nine or 10 so far,” he said, adding that a committee member of the school at which he teaches, the ESC (for English Speaking Course), came across three in one night.
The word “course” in the school’s name replaces college, because Thai authorities do not allow colleges, which would suggest permanency.
Serious fighting has come as close as 10 kilometres to Noe Poh camp.
The DKBA is pursuing remnants of the KNLA’s 103 Special Battalion, which early this year lost its base camp further north.
As the KNLA unit pulls back into ever-higher mountains in the south it lays landmines, creating a constant stream of DKBA casualties, the most serious of which are admitted to Umphang Hospital, run by the Thai government.
The base camp of 103 was one of the last two KNLA Sixth Brigade footprints in Karen State. Its loss means only Wah Lay Kee, further north, remains.
A foreign donor who helps humanitarian fund the Karen struggle for recognition said he felt KNLA commanders now accepted Wah Lay Kee would also be lost.
“I think, just strategically, because they’re so outnumbered, they figure it is better to keep the soldiers safe by keeping them on the move,” he said.
DKBA and SPDC troops have been poised to take Wah Lay Kee at their liberty for weeks now, but have not yet launched a final push.
But the Thais know Wah Lay Kee is bound to fall and vigilant patrols have sealed the border, waiting to deter any combatants or civilians fleeing the fighting from limping into Thai territory.
The foreign donor explained the apparent reticence of DKBA and SPDC troops thus: “They’re not keen to go in because they know the place will be booby-trapped and there won’t be anyone there.
“And they know they will take casualties.”
Benedict Rogers, author of “A Land Without Evil” lamented 103’s loss over coffee in Mae Sot.
“You know I come here two, maybe three times a year and every visit another bit of land is lost.
“I see that they [KNU/KNLA] are being ground further and further down,” he said, shaking his head.
On this visit Mr Rogers will meet with the KNU’s new leadership, filled with hope the orginization can revitalize its struggle against Burma’s State Peace and Development Council.
“You know since Mahn Sha’s death (the former KNU secretary-general who was assassinated at his home near Mae Sot on February 14, 2008) there’s not been any real leadership.
“He was a unifying figure who drew together different strands of opinion, religion and he maintained links with the various democracy groups. He saw the big picture.”
Mr Rogers said the SPDC’s latest offensives, which began in Karen State but have now pushed into Shan and Karenni States, are part of an outright bid to force rebels fighting for self-determination into submission before the 2010 elections.
Burman dissidents in Mae Sot agreed, saying the SPDC would pressure armed groups weakened by the current extreme military offensives to sign ceasefire deals before next year’s poll.
Mr Rogers said he feared the international community, irritated and embarrassed by the junta’s harsh and belligerent excesses, might be willing to accept a veneer of calm, no matter how artificial it might be.
“That’s particularly the case with Asian countries, they’re tired of it,” he said.
The “official” population of Noe Poh camp is about 14,000, but each week new arrivals bolster that figure, as Thai brokers deliver their quarry hidden in cars or trucks.
People living in the camp, which is largely forgotten by the constant stream of foreign volunteer teachers, Christian groups and non-governmental organisations that pour into more accessible camps during the dry season, say passage from Mae Sot to Noe Poh costs about 5000 baht.
Carl Browne, who until this week was the only foreign teacher at Noe Poh and has more than 600 students, says once fugitives make it to Noe Poh, they’re safe.
“The real issue is getting in,” he said.
“But because we’re so far away from Mae Sot, we sort of get forgotten, or left alone – we have internet cafes, we have shops.
“There’s more and more activists seeking refuge at Noe Poh, from Rangoon, former political prisoners, there’s more than in Mae La even.
“That’s why Noe Poh is really under pressure, the junta wants to clean up before next year,” he said.
People living at Noe Poh know full well the junta wants to destroy the camp.
“Hell, the DKBA even contacted the Thai camp commander and said ‘get your people out, we’re coming in to burn it down’,” said Mr. Browne.
“The camp commander said no.”

Christmas at remote Burmese Refugee Camp Nu Po

Another wonderful Blog report from Team member Lisa McCoy. We are still reeling from this trip in the most positive of ways. We will catch up on our Blog reports...promise...presently swamped!
Respect.
Asad

By Lisa McCoy
Five miles away from the Burma border under the watchful eye of the Burmese military junta is Refugee Camp Nu Po; not a place many would consider spending Christmas. But for almost 14,000 Burmese refugees, this remote Thai-controlled jungle encampment has been their home for 10 years. Astoundingly, this is where ‘Project Enlighten’ founders Asad Rahman, Olivia Lorge and I spent one of the most heartfelt Christmas’ ever. Their gift of friendship and hospitality is one that will never leave our hearts and souls.

The residents of Camp Nu Po rarely see western volunteers because the arduous 7-hour journey to this camp must be made in the back of a ‘songthaew’ - the Thai rural pick-up truck that acts as a bus by conveniently placing bench seats along either side of the box.

The 140km trip to Camp Nu Po is spent mostly winding round border hills which resulted in even the hardiest of locals pitching up their stomach contents over the side of the truck. The first photo on the left clearly displays the misery experienced by young local man on our journey. Every half hour someone, usually a child, succumbed to vomiting, which in turn nauseated others. At one point, my elbow which was placed foolishly outside of the truck received a spray of vomit from a young child sitting upwind from me.

To make matters worse, the songthaew picked up everybody at every stop until the every inch of the canopy, and box was covered with passengers. This cramped and nauseating trip is one that the three of us will never ever forget. A map of Thailand’s Burmese Refugee Camps can be found at this link which clearly details the remote location of this camp: http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/SHIG-7L9HLA?OpenDocument . We clearly viewed Burmese armed military en route as we traveled along Burma’s border.

Our visit to the camp had to be Okayed by the Thai Camp Commander previous to our arrival. The Camp Commander is a Ministry of Thailand Thai official who is specifically trained for camp control. Refugee camps experience domestic violence, child abuse, drinking and fights on a continuous basis. It’s up to the Camp Commander and the delegated Burmese refugees in specific roles underneath him to keep peace in the camp – not an easy job when you have 14,000 people living in small bamboo houses set 4 feet apart from one another.

Camp Nu Po began as most refugee camps did, when a group of Burmese IDP (Internally Displaced People) fled across the Burma border and built the first few houses 10 years ago. It wasn’t long until the population grew to its present 14,000. Nu Po isn’t the biggest camp in Tak province either – Mae La Refugee Camp has over 37,000! Refugees from Tak province are resettled in the United States, while refugees from other provincial camps are chosen for resettlement in other countries.

We were able to meet with the Camp Commander on Christmas morning, and through an interpreter we were able to ask many questions which helped unravel for us some of the mysteries that surround the whole refugee process. Why do some refugees get chosen for resettlement in a third country and others seem to wait for years in camps? Why are some refugees issued identity cards and others not? From what I learned, it is the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) and the Thai government who make many of these decisions, but their criteria stills remains somewhat clouded to me.

We arrived at the camp about 4pm on Christmas Eve. We were taken to the main office where we were required to turn in our passports for the duration of our stay – a normal requirement for security purposes. We were promptly escorted to one home and given a glass of water. After 10 minutes we were taken to one of the few camp ‘restaurants’, where we happily gobbled down the meal that was cooked up for us – we had not eaten since 7am! From there we were taken back to the first house for some after dinner treats. Then we were taken to the camps two schools, where we were served fruits and beverages again! So few westerners visit this camp – our visit was considered one of the highlights of the year for them – three foreign visitors at once, and at Christmas! We were also treated to a special musical rehearsal for the Karen New Year celebrations that were taking place in a few days.

Yes – it all sounds so fine and wonderful how we were treated at this camp – but don’t get me wrong; the need in this camp is great. This camp lacks the many projects by NGO’s that many of the less remote camps benefit from. Nu Po has a serious lack of drinking water. The Burmese were so proud of their one water purification system, but it does not suffice for the camp’s population. There is no electricity and few generators to charge the few batteries in the camp. One organization has installed a solar power panel, but more is needed.

Another great need is in the schools. The one school which teaches kindergarten through grade eleven curriculum has 600 students. It has no textbooks. The students have to copy lessons into exercise books. There is no loose-leaf paper for the teachers to make tests or exams with. There is no photocopier. There are no computers for the school. There is no library. We visited the nursery school on Christmas morning where 13 small children eagerly gleaned through the handful of tattered childrens picture books it possessed. Those small children treated us to a chorus of 4 nursery songs perfectly performed in English. It’s amazing what they have done with so little, but the eagerness these children display for education overcomes their lack of materials. It should not have to be so. The second school is in just as bad shape. We had brought with us enough exercise books, pencils, sharpeners and rulers for about 100 children.

It was at the second school that we were treated to a special Christmas Eve celebration put on by some of the adult students who were eager to be able to spend some time with us practicing conversation in English. The room was decorated with a hand-colored life-size Santa, Christmas tree and hand-lettered banners. Again, many treats were served to us! It was one of the most joyous times of comradeship that we had ever experienced.

I happened to have brought along a recent edition of a Bangkok newspaper. When I gave it to one of the teachers, he could not contain his excitement, as they rarely see any publications from ‘outside’ in English. I made a mental note to bring along some more upon my return; maybe some National Geographic magazines as well. Oh yes – I am coming back! Along with the many other needs, the teachers emphasized to me that along with books their other biggest desire is to see more volunteer teachers coming in to help teach English. They would be happy for whatever time a volunteer could commit to this. So, at our meeting with the Camp Commander, I told him that I would return in a few weeks to volunteer for a week or two. I would be living with one of the families in the camp. As I had on Christmas Eve; I would be sleeping on a mat on the floor with some blankets. Because of its high elevation, Camp Nu Po evenings can be quite cold. We have made some wonderful friendships at the camp, I’m eager to return to spend some more time with my new-found friends.