This time: UGANDA!

So...as I see that my last post was in August of 2008, I'm a bit discouraged to see that I was right about getting caught up in my petty little concerns here and forgetting about the bigger world out there. Though, in my own defense (against my self-insults), I must say that the past 8 months have not been completely wasted with my self-absorption. In fact, quite a bit has come of my experience in Cambodia.

First, I was able to present to several groups about what I saw and learned about human trafficking in Cambodia, which was rewarding and confirming to me. Second, during one of my presentations, I was approached by one of the professors in my program about joining her research group, which focuses on child trauma, particularly through sexual exploitation. After a bit of talking and maneuvering, I am now a member of her research lab, and am thrilled beyond words with it. Most of our time is spent analyzing data from an organization in Oakland that works with prostituted adolescents. Heartbreaking and motivating.

Now, as you may remember, the highlight of my Cambodia trip was my visit to the Transitions Cambodia shelter, and meeting its founder, James Pond. Well, upon my return to the States I became more and more intent on working with Transitions somehow, and it was at that time that I discovered that James and his wife, Athena, were expanding Transitions Cambodia into a global operation, and were starting a shelter in Portland, Oregon, for survivors of trafficking and slavery in the US! Can you imagine how thrilling that is?! It has been my goal to figure out how to help these survivors, and to start some sort of a program for the enslaved in our very own country - and now the hardest part (the getting it started part) is already being done! And by two of the people I most respect, using the most effective model of recovery worldwide! Eek! So, I proposed to my research advisor that we offer our data collection/analysis services to Transitions Global, and she was immediately on board. After several emails and phone conferences with James, I am on my way to leading up the only official research and data collection of human trafficking recovery programs in the US. But wait, it gets even better...Transitions Global has also just started a shelter in Mumbai, India...this means that I will be gathering and analyzing data for a recovery model being implemented in 3 different countries: Cambodia, India, and the US! If you are a research geek like me, you know just how absolutely HUGE this is!

So, that exciting news aside...I have even more. You might need a break first - go ahead and get a cup of coffee and stretch your legs. I'll wait......back? Ok. I'm taking another trip this summer: this time to UGANDA, Africa! I'm actually organizing the trip this time, and it looks like it will be mostly comprised of my fellow PhD students at PGSP, though others are welcome, as well. The trip is being planned and facilitated by Alessandro and Global Exchange again, the same group and director for the Cambodia trip. I'm SO SO SO excited, and will be writing again soon to explain why Uganda is our destination. In the meantime, please also take a minute to visit my new website at http://www.angeljdaniels.com/, where I am selling my artwork to raise money for the Uganda research.

Thanks for hanging in there with me! More to come!