Tuesday
May312011
LO Society Canada visits Banteay Meanchey (part 1)
Tuesday, May 31, 2011 at 4:19PM
By Brian Pollard, board member of Lotus Outreach Society Canada
It has been awhile since I have been in contact with you, but first of all, I wanted to thank you for your support for our projects, either financially or in spirit. You have been a big help, and I have now seen first-hand the value of your donations.
GATE girls strike a happy pose
This past winter, my wife Alison and I went on a trip to Southeast Asia and on our journeys we were able to visit a couple of the sites in Banteay Meanchey. We arrived in Poipet, Cambodia on January 25th without incident (there were border clashes between the Thai and Cambodian armies and protesters, etc) and were met by Raksmey, Lotus Outreach’s project coordinator in Cambodia, who had bussed up from Phnom Penh to meet us. She took us to meet the Cambodian Women's Crisis Center manager, Supong Sopheap, who briefed us on the background of CWCC and the work it does in this province. I was certainly impressed with his professionalism and the sophistication of what CWCC is able to do with limited resources.
With a CWCC vehicle and driver, Raksmey took us to a hostel where 19 grade 12 girls sponsored by LO live. The house consists of two rooms, a toilet, and an outdoor covered kitchen. There is one large bed (which only one girl sleeps on, the others sleep on mats on the floor) which is mostly used as a study table. There is no other furniture to speak of, other than a couple of small tables for books. Water for cooking, cleaning, and bathing is pulled out of a nearby pond.
Brian and Alison learn their Khmer ABCs
Sitting on the floor, we chatted with the girls and took photos. Their shyness was broken when I got them to teach me the Khmer alphabet. They cracked up at my ineffectual efforts to sound out the nasal consonants (I think they just couldn't hear me right). Later, Raksmey told us they were impressed we came all that way, and they were going to redouble their efforts in school to do well. I was very impressed with how hard they study and how difficult their lives have been. One girl cycles back home on the weekends to see her family – a 120 km round trip - and two told us of having been rescued from Thailand by SMART staff (more this later).
GATE Banteay Meanchey girls with their Lotus Pedals bikes
It has been awhile since I have been in contact with you, but first of all, I wanted to thank you for your support for our projects, either financially or in spirit. You have been a big help, and I have now seen first-hand the value of your donations.
GATE girls strike a happy poseThis past winter, my wife Alison and I went on a trip to Southeast Asia and on our journeys we were able to visit a couple of the sites in Banteay Meanchey. We arrived in Poipet, Cambodia on January 25th without incident (there were border clashes between the Thai and Cambodian armies and protesters, etc) and were met by Raksmey, Lotus Outreach’s project coordinator in Cambodia, who had bussed up from Phnom Penh to meet us. She took us to meet the Cambodian Women's Crisis Center manager, Supong Sopheap, who briefed us on the background of CWCC and the work it does in this province. I was certainly impressed with his professionalism and the sophistication of what CWCC is able to do with limited resources.
With a CWCC vehicle and driver, Raksmey took us to a hostel where 19 grade 12 girls sponsored by LO live. The house consists of two rooms, a toilet, and an outdoor covered kitchen. There is one large bed (which only one girl sleeps on, the others sleep on mats on the floor) which is mostly used as a study table. There is no other furniture to speak of, other than a couple of small tables for books. Water for cooking, cleaning, and bathing is pulled out of a nearby pond.
Brian and Alison learn their Khmer ABCsSitting on the floor, we chatted with the girls and took photos. Their shyness was broken when I got them to teach me the Khmer alphabet. They cracked up at my ineffectual efforts to sound out the nasal consonants (I think they just couldn't hear me right). Later, Raksmey told us they were impressed we came all that way, and they were going to redouble their efforts in school to do well. I was very impressed with how hard they study and how difficult their lives have been. One girl cycles back home on the weekends to see her family – a 120 km round trip - and two told us of having been rescued from Thailand by SMART staff (more this later).
GATE Banteay Meanchey girls with their Lotus Pedals bikes
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