Staff Story

Ice Cream and Poverty

Djibouti, Staff Story l
Image: Ice Cream and Poverty

A Life Overseas … by Rachel Pieh Jones

My 7-year old went to her Somali/Arab/Afar dance class one Saturday afternoon. The guard outside informed us that there was no longer dance on Saturday afternoon, no matter that we had signed up, no matter that we had paid just last week.

Discouraged, we ran errands instead and ended up at a store which sells Magnum Bars. Be thankful drool doesn’t come through the internet. Mmmm….Magnum Bars….mmmm…My husband was a country away, my twins were at boarding school two countries away, dance class was canceled…We decided to buy two ice cream bars and eat them while taking a stroll through the neighborhood together.

I left the store with three little white plastic bags of items like canned corn and tomato paste and toilet paper. As I reached the car I heard my Somali name.

Java Bite Sweet Dried Fruit – A Sweet Treat!

Indonesia, Staff Story l
Image: Java Bite Sweet Dried Fruit – A Sweet Treat!

REI Indonesia Staff Member Brings PT. SunRei Food Products to U.S. Store

In 2009, Chuck Nicholson introduced PT. SunRei Food Products’ dried mangos to a U.S. grocery store. It was the first time the product had been sold commercially in the United States. A few years earlier, when Chuck first started talking to rural families in Tiron, Indonesia about drying mangos, their eyes narrowed at the idea. They had many questions including, “Why would anyone want to dry a mango?” and were puzzled by the dehydrating machines they had never before seen. Chuck was working with people with a 5th grade education, who had never ventured far from their village, and they questioned the notion of exporting dried mangos.

[Orient]ation – Adjusting to life in Vietnam

Staff Story, Vietnam l

Image: [Orient]ation - Adjusting to life in Vietnam

by Donna May Lyons, Communications and Fundraising Assistant

Two of REI’s newest workers, Sarah and Samantha, began their [Orient]ation into Vietnamese life and culture just eight weeks ago. The two graduates of Northwestern College, Minneapolis, Minnesota are Resident English Specialists at Hanoi University in Vietnam. During the past eight weeks, Sarah and Samantha have made many adjustments to their way of living and thinking as they have experienced the vast differences between life in Vietnam and the United States.

Back to School Across the Globe

Krygyzstan, Media, Staff Story l

Image: Back to School Across the Globe

by Donna May Lyons, REI Communications & Fundraising Assistant

Across the United States, thousands of children have either returned or are returning to school. According to the most recent U.S. Census numbers, a projected fifty-six million students will be enrolled in the nations elementary through high schools (grades K-12) this fall.

Middle Eastern Turmoil, Part 2: Update on Djibouti

Breaking News, Djibouti, Staff Story l

Image: Middle Eastern Turmoil, Part 2: Update on Djibouti

REI staff report that things have calmed in Djibouti.

Last week, the REI home team received the startling news from our staff that Djibouti, like most countries in the Middle East, was beginning to experience pangs of uprising. With presidential elections on the horizon (set for April), the political climate had become tense in the region, with small protests erupting in Djibouti City’s suburbs. However, we had heard that all of our staff were still safe and that they weren’t concerned that their safety would be threatened.

On Saturday, we received a report from staff that Djibouti has calmed. There had been rumors that strikes would come from last Saturday (February 19) through Friday (February 25), but they remained rumors and none of the strikes occurred.

Middle Eastern Turmoil

Breaking News, Djibouti, Staff Story l

Image: Middle Eastern Turmoil

Our staff in Djibouti give us an update of the turmoil in their country.

Amidst all the turmoil in the Middle East, our staff in Africa have been holding their breath to see how it affects the countries where they live and work. Our staff in Djibouti, up to this point, have not been impacted by the protests in other countries, but just this past Friday, the REI home team received a new update on protests in Djibouti.

REI’s Staff in Egypt Safe in USA

Breaking News, Egypt, Home Office, Staff Story l

Image: REI’s Staff in Egypt Safe in USA

Amidst Egypt’s recent unrest, REI’s staff member is safe in the USA.

In the past two weeks, it would have been hard to avoid hearing of the unrest that is currently occurring in Egypt. The protests calling for President Hosni Mubarak’s resignation began on January 25. Cairo’s poverty was one of the main instigators for the protests, along with complaints about rising food prices, social exclusion, anger over corruption within the President’s National Democratic Party, and difficulty in finding jobs for many young people.

Poverty Series: Excessive Amounts of Underwear

Kazakhstan, Staff Story l

Image: Poverty Series: Excessive Amounts of Underwear

An REI Staff Member’s Comical Reflection on Excess and Poverty

Tammy, one of REI’s staff members in Kazakhstan, shares her thoughts on excess and poverty in a very practical way: she compares the number of pairs of underwear people in impoverished nations have compared with people in the U.S.A. And the result is shocking! We hope you enjoy her comical reflection.

Categories

Archives

RSS Keep up with REI's work overseas by reading our blog! Subscribe by email or by feed.

FBF ▪ Powered by ®Google Feedburner