Travels to South East Asia 2008/2009: Part One

Project Enlighten: Cambodia, Part One
(Contributed by Olivia)

Our travels to Southeast Asia had tumultuous beginnings. Civil unrest in Thailand and terrorist attacks in India has left the on-looking world frozen in fear and international travel in an upheaval. We, of course, were not immune to the affect of the chaos that rippled out. In checking our baggage from Oregon through to Siem Reap, we were told there were problems checking it all of the way through to Siem Reap (our connecting flight was through Thailand). Upon arriving to San Francisco we learned of the political unrest occurring in Bangkok. We had an AMAZING woman from Cathay Pacific who assisted us in getting our flights rerouted to Cambodia via Vietnam. We would humbly like to thank Julie and her flight crew from Cathay Pacific Flight CX 873 for the hours of work they did to get us to our final destination. We are grateful for all you did for us. Our flight into Cambodia went very smooth.

Chaos in Thailand interrupts international travel:
The Prime Minister of the country was returning from a Summit in Peru, protestors of Thailand’s elite took this as an opportunity to oust him from office. Protestors had taken over the international airport in hopes of preventing him from landing back in the country. For many unaware, a select group within Thailand feels that Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat and the government that supports him are not working for the people. They are encouraging him to resign through, what were supposed to be, peaceful protests. The tourism industry in Thailand has been greatly affected by the turmoil as the world sits watching, but even more so, the livelihood and safety of many people has been compromised. Over-shadowing Thailand’s political challenges are the attacks made on westerners in India where over 160 people are dead and over 300 are injured. A militant terrorist group has staked its’ claim on curbing western presence in India.

My personal perspective on violence in the world:
In a world where all suffer so greatly it is hard to imagine why people choose violence to settle differences. It is saddening that hate and anger is taken out on innocent people. Not one person asks to be born into the world in the circumstances of which they are. I did not ask to be born a woman to a western country, just as much as many have not ask to be born to many other countries under the conditions of which they were. Those who travel the world, do so to learn of the differences we all have and to expose the similarities all humankind share. We want to understand how others live, what cultural differences we have, what is appropriate in any given community and learn of social differences we must overcome. How can one learn they are wronging someone, if they are recipients of violence instead of peaceful education? When will the step forward be the correct one?
Show us what your right is
We will show you ours
Tell us of our wrong
We will amend it.
Teach us how to be mindfully present in your world
We will share with you our mindfulness
We will help you understand it
Help us understand yours
Change can be bad or equally good
If change is not what you seek
We will not try to change you

Day one, Landing in Cambodia:
We were greeted by our good friend, Sao, and quickly rushed to the Yimsut suite just outside of the center of town. Lisa, our Project Enlighten Burma Education Coordinator, arrived the day before us and was very happy to see us again, as were little Thavy, Sa Eng, Yarann, Chen & family. We got to visit for a while before heading off to town for a quick bite and an Angkor beer. As we were winding down for the night, we received a surprise visit from Mr. Togh. “Oh my Buddha!” Asad exclaimed as we heard a voice outside our door….
”Mr. Asad, Mr. Asad!”

Mr. Togh is the Director for Volunteer Poverty Children’s School. Over the course of a couple of years, we have helped fund, raise funds and have made working visits to his school site to help provide educational opportunities to the children within his community. Our next phase of help is the construction of a computer room for the school. Money that our supporters have raised is making the project happen! We will make a visit out to the school early this week and give more updates later!

Exhausted by our flight, we visited for just a little while before the heavy weight of our eyelids put us off to sleep.

Day Two, Sao’s Village:
We took a trip out to Bangro Village for a visit with friends. It was a trip we had been looking forward to, as it is the fourth year that Asad & I have traveled to this particular village. Over the course of the years, we have watched the children grow and have developed friendships with their families. They have come accustom to our visits and look forward to playing and looking at the funny foreigners that we are.

It was Lisa McCoy’s first visit out to Bangro and as we ventured out to the countryside she gazed across the horizon at the people we passed. She was in for a great treat, in meeting this community! We came bearing gifts, shoes, clothing and bread. A wonderful church in Lisa’s hometown donated flip-flop shoes and Croc style shoes for her to distribute to the various communities she would be visiting during her trip to S.E. Asia this year. Asad and I brought clothing that had been donated by Peg Boland, a friend and fellow Forest Service family member from Northern California and as we passed by one of the markets, Asad and our good friend Sao purchased some bread.

Upon arriving in the village, we were greeted with squeals from the children. Their smiles lit up our hearts, like fire. We were given fresh coconuts and bottled water and were introduced to the Village Chief, which was a great honor. We have been in discussion of building a free education school within this village, to compliment the education the children get at the government schools, and meeting the Chief was one of the more critical components of this potential project. It seems we have his support for the school but need to come to an agreement on the location of the school and how the community will support it in the future. There are 3 possible locations for the school. Over the course of our visit, we will analyze the possibilities and decide which would be the best benefit for the community and Project Enlighten.

Our visit went off without a hitch! The kids loved the shoes and hair-ties that Lisa passed out, the clothing was a hit with the ladies and of course the bread filled hungry bellies of the children and made many smiles. The photos and video footage share more than any words can, enjoy!

Day three in Cambodia & Thoughts on Foreign Influence:
As I look around the café Asad & I are sitting in, I see many people who are trying to change trying to help those who do welcome change within Cambodia. Children are taught English and Japanese and health…in hopes that it will create a better opportunity for all. I see hope for the future, I see the birth and mentorship Khmer Leaders of tomorrow. It makes me happy. It makes me think of Ronnie’s BETC project.

I like the idea of the Bekong Ecotourism Technical College, because we are not trying to change the people of Cambodia, we are helping enhance the beauty already possessed countryside. It seems to be the better path, to help Cambodia regain the strength and confidence that was taken from them over three decades ago, so it can stand independently again. In learning more about Cambodia through our friend’s eyes and through our travels, we will better help those who need help to improve their state of being. We are excited to get out to the BETC site and help move this vision for a greater Cambodia forward!

In due time, we will share more until then, the greatest respect from the Project Enlighten family-

Nargis Still Taking a Toll on Children in the Delta.

By AUNG THET WINE



Many children in the Irrawaddy delta are still suffering from the psychological effects of Cyclone Nargis nearly six months after the disaster struck, according to local and international aid workers.

The failure to restore a sense of normalcy to the region has severely impacted on children’s ability to recover from the trauma of living through Burma’s worst recorded natural disaster, said relief workers, who observed disturbing signs that continuing neglect was causing lasting damage to children’s emotional and educational development, as well as endangering their physical health.

In some of the hardest-hit areas of the delta, children still have difficulty sleeping at night, and many react to strong wind and overcast skies with evident fear, said Burmese staff working with UNICEF. They said it was not unusual to see children crying when the weather turned stormy, reminding them of the cyclone that struck on the night of May 2-3.

“Children in cyclone-affected areas are not like normal kids,” said a volunteer relief worker involved in an education project for children in Laputta Township. “They are not so playful. They seem to be living in constant fear.”

The relief worker said that many children showed a lack of interest in their education, and some simply stared into space, completely withdrawn from their surroundings.

“The psychological trauma and fear caused by the cyclone is having a significant impact on their ability to learn,” said an official from the Bogalay Township Red Cross Association. “They feel insecure, and for that reason they can’t enjoy learning. Moreover, many are physically weak, and this is causing health problems.”

Most observers said that the key reason children haven’t been able to return to their normal lives is that they are still living in an environment that bears the scars of the disaster. They note that the military authorities have done little or nothing to improve living conditions, leaving the work of rebuilding to local or international non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

“UN agencies and local and international NGOs are doing as much as they can, but the government isn’t moving at all,” said a schoolteacher from a village primary school in Laputta. “They stopped doing anything three months after the cyclone.”

Volunteers from a Rangoon-based NGO working for childcare and development said more projects were needed to help children recover from their psychological problems, and that these projects would require cooperation between the government and NGOs.

At least at the ground level, some officials appeared to appreciate the need to do more to get children back on track.

“To help the children recover, we need more gardens and places for them to play. Above all, we should create more enjoyable spaces for them. And we need more trained teachers who understand their psychological problems,” said an official from the central government’s Basic Education Department.

But it looks like the task of actually creating such spaces will be met primarily by international NGOs such as Save the Children, which plans to construct 20 child-friendly centers in villages around Laputta Township. These centers will be stocked with games, storybooks and drawing materials, and staffed with teachers specially trained to help children overcome their lingering insecurity.

Save the Children has also officially announced that it will give monthly funding to the centers so that they can provide nutritious food to the children.

But local residents say that boosting children’s morale is not enough—that more needs to be done to meet their basic need for secure places to live and study.

“The primary schools in Laputta Township can’t give children a sense of security,” said one resident. “Their temporary learning centers are just tarpaulin walls covered with sheets of zinc. There are no chairs, so they just sit on the floors.”

According to official figures, there are now 365 primary schools in 500 villages in Laputta Township, operated jointly by the government and local communities. Most, however, are flimsy constructions built by private companies close to the ruling military regime.


“The private companies assigned for reconstruction of schools repaired some schools, but they did it superficially and minimally,” said one official from the Laputta Education Department, adding that there was also a shortage of books, stationery, teaching aids and qualified teachers.

The official said that children in cyclone-hit areas should receive free education, and that their families should receive additional assistance to help them meet their daily living expenses—a view that others working in the area shared.

“Now that the UN agencies and international NGOs are gradually stopping their food assistance programs, it will surely have a negative effect on their kids’ education,” said a 27-year-old volunteer relief worker from Rangoon. “For that reason, the assistance programs should continue until households strong bases for their livelihood.”