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Session III:
Each year we travel to a different developing country or countries for a week of on the ground site visits to see and learn about international philanthropy firsthand. Our prior trips have been to Thailand, Brazil, Mexico, Guatemala, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda. We typically visit two locations within a week and see programs in both rural and urban areas.

The goal of this week is to visit programs in the field and learn what works and why in fields like international development, health, education, microfinance and the like. Each day is spent visiting several programs to compare and contrast their strategies, strengths and challenges. We bring in experts to give us country context and history, meet with NGO and political leaders, and meet with local citizens who are the beneficiaries of these programs. This week is a unique chance to see many different kinds of nonprofits and to study how different strategies can result in change.

In the past, examples of the kind of projects we have visited include the following:
• indigenous and global organizations assisting in the rebuilding of coastal communities destroyed during the tsunami in the south of Thailand
• grassroots organizations in the north of Thailand supporting Burmese refugee communities with their multiple challenges living on the Thai/Burma border and the immigration burden placed on their Thai neighbors
• schools in various stages of development, delivery and effectiveness addressing Uganda’s mandate for universal primary education
• micro finance projects in rural Guatemala, Mexico, and Uganda
• programs promoting local conservation initiatives in Brazil, Tanzania, and Rwanda

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