Thursday, 8 May 2014

C.H.O.I.C.E


CHOICE do an incredible job helping the peoples on the rural outskirts of the madness that is Phnom Penh.

Transporting Pigs to market

We spent a day with them, catching up with what they're doing.  We donated U$500 to help them continue their work.

Dharra taking the donation for CHOICE

A drop in the bucket for their ongoing costs but it all helps.

One important part of the CHOICE center is a sewing area where local women make the school uniforms, receive training and the chance to earn some money by making handicrafts.  We bought some of their handmade items to sell at the local Nymboida market.

Ladies hard at work


The centre also provides extra school classes in English and Computing as well as medical facilities that visiting medical professionals can use when they donate  their time. Choice have established a network of western medical professionals so extensive that there are always doctors available.
Volunteer dentist from the USA
CHOICE also transport children in and out from the nearby rural villages so they can attend the Centre and attend school.

Rear of truck fitted with seats for transporting the children

In Cambodia, children attend school either in the morning or the afternoon,  the rest of the time they stay at the centre participating in extra curricular activities before jumping in the bus and heading home.  While they're at the centre the children are also provided with a meal

Cooking Lunch

In between doing all of that, CHOICE deliver drinking water to the villagers, who have no access to any and live  beside polluted open drains

Water delivery

Drains are used for bathing, washing, toileting and contain agricultural and industrial pollutants

Village life is a combination of hope, despair and pragmatism.

Typical village house perched over the drain

Row of houses



We have nothing but admiration for the peoples living under these conditions and their resilience in the face of the comparative harshness of their life







We can't say enough about the wonderful job these guys do and we will continue to support them with your donations. We also want to thank the staff and volunteers of CHOICE for allowing us to interrupt their busy schedule

This was the first visit by Trevor (hence all the photo's and the third by Toni)


Wednesday, 7 May 2014

Cambodian Organisation for Learning and Training

While in the Capitol, Phnom Penh we visited one of the organisations who are really making positive changes to the lives of some of the poorest people in Cambodia. By focusing on education and learning, their efforts will be permanent and longlasting.
We bought some beautiful sarong bags from their sewing room which have already sold at our local market. Hindsight being a fine thing, we should have bought many more. By purchasing these bags the money benefits COLT and the proceeds from the market sales goes right back to the donations account. Win win.

Sewing room at C.O.L.T

Thursday, 1 May 2014

Romduol school

Romduol School

We managed to catch up with the group helping support the Romduol School at Ream Rv.  We attended one of their monthly meetings and took a visit to the school to see how things were progressing.

There has been some construction to build a fence around the school

One of the members installed fans in the classrooms, coke bottle lights (black when the doors closed) in the toilets etc

Fans installed

but there is ever work to be done, the playground equipment is in need of repair, and desks etc but the group are facing many challenges.

Playground equipment




Desks

Many thanks to the guys doing a great job there, they are getting back on track after some recent hiccups.

Wednesday, 23 April 2014

Goodwill Centre

Goodwill Centre

The centres main purpose is to teach classes in English and Computers as well as Khmer literacy classes, the latter to supplement their State based education (a couple hours a day).
Toni, catching up with the IT teacher, discussing the recent employment success  of one of the students
at a printing house doing design

It also does a great job as a safe place for local children to play and to allow the parents peace of mind while they work especially as formal schooling is only a couple hours a day (either morning or afternoon) and of course the locals have no money for toys etc so the kids have access to puzzles and games etc as well as art and crafts.

One of the projects Toni had implemented when working at the Centre was English classes for the younger children.  We fund these classes with your donations, so she was keen to catch up with the teacher, Sambath, to see how things were going.

Toni talking to the English class

Craft

Nymboida local, Kim Lavery donated a box of crafts to take over. As an added bonus, the high quality craft items aren't available in Cambodia so the kids and the staff were incredibly excited.  A huge thank you to Kim !

Toni doing craft with the kids

Hard at it !

Moi, bee, bay ! (Khmer for 1, 2 3), strike a pose !

Plenty of craft items were left behind, with Toni passing instructions on to the staff showing how they could be used

Soap

The Centre has a set up a small business making soap,  This allows some of the local Mums a chance to earn a small income as well as allowing them time together to socialise and catch up.  We had organised to buy 50 soaps and they had just finished them when we were there.

We have these for sale at the local Nymboida Markets if any one wants one !  All the money from the sale goes back to the donations account.

Soap Ladies working hard


Soaps finished and awaiting packaging




Wednesday, 16 April 2014

Clothing Donations

Clothing Donations

We were inspired by our friends in Ireland, Ciaran and Audrey, and asked our local community to donate clothes for us to take to Cambodia.  Logistically it was quite simple. We paid a little more for extra luggage and booked a taxi directly from the Phnom Penh Airport to our accommodation in Sihanoukville, all paid from our own pocket not the donations. We had close to 50kg in clothing from locals in Nymboida and Grafton. We were overwhelmed. Thank you all so much but the biggest thanks come from the kids around the Goodwill Centre in Sihanoukville.

The Goodwill Centre does an awesome job and we were so happy to revisit and keep supporting them. They rolled out the welcome matt and it seemed we had never left

Sign on the Centre's wall !

Working with our friend, Jen, we laid the donated clothes out while the staff were minding the children.
Toni and Centre Manager, Jen

more clothes...

Staff and children swooped in !
L - R: Jen, Kolab and Toni trying clothes on with the kids

Local Mum's in on the action (ex Centre manager Sabine dropped in as well)

The clothes were snapped up in a flash.

We know they were appreciated, thank you to all who helped with their kind donations.

Local kids modelling the donated clothes
Local kids modelling the donated clothes