Many thanks to PBS producer Patti Parson, Associate Producer Rebecca Jacobson and the folks at The Newshour with Jim Lehrer for the wonderful story they did on BeadforLife (http://beadforlife.org) on Thursday’s program. Every time the NGO gets national exposure of this kind the phones ring off the hook and more and more people join the fight against global poverty. Together we are making a difference and … Continue reading BeadforLife on The Newshour
Check out Ode Magazine for my story on slum tourism or “poorism” as it is sometimes called. This is my first magazine article and it came as a result of stories I introduced on my blog. Thanks to all for reading. http://www.odemagazine.com/doc/62/slum-tours/ For more information about Vicky Collins visit http://www.teletrendstv.com Continue reading Slum Tourism
I recently got to know a fabulous freelance writer named Jamie Simons who writes the Grateful Traveler article for Peter Greenberg’s blog. Peter Greenberg is the travel expert who is a frequent guest on NBC’s Today Show. I met him a couple years ago when I was producing for him at the Aspen Food and Wine Classic. If you haven’t read his blog you should … Continue reading Grateful Traveler
Ever since I traveled to Kampala, Uganda in 2006 I have wanted to tell the story about the village BeadforLife (http://beadforlife.org) was creating with its members. On our first visit we learned that affordable housing was a dream for the women who were trying to lift themselves out of extreme life crushing poverty. Almost all wished for a home that they would own rather than rent. They … Continue reading Friendship Village
I had my first photos ever in a gallery. A call for entries went out for a juried exhibit at Flash Gallery in Denver (http://workingwithartists.org) and two of my photos were selected. The subject of the exhibit was “Home is Where the Heart Is” and photographers were encouraged to submit their visions of what home means. Proceeds from the exhibit will go to help the Denver Rescue … Continue reading Amazing Grace
I can’t get the movie “Slumdog Millionaire” out of my mind. Just like India, it was surprising and unexpected. The beauty and brutality are staying with me. It made me think back to a little street urchin who came up to our car window in Old Delhi. I can’t get her out of my thoughts either. She approached our vehicle when we were stopped at an … Continue reading Slumdogs
Our Ugandan driver picked us up from the airport in Entebbe on November 9. We were barely down the road before he asked us who we voted for in the election. He wanted to talk about Barack Obama. He wanted to tell us about the parties all over Kampala on the night Obama was elected. They were still going on days after the election to celebrate the … Continue reading Africans on Obama
I’m taking this attack in Mumbai personally and it makes me sick. I just returned from India on Monday after an amazing few days in Delhi. We went to attend the wedding of Pravheen and Akanksha. We made Indian friends and were treated like honored guests. As Westerners we were welcomed with open arms by a warm and gracious people. We were invited into their … Continue reading Mumbai On My Mind
The truth, my friend Song and I agreed, is somewhere in between. When people see things from completely different points of view, more than likely the reality lies in the middle. Song and I were having lunch towards the end of the Olympics in the International Broadcast Centre cafeteria and I asked her what she planned to do after the games ended. She said she’d like … Continue reading The Truth About China
The Olympic Games are less than three weeks away and Beijing is spiffing up. When you have a workforce of over a billion people you can get lots done in a short time. Every day the city transforms itself more and more. Signage has gone up from one end of town to the other. You drive over logos in special Olympic lanes, see Fuwas and banners … Continue reading Olympic Countdown
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