Tsunami Plus 10

MIKE (Seattle, WA)

It is wonderful to be back touching the people, places and issues of Asia.  This is familiar but also something wholly new: I have the luxury of exploring the legacy impact of the tsunami and philanthropy with few hard deadlines and plenty of lead time; it will be well filled!  I get to write again, in this new format.

For my background, hit the LinkedIn button on the home page.  In brief: I co-founded G2A with The Asia Foundation in 2000; from 2008 I supported a great team as Regional Philanthropy Exec for Bank of America Merrill Lynch; and since late 2010 I’ve been honored to support the US College Ready team at the Gates Foundation.

The T+10 TEAM will be augmented over the months with field advisors in Sri Lanka, Aceh, and elsewhere.

MAYRA (San Francisco, CA)

When my Middlebury College friend asked, “Hey, any interest in coming to Sri Lanka to shoot photos and video of long-term tsunami recovery?” I answered,  ”Yes, where do I sign up?” His infectiousness matched my love for travel, photography, and new connections; it is a collaboration recently sealed over scotch in Seattle.

I’m an independent marketing consultant, photographer and traveler, based in SF for nearly two decades. An East Coaster born to Cuban parents, I began my career in advertising for Clorox, Levi’s, Charles Schwab and, most recently, BlackRock.  I’ve long had an interest in philanthropy, including Grameen America, that improves people’s lives while preserving their way of life.  I look forward to being our eyes and producer on the ground, making you feel like you’re right there with us.

SHARADHA (Colombo, Sri Lanka)

Sharadha is our eyes and ears and heart in Sri Lanka.  She is an independent writer and communications expert who has specialized on social and nonprofit issues for more than two decades.  Her work has taken her to the West Indies, state Sri Lankan television, and into numerous documentaries.  She is also the author of “One Country & One People,” an illustrated children’s storybook.  She is co-founder of The Sunshine Charity  for children in Trincomalee and has also been deeply engaged in women’s issues and Habitat for Humanity.

RADHIKA (Colombo, Sri Lanka)

Radhika is a development practitioner who worked with the UNDP during the tsunami. She has since worked on research, project design and evaluations of aid effectiveness with a view to creating a culture of sustainable development practice through private sector and NGO interventions. As a part of the T+10 team, she is looking forward to understanding the socio-political impact of aid on individual beneficiaries and civil society organizations on the ground, eight years on!