After
British Brad left it was time for this Angelina to do some charity work and
Cambodia is the best place to start. I’m in Siem Reap which is based in the North
of Cambodia and famous for itss temples like Angkor Wat. Maybe this is not the
most famous one for some of you as Tomb Raider was filmed – starring Angelina
Jolie- at the Ta Prohm temple.
For
the past 10 days I’ve been working at PACDOC (www.pacdoccambodia.org) orphanage which is a safe place for poor children
and orphans.
When
Paul and I arrived in Cambodia we were truly taking back and emotional to see
how many NGO (non-governmental organization) and street children were around.
Most evenings we talked to the children, gave them drinks/food or allowed them
to be a child for at least 15 minutes by playing a game or had fish nibble
their feet. I was thinking all the time why is this possible and I really like
to be able to contribute to change this. Of course this would be a bit much for
even this Angelina but after a couple of days I met the children from PACDOC
orphanage and started working there.
Now
I know that the children need structure, education and a good diet. Most
tourist come with sweets, clothes and toys but in honestly they have all of
this and really need the TLC. So I decided to stay in Siem Reap a bit longer
and visit the kids every day to play and teach basics of English.
The
director of the orphanage Mr. Boran is there for the kids and really tries to create
the best environment for them. One of the problems is that the government wants
to close all the orphanages as there are a lot of ‘bad’ or ‘fake’ ones out there so they don’t bother
to investigate and support the genuine ones. This means that they have no
funding at all from the government and only rely on money from tourists or
donations. This is a tricky one too as many tourist visit orphanages and pull
their wallets to give some USD$. Unfortunately this only gives the tourist a good
feeling but you are not guaranteed that the money is spend to your donated
project. The best option is to buy the food, education supplies or build a
building for them as at least then you know the money is spend for something
they need. There is a cultural difference too as we (Westerns) oversee what’s
needed, therefore we would start a long-term project to build on a broader
picture for the future. As most of the NGO’s prefer the money as they need it
for buying rice, pay the electricity bill or school uniforms but when it’s gone
they are left with were they started.
Some
of the NGO’s are lucky to have the support from organisations or individuals
who want to help them to build on the future and arrange the funds to make this
happen. At PACDOC I met Emma and Peter who run www.lovecambodia.co.uk, they are truly ANGELS. They live and breathe for the
kids and have achieved a lot of great projects for NGO’s and villages. They are
a real inspiration for me and gave me lots of food for thoughts. One other gem
is USA native Rich; after his retirement he started visiting Cambodia and felt
he wanted to contribute and help. So he spends at least a month in Cambodia and
build what’s needed for an orphanage or village. During the year he fundraises
and matches the final figure with his own money. I was lucky to spend a couple
of days with this trio and supported their projects and I saw with my own eyes
what this means for the NGO’s and the children.
My
ten days gave me inspiration for more charity work or teaching but most of all
I’ve received so much love from these kids which I will take with me in my
backpack for the rest of my trip. I’m planning to contribute to their future
and return but not sure in which shape or form but I’m sure I will figure this
out during my trip.
At
the end of this week I will leave Siem Reap with lovely memories of this inspiring
adventure with the lovely kids as it’s time to continue my travels. I’m heading
to the East of Cambodia which is less visited and more remote for some cycling
and hiking in the Ratanakira Province.
I
will update you about my adventures from there and thank you again for
following me during my travels.
View my pictures from my great time with the kids:
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| Gem Rich |
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| A is one of my boys.... |
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| classroom |
Ah, what an amazing project to be part of, and Rich and Emma and Peter really sound like truly selfless and kind-hearted people. It must be very tricky knowing how best to help organisations such as these orphanages - as you say the immediate quick-fix of giving money might seem the obvious solution, but it only provides short-term relief. So it's good to know that there are people out there who are trying to change things on a long-term view, and it's wonderful that you've been able to take part and be there at the school, and who knows what form your return there might take.
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