In the spirit of my New Year’s Resolution to update this blog more frequently, I am now posting about even the most mundane events in my life. Feel free to duck out now …
This week saw my first moto crash, after riding for six months. To be fair, the word crash is a massive exaggeration. It was a bump, an incident, pathetically anticlimactic and barely worth the 700 words I’ve managed to pull from a few seconds of drama. I’ll first of all say that I am 100% completely ok and that there is no need to worry. Now I’ll go on to set the scene.
I was driving along, as I do every day, through the ‘centre’ of Kampot. Full face helmet on, as always. I was even wearing long yoga pants (a skin-saver, it turns out). I indicated to turn into a junction and slowed down to wait for some passing traffic. I was almost in the centre of the road, pootling along at about 2mph. Once the way was clear, I turned, as my indicator suggested was my next planned manoeuvre. At that exact same moment, two young local lads zoomed by, catching my front tire as they overtook me. There was really nothing I could do to stop the inevitable. Hello road!
It didn’t even hurt. I was moving so slowly that the impact was negligible. As I looked up from my new position (horizontal on a warm and dusty road), I saw the two guys looking over their shoulder before speeding off. The next sight was my friend’s partner running across the road towards me. I don’t know many people in Kampot but I happened to have toppled over outside his place of work, for which I am grateful. He lifted the bike off me and walked me and it to the side of the road. By this time, the policemen in their newly erected police station (a shipping container painted white and blue), had noticed the ‘foreigner in trouble’ and decided to get involved. You never know when you’re going to receive a cash ‘thank you’, after all.
Holding my broken wing mirror and the end of my brake handle, I had to then explain to the overly concerned cops that the scratch on my leg had come not from the accident they had just witnessed but from the day before when I had somehow walked into my own desk. It’s a wonder I am still alive, to be fair.
Reassuring a few bystanders that I was ok, Erwan and I got my bike running again (apparently the poor machine was more shocked by the collision than I was and had temporarily stopped working). The cops faded away, realising there was no money to be made from this particular barang (white person) mishap. The reckless driver who hit me was long gone and, frankly, there was no reason to chase after him. In the grand scheme of things, it was a non-event.
As a side note, the only reason for my trip into town on that not-so-fateful day was to buy salad. Eating healthy almost killed me! Except I didn’t nearly die: that was just a statement for dramatic effect. Seriously, Mum and Dad, I’m fine.
The next morning, I dropped by my mechanic who reattached my wing mirror free of charge. I’ve decided to live with my snapped brake handle for a little longer as it still works perfectly well. My blue kneecap will be covered by long trousers or leggings for a few days.
That’s it. That is the story of my rite of passage: becoming a moto crash victim in Cambodia. Considering I’ve been here for three and a half years, the fact that I’ve never been robbed and, until this week, hadn’t been involved in any traffic collisions was something which made me rather unusual. Perhaps now I can truly be considered a local. When, in fact, I think I could more accurately be described as a careless barang who forgot to check her mirrors before turning. I should have known that indicating wasn’t enough!
Lesson learned, I’m back on the road. Getting back in the saddle wasn’t even a psychological hurdle. After all, I had salad ingredients to buy. And the cover image for this blog was taken after a 30km moto ride with my former flatmate, Fanny, to meet some climbing friends of hers. Confidence unaffected, I drive onwards.
Last week I went on a two day trip to SKOPE’s newest partner school. Located in the heart of Kampong Speu Province, nestled amongst the trees, is Karuna Youth Cambodia. Founded in 2011 by their young director, Phearith, KYC is an NGO which focuses on community-based education projects. The village of Chherteal Chrum is unassuming and from the outside looks like any other rural Cambodian community. But the children here are luckier than most and six days a week 250 of them are able to attend free English and Computer Studies lessons at KYC.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
The school is small; just one classroom and a narrow corridor which acts as a computer lab. There’s also a small meeting room and performance area (Phearith is looking to begin a traditional arts education programme soon). The playground and surrounding greenery is beautiful and at the far end of the property stands the solar-powered Rainbow House, built to accommodate future volunteers, complete with bathroom, living area, television and mezzanine bedroom.
Look how cute it is! And I slept like a baby to boot.
My trip out to the village took three hours in a local bus-taxi. Usually there are upwards of twenty people crammed into a twelve-seater van but I was lucky. Just me and four Cambodian men. Oh, and a huge bag of alive crickets. The countryside in Cambodia is beautiful, especially in Kampong Speu which is home to the Aural mountain range, the largest in the country, so the drive was delightful. When I arrived at the edge of the village, a man took me by moto to the school where I met Phearith and got the tour of the complex. It is a little haven of comparative luxury; electricity, running water (sort of), English-speakers, and delicious Khmer food.
I was waited on hand and foot by the family whose property borders the school. The women cooked incredible dishes for me throughout my time there and I was very impressed by their skills and hospitality despite them not speaking a word of English. The school ran until four in the afternoon at which point Phearith and I went for stroll around the village. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves here … Basically, it was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
That evening the villagers were all invited to join us at the school as a celebration. Whether it was because Phearith was taking his monthly visit to the site (he is based in Phnom Penh where KYC also operates) or because I was there remains unclear. But I’d like to think it was the latter. Of course dinner wasn’t on time so we wiled away the wait by singing karaoke (not me, don’t worry) and watching a zombie movie which had all the women who had already arrived screaming and the kids hiding behind their hands. Due to the fact that I was sleeping in a wooden house on my own at the end of a school garden in an unknown village, I opted to read on my phone rather than watch …
The following day I spent time with the school children who had come to study. The centre is open all the time and many came hours before their lessons to play with friends and hang out in a safe, clean space. I wandered around, chatted to a couple of them, and then settled down to read a Dr Seuss book to a group of students who were waiting for their class to begin. They were so engaged in it, despite not understanding a lot of the text and I suddenly remembered how much I enjoyed teaching.
The teachers at the school are past students who have studied in Phnom Penh on scholarships from KYC. Whilst their English is good, there is no substitute for native teaching and this is what KYC and SKOPE are partnering on. As of October 2016 we are launching a volunteer program. These volunteers will live on-site in the Rainbow House, be provided with free meals and teaching supplies, and get an incredible experience of life in Cambodian countryside. The program is free although if volunteers want to make a donation towards the school or to cover the costs of the food/housing, they may do so at their discretion. Transport to the site will be organised either by me or Phearith and I may even come with volunteers to settle them in (plus I loved in there and would happily go back any time).
Some of the children in Pre-School
Here I must point out that there has been a lot of press recently about the negative impacts of ‘volunteerism’. KYC and SKOPE are working together to ensure that any and all of the issues raised regarding volunteerism are addressed and eliminated. Both organisations believe in sustainable, community-based practices and we endeavour to do our best for the children we are working with. I will be writing a blog some time over the next few days on volunteerism, SKOPE, Cambodia, and my thoughts more generally.
If you’re interested in volunteering for KYC, please fill out the form below. Alternatively you may contact me (SKOPE@sovannkomar.org) or Phearith (kyclub.info@gmail.com).
I’ve always been interested in cultures, specifically the differences between them. Anthropology was one of my favourite subjects at university and I continued this interest by focusing my masters’ research on Cambodia. Oh, and living in Cambodia. The culture here is unique, special, and fascinating. Recently I’ve been doing some research work which brought me into contact with some traditional Khmer proverbs. I thought I’d share some with you today as a way to offer an insight into this amazing country in which I live. And then comment on them in humorous ways, naturally.
“Negotiate a river by following its bends, enter a country by following its customs.”
This is important everywhere and recently Cambodia has had some problems with tourists. Naked selfies at Angkor Wat, for example. I mean, what? Who in their right mind would do that? Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument in the world. You wouldn’t walk into St. Paul’s Cathedral and strip down so why is it ok to do so at Angkor? It isn’t, they got deported.
“Don’t let an angry man wash dishes; don’t let a hungry man guard rice.”
Well, yeah, that makes sense. Although in Cambodia men rarely do the washing up so I’m not entirely sure where this came from. It’s logical though, I’ll admit.
“A bunch of sticks cannot be broken.”
I take this to mean alone one person can be weak/vulnerable but together we can be strong. Agreed; teamwork is the way forwards. Although, let’s be honest, a chainsaw would get through a bunch of sticks … *cough* CPP *cough*.
“If you know a lot, know enough to make them respect you. If you are stupid, be
stupid enough so they can pity you.”
So basically don’t get Cs in your exams …
“The tiger depends on the forest; the forest depends on the tiger.”
I’ll amend this to the tiger depended on the forest … Cambodia no longer has any tigers left in the wild since they were hunted into extinction. So I suppose whoever was making their living from selling the skins didn’t hear this proverb. But more broadly, everything is interconnected; everything is important.
“The immature rice stalk stands erect, while the mature stalk, heavy with grain, bends over.”
Respect your (hunchbacked) elders. True, and Cambodia does this more than most western countries.
“Active hands, full bellies.”
Tend your crops and reap the rewards. Makes sense, right? The more rice you plant, the more you grow to eat/sell. That can be expanded out though; work harder to earn more money.
“For news of the heart, ask the face.”
I like this one. Emotions show on our faces even without our knowledge. You can always tell when a friend is upset or happy or confused or in love. And they can’t hide it from those who know them best.
“Catch a fish without muddying the water.”
AKA be discrete. True; if you catch one fish and the water is still clear, you’ll be able to catch another. Two fish – yummy.
“If you are doing wrong, make sure you don’t get fat from it.”
I have no idea what this means, but I like it. Does it mean, don’t eat pizza?
“You don’t have to cut a tree down to get at the fruit.”
This is important in Cambodia because most people favour immediate gratification over long-term gains. So yes, you could cut down a tree to get every piece of fruit from the highest branches but then what happens next year? Make a ladder, climb up, be patient and work hard and you will receive more in the long term.
“Burn it to a crisp or leave it raw.”
If you’re going to do something, commit to it! Obviously this doesn’t apply to food. You can cook without taking this proverb seriously …
“Love is blind.”
Awwww, how cute! My Khmer friend told me this one and clearly it’s a worldwide belief. It’s true; sometimes who we’re attracted to has nothing to do with physical attributes. And why should it? It’s what’s on the inside that counts.
“Physical death is better than the death of your reputation.”
Is it? To be honest, I disagree but it highlights just how much importance Cambodians put on how they are viewed by others.
“If there is water, there is fish.”
My friend told me this one … he was rather upset when I told him I was drinking a glass of fish-less water at the time.
“Men are like gold, women are like white cloth.”
This sums up Khmer traditions perfectly. Scandals stick to women but the men can walk away from the mess without any repercussions. It’s accepted that men visit prostitutes before they are married but women are expected to be virgins. If a man cheats on his wife, oh well. If a woman cheats on her husband, all hell breaks loose. Different expectations for different genders are increasingly archaic as a concept and I hope to see Cambodia moving on from this soon.
So there you have it; a few of my favourite proverbs from Cambodia. There are many more but some of them don’t make sense, some of them I don’t understand and some are just plain weird! But I hope they’ve entertained you and contributed to your understanding of this amazing country.
Growing up in the UK meant I took certain things for granted. The fact that my mother tongue was the universal language was one. The freedom to move around Europe was another (a topic for a future blog perhaps). But the aspect of my life in the UK which I didn’t even consider remotely extraordinary or unusual was the ability to visit my local GP or hospital at any time and receive free, high-quality medical treatment.
The National Health Service. The NHS. Founded in 1948, it is the world’s largest publicly funded health service. As a child, if ever I was sick or injured (a rare occurrence, admittedly), my parents were able to take me down to the doctor’s office and treatment was administered, free of charge. It was as simple as that. It wasn’t until I began to travel and meet people who lived in other countries that I realised just what a wonderful amenity the NHS is and will hopefully continue to be.
And it isn’t because the UK is a developed country. It was being friends with Americans which made me really think about just how lucky the UK is. Yes, we pay our taxes to contribute toward this expansive health care system. But those few thousands of pounds are a small price to pay for, potentially, an unlimited number of doctor’s visits in our lifetimes. In America, when someone gets ill, insurance companies will do anything not to pay out. Recently, my friend’s father was diagnosed with stage four cancer in his neck and head. The insurance company paid for surgery to remove the lymph nodes but refused to cover a prothesis which would allow him to eat and speak normally after the removal of a significant proportion of his pallet. Over $10,000 was fundraised by his friends and family all over the world to pay for what the insurance company claimed was a cosmetic device. A nose-job is cosmetic Breast enlargement is cosmetic. Eating and speaking normally however? That’s just a basic human right.
America now proudly boasts Obamacare after the passing of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2010. I didn’t really know what this was until I did some research for this blog. Basically, it’s affordable health insurance. Employers are encouraged to cover their employees and there are fines for those who don’t. Employees usually pay into this insurance scheme out of their wages so it’s not free: yes, they’re usually covered when they get sick but they’ve still paid for the privilege of being treated. USA Government insurance is expanding, but still only covers 33% of the population; predominantly the elderly. And just under one in ten Americans are still uninsured. That’s 30,000,000 people. What happens when they get ill?
In Cambodia, life is cheap. Road traffic accidents kill six people per day. It’s not usually the crash itself which kills people; it’s the slow ambulance response times, poorly trained medical professionals, and a lack of funds to pay for treatment. Last month, a friend of mine got into a moto accident. His foot was crushed by the oncoming moto and by the time he got to hospital and was seen by a doctor (close to 12 hours later), they were unsure whether they were going to be able to save his foot. They needed to operate. Immediately. Well, as soon as the doctors were paid $2,000. So my friend lay in a hospital bed, dosed up on morphine, surrounded by worried friends and family who suddenly had to find the money to prevent an amputation. Luckily, they were able to do so and my friend is now recovering well. Another online fundraising campaign raised $6,000 towards the total $9,000 cost of the treatment. The moto accident was not his fault. The driver of the other moto ran off.
Neither of these fundraising examples should have had to happen. Everyone deserves two feet. Everyone deserves to be able to eat and speak. Everyone deserves to live, come to that. Urgent, necessary medical treatment should not be money-dependent. Just because someone is poor or their insurance company is devoid of any morals or human decency, doesn’t mean their life has less value nor do they deserve a lower-quality of doctor.
I regularly see crowd-funding links shared by my Cambodian and American friends to pay for medical bills for themselves or family members. Health care is a basic human right, a principal behind the founding of the NHS. I understand that the costs of running such a service are colossal and I appreciate that some people don’t like to pay taxes. But you know what I don’t like? The fact that every day thousands of impoverished people die from preventable, treatable diseases because they cannot afford to seek medical help. It’s 2016; the world has moved on from the time of emperors and slaves, lords and serfs, we’re supposed to be living in a time of equal opportunity. And yet the most important thing in our lives, our health, still comes with a price tag in many countries.
The NHS has three core principles:
that it meet the needs of everyone
that it be free at the point of delivery
that it be based on clinical need, not ability to pay
Sounds good, right? Yeah, people should be able to receive treatment for medical issues, regardless of their, let’s be honest, financial status. Sickness and accidents don’t differentiate between rich and poor. Cancer doesn’t choose its victims based on their bank statements. Lorry drivers don’t fall asleep at the wheel and only plough into the back of Rolls Royces and Bentleys. It can happen to anyone. It does happen to anyone. And everyone should be entitled to the medical facilities which can make them better again.
The NHS isn’t perfect, I get that. But consider the alternative. Without a public health care service, medical treatment becomes a luxury many can’t afford and that’s not fair. Let’s not allow the UK to succumb to the pressure of the private sector. The government cuts are chipping away at the services piece by piece. Doctors and nurses feel undervalued and I can imagine the temptation they feel towards moving into private practice, even if they believe in the concept of free health care. Let’s fight for our NHS and keep this life-saving, admirable, honourable, and proud institution open, well-funded, and supported for future generations.
There may be no rest for the wicked but there’s also no rest for the good. SKOPE is moving on to do more great work in rural Cambodian villages. We’re already focused on our next project after the completion of our work with Chumkriel Language School last week. Our next school is a little closer to home: in Prey Veng province and just an hour and a half from Sovann Komar.
Prek Pnong Primary School provides classes to 87 children from the surrounding villages. It is very remote and the road there is, well, not a road. I traveled out to visit with Sovann Komar Children’s Village Director, Mr Arun, and Sovann Komar School Headteacher, Mr Kosal. The children were just adorable, smiling constantly and fascinated to see the photos of themselves I was taking on my camera.
SKOPE is working in tandem with several individuals within Cambodia and a high school in New York for this project as it is our most financially ambitious to date. We intend to provide Prek Pnong with a well, a toilet block, and a playground. Most of this will be funded by private individuals but SKOPE will be contributing as well. The villages in this part of Prey Veng have no fresh water supply and must purchase large water drums to drink, cook, and washwith. The school has no onsite toilet.
Discussing well locations with the headteacher
Just three teachers provide lessons every morning for Grades 1 through to 6. The classes are mixed as a result (Grades 1 and 2, Grades 3 and 4, and Grades 5 and 6 share classrooms). The teachers were all wonderful and the children study hard when they come. When they come. Often enough parents elect to keep their children at home where they can earn money picking fruit at the local mango farms. For many families, education has to come second to putting food on the table.
Studying hard
And as for the playground? Well, school isn’t all about studying hard. It’s also about learning to socialise, playing well with others, and having fun. The children from Sovann Komar Children’s Village themselves will be designing the playground which will be built in the shade of two large trees. The play equipment will be made from recycled tyres, a cheap, safe, and sustainable material.
The future site of the playground
I’m very excited about this project and we are looking to complete all three aims by the beginning of July. If you would like to donate money, please visit our Crowdfunder page or email me directly at SKOPE@sovannkomar.org.
On Sunday 1st May, SKOPE visited Chumkriel Language School in Kampot. I first heard about this NGO in November from Sokha Phin, one of the waitresses at the guest house where I was staying and a former student at the school. Very briefly, Chumkriel Language School (CLS) provides free education to children living on the salt fields just outside Kampot town. They have two buildings and support over 150 children every day, helping them to get a quality education which can lift them and their families out of the poverty cycle.
The children from CLS and Sovann Komar walking to the salt fields
SKOPE’s donations to CLS were classroom based: posters, speakers, flashcards, reading comprehension books, and lesson materials. Many of the children who attend CLS bring younger brothers and sisters to school with them because there is no one else to care for them during the day. Therefore we also bought toys and balls for them to play with whilst their older siblings are learning.
Children and staff from CLS and Sovann Komar along with me and a few friends. The donations are laid out in front of us
Some children came from Sovann Komar for the day to see the school and meet some of the kids SKOPE is helping. They had a great talk from the headteacher, Mr Thy, about the important work CLS does and how SKOPE has contributed and then the local children gave ours a tour of the salt fields. It was the first time they had seen where salt comes from and they were very interested in the white basins of crystals and how they are gathered.
Salt fields tour
Afterwards a game of football started up with children from Sovann Komar and CLS playing wonderfully together.
Football time
We also put up some posters in one of the classrooms which were then admired by some of the students.
Children look up at the Khmer vowel poster. On the left is the Khmer consonant poster
This day was yet another confirmation for me that charity work is definitely what I want to do with my life. I had a wonderful time with the local children whilst we waited for the delayed bus from Phnom Penh (I was already in Kampot for the long weekend with two friends, Jordan and Rachel), and the project felt really worthwhile. CLS is dedicated to providing these children with an education and without their work, the kids I chatted and played with on Sunday would have been out in the salt fields under a boiling hot sun, piling up the grains and carrying heavy basketfuls to the storage barns for the measly wages of $2-$3 every day. It is a hand-to-mouth existence and, with a turbulent salt market, an unstable one. By giving these children a chance to study Khmer, maths, science, computers, and English, CLS offers these children and their families a way out of poverty.
SKOPE hopes to continue to work with CLS and is keen to get involved in some wider, community-based work such as their shelter housing project, the community vegetable garden, and building a hydroponics system. If you are interested in supporting any of these innovative initiatives (two words which should be used side by side more often because it’s just fun), please comment on this blog or email me at SKOPE@sovannkomar.org.
CLS children wait for the donationsSovann Komar children and staff learn about CLS and the salt fieldsLucy helps to put up some posters in the classroomSomeone’s little sister tags along for the salt fields tour
I’m a generally happy person, always have been I suppose. But over the last couple of weeks I’ve started thinking more about happiness: what it is, where it comes from, and how we can achieve it. Which is an interesting thing to be thinking about in a Buddhist country where the local belief system teaches us not to focus on emotions, which are fleeting and ever-changing, but to concentrate instead on clearing our minds of any and all desires, hopes, and fears. Only then will we know true peace.
These thoughts were kickstarted by an article sent to me by my godmother, illustrating the findings of the World Happiness Report 2016. You didn’t read it? Here’s a summary of what is found to make people and countries happy:
Social support so that you have friends and family to count on in times of trouble
Freedom to choose what you do in life
Generosity and how much people donate to charity
Absence of corruption in business and government
GDP
Healthy life expectancy
The reason this article was sent to me was because of the third point. You see, supporting SKOPE by clicking on our Crowdfunder page now and donating some money will make you happy … Sorry, I digress. But yes, giving to charity makes people happy so I like to think that a significant part of why I’m happy out here in Cambodia is because I work for a charity I truly believe to be making a difference. I also have an amazing group of friends, both in Cambodia, the UK, and now around the world (expats move a lot). Thanks to Skype, Whats App and Facebook the distance hardly matters and I know I can rely on them when things get tough. As for choosing what I want to do in life? I’d say I was doing exactly what I want to do right now with no thought about how my choice will affect anyone but me. And I have the freedom to be selfish like this because of my abundance of point number one. But what about the last three points?
Cambodia ranked 140th out of 157 countries for the World Happiness Rankings 2013-15. Obviously it’s impossible to know exactly why Cambodians scored so poorly but let’s take a look at points 4, 5, and 6 in relation to this country I currently call home.
Corruption. Every year Transparency International publishes corruption indexes and every year there is some politician in Cambodia complaining that the figures are bias and incorrect. In 2013, Cambodian came 160th out of 177 countries. The UK came 14th. In 2014, Cambodia came 156th out of 175 countries. The UK came 14th again. In 2015, Cambodia came 150th out of 168 countries. The UK came 10th. Cambodia is one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Millions of dollars of aid flood into the country every year and significant portions of that money is unaccounted for. Well, unless you happen to drive past the Independence Monument and glance at the house on the corner of Norodom Boulevard and Sihanouk Boulevard. I’ll say no more here in case I’m deported but those of you who know Phnom Penh will know exactly whose house I’m talking about.
The current Gross Domestic Product of Cambodia is $16.78 billion. The population is 15.33 million. Imagine this product was divided fairly: each Cambodian would receive $1094.59 per annum. The current GDP of the UK is $2.989 trillion. The population is 64.51 million. If this product was divided fairly, each Brit would receive $46,333.90. And people say money can’t buy happiness.
Finally let’s take a look at the average life expectancy. Cambodia’s health care system is … limited. The average life expectancy in Cambodia is 71 years. In Vietnam it’s 75 and in Thailand it’s 74. And the UK races ahead with 81 years. Well it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out you’re more likely to be happy if you’re not anticipating your life coming to an end earlier than modern science should allow.
So in conclusion, if your country’s government is full of greedy, selfish, soulless men (yes, it is mostly men), grasping desperately to their power and killing (literally) potential political rivals, if you’re a policeman getting paid $70 per month or a salt-fields worker paid just a couple of dollars per day, and if you’re quite likely to meet an untimely end when you fall sick with a curable illness but don’t have the money to pay your poorly trained local doctor to cure you, you’re quite likely to be unhappy.
As a side note, when the word ‘happy’ first entered the English language towards the end of the 14th century, it meant lucky. Perhaps it still does today: from the facts and figures above and if we want to make a sweeping generalisation we are happy if we are lucky enough to be born in the right country. I’d describe myself as a happy-go-lucky person but would that be the case if I had been born in Cambodia? I’d like to think so: I love this country! But the figures suggest otherwise.
But I don’t want this to be a depressive blog entry, so I’m going to end with some comments from my Grade 5 class. For their journal activity this week, I asked them: “What makes you happy?” Their simple answers will warm your hearts.
I was happy when I went to see a fox at the zoo – David
I am happy when I am watching Cartoon Network – Mony
I was happy when I got a new helmet because I don’t want my head to be broken – Sak
I am happy when I have a lot of friends who like to play with me because they are very funny – Sasda
I am happy when I don’t have spellings – Piseth
I am happy when Teacher Ruth says my point is good – Sokheng
I am happy when I am eating pizza and listening to music – Bush
I am happy when I am reading my storybook – Sovannary
I am happy when I have lots of noodles to eat – Davy
Sometimes, you just need to remember that children make up about 27 per cent of the world’s population and those in Cambodia have some of the brightest smiles.
Oh and in case you’re interested the UK came 23rd out of 157 countries in the world happiness rankings 2013-15.
To read more about the reports and articles mentioned above, click on these links.
This week was all about red helmets for me! The order from Asia Injury Prevention Foundation (AIP) finally arrived on Tuesday and they look great!
Thumbs up for the helmets
This is the culmination of six months’ work for SKOPE which started in one of my first weeks back at school. I had always noticed, and been horrified by, the number of children coming to Sovann Komar School without helmets, especially since a law passed early in 2015 made it compulsory for all passengers to wear one. After I had started SKOPE, I realised I was in a position to instigate change in this area.
Two cousin nipping home for lunch … without helmets!
Most of the children within Sovann Komar Children’s Village don’t ride motos too often because they take the bus to and from school. However, when they do they are traveling along one of the busiest and most dangerous roads in Cambodia. I didn’t understand why the parents allowed this since they are so loving in caring in so many other ways. The students at our school however often come from very poor families. For some of them, a helmet is seen as an unnecessary expense and therefore they risk their child’s life every day. If you’ve not seen it, click here to watch a video I made.
Most of the funding for this project came from a few generous donors in the USA and Outreach International. Outreach is the volunteer agency I used when I first came to Cambodia and we have kept in touch ever since. They also continue to place volunteers at Sovann Komar and one of the mothers at the village acts as their in-country coordinator. Thanks to their contribution, SKOPE was able to finance the rest of the project with money raised in the UK in December.
I’ve written before about the helmets I chose so I’ll just briefly summarise here: they’re made in Vietnam and conform to US safety regulations. They’re bright red and have the SKOPE logo on either side.
I spent the day yesterday carrying around large boxes to every classroom in Sovann Komar School to fit and hand out the helmets for children who travel to school by moto. Here are some lovely smily faces to give you an idea of my job and why I love it so much.
Some happy children from Nursery 2Grade 3 and their new helmetsMe and one of our Grade 1 classes with their new helmetsMy Grade 5 class next to one of two signs we have had made for the project
Yesterday evening I stayed behind after work and when the older children returned from school, we had a little ceremony to give the helmets to the Sovann Komar families too. Each family got three or four helmets (the children had all been sized several weekends ago) because if the whole family are going somewhere, they usually drive.
Sovann Komar children and some parents with the helmets
Along with the helmets, Sovann Komar and SKOPE are implementing stricter road safety rules. Everyone who lives within Sovann Komar Village must wear a helmet when they pass through the gate. If they don’t, they must pay 50 cents to the guards there. Although we are not financially penalising the students enrolled in our school their parents will be informed that we are stepping up our game when it comes to road safety and our guards have been asked to keep an eye out for children who repeatedly do not wear helmets.
However, I do not think we will have much of a problem enforcing these rules. The children who received their helmets yesterday were all very pleased with their shiny red present. They understood the importance of them and so did their classmates. Parents too acknowledged these gifts and will be able to tell the helmets are excellent quality. That, coupled with the letter, and I hope we will instil a safety conscious culture into everyone at Sovann Komar.
A father admiring his son’s new helmet yesterday
It doesn’t sound like much but I think SKOPE accomplished a lot with this project. 117 helmets distributed and over 360 students educated about the importance of road safety. Hopefully these are lessons and practices which will continue for the rest of their lives.
Keeping this family safe!Grade 2 and their new helmetsGrade 1 getting fitted for helmetsKindergarten and their helmetsOur youngest students, Nursery 1, and their helmets
After months of planning and fundraising, on Tuesday 8th March Sovann Komar Outreach Program for Education (SKOPE) returned to Kampong Thom Province with donations for two rural schools there. I first visited Chhouk Sak Primary School and Wat Chroum Primary School last November and this time I brought some children and workers from Sovann Komar.
The children from Sovann Komar: Colin, Anton, Lionel, Sam, Mathew, Jack, Sak, Luccas, Noah, Theo, Veasa, Maya, Lucy, Rachana
SKOPE donated school supplies to over 900 students. Each child got individually packaged (it took hours) gifts of two exercise books, a pen, and a pencil. These might seem like small things to you or I but many of the children attending these schools do so without the basic necessities for learning. We hope with these new supplies, the children will be able to study more effectively and improve their educational abilities. But schools aren’t all about sitting in a classroom and studying text books. Along with 1,820 books, 910 pencils and 910 pens, we also took some sports equipment. Six footballs, six basketballs, ten hula hoops, ten skipping ropes, twelve say (foot shuttlecocks), and four bags of building blocks were also donated, to be split between the two schools. At this point I would like to extend a specific thank you to Sarinda, one of the teachers at Sovann Komar, and her family for donating most of the sports equipment to SKOPE’s project.
So many books! And balls, and hula hoops! And helpers.
We had a truly fantastic day from start to end. We had hired a minivan to take us up to Kampong Thom and I asked thirteen of the older children from Sovann Komar Orphanage to accompany us. One of SKOPE’s key initiatives is that the children who live within the orphanage are involved in our outreach work. We also had three students from Sovann Komar School and various members of staff including Sarinda and her family, Mr Arun (my boss), Morokot (the accountant), and Kunthea (the administrator).
Everyone was very enthusiastic about the day despite the early start on a public holiday (Happy International Women’s Day!). As soon as we arrived at the school where all 900 students were gathering, I met Samreth, the man who had helped me organise the whole event. The students from both schools were asked to meet at one site for logistical reasons and they behaved excellently, all lined up neatly and patiently whilst the adults faffed around and discussed who was going to translate my speech for me. An unplanned speech, may I add. Luckily I’ve always been good at thinking on my feet and I think it went pretty well despite me never having spoken in front of close to 1,000 people before. It probably helped that most of them were under ten years old and didn’t understand English.
Me speaking to over 1,000 people!
I had been concerned about the logistics of handing out donations to over 900 students but with my willing helpers, the whole thing barely took five minutes. The students were sat in lines and we simply walked up and down handing the books out. It went incredibly well and the children were all very sweet and thankful.
Then came the fun part: the sports equipment. I wanted to get the children from Sovann Komar playing and interacting with the children from the Kampong Thom schools. I had already warned them that they would need to be careful when playing with the younger ones as some of my helpers were the older boys in the orphanage and are fourteen and fifteen years old. They were all great and little games of football, basketball and say popped up everywhere. Some of the Kampong Thom teachers arranged skipping games for the girls and I think (I hope) everyone had a good time. Lots of children came up to me trying to give back the balls and equipment but when I explained, in Khmer, that they were for the schools, their faces lit up in the most heartwarming way.
My new hatSkipping ropesTeamwork with building bricks
After an hour or so of playing, the local children began to leave. It was a day off, after all. We packed up too and went to have lunch at a nearby restaurant which is run by a Malaysian woman who is friends with Samreth. After our delicious lunch the children headed into the fields behind the restaurant to look at some cattle and relax in the countryside. We were given the opportunity of writing and drawing on a board which will be secured to the ceiling of the restaurant to memorialise our day. Mathew and Rachana, two of the Sovann Komar kids, copied the SKOPE logo onto it!
Are you picturing the day in your head? You don’t have to! I’ve made a video about it so just click here and enjoy 3 minutes of One Republic whilst you watch adorable children in Kampong Thom.
Everyone fell asleep on the journey home, unsurprisingly. After I’d finished the book I’d brought to pass the time, I sat there contemplating the day. I’d been planning this trip for months and had organised everything. I got the feeling some of the staff at Sovann Komar were a little pessimistic about how the day would pan out as a result but, even if I do say so myself, it all went perfectly. Everyone knew what they were doing, everyone knew when and where they were going, and everyone was able to relax and enjoy their time knowing the logistics had all been taken care of. Without sounding too big headed, I felt an immense sense of satisfaction at how well my first day trip project for SKOPE turned out.
I felt something else too. A realisation. People always ask me when I’ll be leaving Cambodia and what I’m going to do next. I’ve become very good at avoiding giving a straight answer and that’s because I truly didn’t have one. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, where my life was going, what was coming next. Here I am at 25, with a Masters by Research, and no idea of where life is going to take me after this school year ends. But now I know.
I want to go into the charity sector. I want to work in this field, make a different, feel the way I did on Tuesday. I’ve never been driven by money when it comes to my job, hence I’m working at an NGO rather than an international school where my salary would double. I’ve always said I’d rather be poor and morally content than rich and depressed about my job. There might not be much money in charity work (at least, there shouldn’t be), but that is the arena to which I want to devote my life. I’m sure it will take time and when I return to the UK (yes, I’ll be returning), I will be starting on the lowest rungs of the ladder. But my experience with SKOPE is invaluable and I hope it will enable me to get a position in an organisation which is truly doing good and with a far wider reach and impact than I could ever have on my own in Cambodia.
So all that is left to say is thank you to everyone who has supported me so far, whether that be through donations to SKOPE or support of my wanderings and aimlessness in life. Specifically I would like to thank my parents who will be reading about my new life choice just as you are because I haven’t actually told them about it yet … I hope this is something you’re happy about Mum and Dad!
SKOPE is still working, of course. Our next project will be in Kampot where we will be donating classroom supplies such as posters, flashcards, props for teaching vocabulary words (animals, fruit, vegetables etc.), and dictionaries. If you would like to support this, we have one week left of our Crowdfunder website so please click here to donate today. Thank you.
Waving books!My bracelet made an appearance, naturallyMore handing out photosA rare candid photo of me where I don’t look awful! Laughing with Arun and SamrethChildren waiting. Photo credit to Sok ChomreanMore waiting. Photo credit to Sok ChomreunA happy little girlPacking the hula hoops safely awaySuch a beautiful smileCycling homeFarmer SamAnton, Colin, Jack and Lionel go wandering into the fieldsPensive SamColinMathewAnton relaxingLionel watching the other drawSak supports all of SKOPE’s projects!
I am always on the lookout for new schools for SKOPE to work with. In November 2015, whilst holidaying with my parents, I got chatting to one of the waitresses at our guesthouse who was very interested in what I, and SKOPE, do.
Sokha had learnt her excellent English from Chumkriel Language School, a small NGO set up on the outskirts of Kampot, a riverside town in the south of Cambodia. She thought I might like to meet with the head teacher of Chumkriel Language School (CLS) and maybe work together.
Meeting Sokonthy at CLS’s main site just outside Kampot
I visited in January 2016 and was thoroughly impressed with what the NGO and their inspirational, kind-hearted founder Nget Sokonthy are doing. Not only do they provide free daily education to hundreds of children, they also support the local community in many other ways. Attached to a public school, CLS share their facilities with the government school, organise workshops and sporting events and provide free lunches from their soup kitchen using vegetables grown in their own plot.
The great, invaluable vegetable patch at CLS which provides nutritious food for the on-site soup kitchen
About half the 450 students attend the evening English classes for free, with the other half paying approximately $1 per month. Those who cannot pay are encouraged to give something back in other ways, including teaching classes themselves when they graduate or getting involved in other projects. This is what Sokha is doing now so after she works all day at the Greenhouse guesthouse where we met, she teaches children who come from a similar background to herself.
Most children cycle or walk to their evening English classes
I am particularly keen to get SKOPE involved in CLS’s shelter building projects. Sokonthy builds shelters for vulnerable families on the condition that their children then attend his school. By providing a safe, secure house for these families, Sokonthy is stabilising the family unit and therefore the children are more likely to attend school regularly and excel in their studies. Each house itself costs $500 but CLS likes donors to contribute $700. The additional $200 will cover the cost of the children’s schooling until they are 18, including books, stationary and uniforms. Interested? Email me at: SKOPE@sovannkomar.org or visit our Facebook page.
We are also looking to supply CLS with some classroom equipment including speakers to help the children learn the correct pronunciation, flashcards and posters in the Khmer language, and exercise books. At the moment we have no funds for this particular project so, again, if you are interested, please visit our Crowdfunder page.
The small play area outside CLS where they have recycled car and bicycle tyres to create a climbing frame
SKOPE is hoping to make a different in rural Cambodia but we can’t do that without your help. Anything you can spare will go directly to the projects I have written about here. Already we have two schools in Kampong Thom which we will be donating exercise books and stationary to in March which is great. But we want to do more and with your help, we can be the change.
Lemon in Cambodia 