Before Daisy and I started our world trip, I bought myself a second-hand 2011 Macbook Air. It was quite cheap, lightweight, and handy, I thought to myself. Unfortunately, and much sooner than expected, the Macbook Air didn’t meet my requirements. Rather than throwing it out, I decided to offer it for free on Facebook. Very quickly, I received dozens of reactions, but one stood out. This led me to a story about Dutch entrepreneurship, a TV maker with a mission, and a school for Burmese refugees. A small gesture, a special story.

A break from traveling, in Chiang Mai

After 9 months of traveling, we take a break. We rent an apartment in Chiang Mai. We take the time to catch up on work and ‘arrange a few things’. My second-hand Macbook Air is beginning to find life more and more difficult. The battery lasts only 45 minutes, the fan makes a lot of noise, and it no longer reaches the speeds that it did in the years before. I decide to buy a new laptop. But what to do with the old one?

Sell or Swap

I decide to offer it in a Facebook group: Chiang Mai Sell or Swap. In the post I explain that someone can have the computer free of charge. My only condition: it has to end up with someone that has a positive story to tell, which I can listen to in exchange for a cup of coffee.
 

 
I get a lot of reactions. “I will give you 10.000 baht of airtime for it,” a local radio DJ says. “My daughter can use it to learn how to type!”, a Thai mother replies. “I think the non-profit organisation Philanthropy Connections can use this laptop for their team!”, a Flemish guy living in Chiang Mai says. “I’m looking for a present for my girlfriend”, a German tourist says.

I search the internet for information about all the interesting stories. The choice is easy: Philanthropy Connections. An organisation with a great story and a founder who, when I contacted him, promises me a cup of coffee – and a good story.

Sallo

Philanthropy Connections is founded by Sallo Polak, from the Netherlands. At a young age, he travels overland from the Netherlands to India, where he is confronted for the first time with the very visible poverty of the crowded Asian country. He decides he wants to make a documentary about the subjects he encounters, but people are not really interested. The documentary never sees the light of day.
 

 
Then he starts working in Dutch television. During those years he travels through other Asian countries. The feeling that he wants to do something for poor and disadvantaged people continues to come back to him. He quits his well-paid job, leaves for Thailand, and puts his heart and soul into working for a local NGO. In 2010 he decides that he believes in a different approach. That’s the birth of Philanthropy Connections.

Keeping expenses as low as possible

Sallo welcomes us to his small, homely office in Chiang Mai. It’s hot, but not too hot for a cup of coffee. “I hope this is enough to get your laptop,” Sallo says with a big smile, handing over the cup. “We can really use it .” The friendly benefactor explains that he tries to keep his costs low and therefore often depends on large and small donations. “Gifts like this. Actually, my own laptop can also use an update. The battery doesn’t work anymore, so it is always connected to power. But replacing it is expensive. And we can use the money for our projects.”
 

Philanthropy Connections

“We are the link between sponsors and small-scale projects that are often invisible to the larger NGO’s and donors,” Sallo explains to us. “From a project where young Burmese women are being taught English, to emergency relief for refugee camps on the Thai border where larger NGO’s have been withdrawing their efforts.” Philanthropy Connections works together with local organisations. “They know the situation, they speak the language, and are familiar with the needs of the people.”
 

 
“We believe all people deserve equal chances. We are working to make that happen, one person at a time. This is why our mission is to find, help, and empower people in need. Our vision is to change the lives of 50.000 people in southeast Asia over the next five years.”

Stepping Stones

Sallo speaks with much enthusiasm and love about the work he and his team do. “We offer Stepping Stones”, says Sallo, while he takes 5 small stones that have the Philanthropy Connections logo drawn on them, out of a small bag. “These stones are a small gesture for our donors. They symbolise what we are doing. We don’t give large amounts of money to projects and then lose sight of them. We listen to the needs of the local organisation, visit the projects, and keep our donors informed. The money that the projects subsequently receive helps to realise their goals. A ‘stepping stone’ towards the realisation of the final goal.”
 

The Work

From building kindergartens to supporting projects where toilets and clean drinking water are realised in poorer regions. With his connections, Sallo provides aid to local communities who need help the most. Also, the co-financing of a trajectory in which young Cambodians get the chance to follow a university education is part of his portfolio. In all examples, there is a greater goal than just financing the projects.

“We give the children in the schools a chance to develop, we give the residents of a remote village a chance to live a healthier life, and the young people who go to university have a chance for a better future”, Sallo explains. Daisy and I are both impressed by his story. “It’s great to tell the story. But it’s even better to see it with your own eyes,” he suddenly says. “What’s your plan for the next couple of days?”

Ban Nai Soi Community Learning Center

A few days after visiting Sallo, we have a road trip through the Mae Hong Son province. Sallo gets us in touch with Rosie, a lady who leads the Ban Nai Soi Community Learning Center. On a rainy afternoon, we drive our rental car onto Rosie’s terrain.
 

 
“My father bought this piece of land and began training young people from refugee camps on a small scale,” the young woman tells us. “He borrowed money from friends, got a contribution from an NGO and started this place.” But in 2007, Rosie’s father had an accident and was seriously injured. “From that moment on, me and my mother kept the project running.”

Learning by doing

It’s not easy for young people to get admitted to the Learning Center. They have to show that they really want to learn. In addition, the community where they come from is asked about their attitude and motivation. “We want them to be committed so that they leave here with the right certificates.”
 

 
An important part of the process is an internship at an organisation that deals with community development. “English lessons and computer skills are important. But lifeskills are most important to us. With those skills, they can contribute to the community where they are from. The internship helps with this. In the end, we hope that the whole community benefits from the knowledge that our students take home. The young people don’t only learn from books here. They learn by doing. Just like me, after taking over from my father.”

Read more: Are you looking for an amazing Thailand itinerary for a or 3 weeks by car? Look no further!

Difficult circumstances

Despite the hard work of Rosie and the financial contribution from Philanthropy Connections, the circumstances in which the pupils live are far from optimal. The dormitory where the boys stay is a solid concrete building. But they sleep on the cold tile floor, on thin mattresses. The dormitory of the girls is a stuffy, dark, wooden building with a few windows. The classrooms are bare, open spaces. The ‘restaurant’ is a roof in a sandy pit.
 

 
UPDATE: A few weeks after our visit I got a message from Sallo that they have received donations for the (re)building of the girls dormitory.

“We get help from volunteers and are partly self-sufficient. Our vegetable garden is maintained by the students. We even bake our own bricks with which our classrooms are built. And we see good results. There are pupils who have graduated and have completed the university, so our work is paying off. With the help from Philanthropy Connections we have built the new boys dormitory and toilets. That ensures better conditions at the moment, and also secures our future.”

A small gesture, a good story

The work that Sallo does, and Rosie’s project; they really help people. My ‘generous’ giveaway on Facebook is nothing compared to the work that these people do. But I still feel that it’s more than just giving away my laptop.

With his approach, Sallo shows that a relatively small contribution can achieve a lot of positive impact. Rosie shows with her school that education improves the lives of ‘her’ young people in more areas than just knowledge – for now, and in the future. Giving away my laptop may not have that much impact. But for me it proves that a small gesture can lead to a special experience and a good story. And it gives me a chance to tell that story to others. Who knows, it may reach that one donor that will help Rosie take the next step. Can you help?

Would you like to learn more?