Thailand in January

We're at it again. Mike and I are traveling to Thailand this January for just under two weeks. We'll be accompanying a small group of other young couples from The SOLD Project, a grassroots organization from northern California that works to prevent trafficking of children in Thailand primarily through education.

A child's education in Thailand is not free, and in the many areas of extreme poverty, the cost is simply not an option. The children are uneducated and umable to make a living any other way than leaving their village, going to the city to become prostitutes; most return a few years later with HIV/AIDS. SOLD is working to educate these children through scholarships. A child in Thailand can go to school for the equivalent of $1 a day. With this education, they have hope of making a living with dignity. Much of Thailand's need and SOLD's work is featured in their 2007 film, "The SOLD Project: Thailand." You can learn more about the film and watch a trailer here.

Our itinerary includes experiencing Bangkok's night bar scene, meeting kids living on the streets, hanging out with kids in the scholarship program by teaching English and hanging out with them after school, and volunteering at partnering orphanages that work with at-risk or rescued children.

The trip cost is roughly $2,500 per person. Half of that is the plane ticket; the rest is in-country travel, food, lodging, etc. If you're interesting in contributing financially, please visit thesoldproject.org/donate and select 'yes' for giving in someone's name; write in Heather or Mike Colletto. Up to $800 total in gifts can be sent directly to SOLD as a tax-deductible donation. Anything after that would go directly to us for the cost of the trip. At this point, to be honest, we're just swallowing our pride and throwing this information out there!

We're so excited. Even to this point, making a decision about the trip has been a journey in trust, risks, and tears. But more on that later. :-)