This is the landing page for my three-week trip to northern Thailand and Laos. I will traveling to Chiang Mai by myself. In Chiang Mai I will be meeting up with several people from a small Seattle-based giving circle and non-profit, Pangea Giving. I will be combining regular tourist activities with visits to current and potential recipients of Pangea’s grants.

A giving circle is a group of people that pool resources and decide how to give it away. Pangea Giving started shortly after the terrorists attack of September 11, 2001 with the idea that one way to counter anti-U.S. sentiment that was present in much of the world was for grass roots involvement by Americans to get to know and help small organizations in developing countries often referred to as the global south. I joined Pangea last year and recently found a way to become more active. One of the aspects that I found appealing was the group’s hands-on approach to philanthropy with a genuine interest in learning from and helping smaller groups mature and grow their programs.