Laos, old & new
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Welcome to the Jhai Foundation |
The Jhai Foundation is about reconciliation. We believe reconciliation is the opposite of war. We focus on relationships. We started with the relationship of Bounthanh Phommasathit and her family and me. Bounthanh's family is from the Plain of Jars in Laos, per capita the most bombed place on Earth. I participated in that bombing directly. In each relationship we try to see the humanity in the other. We overcome our denial, tell our stories, mourn, make amends, as appropriate, and do what we can to strengthen our friendship. We always seek progress, not perfection, in our relationships - progress in the quality of our relationships.
We like self-help. We insist on financial sustainability. We design for impact. We are most interested in relationships. We have demonstrated how, after such a devastating war, people from opposite sides can reconcile by working side-by-side. We call this the reconciliation process of development. We are now taking this very respectful way of doing things into rural villages through sustainable computer-aided efforts in the areas of health, education, and increased livelihood.
-- Lee Thorn, Chair, Jhai Foundation |
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