Reflections on my first days in Cambodia and Phnom Penh
NGO Snapshot
After receiving a very somber introduction to Cambodia's recent history and political background and getting to know more about the thousands of NGOs here over the last few days (heard there were over 1,500 NGOs in Phnom Penh alone, many of them with paid employees, however, which differs from PEPY...), I have very mixed feelings about the current situation in Cambodia. I'm still digesting. To be honest, after hearing about some of the inefficiencies and mismanagment of some well-known and large organizations that do charity and devlopment work, and then learning about everything that is out there, all I could think about was that this truly is like the Wild Wild West of aid work. I learned about PEPY from a friend that participated in one of the trips a few years ago (word of mouth is key!), but coming here and seeing it first hand, I am truly really happy and proud to involved with such a responsible organization. While PEPY (which stands for Protect the Environment, Protect Yourself) focuses on education and provides an outlet for people to combine their travel plans with opportunities to give, they also partner with educational, environmental and health organizations throughout Cambodia to carry out the PEPY mission.
For me, the visit to Rural Development International (RDI or RDIC), a friend of PEPY and water-filtering-NGO-of-sorts that also supports projects and initiatives such as water quality research, water pumps and filteration systems and research, had an especially strong impact. It was also something we will be educating the school about in the upcoming days. I guess I just assumed that the we couldn't drink the water here because we didn't have enough time to build an immunity to the bacteria (in China, for example, you can wean yourself onto the water with a little time, patience and a strong stomach), but I hadn't imagined that it would also be unsafe for the Khmer people or that there would be such ineffeciences in programs designed to dig wells for clean water (even organized by UNESCO and UNTEC) that end up just making the problems worse. To put numbers to a cause, did you know that diahreal disease is the #1 killer of children in the developing world and that a filter can reduce the disease by 40%?! I am not sure how accurate those stats are (how easy that would be to measure), but I believe it could be close... and that is huge.
We were given a tour by a 24-year-old employee that had come to Cambodia on a study abroad trip, run into an old family friend working on the project during his stay and decided to come back. He definiately "got it" (the way things work in this culture, the industry, the way NGOs should work together and how to present an idea and a project) and also served as a very good example of the kind of people who really can and are making positive changes for developing countries like Cambodia that really need the help. Granted, not everyone wants or can afford to just pick up everything and move abroad to volunteer for a few years, but "voluntourism" is increasing and with it the information about why this work is important is spreading.
After giving us a tour and lesson on water filters (that we would then give to the kids and teachers the next day at the school), we watched a video and go to see the animals on site and check out some of the other projects RDI is working on. Again, completely blown away. As we were leaving, the guide said something that really stuck with me. He said that the good thing about Cambodia is that there are so many NGOs and that the government gives them free range. He continued to explain that the bad thing about Cambodia is that there are so many NGOs and that the governent gives them free range. It's a good time to be here, but also amazing to see how fast things are changing. Responsibility, knowledge and undetanding of what you're doing is so essential, too, though.
On The Road Again.... Kratie
On Tuesday morning, we had an early breakfast of french bread (a delicious bi-product of French colonialism and it's influence on Cambodia and Laos) and headed out around 7:45. We had rented a private bus for the group and put our packs in the back. Some people were starting to feel sick (probably from heat exaustion and the food) and one guy did get sick in the back of the bus, but it was dealt with so quickly that I barely noticed what had happened.
The trip from Phnom Penh to Kratie, a heavily forested area spanning the Mekong River, took about 7 hours and provided ample opportunity to appreciate the beautiful scenery (raised, wooden houses with thatched roofs, water buffalo, endless patties across murky colored water or plots of farm) and only included one bathroom stop in the jungle:) We also made a short stop in Skuon, a town about 50 miles north of the capitol, famous for DEEP FRIED SPIDERS! (those of you that know Tam won't be surprised that this was her one, golden request). Well, after trying both a grasshopper and cockroach on the train to Laos (with a lot of beer to wash it down), I decided to go for it and tasted a leg of one of the crawly critters. The turantuala was covered in BBQ sauce and tasted like... crab. The big build up and lack of a climax raised my curiousity for other things so I actually ended up trying a little frog too before we continued on.
The roads are pretty bumpy, so I was impressed when we arrived just shortly before the bikers (there are about 8 of us on a "regional experintial trip," while another 6 or so are biking across the country through the same organization). We have spent some time with the bikers and I am definitely interested in learning more about bike tourism. They'll be joining us for the school portion and might bus back with us, too, so I am sure I'll have a chance to get to know them better and hear more about their trip up.
Upon arrival in Kratie, we had a little time to explore so I walked to the central commercial area (market) with Tam. Kratie is famous for being the best place in the country (or maybe the world?) to see the rare Irrawaddy dolphins, so it is not uncommon for people travelling to Laos to stop here, but the town still has a more relaxed feel. The roads are lined with now-cracking white sidewalks and lines of trees, with tents selling food and tables sharing the river front with the street lamps lining the edge. The place we were supposed to stay (Cambodian owned and run) apparently shut down, so we are staying in an old French-style hotel near the river. I don't think you would call it luxurious, but I find the place very charming, especially the large bannister inside. Many of the buildings around Cambodia reveal this style, but especially this town as it was spared the war-time bombing that destroyed other provincial centers and still reflects the French.
We also visited a nearby mountain, overlooking the Mekong, with a temple at the top of it. I missed the sunset (was at the temple area), but I was surprised to find only female monks at the sight and enjoyed looking around at the colorful paintings in some buildings and old, wooden houses build over the hill. Apparently men do come and visit the temple, but only women live there. I also noticed a plastic water filter very similar to the ones we learned about at RDI as I was peaking around, only this one had a huge UNESCO sticker slapped across the side. I was sort of surprised to see this, but was happy when one of the PEPY interns had also noticed it and brought it up in a conversation I was having with a group (about the NGOs we visited) shortly after. From what I understand, the UN does try to offer similar programs to what the smaller NGOs (like the ones I have been discussing) provide, but there are sometimes pitfalls when they transplant approaches that worked elsewhere into Cambodia without taking cultural differences into consideration (or without adequatte checks post-operation). So maybe the filters are delivered, but they don't educate people on how to clean them. Or maybe they build a well, but they don't test the water and it turns out to be bad, or the well makes the people angry because it changes the power balance and social structure of the village it was introduced to (like the women used to walk to the river, and now they lost their alone time).
I touched on this when talking about RDI and these are much bigger issues, some which I would like to address later, but I received some very interesting perspectives from people who have witnessed the effects of these projects (from long-term residence here) and spent a long time studying them. Granted, there are always going to be mistakes along the way, but it also reenforces why even small programs like PEPY are important.
Dinner was nice, the normal cuisine of rice with curry, veggies, fish soup and big bottles of water. The guy running the cafe (or working there at the time?) was actually from Little Falls, Minnesota and QUITE the talker (heard at least three big family stories before I could get away), but funny to find a little taste of home in such a random place.
School TOMORROW!
We leave early in the morning for the school (about 100k on paved road - yay! - be there in no time). I'm pretty pumped. I am a little worried Tam (the friend from Japan I came with and have been rooming with) is getting ill, as she's had some stomach pains, but hopefully she'll feel better soon. It's no fun being sick abroad and we're about to embark upon the most important part of the trip.
I'm also looking forward to going to the school because I have been really craving some down-time with the local people here and want to meet these kids. We're going to be building a shelter for the bikes, doing maintenance on the bikes, teaching classes and teaching about the water filters we are bringing (how to clean them and how they work), but I thinkt he down-time is equally as important as all of those things.
PEPY has been amazing and we have been doing a lot, but besides Lucky, the Cambodian bike guide traveling with the bikers (who incidentally happens to be the Cambodian Olympic bike team capt and one of the most cheerful people I have ever encountered!) and the people working at the places we have visited, I haven't had more than a few brief encounters or conversations with the local people living here. I am sure part of that has to do with the fact that I am traveling with a group (so I have been talking to the PEPY people and groups can be inidimidating to confront) and I haven't been planning everything on my own, so less contact with people in that process. I have also learned a LOT about the country from the people that HAVE been here for a while and we are meeting, but I'm definitely ready to try to struggle through some of the communication on my own.
After receiving a very somber introduction to Cambodia's recent history and political background and getting to know more about the thousands of NGOs here over the last few days (heard there were over 1,500 NGOs in Phnom Penh alone, many of them with paid employees, however, which differs from PEPY...), I have very mixed feelings about the current situation in Cambodia. I'm still digesting. To be honest, after hearing about some of the inefficiencies and mismanagment of some well-known and large organizations that do charity and devlopment work, and then learning about everything that is out there, all I could think about was that this truly is like the Wild Wild West of aid work. I learned about PEPY from a friend that participated in one of the trips a few years ago (word of mouth is key!), but coming here and seeing it first hand, I am truly really happy and proud to involved with such a responsible organization. While PEPY (which stands for Protect the Environment, Protect Yourself) focuses on education and provides an outlet for people to combine their travel plans with opportunities to give, they also partner with educational, environmental and health organizations throughout Cambodia to carry out the PEPY mission.
For me, the visit to Rural Development International (RDI or RDIC), a friend of PEPY and water-filtering-NGO-of-sorts that also supports projects and initiatives such as water quality research, water pumps and filteration systems and research, had an especially strong impact. It was also something we will be educating the school about in the upcoming days. I guess I just assumed that the we couldn't drink the water here because we didn't have enough time to build an immunity to the bacteria (in China, for example, you can wean yourself onto the water with a little time, patience and a strong stomach), but I hadn't imagined that it would also be unsafe for the Khmer people or that there would be such ineffeciences in programs designed to dig wells for clean water (even organized by UNESCO and UNTEC) that end up just making the problems worse. To put numbers to a cause, did you know that diahreal disease is the #1 killer of children in the developing world and that a filter can reduce the disease by 40%?! I am not sure how accurate those stats are (how easy that would be to measure), but I believe it could be close... and that is huge.
We were given a tour by a 24-year-old employee that had come to Cambodia on a study abroad trip, run into an old family friend working on the project during his stay and decided to come back. He definiately "got it" (the way things work in this culture, the industry, the way NGOs should work together and how to present an idea and a project) and also served as a very good example of the kind of people who really can and are making positive changes for developing countries like Cambodia that really need the help. Granted, not everyone wants or can afford to just pick up everything and move abroad to volunteer for a few years, but "voluntourism" is increasing and with it the information about why this work is important is spreading.
After giving us a tour and lesson on water filters (that we would then give to the kids and teachers the next day at the school), we watched a video and go to see the animals on site and check out some of the other projects RDI is working on. Again, completely blown away. As we were leaving, the guide said something that really stuck with me. He said that the good thing about Cambodia is that there are so many NGOs and that the government gives them free range. He continued to explain that the bad thing about Cambodia is that there are so many NGOs and that the governent gives them free range. It's a good time to be here, but also amazing to see how fast things are changing. Responsibility, knowledge and undetanding of what you're doing is so essential, too, though.
On The Road Again.... Kratie
On Tuesday morning, we had an early breakfast of french bread (a delicious bi-product of French colonialism and it's influence on Cambodia and Laos) and headed out around 7:45. We had rented a private bus for the group and put our packs in the back. Some people were starting to feel sick (probably from heat exaustion and the food) and one guy did get sick in the back of the bus, but it was dealt with so quickly that I barely noticed what had happened.
The trip from Phnom Penh to Kratie, a heavily forested area spanning the Mekong River, took about 7 hours and provided ample opportunity to appreciate the beautiful scenery (raised, wooden houses with thatched roofs, water buffalo, endless patties across murky colored water or plots of farm) and only included one bathroom stop in the jungle:) We also made a short stop in Skuon, a town about 50 miles north of the capitol, famous for DEEP FRIED SPIDERS! (those of you that know Tam won't be surprised that this was her one, golden request). Well, after trying both a grasshopper and cockroach on the train to Laos (with a lot of beer to wash it down), I decided to go for it and tasted a leg of one of the crawly critters. The turantuala was covered in BBQ sauce and tasted like... crab. The big build up and lack of a climax raised my curiousity for other things so I actually ended up trying a little frog too before we continued on.
The roads are pretty bumpy, so I was impressed when we arrived just shortly before the bikers (there are about 8 of us on a "regional experintial trip," while another 6 or so are biking across the country through the same organization). We have spent some time with the bikers and I am definitely interested in learning more about bike tourism. They'll be joining us for the school portion and might bus back with us, too, so I am sure I'll have a chance to get to know them better and hear more about their trip up.
Upon arrival in Kratie, we had a little time to explore so I walked to the central commercial area (market) with Tam. Kratie is famous for being the best place in the country (or maybe the world?) to see the rare Irrawaddy dolphins, so it is not uncommon for people travelling to Laos to stop here, but the town still has a more relaxed feel. The roads are lined with now-cracking white sidewalks and lines of trees, with tents selling food and tables sharing the river front with the street lamps lining the edge. The place we were supposed to stay (Cambodian owned and run) apparently shut down, so we are staying in an old French-style hotel near the river. I don't think you would call it luxurious, but I find the place very charming, especially the large bannister inside. Many of the buildings around Cambodia reveal this style, but especially this town as it was spared the war-time bombing that destroyed other provincial centers and still reflects the French.
We also visited a nearby mountain, overlooking the Mekong, with a temple at the top of it. I missed the sunset (was at the temple area), but I was surprised to find only female monks at the sight and enjoyed looking around at the colorful paintings in some buildings and old, wooden houses build over the hill. Apparently men do come and visit the temple, but only women live there. I also noticed a plastic water filter very similar to the ones we learned about at RDI as I was peaking around, only this one had a huge UNESCO sticker slapped across the side. I was sort of surprised to see this, but was happy when one of the PEPY interns had also noticed it and brought it up in a conversation I was having with a group (about the NGOs we visited) shortly after. From what I understand, the UN does try to offer similar programs to what the smaller NGOs (like the ones I have been discussing) provide, but there are sometimes pitfalls when they transplant approaches that worked elsewhere into Cambodia without taking cultural differences into consideration (or without adequatte checks post-operation). So maybe the filters are delivered, but they don't educate people on how to clean them. Or maybe they build a well, but they don't test the water and it turns out to be bad, or the well makes the people angry because it changes the power balance and social structure of the village it was introduced to (like the women used to walk to the river, and now they lost their alone time).
I touched on this when talking about RDI and these are much bigger issues, some which I would like to address later, but I received some very interesting perspectives from people who have witnessed the effects of these projects (from long-term residence here) and spent a long time studying them. Granted, there are always going to be mistakes along the way, but it also reenforces why even small programs like PEPY are important.
Dinner was nice, the normal cuisine of rice with curry, veggies, fish soup and big bottles of water. The guy running the cafe (or working there at the time?) was actually from Little Falls, Minnesota and QUITE the talker (heard at least three big family stories before I could get away), but funny to find a little taste of home in such a random place.
School TOMORROW!
We leave early in the morning for the school (about 100k on paved road - yay! - be there in no time). I'm pretty pumped. I am a little worried Tam (the friend from Japan I came with and have been rooming with) is getting ill, as she's had some stomach pains, but hopefully she'll feel better soon. It's no fun being sick abroad and we're about to embark upon the most important part of the trip.
I'm also looking forward to going to the school because I have been really craving some down-time with the local people here and want to meet these kids. We're going to be building a shelter for the bikes, doing maintenance on the bikes, teaching classes and teaching about the water filters we are bringing (how to clean them and how they work), but I thinkt he down-time is equally as important as all of those things.
PEPY has been amazing and we have been doing a lot, but besides Lucky, the Cambodian bike guide traveling with the bikers (who incidentally happens to be the Cambodian Olympic bike team capt and one of the most cheerful people I have ever encountered!) and the people working at the places we have visited, I haven't had more than a few brief encounters or conversations with the local people living here. I am sure part of that has to do with the fact that I am traveling with a group (so I have been talking to the PEPY people and groups can be inidimidating to confront) and I haven't been planning everything on my own, so less contact with people in that process. I have also learned a LOT about the country from the people that HAVE been here for a while and we are meeting, but I'm definitely ready to try to struggle through some of the communication on my own.
posted by Brenda Ann Elizabeth McKinney @ 1:34 PM
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