Thoughts from a Cambodian NGO: 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!