Love from Cambodia

So sorry I have been this remiss in posting anything about our trip . . . I've been playing serious Mommy catch-up. But, thanks to a little nudging from a friend, I sat down last night and wrote out a monster email to friends & family members who were involved in the most special part of our trip: a visit/mini-humanitarian project with an orphanage in Cambodia.

When we were originally planning on visiting Angkor Wat in Cambodia, we quickly realized that we would need an English-speaking guide and started doing our research on locating one. After looking for a while, we found one that came recommended. His name is Ratanak Eath (for any of you out there who are interested in using his fabulous services).

In online correspondence Ratanak had previously asked us whether or not we'd be interested in visiting an orphanage while we were there to see Angkor Wat. Of course we answered emphatically "yes" and then recommended him to some friends (J&J)who would be going to Cambodia just a week before us, and who would also likely be very interested in something like that. When J&J returned from their trip they immediately called us to update us on the conditions there at the orphanage, and to organize/gather items and funds to assist the children there. Immediately this project took on a life of its own, and within just a handful of days we were ready to fly to Cambodia packed to the hilt.

To give you an idea of everything that took place, feel free to read the letter I sent out to the parties involved:

Dear Friends and Family,

Since returning home from Asia this week, Pearly-Q and I wanted to write all of you who contributed to the wonderful experience we had in Cambodia. As all of you know, J&J visited Siem Reap, Cambodia last month and visited the PACDOC orphanage there. Upon seeing all the dire need amongst those children, they returned with a helpful report about what was needed in addition to what we’d already planned on taking with us when we would visit just a week later. This gave us just days to collect all these items before we left for Cambodia.

Thanks to J&J and to all the generous individuals here that also heard about the needs of these orphans, we were able to collect used toys & clothes, new underwear, toothbrushes, educational supplies/kits, and money for school uniforms in order to enable the children to attend the public schools there locally. With all these items tightly packed for the trip, we headed off for Cambodia on February 22nd.

Upon our first full day there in the country, our guide, Ratanak (the same one who helped J&J) took us to the orphanage to assess the needs. At first we were confused because it did not look like the same building that our friends had showed us in the photographs. Ratanak explained to us, however, that the two orphanages are in different neighborhoods but share resources and are run by the same man, Toun Boran. (Please see their new website for more information about him and the work they are doing there: http://www.pacdoc.org/ I think there are even some pictures of Pearly-Q and me on there).

Ratanak and Toun Boran

We loved our welcome here, as the children lined up in orderly rows to greet us, girls on one side and boys on the other. Their beautiful smiles were contagious as they kept shouting out “hello, hello!”, making us that much more eager to share the items we had brought. Before meeting with the children, however, the orphanage director took great care to give us a tour of this fairly large facility. Besides the typical sleeping quarters and kitchen, the grounds held a sort of gathering area/schoolhouse which contained all sorts of posters/pictures with English words. (Because of Angkor Wat and the increased tourist industry there, being able to speak English is an important skill for any Cambodian to get a decent job.) Toun Boran also showed us that they had built another small area with a computer keyboard to teach the children basic computer skills, as well as foot-propelled sewing machines where they could learn how to sew. (Boran had previously been a tailor by trade). In addition to these useful skills, the children have learned how to weave hammocks, something virtually every Cambodian sleeps in at night. They also had a large garden at the back, along with some chickens, ducks and two pigs. To be honest, the entire operation was extremely impressive since it was easy to see that this man was truly seeking to assist these children in becoming more self-reliant.

After discussing with Toun Boran more of the needs of the orphanage (i.e. uniforms, food, etc.) all the children piled into their schoolhouse, and watched us expectantly as we pulled some of the toys, toothbrushes, school supplies, and underwear for each of the children, taking care to reserve part of the items for the children in the second orphanage that we would visit later that day. We especially enjoyed this as we pulled out all the toys our four kids had previously cleared out of their own playroom with the intent of sharing it with these very children. Items I had before seen played with and then abandoned by my own kiddos were now embraced with such gleeful excitement, I felt like Santa Claus. The sound was deafening, and I couldn’t believe the joy the just even one matchbox car could bring. Who knew?

After saying goodbye to the beautiful children there, we moved on the second orphanage where the children that J&J had previously seen, live. I could NOT BELIEVE how hot their little shack was! Cambodia at this time of year is in the mid-90’s with almost 100% humidity. Add to that a tin roof that attracts the sun, without a smidgen of greenery around it to cool things down, and you get the picture. These poor little kids were literally dripping with sweat.

We quickly pulled out photographs that the J&J had taken on their previous visit and had developed for the kids to have pictures of themselves. As the children gathered there to receive them, however, we quickly realized things were a bit different than we’d expected. Some of the children in the photographs were either in the first orphanage, or not there at all, and most of the children who gathered in there actually were not actually part of the orphanage. Located in a destitute area, the orphanage also assists many other children from the neighborhood, many of whom would not have the opportunity to eat otherwise. This made things tricky, as we had only held onto enough items for the 18 orphans that J&J had previously met with. Because we knew by this point that toys were particularly such a hot commodity and there was now a real limited supply, we had to ask the teachers to separate out the neighborhood children from the actual orphans so that we could distribute things out without things getting out of hand.

As predicted, quite a few of the children were completely naked, and so we were happy to pass out what underwear we could. However, because of the lack of adequate nutrition in that country very few of the children actually fit even the small sizes of underwear or secondhand clothing we had bought with us. We realized we would need to purchase some for the little boys in the local market in Siem Reap. Passing out the toys was again crazy, but we were especially grateful for all the toothbrushes that had been sent as it allowed us to pass out something to all the neighborhood children (30+) gathering at the doorway.

At the end of this day, Pearly-Q and I carefully discussed what needed to happen with the funds that had been sent with us. We felt an important stewardship to make sure that the funds were wisely used. We prayed about how to do this most effectively. Some of the needs were different than we had previously expected. More of the orphans had uniforms than we had thought, although Toun Boran said that they would need uniforms for the next year. He also said that their most pressing need right now was actually rice. For 60+ orphans they were almost completely out of food. Beyond that, we also felt that we wanted to leave them with something that would make more of a long-term difference. We considered whether or not some livestock would be helpful by producing more food--especially protein-- for the children. From what Ratanak explained, ducks actually produce more eggs than chickens and are therefore quite beneficial. So, ducks made the list.

To make what is already a long story shorter, (I apologize if this is already boring you to death), we ended up purchasing the following items:
- Eleven 50-kilo bags of rice
- Roughly 40 school uniforms
- Mosquito nets
- Toothpaste
- Underwear for very small children
- And yes, 30 ducks. (You should have seen Pearly-Q trying to catch these himself. It was a riot!) Within 3 months, these should produce 200-300 eggs per month, and should also generate more ducks in the future.

Buying Rice in a local market with Ratanak

At the orphanage with uniforms and rice

My new friend Chantra. Doesn't she radiate goodness?

This little guy could not get enough of Pearly-Q. He was so darling.

Uniforms!

New underwear.

We cannot thank all of you enough for your kind generosity. Watching this process unfold within just a few days was miraculous on so many different levels. Not only did people pour out of the woodwork to help, but our funds were stretched in unexpected ways, such as the airlines surprisingly finding ways to save on our very overweight and extra luggage. (By the way, for those of you who provided all the extra toothbrushes, larger clothing and underwear—your items did not go to waste. We found a very small, yet poor village with adults who were thrilled to receive these things. With such small people, most of the grown men fit comfortably in the Size 12 underwear, and it looked like most of them had never had access to a toothbrush).


The people from this little vilaage were so gracious. After we'd passed out our gifts, they presented us with several handwrapped containers of palm sugar they had made themselves--one of their only sources of income.

Yay for Hanes.

This little lady laughed at me when I offered her a toothbrush. "What for?" she asked.

Between this, the food, the uniforms, and other items, we would have been at an absolute loss without Ratanak’s help. He went above and beyond the call of duty to assist us in securing all these things. I can’t imagine of what he thought of these strange American tourists who expected him to help us secure almost 40 uniforms within just two days. I truly hope that he is blessed for his goodness to us.

Most of all, we were most deeply touched by the hand children played in the giving. We literally had dollar bills straight from the piggy banks of children carried over with us to purchase items for these kids. Pearly-Q's 10-year-old niece, MeLisa single-handedly put together 20 educational kits complete with handsewn bags and items purchased from the money she had saved up from her lemonade stand from two whole summers. The most touching moment for me personally was explaining to these children that there were other children their age in America who cared for them, and had done this for them. I wanted them to understand this and to know that someday, when they had the means and the ability, they would also have the opportunity to give to someone else meaningfully. I wanted them to know that one day they could make a difference. Seeing their faces when we explained this was priceless.

Enjoying MeLisa's bag.

"Thank you, MeLisa."

To end this discourse, I thought I’d type up a copy of the letter that Ratanak and the orphanage director gave us upon dropping us off at the airport in Cambodia. (Keep in mind it’s copied verbatim):

Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Dear Pearly-Q & Curly, [Yes, I've changed names for the blog version]

We are so happy to meet you in Cambodia and would like to say thanks to you and your family and friends whom trying to help Cambodians especially orphans.

Cambodia is a country of warm smile after so many years suffering in war. We try to show our smile and happy with all of you in order to have a brighter future. We strongly believe that your stay with us unforgettable experience and safe to travel back home.

Thanks again for sharing your proterty, strength, and other efforts to encourage the young generation in positive future. We appreciate all your helps. We hope to meet you again one day in Cambodia.

Best regards,

Ratanak and Boran
Love from Cambodia