Asia pod
Pangea's three geographic pods direct the grantmaking in their region and organize region-specific educational discussions.
Focus
The Asia pod formed in late 2007, and made its first grants in 2008 after a year spent studying the region and reviewing the most pressing issues. A site visit team visited Cambodia, Nepal, and Thailand in fall 2008 and recommended five organizations as potential grantees. Grants were made to these organizations to support work in three key areas:
- Economic development projects or education programs that help keep girls in their communities;
- Water and sanitation projects that improve the health of the community; and
- Human rights programs that address human trafficking and abusive labor practices.
Key Learnings
- Cambodia is still recovering from the trauma inflicted on its population and social institutions by the Pol Pot regime. Poverty, lack of opportunity for young people and human rights issues are the focus of Pangea grants in Cambodia.
- Nepal, one of the poorest countries in the world, continues to be beset by political instability as it emerges from 10 years of internal political conflict and violence. Many communities do not have access to basic services. Pangea's focus is on clean water, sanitation, and health education.
- Thailand is home to an increasing number of Burmese refugees and migrant workers concentrated along the Thai–Burma border. Pangea grants support organizations that address exploitation and human rights abuses.
Future Directions
With only one year of experience in the region, the pod will continue trying to understand the political and socio-economic realities in each country, strengthen Pangea's relationship with grantees, and determine how our grants can have the most impact on communities and sustain the grantee organizations. We are beginning to plan for another round of site visits in 2011.