Coming on a trip with us? Travel a lot in general and always seem to forget something? Here is our Master Checklist which can help out any world traveler:
PRE-DEPARTURE: MASTER CHECKLIST
• valid passport
• one other picture ID (driver’s license)
• plane ticket (use our parter: )
• emergency information
• travel insurance
• recommended inoculations
• currency, and credit cards, travelers checks (we don’t recommend using these, they can be a pain in many countries)
• two photocopies of passport, credit cards, tickets, and insurance (we suggest emailing a copy of these things to an ex. gmail account so you can access at any internet cafe in the world)
HOME CHECKLIST
• stop deliveries
• have post office hold mail
• set up timed lighting
• arrange for care of pets
• leave house and trip itinerary with a neighbor
• turn off water heater
• turn down thermostat
• lock all windows
• leave copy of passport and itinerary with family or friends
Author, Veronica Gray’s Note: In November 2010 I traveled to Ethiopia with SalaamGarage. We had been invited to visit the Hamlin Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa. There, I met Alemtsehay Mamo and Engocha Marefia. I had the privilege of these two very remarkable women permitting me to look into the windows of their lives. They taught me so much about being alive – they touched my spirit as nothing else/anyone has. Here are their stories. They will steal your heart and take your breath away. You can make a difference to women like Alemtsehay and Engocha who suffered from obstetric fistula. Help others like them walk the road back to normalcy and regain their dignity.
The women’s names have been changed to protect their privacy. Many thanks to Ruth Gadissa, Senior Nurse at the Hamlin Fistula Hospital, who was my translator.
LIFE DISRUPTED AND THE RETURN TO NORMAL “MY STORY” as told to Veronica M. Gray
My name is Alemtsehay Mamo. I am 19 years old. Yesterday, I was operated on for the third time in three years. I suffer from obstetric fistula and complications from my first pregnancy. (more…)
SalaamGarage first came to me looking for a webmaster to guide their upcoming switch to a different webhost. I’m not so much a webmaster as a content person who used to do websites, so out of curiosity I checked out their site. I had become peripherally acquainted with SalaamGarage through my friend Maggie Soladay, and knew the basics: they were a non profit who offered trips photojournalists, citizen journalists, and other interested people got to meet the people being helped by NGOs (non-governmental organizations) around the world.
But looking at the site I thought: where are all the pictures? There were a few (mostly text) pages devoted to upcoming tours, but nothing to show the stories of those who’d already gone on the tours. After talking to founder Amanda Koster, I got the full scoop: they had the info, but it just wasn’t on the site. That’s when my bells went off. “You don’t need a webmaster,” I told Amanda, “You need a content strategist/designer, who can redesign the website to properly showcase the powerful stories you have to tell!”
“For Agros International as an development organization, partnering with SalaamGarage did require a significant commitment, fortunately the return-on-investment is more than significant. The process for us was highly collaborative and informative. Agros already has a program for connecting partners with the people we work with in Latin America, integrating SalaamGarage’s unique approach to citizen journalism into our model was interesting and yet we found them [the citizen journalists] to be willing and adaptable, open to our insights, as well as insightful with their perspectives. Even with the collaborative trip behind us, it seems the journey has only just begun as we celebrate the creative, professional, and compelling results and look forward to further sharing of the Agros story via the work and art of the SalaamGarage partner/participants. To any NGO on the fence about a potential collaboration, if the bandwidth is available, I highly recommend partnering with SalaamGarage without reservation.” Nathan Hawkins, Service Team Program Manager: Agros International
“It was particularly impressive to observe how Amanda [SalaamGarage founder and leader] demonstrated a natural respect, acceptance and understanding of an entirely new world, so different than that of hers in the West. All the time that they were here, it never occurred to any of us that there were outsiders in the premises. As they moved about and interacted with staff, they conducted themselves so easily with the women we work with, and children who live with us. That was very impressive.
To me, the most unique aspect of the work that SalaamGarage is doing through photography [and media] is how they have transformed a skill into a mission to address such larger and deeper issues of our world. SalaamGarage going to different countries to find out where the need is and how they can contribute in fulfilling those needs is a remarkable mission. Their ability to invest with a long-term vision in mind, the empathy with which they think and operate and her [the leaders] amazing quality of listening touched and impressed everyone at Vatsalya.” Jaimala Gupta, Executive director and founder: Vatsalya
“When I was working with NGOs overseas we had some photographers come out to visit our projects, but it always seemed that their visit could have made a lot more impact both in-country and back in the USA. But what’s different with the concept of SalaamGarage, is now the combination of messages and images have the chance to resonate with a much wider audience and bring attention to underserved populations around the world.” Adam Sirois, Coordinator of the Office of Global Health at the New York University College of Nursing / Former Country Director, International Medical Corps
PAST TRAVELERS:
“ … I went with them [SalaamGarage] to Ethiopia last year and it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I was able to get two young woman back home to their villages after having fistula surgery at the Hamlin Fistula hospital in Addis Ababa. The story was a great success and managed to raise both money and awareness about obstetric fistula. It was seen by well over 2 thousand people online. The experiences were life changing, both for me and the people involved. Here are some links to the Ethiopia project including a video, photos and my blog from that time.” David Goldman, NYC. Ethiopia 2010 (click: David’s photos from the trip)
“My trip to India with SalaamGarage in 2009 led me on a path of knowing myself as a photographer and storyteller. Thanks to SalaamGarage’s mission, I was able to have an experience with the women of Vatsalya’s Women’s Empowerment Group in Shampura Village, in a way that validated for me the power of authentic connection and the fundamental truth that we really are all the same. I’ve since used the portraits and stories of those I met on that trip to raise awareness, generate compassion, and, hopefully to inspire others to find their own paths toward greater freedom, and full expression, in their lives.” Lisa Field Elliot, Santa Barbara. India 2009 (click: Lisa’s photos from the trip)
“The trip of a lifetime!” Janat Horn, NYC. Vietnam 2010“SalaamGarage’s trip to Guatemala this summer the best thing that I did this year. I have been searching for a meaningful way to be involved with organizations who are making a difference in the world- and what better way than to incorporate my career of photography?”
“Amazing! My first trip/NGO experience- I truly felt like I was a real photojournalist trying to tell a story visually, and the interaction firsthand was appreciated.”
“Truly perfect- good amount of time in each location, time to decompress, and travel days were always well planned- ample time to adjust to each new location.” Mira Zaki, NYC. Guatemala 2010 (click: Mira’s photos from the trip)
“I loved being with “young” people who are exploring the world, expanding their careers, and living a media/technical world that is new and strange to my generation. Their energy almost wore me out, but it was worth it.” (Note Grandma Phebe is over 80 yeas old!) Phebe Sorensen, CA. Guatemala 2010
“Fantastic [leader]- very objective, helpful, and simultaneously personal.” Mira Zaki, NYC. Guatemala 2010
the soil is very red here. it has a hi iron content. there are bombs in this soil. explosives which are still killing people, maiming people, blinding people, etc. people who have/had nothing to do with any conflict between north and south vietnam, or the united states or anything. kids who went out to play, thought a ‘bombie’ (cluster bomb) was a toy and kicked it. they may loose their site, legs and arms while their friends die right beside them. this is how it happens.
today i interviewed and photographed a few landmine survivors and victims (there is a difference here).
i am meeting these folks, seeing these places, learning about how things are now, post war. things are good and bad.
yesterday, january 15 quang li told me 14 people have died this year in quang tri province from explosives.
blair (exec. director of peacetrees vietnam) said it will take over 200 years to clear all the explosives in the soil in vietnam. over 200 years. 200 years. how long will this war last exactly?
besides iron i imagine there is a lot of blood as well. the soil here is very red here.
(By Conrad Chavez) I visited India as part of the first SalaamGarage team, which visited Vatsalya in 2007. I was impressed to discover that Vatsalya does not merely rescue street orphans, but is a caring community that transforms them into educated, productive persons with job skills. On our pilot trip, each of us was encouraged to interact with the community in a way consistent with our skills and abilities. I photographed the children, their classrooms and activities, and the work of the dedicated staff. Back home, our trip team mounted photo exhibits about our visit to raise awareness of the work of Vatsalya, and to help jump-start more SalaamGarage trips.
Current SalaamGarage teams commit to developing more specific projects with the organizations they visit, and I also felt I could do more than just show pictures. So I kept my eye open for a future opportunity to help Vatsalya. In 2011 Vatsalya announced a project to fund the building of a new, expanded school. I thought that the new school’s fundraising campaign could benefit greatly from having a visible, accessible presence like we often see in US fundraising projects.
THE HUAORANI OF THE ECUADORIAN AMAZON:
CHILDREN OF THE OIL
August 1-11, 2012
The Huaorani of the Ecuadorian Amazon once numbered in the tens of thousands and possessed a much more extensive territory than they do today. Today they number only around 2,000, and their territory continues to face the threat of oil development and colonization. Huaorani lands situated in the northern provinces of the Oriente were severely affected early on, and today six oil concession blocks overlap Huaorani territory. For the Huaorani, the history of the last three decades has been one of encroachment on their land by oil companies and usurpers, both Mestizo colonists and other indigenous groups alike. Contamination and loss of hunting grounds have caused the Huaorani to flee from advancing “civilization,” while they simultaneously fight a rearguard battle to preserve some vestige of their autonomy. (more…)
Rob Williams: I signed up to travel to India with SalaamGarage without knowing quite what to expect. IT was the first overseas trip of my adult life (if you don’t count the weeklong drinking binge in Scotland after my senior year of high school). More than anything, I think I just wanted to verify that the world is a real place. After two weeks with the SalaamGarage group, and four more weeks traveling on my own – drifting past laundry lines in the backwaters of Kerala, pausing in front of vivid hand-painted billboards in Tamil Nadu, and wandering through fish markets in Mumbai – I am definitely more convinced about the reality of the world, especially when I look at some of the photographs I took along the way.
Rob Williams is a mercenery copywriter and copy editor who lives above a meat market in the East Village in New York City. He plans to continue traveling – and writing – as much as he can.
Eduardo Sciammarella: One of the most profound moments of the trip for me occurred while visiting the rural village of Shampura outside Jaipur. I interviewed a woman named Santosh Kanwar. She’s 26 with four little ones-Anshuman, Radha, Deepika, and Abnishiek. She touched me deeply as it gets when she answered my question, “What has been the biggest change for you since you joined the women’s self-help group?” She said that she had finally learned the first names of all the women in her village. Up until then, they had only known each other as so-and-so’s wife. Step one on the path to independence-identity.
Eduardo Sciammarella is a social entrepreneur and photographer. He is currently CEO and Co-founder of GatherGreen - a daily deal site featuring local sustainable businesses. Eduardo attended the Institute of Design where he studied photography and industrial design. For over ten years Eduardo was one of Sony’s elite designers working on advanced concepts in both product and interaction design. He is the inventor of over 40 patents and winner of several international design awards. In 2004 Eduardo established Protohaus – a design innovation consultancy – clients include Apple, Disney, Microsoft, Nokia, Samasung, and Sony.
Eduardo is a strong believer in citizen journalism. His first experience with citizen journalism was with SalaamGarage, he says, “We need to re-imagine documentary storytelling by traveling and listening to how others struggle to live on our planet today. It’s vital that we gift these stories to our friends and family.” Eduardo traveled with SalaamGarage to India in 2009.
Eduardo will lead the SalaamGarage 2012 trip to Ecuador!
My memories of India include vignettes of beauty, romance, living history, intrigue, and stark reality. Vatsalya has changed my views on what an NGO should be. It’s more than an organization that helps people. They are a family who believe in wholeness in their care of people. The leaders have made this their life’s mission and their fingerprint of love is evident in all respects.
Udayan is a home that will always be a place of constant consistent love and acceptance no matter the circumstances. Isn’t that what we all long for and need more than anything?
The reciprocal nature of the people who are touched by Vatsalya is contagious and it’s evident from those who lead there today.
My heart goes out to those working hard for a better tomorrow for all. My love goes to Vatsalya and the children of Udayan, my respect goes out to Jaimala and Hitesh. To know them is a great privilege, their commitment to causes greater than themselves has shown me what sacrifice, hard work and vision can produce.
Ponzi’s given name is Latthanapon Indharasophang. She is a media producer and tech innovator with expertises in mortgage banking, but her heart is in the arts. Her secret desire is to take a year or two and travel around the world. She prizes nothing more than experiencing different cultures and meeting new people.
