Judy. OK, I love Siem Reap.
I know all the reasons I shouldn’t: the smoke and mirrors of the tourism
industry hide the real poverty of the country, corruption is rampant in the government
(ha--like ours isn’t?), etc. But I just
love it. I love the energy here, I love dodging busses, tuk-tuks, motorcycles.
I love how kind the people are. I love the night market where each stall owner
tells me I’ll get a special discount because “You’re my first customer!” I love
walking in the morning till I’m dripping in sweat, then plunging into the hotel
pool to cool down before my nap. I love riding in tuk-tuks.
You can tell me
all the reasons I should feel bad here, but I just love it.
I do see work that
needs to be done, and issues I need to understand. Our tuk-tuk driver, Wei,
asked the first day, “Want to see the killing fields?” as though he was asking
about visiting Epcot. We went, and saw a memorial including a stupa with skulls
of the victims of the Khmer Rouge. There were Buddhist shrines all around. And
open-air shops selling clothing, food, and cold drinks. Folks gotta live, I guess. Then we saw a
facility where land-mine victims learned skills they could use to make things
to sell to tourists. We stood
uncomfortably while three disabled men played Cambodian instruments for our
entertainment. It was awkward at best. There is still healing to be done here.
And, oh, the
poverty. It is, after all, a third world
country.
And on the
positive side, we toured a facility, Life Project Cambodia, where two remarkable
young men, Kosal, who is Cambodian, and Vin, who is Australian, work with 23
children and their families. They see to it that the children are able to
attend and stay in school, helping to pay fees if necessary, so they can work
their way out of the cycle of poverty. There are computers so kids can do
homework or get help, food for them, housing for those who have no homes, play
and art areas and equipment. They have
helped one talented young soccer player get a scholarship for a 7-week study in
Australia. Three are in college studying
to become nurses. One who just couldn’t
do well enough in academic studies is now learning in the hospitality industry.
But it doesn’t
stop there. They helped the moms of
these kids develop a cottage industry and found an outlet so the moms can help
pay for family needs. This has built up
self-reliance. The children eat
breakfast and lunch at the school (some have dinner) so parents can more easily
feed the ones at home. It’s helping to give families stability.
Vin is about to
return to Australia to do a couple of years of serious fund-raising. It’s hard for a three-year-old NGO to get
funding till they’ve proved themselves,
but they’ve recently gotten a stamp of approval from Rotary, a huge step. With
more support, they can help more kids. The grounds are large, with office,
study and play rooms, rooms for two college students, a kitchen, soccer field
and volleyball court, plus a space to plant saplings as part of the 10,000
Trees Project, from which they’ll receive some small income.
They’re very
protective of the kids—no tourists, no volunteers. We only got to visit because
our friend Karen, who is friends with Vin’s mom, told us about it. Integrity is the name of the game.
Check them out on
their website: http://lifeprojectcambodia.org, or
their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/lifeprojectcambodia. Click
in a little donation. Doesn’t have to be
much—there are so very many good charities. But a little something would be
great. And thanks.
More on this
wonderful city later.
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