Wednesday
Apr062011
36 Hours with Lotus Outreach (Part II)
Wednesday, April 6, 2011 at 10:28AM
By Amy Hall
Director of Social Consciousness for EILEEN FISHER
(Click here to read Part I)
Afterwards, we went to Goats Soup 888, a beer garden somewhere across town. Breezy and airy, this bar had the feeling of the tropics, with a thatched roof and rock garden. While the staff received life skills instruction, their young children played with a nanny out front. It was here that we met one young woman, 20 years old, who had already spent 5 years in Malaysia and whose English was pretty good. We also met a young man, one of many whom the locals refer to as “girl-boys.” He dreamed of becoming a hair-dresser one day, a dream that Lotus Outreach is equipped to support. And we met a young woman who desperately wanted a job in a garment factory – in fact, she was willing to lie about her age (15) in order to do so. I’m told that, after speaking with Glenn and Raksmey, she reconsidered her plan and has decided to wait until she’s of legal age to pursue that kind of work.
Students at Goats Soup 888
Following our revelatory afternoon, Glenn, Raksmey and I took in a relaxing dinner at the Foreign Correspondents Club, along the Mekong River. Featuring high ceiling fans in an open-air setting, this restaurant was a throwback to colonial times. And their pizza was pretty good!
The next day, we started with an early morning visit to Pretty Girls, a karaoke club in a stark white room with a doorway leading to a dim hallway. A few women had made their way to the literacy class in the main front room, though many were still getting up after a long night. I was told that these women were less transitory than those we had met the day before. They were more likely to stay in the sex trade and had fewer options than others in the Lotus Outreach program. Throughout our time there, they paused to get food, take showers, or just kid around with each other. The setting was characterized by a bittersweet lightheartedness.
Later that morning, we visited the sewing program run by Lotus Outreach and Khemara, the local implementing partner. It was there that we saw young women learning how to operate various sewing machines and how to design a skirt from scratch. The earnestness with which they tackled their respective tasks was palpable. I hope they all get work in the industry, as it would open up so many doors for employment and upward mobility.
Amy with students the NFE sewing class
We ended the day back at the Lotus Outreach office. Glenn at his desk, Raksmey at hers, and I in the middle. I’ve never met such passionate, committed people as Glenn and Raksmey. They can squeeze water out of a stone, and it will be magic water at that. Glenn would soon be returning to his wife and daughter in India, while Raksmey would stay to “woman” the fort in Phnom Penh. While she may not realize how much inspiration she offers to the many girls and women under her watch through the Phnom Penh branch of Lotus Outreach, I was equally fascinated by the personal growth that Raksmey herself was experiencing. She is truly a path maker in Cambodia. Her story is yet to unfold.
Director of Social Consciousness for EILEEN FISHER
(Click here to read Part I)
Afterwards, we went to Goats Soup 888, a beer garden somewhere across town. Breezy and airy, this bar had the feeling of the tropics, with a thatched roof and rock garden. While the staff received life skills instruction, their young children played with a nanny out front. It was here that we met one young woman, 20 years old, who had already spent 5 years in Malaysia and whose English was pretty good. We also met a young man, one of many whom the locals refer to as “girl-boys.” He dreamed of becoming a hair-dresser one day, a dream that Lotus Outreach is equipped to support. And we met a young woman who desperately wanted a job in a garment factory – in fact, she was willing to lie about her age (15) in order to do so. I’m told that, after speaking with Glenn and Raksmey, she reconsidered her plan and has decided to wait until she’s of legal age to pursue that kind of work.
Students at Goats Soup 888Following our revelatory afternoon, Glenn, Raksmey and I took in a relaxing dinner at the Foreign Correspondents Club, along the Mekong River. Featuring high ceiling fans in an open-air setting, this restaurant was a throwback to colonial times. And their pizza was pretty good!
The next day, we started with an early morning visit to Pretty Girls, a karaoke club in a stark white room with a doorway leading to a dim hallway. A few women had made their way to the literacy class in the main front room, though many were still getting up after a long night. I was told that these women were less transitory than those we had met the day before. They were more likely to stay in the sex trade and had fewer options than others in the Lotus Outreach program. Throughout our time there, they paused to get food, take showers, or just kid around with each other. The setting was characterized by a bittersweet lightheartedness.
Later that morning, we visited the sewing program run by Lotus Outreach and Khemara, the local implementing partner. It was there that we saw young women learning how to operate various sewing machines and how to design a skirt from scratch. The earnestness with which they tackled their respective tasks was palpable. I hope they all get work in the industry, as it would open up so many doors for employment and upward mobility.
Amy with students the NFE sewing classWe ended the day back at the Lotus Outreach office. Glenn at his desk, Raksmey at hers, and I in the middle. I’ve never met such passionate, committed people as Glenn and Raksmey. They can squeeze water out of a stone, and it will be magic water at that. Glenn would soon be returning to his wife and daughter in India, while Raksmey would stay to “woman” the fort in Phnom Penh. While she may not realize how much inspiration she offers to the many girls and women under her watch through the Phnom Penh branch of Lotus Outreach, I was equally fascinated by the personal growth that Raksmey herself was experiencing. She is truly a path maker in Cambodia. Her story is yet to unfold.
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