Blogs from Asia - page 13077

Later in the morning we visit another slum where WaterAid have been able to intervene and build a community sanitation block. Obviously in these settings there simply isn't the space to build household latrines, so different solutions are required. The sanitation block, with ladies' and gents' latrines, and showers, and a child-friendly latrine area too, is run by local people, and there is a small charge of 50 paise (half a rupee - less than 1p) for using the toilets, which pays for their cleaning and maintenance. Such a system also ensures that communities take ownership of the facilities and it provides a source of income for some. It's early days here and old habits die hard, but progress is being made, with open defecation now cut by around 50% here. At the third slum of ... read more

These are some pice from my train trip to tiruppur to attend a wedding. Some of the landscape reminded me of Africa with a few Acacia trees and dried bushes everywhere. ... read more

The merriment of yesterday could not have been more greatly contrasted than with today's visit. Nothing I have seen last week could have prepared me for the dire situation that thousands of people face in the slums of Cuttack city, living in extreme poverty. Many of these slums have been here for decades, expanding over time. Often they are on Government-owned land which is vulnerable to reclamation for growing industrial uses. Unfortunately, the government simultaneously represent many conflicting interests, not least the need to grow this area economically by encouraging the development of industry, whilst at the same time the welfare of families who have made their homes here in these slums, desparately in need of safe water and sanitation. Some of the slums are officially recognised by the government, whilst others are not. Slum-dwellers are ... read more

Hi there! Just a quick report about our short stay in Malaysia & Singapore. We had to rush through Malaysia in about a week so we only had the chance to see the capital Kuala Lumpur. The climate gets very tropical the more you go south: it's very hot and humid and every day at exactly 3pm you get a nice cloudburst to cool things down. Luckily the city is crammed with huge shopping malls which have an AC that makes a fridge look like an oven. So we sheltered during the daily shower by playing snooker, bowling or doing anything else we could find in the malls (even Imax theaters and rollercoasters...) The main attraction though in Kuala Lumpur is of course the Petronas towers or twin towers. Having been the highest building in the ... read more

March 5 - Monday. Got up this AM at 6:00; slept straight through. Got dressed, and decided to wear my contacts today. I had them in from the time I left Fl. Until I got to the hotel the first day. I even fell asleep wearing them, and wok up and rubbed my eyes. Without even realizing it I had knocked both of them out of my eyes. I realized the problem when I happened to look down and saw one contact on my shirt. And found the other hanging on my cheek. I decide it was too much of a pain so I just wore my glasses each day. Well today I decided to wear them. I took me forever to find out where I put them but eventually found them. I didn’t even know ... read more