Snips and Snaps from the last few weeks

Sports Day in the village where there are all different stations set up and the children rotate around every 10 minutes. Everyone gets very competitive- even the staff!

 Tug of War

 Little vs Large in Drip Drip Drip. A very similar game to duck duck goose, but with water.

Puppiesssss

The dog in the red cluster where I live had puppies a few weeks ago, and now they are opening their eyes and playing around. One has been named Fionee in my honour!

 Fiona and Feonee

A few weeks ago the children were invited to perform at the wedding anniversary of the minister of agriculture, with all the proceeds of the event going to NHCC. This was a big deal as this is the first donation from a Cambodian donor. The children below were the ones that went to dance and play traditional imstruments. They looked amazing in their costumes and make up- but it was a shame that I didn't get to see the dance.

The week after the event, the woman who held the party came with her full entourage to give donations. Instead of just donating money, the Cambodians like to make a big show of donating different things to the children. When we arrived in the village there was a huge tent set up where the woman, and about 30 other people were sitting. All the tables from the houses were bought out to the centre of the village where the children gathered to eat. There was a stand set up on the edge of the basketball court by CP, the Cambodian equivalent of KFC which made friend chicken for everyone, and the children were absolutely loaded with food, sweets, fizzy drinks and toys from this woman and her people. They obviously loved it, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were some children that were a bit ill afterwards after seeing how much they were trying to eat. It was such a big production- there were even TV cameras filming, so I can now say that I have been on Cambodian TV!! The picture below gives a small taste of the feast!

More from our little friend Boromey, as he gets ready to tuck into his sprite.

This is in the pre-school, with fish that we made with the googly eyes that were very kindly sent to me. They are now hanging proudly in the classroom.

Beach Time

There are 289 orphanages in Phnom Penh and when NHCC was established in 2006 it was the only place that would take HIV positive children. Government orphanages refused to take these children, and that is why NHCC only accepts children with HIV (and their siblings) as there is no-where else for them to go. At the moment there are 250 children at the village and it has hit capacity, so NHCC is collaborating with Sunrise, an Australian run NGO to open up a new place very similar to the one in which I am living. This place is in the process of being built, and it is located in a place called Ream, about 20 minutes from the beach. 

At the moment, while construction continues, there are about 30 children living in a rented house in Phnom Penh, waiting to be transferred there next year. On Friday I was lucky enough to hitch a ride down to the beach with John to see how the construction was going. Employees of Computer Share, an Australian company which is a major donor to the project, were completing a sponsored cycle ride through Cambodia, which ended at the new orphanage, and so all the children from the house in Phnom Penh were also bought down to the beach to see their new home being built, and to greet the Australian cyclists. After looking at the site, we had a few hours until we had to meet the Computer Share guys, so we decided to head to the beach. As we were walking down to the sand, both busses of children pulled up at the side of the road ready for a quick swim too. Most of the children are newly orphaned, having lived in poverty for most of their existence, and therefore had never seen a beach in their life. It was just such a great moment to see them running out of the bus, over the sand and into the water screaming and laughing.  They were all having the time of their lives, as were the staff who were all in the water laughing and playing with the children. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me to take pictures, but I spent a lot of my time with a little girl called Sophan, standing next to me in the photo below. At first she was scared of the water, but then after a while was splashing and kicking and laughing, only stopping briefly when she surprised herself by splashing salty water in her eyes. 

After fun on the beach we went to meet the cyclists in the new orphanage, and they were very touched by the children- it’s always nice for donors to see the children that their money is benefiting, and there were quite a few tears from the Australians as they heard about the lives that some of these children have lived. As it is a four hour drive from Phnom Penh (and after a certain senior moment with John, a near death experience- see photos below for unusual road vehicles!), it was too far to go back in one night and all the children got to go and eat at a restaurant and spend the night in a hotel- I am sure that they can’t wait to move down near the beach after that trip!

 With Sophan at the new site

 The new village under construction

 The Plans- it look amazing. When it is finished there will be a pond, playing fields, a clinic, classrooms, offices, a playground.... not too shabby.

 The gang so far- eventually there will be 120 children

 The beach

 An example of the traffic on the road, notice the car going into the opposite lane to overtake- I like to think of it as the lane of death

Another classic sight on the road and proof that Cambodian people really can sleep anywhere

Village Panorama

I stood in the middle of the basketball court and took this picture the whole way round...... so you too can join me in the village if you print this out big and wrap it around your head. Alternatively just look and admire.

Let's go fly a kite

The rainy season is finally over, however the cool(-ish) breeze is still rolling around the village, so what better way to spend the days than flying kites. It never ceases to amaze me what the children can make out of nothing, and soon after the first kite was made, there were numerous other flying companions in the sky made out of everything from bin bags to old pig food sacks. All these kites do mean that walking around the village is sometimes a dangerous game as there are stealthy strings everywhere, only visible once you have tripped over, or been guillotined by them. The younger children, like Sokchiet in the picture, were content with a small piece of string and a sheet of paper, running around the basketball court ‘flying’ their kites, but the some of the older ones took it a step further even making a kite which was almost as big as me. As the kite was white I used my best graffiti ‘skillz’ to decorate it with a can of gold spray paint that has been knocking round my house for some time. I also ended up with a matching gold hand that took two days to shift, but it’s all fun and games.  After a false start which resulted in the kite being stuck in a tree for a good few hours, the boys managed to get their creation airbound, and my brilliant artwork (and the not so brilliant artwork of the child who stole the spray can and used it when my back was turned) was on show for all to see. In the style of ‘The Kite Runner’, some of the boys even engaged in mid air battle to try and cut the others kite string, before they chased the losing kite down..... so tense...... so exciting, and a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Don’t worry though, these next few weeks won’t all be about flying kites and skipping around. Unfortunately Kathy (one half of the founders) had to go back to the States unexpectedly, so my responsibility levels have just jumped considerably. In the next two months we have four World Challenge teams, as well as two teams of volunteers from Denmark out to stay with us.... probably about 80 people in all to organise and find work for.... oh and also the small matter of making sure that by December 25^th there are 300 children’s stockings organised and full of presents ready for Santa to give out. Makes me tired just thinking about it!

 Sokchiet and his 'kite'

 Lets go fly a kite..... up to the highest height.

 I call this Hopes and Dreams: Fear and Doubt..... or just Kumsan with a confused face.

 A brave rescue mission

The kite preparing for an epic battle

Home Based Care

When I first came here in 2007, I used to go on a lot of home based care visits (see glossary!) as part of my work in the HIV clinic in a local hospital. Living out in the village meant that I have never really been on many since, so the other day I organised to accompany one of the field workers on his daily rounds. Each field worker goes out on his motorbike to visit his allocated children each week, and so I hopped on the back to go along for the ride. I love going on them as you start in the hustle and bustle of the city in the early morning, and then after a while end up out in the middle of nowhere in the countryside- it does get pretty uncomfortable sitting on the back of the bike for that long though! Most of the families that we visit are very poor living in houses similar to the ones in the picture. Now that I can speak Khmer it is so interesting to hear what is being talked about. While the field worker checks the child’s medicine to make sure it is being administered properly he also takes their temperature to check that they aren't getting ill. My field worker had a nutrition book with him and I could see him discussing with the children what they eat during the week. Each family receives 10,000 riel per week (about £1.60) to help with the cost of food. The older boy in the picture is actually Vietnamese and the one with HIV, and he lives with his grandma (next to him) as both his parents are dead. The other boy is also her grandchild, although I couldn’t help but notice that he is definitely not completely Vietnamese (especially compared to his older brother). His hair is light brown and his eyebrows were blonde, and I was fascinated by him. It doesn’t take a genius to work out in which line of work his mother must have been in, but it is just so odd to think that there is someone out there who has no idea that he has a son living in poverty in a shack in the back end of nowhere. Hopefully I will get the chance to go out again and visit some more families before I leave.

Holiday to Siem Riep

Last week Rachel, one of my university housemates came out to Cambodia and I had a great time showing her round the project. We spent 3 days in the village, and then I took a few days off work and we went up to Siem Riep in northern Cambodia. This is a place where there are some amazing 12^th century temples, which are Cambodia national treasures, and everybody here loves them. It was great to have a few days off, although they were a very busy few days.

Day one we went to watch sunrise over Angkor Wat, which was a pretty amazing thing to see. We then spent the next 8 hours exploring the temples, including my favourite, Ta Promh which is the temple with the trees growing all over it, used in the Tomb Raider film. The next morning we did a Khmer cooking course, where we learned how to make a dish each, and were busy chopping, ‘smashing’ and cooking on the balcony of the restaurant, watching life go by on the street below. The afternoon involved a trip to a landmine museum set up by a former Khmer Rouge child soldier. He now works in the local area to help demining, and the proceeds from the museum fund a school he runs for landmine victims on site.

The final day we arranged a trip out to some floating villages. Like the rest of South East Asia, Cambodia has been affected pretty badly by the recent flooding, and so the road out the the village was very torn up where it had been underwater for weeks. Out in the village the houses that float were obviously fine, but some of the other houses only had the roof poking out from above the swollen river. We took a boat trip around the houses, and it was really interesting to see how the floating way of life works. There were floating schools, shops and even a floating mechanic. When we got out to a clear part of the lake, I decided that, despite being fully clothed, it would be fun to go for a swim. And it was! Although getting back into the boat definitely wasn’t. With no steps or ladder the driver was trying to haul me back on board, while the villages in their boats just sat and watched. Oh well, at least it was entertaining for some. The next day it was back to Phnom Penh for a couple of days before heading back to the village. 

 Sunrise over Angkor Wat

 Me and Rachel cooking up a storm

Cambodian Wildlife

The floating shop

At the floating village after my swim in the Tonle Sap

Glossary of Terms

I have realised that for the people that have not had to endure my wittering on about Cambodia for the past three years, it might be useful to have a ‘glossary’ of who’s who and what’s what. So....

NHCC: New Hope for Cambodian Children, the name of the NGO I am working for.

‘The Village’: Not the 2004 film starring Joaquin Phoenix, but the purpose built orphanage in which I live, also home to 250 children and 90 staff, 15 dogs, a few hundred pigs and about 80,000 chickens. No running water and electricity for 3.5 hours a day. Located in the middle of nowhere in Kompong Speu province and called the village, (funnily enough) because it is set out like one. Houses are made up of 8-10 children who live with a Cambodian married couple. The woman looks after the children and the man works on the land. Houses are grouped in clusters, 3 houses and one kitchen/ eating area per cluster. Colour co-ordinated for those who get easily lost.  On site there is also a clinic, a library, a school, basketball court, volleyball court, a playground, vegetable gardens...... it’s BIGGG.

Happy Home: House in Takhmau, just south of Phnom Penh. This is where the babies live, as well as sick children who need to be in close proximity to the hospital.

New Hope House: Newly opened last month, this is a house in Phnom Penh where the older children live once they have finished high school. There are about 20 living there now, half attending university and half in vocational training.

Home Based Care: Most of the children under NHCC care live with their families and are under this programme. Each week they are visited by a field worker who counts their medication to check it is being taken right, checks their health, makes sure they are going to school and provides money for food.

John and Kathy: Gave up the high life in Texas to come over here and help people with HIV. When they got here in 2000 there was no medicine at all for children, so they set up the first ever HIV programme for children and John went to Thailand each month to get medication. They founded NHCC in 2006 and now support 40% of the children in Cambodia with HIV. AMAZING PEOPLE.

Megan: my partner in crime back when I was here for the year- sadly still at university, but coming out for Christmas. Thank goodness because I am getting sick of the children asking where she is. AM I NOT GOOD ENOUGH?

Vutha: Village Chief, not in a feathered headdress sort of way though, has a dog called Clinton, named after Bill himself. 

Theary and Pa Heng: married couple, NHCC carers and my Cambodian bezzies. Pa Heng likes to call himself Bryan.

Mr Vuthy, Ms Many, Mr Phalla: the NHCC directors and general big dogs. 

My Birthday

 The Cake

 My party guests

Mid-day disco on my birthday.

On the 24th October it was my birthday, which I spent out in the village with all the children. I had mentioned to some of the children that it was my birthday the previous week, and by the time the big day arrived news had spread like wildfire, and everyone knew. Everywhere I walked there would be children asking me about my birthday, and whether I was going to have a cake. Living with 250 children makes having a birthday party a bit tricky, especially on the cake front. I gave my trusty friend Pa Heng (one of the staff at the village) some money to go to the market to get some supplies for a bit of a party. Birthday parties in Cambodia are quite an unusual concept- most people don't celebrate their birthdays, and many people don't even know when they are, or how old they are. They generally use new year as a marker of being a year older. I plan to do no such thing, however. The party was held in one of the children's houses, and I was banned from entering while they set up. Once it was ready I was led in as they (about 40 of the children and some of the staff) sang happy birthday with a varying knowledge of the words. I had a brilliant cake with carved fruit adorning it, and a snazzy party hat to wear. After I blew out my candles there was silly string and sparklers and some good old Cambodian karaoke. Handing out the cake was interesting- all the staff and older children got a piece, and then I was handed a spoon, and proceeded to feed each child a spoonful of cake. Slightly unorthodox, but fair I suppose. Another Cambodian tradition is to smear the icing from the cake all over each others faces, and as the birthday girl I was a prime target. Some of the children and the staff had made me really sweet gifts which I have now pinned up to add a bit of decoration to my bare walls. All in all a pretty good birthday.

Some photos from the last month

 Boromey: small boy, BIG shorts!

 Tharut getting the dregs out of my coke can.

The pre-school children taking a nap

Basil, one of the babies that I used to look after, all grown up now.

Sunset over the village

Me at Angkor Wat, the biggest religious building in the world and a source of national pride for all Khmer people.

Everyone keen to get in a photo on my new camera

Thus Far

This blog has perhaps been set up a bit late- I have already been here for a month, but better late than never. So a brief description of life out here in the hot hot heat of Cambodia. I am back working once again for New Hope for Cambodian Children, an NGO that is currently supporting over 1700 children with HIV. In 2007 I did a year long placement with the same charity (with Megan, my trusty partner in crime), and I have returned to see everyone again, as well as assist with the expansion of the project. I live out in Kompong Speu province amongst the rice paddies and villages of the Cambodian countryside in an orphanage, hereafter referred to as 'the village' which is currently home to 250 children and about 90 staff. Life is pretty basic, with no running water and limited electricity, but it is also a LOT of fun. There is always so much going on and through learning Khmer I have made some great friends here who give me more than a taste of authentic Cambodian life.