Our expedition to Myanmar and Nepal

(September 19 – November 15, 2018)

The adventure is about to start...!

In February 2018, we, Albert and Judy, decided to make a dramatic life change by uprooting from our home country, The Netherlands, and relocating to another country in a different region of the world, a country where we can make a real difference to the daily lives of the local population.

Making this step has been a passion that has occupied both of us for a number of years! After many beautiful years in business and fostering a long list of children in our family, the time has come for a new step in our lives. We have decided to exchange our place in the Betuwe, with all the apple trees, for a mission and social entrepreneurship in Asia.

We still feel quite young and have energy. Energy that we would like to share with people on the other side of the world who can use some help. We have made a number of journeys to Asia and this has been one of the contributing factors in our desire to relocate there. "We have done well for ourselves in the West! What could we do to make a difference in the lives of people, families who have to get by with so much less? " A question we often asked ourselves and do not want to ignore anymore......

So, what's the plan?? In the past period our thoughts have mainly been drawn to Nepal and Myanmar. Two countries where the population is among the poorest in the world, where in the past decades development has lagged behind, but where the borders and opportunities are opening up. We want to investigate whether it is possible to set up local business initiatives, supporting the local population with employment, micro-credits and coaching.

First, we plan to go on a voyage of discovery to see where our skills and experience will be complimentary with the local needs. On September 19th, we will board a plane in Amsterdam and fly to Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar. We will also visit other regions in the country. After Myanmar, we plan to travel to Nepal to explore options there. In two months we will have discussions with local entrepreneurs and governments in both countries about ways to make a difference for the local population.

Myanmar We will be in Myanmar for 4 weeks, the maximum period that is possible on a tourist visa. Myanmar is one of the poorest and least developed countries in Asia and has recently been in the news due to internal tensions and related UN reports, but also by new regulation that allow (foreign) entrepreneurs and investors to settle in the country. Myanmar is a country with about 55 million inhabitants with different ethnic groups. The largest ethnic group, the Bamar, has about 24 million people. As Myanmar is a predominantly Buddhist country, other ethnic minorities are not always in a comfortable position. Is there anything we can help with business opportunities, bridging distances?

In Myanmar we will stay in Yangon about half of the time with a young couple we met in the spring - they are from The Netherlands and have been living in the country for 4 years now, teaching English language and SMB business coaching. We will shadow them in their daily activities and will have meetings with entrepreneurs based in Yangon. In addition, we will travel to different regions in Myanmar to get to know the country, and the people, in a different way. We are very curious as to what we will experience and we'll take into account that the roads are not of the same quality as in our own country and even short distances will take a day :-)

Nepal

After the first four weeks in Myanmar, we will travel to Nepal for a month, where we will mainly visit the multiple projects of the 'WIN - Work In Nepal' Foundation to investigate whether there are opportunities for us to assist and set up new business initiatives. We will join together with the founders of the foundation, Ben and Linda Kostwinder, whom we have known for many years.

In Nepal there is a lot of need since the earthquake in 2015. So much has been destroyed and it will take many years to rebuild the country. The unemployment is staggering, and this has a huge impact on society. As a result of these unemployment rates, many have to work abroad at minimal wages, to be able to support their families. This impacts the families in a big way and options to be reunited are very small, something the WIN Foundation is trying to change.

In both countries we want to see if we can contribute to the employment and well-being of families by setting up businesses and by coaching people to start sustainable businesses, using micro-credits where necessary.

We realize that it is a big step and life will not always be easy. Besides stepping away from very rewarding work relationships, it also means letting go of our children and grandchildren. This is not easy, both for us and certainly for them.

We plan to maintain this blog on a regular basis. As we do not have a good picture of the stability of the internet in different regions in either country, it may be that there will be some delay between different posts. Have patience with us, this is the first time we are doing this :-)

Albert and Judy Hessels