Building Dreams

From sea to shining sea.

2012-01-26T10:49:00.000-08:00

Wonderful article on the adventures of Quincy Briscoe and Project Enlighten!

Quincy Briscoe stuck his back tire in the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday and started pedaling, but that's hardly where his journey began.

The former Ashland High School student is riding his bike across the U.S. in an effort to raise money for an outreach organization that funds educational programs for poverty-stricken Cambodians and others struggling around the globe.

The 18-year-old is attempting to raise $1 for each of the 3,034 miles he expects to travel on his lone ride across the southern U.S., he said.

http://www.dailytidings.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120126/NEWS02/201260306

2012-01-08T19:24:00.000-08:00

Thank you for all your support and generosity in 2011. We’ve had great success thanks to your belief in our programs; with your support we’ve helped hundreds of amazing youth realize the dream of education. You are:

*Supporting the University Education of five young women and two young men in Siem Reap, Cambodia through our scholarship program.

*Enriching the lives of over 400 villagers in Ban Navangtai in central Laos. Our school restoration project has already begun to greatly improve the quality of life in the village and will provide youth with greater education opportunities in the future. With continued support our vision is to help stimulate sustainable economic opportunities for local villagers through this investment in education.

* Allowing the dream of vocational training and scholarships for youth at the Landmine Museum, Siem Reap Cambodia. Two young women received sewing machines and vocational training for tailoring and sewing, while two young men learned the skilled trade of hair design and barbering.

* Helping provide over 500 disadvantaged children a creative platform to foster and promote expression and self-confidence, through art, with our support for the Giant Puppet Project.

* Empowering over 600 youth at our VDCA supported free education schools! We are addressing the environmental and health issues effecting children and young people (HIV/AIDS awareness, general hygiene, drug abuse, child trafficking, pollution, climate change, global warming, environmental sustainability).

* Helping forcibly displaced Burmese Refugees with the resettlement process by providing computer training and access to educational materials and books. Project Enlighten continues its support of the Burmese Refugee Community Association (RCEA) in Houston, Texas, through RCEA's new initiative, the establishment of a Community Learning Center.

*When tragedy struck with the massive monsoonal flooding in SE Asia we were able to respond. You helped provide food, water and vital medicine to people in central Laos and just outside of Siem Reap, Cambodia, a rice bank was developed to provide rice during a critical food shortage.

With your continued support as we move into this next year, we hope to accomplish much more!

Thank you all so much, wishing you a happy and healthy 2012!

Asad & Olivia and the entire PE Team.

Raise the Roof in Laos!

2011-05-31T14:00:00.000-07:00

The value of Education can never be underestimated. Especially in Laos where we care currently in our third and final phase of building in Ban Navangtai village. We URGENTLY need to raise $5000 to finish the construction and roof for this school.

The Ban Navangtai New School Project will have the ability to greatly improve the quality of life in the Navangtai Village by providing youth with greater education opportunities and stimulating sustainable economic opportunities for local villagers. This school restoration project will serve as another model for future school projects identified within Navangtai Village.

We have a wonderful opportunity thanks to Patty Bustamante who has offered to match all donations up to $2500! Please see Patty's note attached below.

Please follow this link to help us get the matching donations: http://idbyp.blogspot.com/2011/05/join-me-in-raising-funds-for-project.html

Phouva Vorapanya has recently returned from his village in Laos and we wanted to take the opportunity to share some pictures of the progress so far with the school building. https://picasaweb.google.com/103080945342781607607/Laos2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCMWHrbyzsb-1qQE&feat=directlink

Help us make a difference in the lives of these Ban Navangtai children and make a childhood dream come true.

Support Olivia + Asad Tied the Knot | Wendy Ling's Fundraiser on Crowdrise

2011-05-23T17:22:00.000-07:00

Support Olivia + Asad Tied the Knot | Wendy Ling's Fundraiser on Crowdrise

Empowering Article.

2011-04-06T23:24:00.000-07:00

Had a great conversation with Kurt last night! Look forward to a nice partnership! See link below!

http://www.woodburnindependent.com/news/2011/April/06/Education/jfk.grad.hosting.fundraiser.at.university.of.portland.for.cambodian.schools.april.20/news.aspx

Fundraiser to Empower!

2011-04-02T18:45:00.000-07:00

We have an opportunity to empower some wonderful students through our Scholarship program! We need your support for this to become a reality! We have partnered with "Chip In Tip" to raise much needed funds for our Scholarship program.

http://chipintip.com/share/member/project_enlighten

We truly need your help with funding this vital program. Please allow me to share two of our current Scholarship recipients who will benefit from your kindness.

Ut Channy:

Faculty of Study: Law

Bio: The early years of Channy's life was bittersweet. Her mother died giving birth to her youngest sister, good medical technology was not available to her family. Her father worked hard to try to support her family but ultimately had to place each of his daughters with other family members. Channy moved to Siem Reap to continue her studies and to get a job. It was difficult, she had many challenges but never felt hopeless because she was willing to do what she could and because she loves her studies. One saying she always remembers is "[Those] whom do good actions will get good results." Channy has been involved in various humanitarian efforts within her community, prior to receiving her scholarship from Project Enlighten.

Da Ratanak Theany

Faculty of Study: Law/Medical Field

Bio: Theany was born on the Cambodia/Thailand border in North Camp Site II Refugee Camp while her father was doing medical work for displaced Cambodian Refugees with the International Red Cross. The family moved Kandal Province when she was young and her father made ends meet teaching French. She was raised in a family of nine but lost her oldest sister to blood cancer. Her parents spent all they had in hope of curing their daughter's illness to no avail. The family helped harvest crops, grew their own vegetables and managed to keep afloat by working together. Theany's brother found employment and has helped sustain the family with his income. Each year she got closer to finishing high school, she observed more and more young women in her school stopping their educational studies. Society pressures challenged the women in her community and many believed that education was wasted on women because men are considered income earners. Theany is inspired by the worldview on human rights and gender equality, however, worries about tradition and culture in the countryside influencing prejudice and inequality towards women. She has worked with The Youth Council of Cambodia to help educate others about democracy and improvement of the country. Theany has spent much of her extra time, outside of work and preparing for University, learning to speak, read and write English at the Volunteer Development Children's Association school which Project Enlighten supports. She hopes to share with others what she learns and help improve society and dreams of a professional career in Academia, Diplomacy or the Medical field.

For 16 cents a day or $5 a month through "Chip in Tip" you can help us support our students like Theany and Channy. Please consider supporting this vital program, so we can continue to provide these empowering scholarships for University! You can make a difference!

http://chipintip.com/share/member/project_enlighten

Peace and Respect,

Asad Rahman & Olivia Lorge

PE Scholarships Fund Raiser!

2011-03-24T14:00:00.001-07:00

Good evening Friends and Family-

I was going to write a letter describing this fundraising effort for
our University Scholarship program, then I recieved an email from our
dear friend and supporter Wendy asking if she could share this letter
she wrote with her friends! It was so well done, that I asked if I
could share it with you all! Thankfully Wendy agreed!

Here is here wonderful letter!

"I'm just putting this out because I am a firm believer in Education
and fully support underprivileged souls who wish to pursue an
education in a country where financial resources are very difficult to
come by.

Project Enlighten awards university scholarships to those in need, but
also to those who give back to the community while they are studying
for their degree, and after they attain their degree, so that their
community also benefits from this education.

Project Enlighten also awards educational scholarships to the youth
landmine survivors who live at the Landmine Museum, under the care of
humanitarian deminer, Aki Ra (2010 CNN Hero finalist!!) at the
Landmine Museum in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Project Enlighten has a campaign out for this week only on this new
site called Chip'In'Tip.

http://chipintip.com/share/member/project_enlighten

This is a brand new site developed by Nicholas Lumpp, co-founder of
the Somaly Mam Foundation. He has a track record of bringing people
together to help in humanitarian causes. This is one of them, and he's
given Project Enlighten this week to shine :o)

This is where we have the opportunity to "chip in" $5/month toward the
cost of their education for these scholarships. Friends, that is only
16 cents per day, or the cost of ONE fancy-schmanzy cup of coffee or
any other little personal luxury per month that I personally can
abstain from for an educational cause like this.

I have happily chipped in already :o) But my $5/mo will help greatly
and have a greater impact if we all can all chip in together!
Furthermore, if we can get 100 of us to chip in $5/month, a generous
donor will give Project Enlighten $500 extra for their Scholarship
programs.

Project Enlighten's Scholarship Graduate, Naret Duk, is now teaching
at a government school in Siem Reap and volunteers for various
projects with Project Enlighten but most proudly as Assistant
Education Coordinator with Jill Morse, giving back fully to her family
and to her community. She is a shining example of what this
scholarship is about.

Please consider Chipping in on this new site. We have only till this
weekend to make a difference through Chip'In'Tip.

Thank you for considering this. I truly believe in Project Enlighten
and all its causes. Please join me in supporting them in helping to
give educational opportunities that we so fortunately have in our own
lives.

Thank you for your support and please feel free to pass along to your
friends or post on your Facebook wall, Twitter or any Social Media
were we could get the word out!"

Thank you again Wendy for allowing us to share this! We need your help
friends, 16 cents a day will change a life forever! Please enjoy
several pictures from the graduation in 2010 of our Scholarship
students!!

https://picasaweb.google.com/103080945342781607607/ProjectEnlightenScholarshipGraduation2010?feat=directlink

Peace and Respect,

--
Asad Rahman, Olivia Lorge & Wendy!

Hope, Smiles & Compassion. Photobook on Focus Project 2011

2011-03-13T23:26:00.000-07:00

Would you help me and vote for my pictures in the Focus Project Competition?
Thank you in advance!

Hope, Smiles & Compassion. Photobook on Focus Project 2011

VDCA and the Amazing Mr. Togh

2010-09-12T09:19:00.000-07:00

In addition to the ancient temples, there is a wonderful, magical place in Siem Reap. It is called the Volunteer Development Children's Association school (www.vdca-cambodia.org).

From the website: "The school functions as a supplementary school to the public school system for the majority of the children. Some students, however, are orphans or come from families who cannot afford the monthly fee ($1.50 US) for public schools. The school was first established in 2005 by two Buddhist Monks, Rathana Nn and Togh Main, who wanted to give some of Siem Reap's poorest children a future by offering free education and advice. Within just four years, VDCA has evolved from two basic thatch classrooms to a large and colorful school with more than 600 students who enjoy learning and playing here. This achievement was only possible with the help of numerous volunteers and supporters worldwide. Our current school opened in August 2008 and offers free English classes and other courses to children and young adults. Regular teacher trainings and our international volunteer program constantly improve the quality of the education provided."

The part about this being a supplemental school is important; for the poorest children, whose families cannot afford regular school, this is the only formal education they may get. But here's the crazy part; many of the children CHOOSE to go to VDCA in addition to regular school. They spend evenings at VDTC during the school year, and when they are on summer break from regular school they still attend VDCA.

On Tuesday, August 24, we met with the Director, a passionate man with a beautiful soul, Mr Togh (pronounced Toing). As Sao drives us up to the school we are dumbstruck with the campus. It is large and beautiful. The last time we were here, they were still using the thatch-roofed buildings with dilapidated desks and chairs. There wasn't nearly enough space for all the children. Many of them sat on their bicycle handlebars, using the seat as a desk, outside the building. We walk through the gates and immediately see the brightly painted murals on the outsides of the buildings. The colors are vivid and look perfect. We see the Project Enlighten logo on one wall next to the library (PE provided many of the books and helped construct one of the buildings). Mr. Togh comes out of the office and warmly shakes our hands, his warm smile welcoming us to his school. Mr. Togh is no longer a monk; he is married now with a son, Zachary. But he continues to personify the Buddhist ideals and has included spirituality, responsibility, and decision-making for positive change in the curriculum.

First he takes us to the new art room. It is a small open-air room, the inside walls covered in paintings. Some have been done by the teacher, but most were painted by students. The colors are brilliant, the talent amazing. Two young men working at the table smile shly at us. Mr. Togh explains that they are hoping to sell these at a guesthouse where he also works. They will not put prices on them but will allow the patrons to pay what they think they are worth. I think this is a great idea. The paintings show scenes from the temples, the countryside, portraits, and even some modern images.

On to the computer room. It is tiny by my standards -- maybe 3x5 meters. Eight desktop computers fill the room, and every one is occupied by a student. They are learning Excel spreadsheets. The students are serious and intent on their learning. We don't want to interrupt, so we move on the the library.

It is another small room, maybe 5x5 meters. One boy is sitting with a guitar on his lap. Another is reading. The librarian, Mr. Voty, quickly jumps up from his desk and welcomes us to his library. He is obviously very proud of it and gives us a tour, explaining each shelf of books and his check-out system. The book spines are color coded for difficulty. There is a section of dictionaries and thesaurus in all different languages. Teachers at the VDCA and those studying to become teachers have their own section to help with lessons plans, etc. One small section has short stories, and I spy a couple of Harry Potter books! The books are in many languages -- English, Khmer, Japanese, Thai, German. Mr Voty's check-out system is simple yet effective. Students are allowed to check out books for 3 days. If they are over-due two times, they lose their check-out privileges but can continue to read books in the library. I ask Mr. Voty if he needs more books. Surprisingly to me he says, no. He has enough for now.

Mr. Togh sits down next to the boy with the guitar. He asks him to tell us a little about himself and says he will then sing a song for us. The boy tells us he is 17 years old and is from a very poor family. He lives with an uncle in Siem Reap. He was given guitar lessons by a Scottish volunteer and wants to sing a song for us. He apologizes ahead of time as a string is missing on the guitar. He opens his song book and begins to sing "Don't Worry" by Bob Marley. His voice is clear and lovely, and he nails the melody. The guitar is badly out of tune, but we barely notice. It is so beautiful I choke up. When he finishes we clap loudly, thanking him and telling him how much we liked the song. He is clearly pleased and little embarrassed. We talk a bit more and then ask him to play another song. He turns the pages until he finds "Proud Mary." Again, in his sweet and true voice, he has the melody completely down. His pronunciation is great -- "Rollin'. Rollin'. Rollin' on the river." As long as I live, I will think of this moment every time I hear that song. Finally, he concludes with his favorite song, "Keep me in Your Heart" by the late, great Warren Zevon. I can barely hold back the tears.

We thank Mr. Voty and this young man profusely for showing us the library and singing songs. Matt and I walk outside, our hearts bursting with joy. A very small girl comes up to us and says "Hello." She introduces herself and asks us where we are from. We tell her the US and tell her our names. Her face lights up and she says, "Matt! Asad told me you were coming to Cambodia. I am so happy to meet you both! I am Srey Leap!" Srey Leap has a reputation at VDCA for being one of the most voracious readers of the students. She is outgoing and obviously bright. She tells us she will be a senior in high school this year and hopes to go to college after she graduates. He smile is truly contagious, and I'm overwhelmed by the smart young woman. We then meet another young woman who is attending teacher's school in Siem Reap. She has a passion that burns inside and emanates from her. She feels strongly that good teachers are needed in the rural villages where education is key to overcoming poverty. Her dream is to go back to her poor village and teach young children. She uses VDCA to supplement her studies at the teacher's college. She feels that a teaching degree from the University would better educate and prepare her to be a successful teacher.

We formally sit down with several students Mr. Togh has selected to talk about the PE scholarship program. We ask the young teacher-to-be to sit in with us. The other students can barely get a word in, she is so excited about her dream and wants to tell us everything! Some of the students are shy, some speak out a bit more. They all apologize for their poor English, but we tell them that their English is much better than our Khmer, and that they are doing fine. Sao and Mr. Togh help translate a bit, and Mr. Togh then summarizes our program to the students in Khmer. He tells them that we don't take bribes (The government and many organizations in Cambodia are very corrupt), but scholarships are earned through good applications, good interviews, and a bit of luck. He does a great job.

We leave, pausing for a photo with Mr. Togh in front of the PE logo. My heart is light yet I'm on the verge of tears. I'm so overwhelmed by the hope and promise of brighter futures within these walls. This is where peace comes from; this is the future of this young country and its citizens. This is a magical place.

Peace. Respect. Gratitude.

Riva & Matt

Meeting with Students

2010-08-20T20:10:00.000-07:00

We awake early after a pretty good night's sleep. The sky is blessedly cloudy as we walk to the Blue Pumpkin breakfast. Hopefully the clouds will stay all day and give us a break from the heat.

Sao meets us at the Blue Pumpkin and tells us that he has set it up for us to meet with our scholarship students at Bill's and Jill's house at 1100. As we eat our Western breakfast Sao takes off and promises to pick us up in front at 1030. We have some time so we walk through the old market. The smells are sharp and strong as we walk through the food area. Fruit, meat, and fish are available. Open bags of rice line the aisles. This is where most of the Khmer people buy their food. It is crowded yet no one seems to mind the flash from my camera. The other sections are full of "tourist" ware. There are t-shirts, skirts, silk scarves, jewelry, carved Buddhas. The vendors half-heartedly ask us if we want to buy. The last time we were here they seemed more aggressive. The poor world economy reaches everyone. The final section is household goods for Khmer; diapers, cleaning products, brooms, medicine.

We leave the market and just walk around old town. We walk by the guesthouse where we stayed in 2008. It has completely changed. It has a different name and looks newer. Signs promise WiFi and showers. We only paid $12/night back in 2008, we wonder how much it costs now.

We circle back to the Blue Pumpkin to wait for Sao and soon realize that standing stationary courts beggars and street vendors. Many of them are missing limbs from the land mines. I want to help all of them but realize I can't. We buy a book from one man who is missing a leg and an arm. We in our good clothes and with full bellies are relieved when Sao pulls up in the tuk tuk.

We head to Bill's and Jill's house through an area we've never been. Fewer tourists yet many vendors catering to the Khmer. Naked toddlers and dogs line the street among the food carts and gasoline sellers.

We arrive at their beautiful rental house where Channy is already waiting. We have not met her as she is in the second group of students who were selected in 2009. She is quick to smile and we greet her with the traditional som pas -- hands together as if in prayer and a slight bow. She is studying accounting. Soon the others arrive -- Sok Kheng is a gentle young man studying information technology. He has an exam tonight so has brought his book to study. His English is very good. Chantrea is next. She has just finished her exams and will graduate if she passed. She studied accounting and currently works at the Khmer Kitchen where we ate the other night. She is working on improving her English. She and Channy are very close and are constantly holding hands and sitting close together. Khemra is a strong young woman who is studying civil engineering. Her speech is very quiet at first, and we have to lean forward to hear her. Her English is good and she asks a lot of questions. As she gets more comfortable with us she speaks more loudly. Chantrea tells us that Sina is working untill 1200 but will join us when she gets off work. Sina wants to be a lawyer.

It is good having Sao there with us. He knows them all and can translate when necessary. Yet he encourages them to speak to us in English, telling them that is the only way they will get better at it. We ask how their jobs are going; they all work long hours, nearly full time. And, as a requirement of our scholarship, they must volunteer at the place of their choice at least 5 hours per week. We tell them how happy we are and how proud of them we are. I make sure Sao translates this into Khmer as I want to make sure they know this.

The highlight of the meeting is when we get on Skype with Asad and Olivia back in Flagstaff, AZ. Bill and Jill just arrived with Naret, one of our students, and Sophary, who works at the Land Mine Museum with Bill. Video skype is a big hit with all as we laugh and wave, continuously moving the laptop around so everyone can be seen. The temperature is only in the 50s (11 C) back in Flagstaff and Sophary is in a chair with blankets upon her. The kids back here can't believe how cold it is and laugh at Sophary. Sina shows up while we are on Skype and gets to say hi to everyone in Flagstaff. It is a fun time and a good way to end the meeting. It was good for Matt and me as well, as we miss not having Asad and Olivia here in Siem Reap.
Peace,
Riva & Matt

Back to Cambodia

2010-08-19T19:28:00.000-07:00

As we fly over Siem Reap the country side looks much differently than the last time we were here. In January of 2008 it was the dry season. The rice fields and pastures were brown and dry. The air was filled with smoke, acrid and sharp, from burning fields and burning rubbish. The sky was hazy with a layer of pollution. Now, as we fly over, the fields are lush and green. The rice paddies are full of brown water. The air is clean and the sky full of clouds. As we get off the plane the air is clean, but the heat hits us like a baseball bat.

After clearing customs we walk outside and there is our good friend Sao waiting for us. He waves his arms, his smile wide and easy. We wave back and walk towards him. I always have to resist the urge to pull him into a giant hug. But that is inappropriate in the Khmer culture. Instead I grab his hand in both of mine and bend from the waist in a show of respect. He and Matt shake hands, too. We are so happy to be here!

"Home or lunch?" Sao asks. "Green House!" I say. It was our favorite restaurant the last time we came. We load up Sao's tuk tuk with our bags and climb in. Soon we are heading towards the city.

We are struck by the number of new hotels that have been built since our last trip. Many line the road; most look quite empty. Bad timing with the economy.

Soon Sao pulls into the Green House. The host probably does not remember us, but we remember his beautiful smile and impeccable manners. We order a couple of Angkor beers first thing. Matt and I are so travel weary that first I knock over glass of beer, and then Matt knocks both his fork and knife off the table. But the food is delicious, just as we remember. I eat a banana leaf salad with chicken and fresh lime. it is perfect for the warm weather. Matt eats fresh spring rolls. We are happy.

After lunch Sao takes us to the market to buy fruit for our hosts. This is a traditional Khmer gift when visiting or staying with a family. We also buy bottled water and an internet card. The water is unsafe to even brush our teeth in, so bottled water is a necessity.

Finally we make our way to the Yimsut house. Our friend and advisor, Ronnie Yimsut, works for the US Forest Service in Milwaukee. He owns a home with his cousin Yarran and Yarran's wife, Sa Eng here in Siem Reap. Ronnie has two suites on the third floor, and he lets all PE volunteers stay there if they are available. We are humbled by his generosity. We pull up to the house and get out Sa Eng greets us warmly and calls to Yarran. Soon their daughter, Thavy, comes out and they grab all our bags and start carrying them up the stairs to the third floor.

The room is wonderfully cool after the oppressive heat. Everyone tells us it's not usually this hot. Dark clouds to the east tease us with the chance of cooling rain. Sao translates for us as we talk with our hosts. The language barrier is difficult at times, we are glad Sao is there to help. His English continues to improve as we notice it is much better than the last time we were here. Sa Eng tells us that Arun, a young woman who lives with them, wants to meet us and will come up to our suite when she gets home from work at the Children's Hospital at 5:00. That give us two hours to rest and unpack.

We hear thunder rumbling and go out onto the large balcony. The air has cooled, and dark clouds race across the sky. Lightning flashes. The wind picks up and the trees sway. We notice the soccer (football) practice in the field near the school continues despite the lightning. Workers building a second story onto a house nearby also keep working. Finally, the cool rain begins to fall, the sound on the metal roofs like someone dropping dried beans. Matt and I sit and watch the storm, enjoying the fresh, cool air.

We go back inside and try to NOT fall asleep. It is 4:00 pm in Siem Reap but our bodies are still on US Eastern time where it is 5:00 am. Our goal is to make it to 9:00 pm before sleeping. It will be tough. We decide to go back outside and sit at the table on the balcony.

At about 5:30 we hear footsteps coming up the stairs. It is Sa Eng and Arun. They sit with us at the table and we get to know Arun. Her English is excellent and we are soon impressed by this young woman. She loves working at the Children's Hospital and wants to someday manage this or another hospital. She is bright, funny, and we enjoy talking to her. She wants to go with us to visit the BTC site on Sunday, her day off. She and Sa Eng discuss the logistics and soon have the day planned. The she tells us that Sa Eng and Yarran want to take us to dinner tonight. They ask us what kind of food we like, and we tell them we like Khmer food, any kind. We plan to meet downstairs at 7 to go to Khmer Kitchen for dinner.

At 7 we go downstairs. Arun is there with a friend of hers. He works for immigration, and I swear he stamped my passport at the airport! We get into their car and drive to the restaurant. It is packed with both Khmer and foreigners. Arun recommends fried morning glory and long bean salad. We order those, and her friend orders big bottles of Angkor beer. He pours beer for us all and we toast. "Cheers!" they all say which surprises me. There are also fish cakes with a spicy sauce, fresh spring roles, sweet and sour chicken, minced pork, and BBQ ribs. And of course perfectly cooked rice. So much food! It is so good. It is a great evening and we enjoy ourselves immensely.

When we get back to the Yimsut suites it is about 8:30. We thank our generous hosts and walk up to the suite. It is 9:00 by the time we crawl into bed -- we have hit our goal. I post a couple photos on facebook turn out the light. Good first day in Siem Reap.

Race for Dreams – Changing lives mile by mile!

2010-04-04T14:58:00.000-07:00

In a continuing quest to race all of the 4 Deserts and to complete an
Ultra Marathon on all 7 continents, Kenneth Perry is heading to
Australia to run a seven-day, six-stage, 155 mile footrace across the
great Outback of Australia.

Kenneth Perry is an Air Tactical Officer and chief instructor/check
airman for the Aerial Supervision Module program with the U.S.D.I.
Bureau of Land Management. Previously he was a Hotshot and
Smokejumper, spending 16 years fighting fire all over the United
States and Canada. A lifelong runner, Ken started running long
distance events after recovering from multiple back surgeries; he
discovered that endurance events were his passion.

Kenneth and Project Enlighten (PE) have teamed up to work together to
raise funds for PE programs in SE Asia. Kenneth is graciously using
his passion to create opportunities for the children we serve.

Kenneth's motivation and inspiration, for his long runs, are
humanitarian efforts across the globe. The thought of helping others,
brings meaning to every foot step forward and every mile completed.
What's each mile worth to the young children who will learn something
new or rise from poverty with each mile Kenneth completes? What is the
value of a mile worth to you?

Can we help Kenneth fuel his goal? What are you willing to pledge?

* 25 cents per mile?
* 50 cents per mile?
* $1 per mile?

With a simple donation of even $25.00, you will help change the lives
of people living in poverty, forever. What kind of legacy shall we
leave, not only for our children, but children across the world?

Please make a pledge!

http://www.firstgiving.com/projectenlighten

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-ZshyEA4gY

Cambodia Update Nov. 2009

2009-11-23T19:28:00.000-08:00

Greeting’s from Cambodia!

Hello Project Enlighten supporters, I wanted to give you all a quick update on what has been transpiring since I

arrived in Cambodia almost one week ago today. I hit the road running so to speak, over 20 Rotarian’s from

Toronto, Canada had arrived to work side by side with local villagers to start construction on two buildings on

our Bankong Technical College Project.

We are so thankful for

the partnership with

Toronto Rotary, this

has been a very

successful venture. A

big thank you to Lisa

McCoy, Ronnie

Yimsut, Yarann ,

Saeng and our scholarship recipients Naret, Khmera

and Channy and many others, who have been

working tirelessly behind the scenes to make this

happen. Thank you!

As in any project in a third world country, obstacles

are sure to be present, we are not immune. There

have been delay’s in receiving our permits, but we

have forged forward with Toronto Rotary to focus on

other PE projects in the interim. Rotarians have been

volunteering at PE sponsored Volunteer

Development Children’s Association school.

Working to organize the library, teaching English

and drawing up plans to build a Teachers conference

room, plus fixing plumbing issues and building book

cases. Rotary has also been visiting and teaching at

the Cambodian Landmine Museum.

I was fortunate to be able to bring over several boxes

of books that were handed out to Mr. Togh and the

children at VDCA. This is such a priceless gift for

the children. Thank you so much Kristina and Thu

for these cherished books! If anyone has more books

they would like us to bring to our students in

Cambodia, Laos or the Burmese Refugee Camps

please send us an email and we can work out the

details! Simple gift with high reward!

This will be the first of many updates as we have so

much to share with you all. News on our Scholarship

students and

coordinator, BTC,

and a new

opportunity

developing in Laos!

As always we cannot

do what we do

without your valued

donations. Even $10 buys bricks for our schools and

school supplies. Together we can make a difference!

More coming......

Khmer Travels

2009-11-15T11:59:00.000-08:00

Well, the Project Enlighten gang is back in Cambodia and working very hard!
The Bakong Technical College site is the main focus this month, we have a group of Canadian Rotarians doing a Sweat Equity project with us, please check out their Blog at:

http://sweatequityd7070.blogspot.com/

Asad made it safe and sound to Cambodia, last Friday with the warmest of welcomes from Ronnie, Yarann, Saeng, Lisa, Bill and Jill Morse and of course Sao. He was greeted with a ice cold Angkor Beer. It was excepted with humbled gratitude!! He got just a few hours of sleep before rising quiet early to take a trip to the Floating Village with Ronnie and 20 plus Rotarians. His travels have gone smooth but there is so much to do on this trip...and one great adventure has been greeted with another, at day break each day. We hope to hear more from Siem Reap and have photos posted soon for you all.

Please stay tuned!

Love and respect,
Olivia, on behalf of a very busy Asad : )

17 die as river ferry sinks

2009-10-11T12:07:00.000-07:00

Prayers go out, from Project Enlighten, to the families in Cambodia who have been affected by this tragedy.
- P.E. Family

Sunday, October 11, 2009

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) -- An overloaded river ferry capsized on its way to a Buddhist ceremony in Cambodia, killing 17 passengers in a tributary of the Mekong River, an official said Sunday.

Kham Phoeun, governor of Kratie province, said the boat was crammed with 30 passengers when it capsized in midstream in northeastern Kratie province, said Police Maj. Leng Sarum. He said 13 passengers were rescued after the accident, which happened while the boat was headed to a ceremony at a Buddhist temple Saturday night.

"There was no storm or heavy rain when the boat sank. The accident happened because it was overloaded with passengers," the officer said, speaking by telephone near the site of the incident.

He said the bodies of 17 dead, which included 14 women and two children under the age 5, were being given to relatives.

Late last month, Typhoon Ketsana swept into central Cambodia and toppled dozens of rickety homes, killing at least 18 people and injuring some 100 others.

Saturday's accident happened about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northeast of the capital Phnom Penh.

About the Project Enlighten Logo

2009-09-23T15:01:00.000-07:00

Many of our supporters have asked us about our logo and the meaning behind the colors and design. The logo itself is primarily circular, with four circular rings: green, orange, brown and the center, golden. The Golden center of the logo, albeit not the most prominent feature, blooms a delicate and hearty Lotus flower. There are four ringlets of lotus petals surrounding the heart of the lotus flower. The left side of the sphere is adorned with a four-tiered green bamboo shoot, with two sets of leaves leaning from the side. The font style and colors were carefully chosen to reflect the powerful nature of selfless giving and the heart of humanity.

We wanted to have colors that gave an organic feel while promoting happiness, health, peace and posterity. The color green is associated with growth, nature and the environment. The large ringlet of green encourages the reciprocation of growth and life. The bold color orange brings energy to the intricacy of our program. It is another color associated with nature and even more so, with fire. Orange is a vibrant, stimulating and social color with a connotation relating to fertility, energy and balance. Brown is known for its connection to Earth and nature, which is an essential element within Project Enlighten. We incorporate nature friendly practices in everything we do. Our goal is to maximize our efficiency while creating as little impact on the environment as possible. In promoting self sustaining programs, we encourage the people and communities we work with to focus on the same concept. Gold is a color of enrichment and enlightenment, which goes hand in hand with our organization. Harvested from earthen soil, gold holds great value in almost every culture. Just as our organization, gold is associated with enlightenment. Both come from very humble beginnings but when value and beauty are exposed, they are able to attain great feats. We see the future of Project Enlighten growing with great strength and beauty.

Bamboo is a symbol for longevity, strength and grace. It promotes good health, harmony and a peaceful life. The inherent nature of the plant allows for it to readily bend without breaking easily. We see Project Enlighten in a similar light to this hearty plant, bamboo. Our ability to grow and be flexible as new needs are identified is so very important. The straight stem of bamboo symbolizes the path towards enlightenment, the segments of the stem being the steps along the way, signifying a climb up the ladder of success. With each year that passes, we gain experience and knowledge that will continue to make us a better organization. Bamboo is symbolic of prosperity and encourages success in business ventures. Clusters of green sprouts and leaves give light to growth and tenacity. Its mysterious, unique appearance, bamboo is thought to be a sacred plant and essential in the creation of positive environmental energy, both indoors and out. It is believed that bamboo, which has been treated and cultivated under natural growing conditions, has greater power and energy. Bamboo evokes success, peace, harmony, and is considered lucky.

The roots of a lotus are in the mud, the stem grows up through the water, and the heavily scented flower lies pristinely above the water, basking in the sunlight. This pattern of growth signifies the progress of the soul from the "primeval mud of materialism," through the waters of experience, and into the golden sunshine of enlightenment. Though there are other water plants that bloom above the water, it is only the lotus, which, owing to the strength of its stem, regularly rises eight to twelve inches above the surface. Many of the countries we work in, mirror the path of the lotus in regards to growth, they have strong stems and the passion to move upward. The path to the sunlight and a life of enlightenment is a struggle worth great measure. Project Enlighten’s goal is to help these people and communities rise well above the line of water, to heights beyond what they see as attainable. One of the greatest rewards we have already experienced has been watching our Project Enlighten family grow and learn to dream larger than life itself.

Our organization has a great connection with Earth and humanity. Our great aspiration is to hold true to the values of which our foundation has been built upon and encourage others to do the same. We see the people of the world coming together to help one another, no matter what differences we may all have.

Asad on Soksabai.com

2009-08-03T20:56:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago Asad took some time out to share a little bit about Project Enlighten. An article was recently posted on the following site:

http://soksabai.com/pg/pages/view/9131/

Please enjoy!

Marillion & Project Enlighten

2009-05-13T16:14:00.001-07:00

We are nothing without our family of supporters! We graciously send out another big THANK YOU to all of you! Special hugs & gratitude to Marillion, The Web UK and all Marillion fans!

Love, Love Love...
Project Enlighten

Marillion & Project Enlighten in Holland

2009-04-18T16:58:00.000-07:00

Trying to find words to express the overwhelming love and support that Olivia and I and Project Enlighten felt during the Marillion 2009 Convention has been struggle to put on paper.

Marillion has been more than a just a band, but truly a culmination of friends and family that share the same ethos of wonderfully powerful and emotional music and kinships.
I first saw Marillion many moons ago opening for Rush. Yes I was there to see Rush but always enjoyed hearing new artists and exploring new music. Little did I know the impact that this opening band would have on the rest of my days. Overwhelmed from what I saw and heard, I quickly purchased their cassette at Tower Records, (Am I dating myself?) From that point on I have faithfully followed and with great admiration and respect all things Marillion, a band that would provide the soundscape for my life!

In 2007 Olivia and I attended our first Marillion Convention in Center Parcs Port Zelande, Netherlands. Olivia surprised me with a pair of tickets for my 40th birthday. I was so excited and overwhelmed! At that point I made a conscious decision that via this Convention that I wanted to propose and ask Olivia to share the rest of our days together in marriage, but how? Well I wrote Lucy Jordache who was part of Marillion’s management, I had conversed with her a few times via Myspace on our work in Cambodia and she was always supportive. I asked Lucy if it would be possible if I could propose to Olivia on stage. My heart was racing as I inched towards the “send” button. Click and it was gone…

I received a reply shortly thereafter from Lucy that the band was busy in the studio and that we should write her back one we come back from our trip to Cambodia and Vietnam. Fair enough I thought!
So once we returned I sent Lucy another email to follow up and to my great surprise Marillion said YES! Now my heart was pounding beyond belief, what would I say, what if I flub my words, what if I freeze, what if…
The obvious question, which I never thought of, was what would I tell Olivia, “Oh by the way we are going on stage to say hello?” Thankfully Lucy had already solved this quandary for me. “Why don’t you take a few minutes to tell the audience about your work in Cambodia” Lucy replied. Brilliant!
I will let the picture express one of my happiest moments in my life!

Fast-forward to 2009, Marillion has their convention every two years and with great excitement we purchased our tickets for what was sure to be another fantastic and exciting gathering of friends and family! We were able to convince our dear friends and PE Board members Matt Keys and Riva Duncan to join us on this delightful escapade!
Along with Matt and Riva we were also able to share this experience with one of my best friends Kipp Morrill and his wonderful wife Miriam. The stage was set, can it get any better, and well actually it did.

We were contacted by Lynne Wells and Andy Rotherham from the WEB UK the Official Marillion fan club, they asked if Project Enlighten would like to be the Web UK’s charity of choice for the 2009 Marillion Weekend. At this point you have to try and visualize Olivia and I jumping up and down like excited school kids who just received a perfect report card in grade school.
The plan was relatively simple as we would have a table set up for fans to part with one Euro and the opportunity to win via a raffle a wonderful selection of items donated by the band. Steve Rothery guitarist offered a free guitar lesson, a massive and beautifully arranged book with pictures and hand written lyrics was lovingly donated, fans who purchased a raffle ticket could sign and pass on their thoughts and memories forever documented in this keepsake.
It kept getting better as Lynne informed us that a wonderfully humble and kind Marillion fan Paul Baines was going to match every Euro donated up to 2000 Euros! We were truly at a loss for words for these amazing acts of compassion and kindness. So for three days straight Lynne and her wonderful friend Anne worked our table on PE’s behalf.
Our dear friend Andy whom we spoke of earlier was in charge of showcasing the Marillion Museum, a wonderful exhibition of tour memorabilia in which people stood in line to eagerly see and snap photographs. Andy decided he was going to do his humble part and offer the fans the ability to fill up two containers with Euros. One to keep his beard or one to shave it! It became very obvious that Andy truly loved his beard and there were those who made sure the “shave” container was going to be the hands down winner.
Andy you were a trooper and great sport!

I could continue to rant about the wonderment and sheer joy that we experienced during this convention. It was hard to leave all our old and new friends from this magical gathering. The memories and support from the Marillion Family will leave a wonderful legacy for our continued efforts in Cambodia.

We cannot thank enough Marillion (Steve Hogarth, Steve Rothery, Mark Kelly, Pete Trewavas and Ian Mosley) Lucy, Stephanie, Anne, Lynne, Andy, Jim, Paul and everyone who contributed to this amazing gathering of friends and family!

A life-changing trip!

2009-03-29T11:13:00.000-07:00

By JOHN DARLING
for the Mail Tribune
ASHLAND — After a nearly 30-year career of shooting portraits of everyone from local families to celebrities and political powerhouses, photographer Chris Briscoe wanted to get out of his comfort zone.

So last year he hopped on a plane to Bangkok, not knowing where the journey would take him.

Where it took him changed his life.

Traveling around Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam by moped and bus, Briscoe quickly found himself among the common people, giving them the first portrait they ever had, printed immediately on his battery-powered Hewlett-Packard photo printer.

Just as the photos were a high point in their lives, the people of Southeast Asia were a peak in Briscoe's life — even though some of his best pictures were taken in a garbage dump, where refugees from tyranny and violence in Myanmar were eking out a living.

His journey led to a touching, privately printed book called "Common Ground," which has found its way to the U.S. State Department, which now wants Briscoe to do a similar project in Haiti, the poorest nation in the hemisphere.

"What I learned is that families living in garbage dumps have the same threads running through their lives as we do," Briscoe says. "They want the same things: a good education for their children, a happy life."

In one picture, a small girl stands atop a pile of trash, her tent home in the background, wearing a wild array of castoff clothing and addressing the camera with an expression of pure joy.

"In a lot of respects they are happier than we are," Briscoe says. "They're grateful for everything. I was struck by that over and over, even though their lives are defined by their struggle."

Mae-Wen Richards of People's Bank of Commerce in Ashland points to a large print of the picture in her office and says, "She's in a dump with a very happy smile. Immediately you realize she really has nothing and lives there in that dump. What Chris is telling us in this picture is that maybe they're the happiest people of all."

Coming home to the U.S. was, for Briscoe, the real culture shock, as he saw our culture with fresh eyes.

"We don't have to struggle," he says. "We're on third base already. We don't have to dodge bullets to survive. Over there, in the jungle regions, one in 250 people have lost limbs because of land mines or from bombs left over from the Vietnam War."

So moved was Briscoe during a month in Southeast Asia in spring 2008 that he came home to take his 15-year-old son, Quincy, back to the region in summer for another month. Quincy, a member of the Ashland High School varsity tennis team, took two racquets and 100 tennis balls with him. He taught Asian kids how to hit the ball and gave the balls away, to their delight.

The book is a set piece of contrast, with awe-inspiring studies of the lined faces of the aged and workers struggling under heavy loads beside shots of irrepressible kids in classrooms, shooting rubber bands in the dump or chasing after Quincy and his tennis balls.

John Davis of Davis & Cline Gallery on A Street, writing in the book's foreword, lauded Briscoe's pictures for their "artistic completeness and vision of humanity" amounting to a contemporary work of fine art.

Virtually everyone Briscoe met saw America as the golden land of opportunity, security, choice and a good education — and they wanted to come here, Briscoe recalls.

"It gave me a new perspective. When you grow up in the jungle surrounded by land mines, how do you take anyone out of that and put them in Costco and Disneyland?"

Briscoe established contacts in the region with the help of Project Enlighten, which is run by volunteers and gives aid in Southeast Asia for humanitarian, educational, environmental and other purposes. The organization, at www.projectenlighten.org, is using Briscoe's book as a fundraising tool and gift to some donors.

Briscoe, a Santa Barbara native, came to Ashland in 1971 and taught third grade at Walker Elementary School. He found his way into photography by freelancing for the Ashland Daily Tidings starting in 1980. Among his clients have been Kirk Douglas, Catherine Zeta Jones, Dennis Miller, Rob Lowe, Olivia Newton-John and former Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev.

Briscoe's "Common Ground" is available at his studio at Fourth and A Streets in Ashland or can be ordered by e-mail at photo@chrisbriscoe.com.

John Darling is a freelance writer living in Ashland. E-mail him at jdarling@jeffnet.org.

Project Enlighten and Marillion video..

2009-03-19T02:02:00.000-07:00

We wanted to share a wonderful video that our dear friends Miriam and Kipp Morrill comprised for PE on their recent trip to Cambodia. Enjoy the video and the some of the music from our favorite band Marillion!

Refugee Camp Nu Po under threat.

2009-02-07T22:06:00.000-08:00

As we at Project Enlighten begin to put the final touches on our new Program with Abitsu we share this article with you. Stay tuned, if you are wondering how you can help with this desperate situation, we will have some sustainable and positive solutions soon!

By Daniel Pedersen | January 31, 2009

Mae Sot (Mizzima) - As night closes in on Noe Poh refugee camp, about five hours south of Mae Sot in northern Thailand bordering town with Burma, the road that skirts its edge clears of people.
By 9 pm, should anyone be reckless enough to light a candle, Karen National Liberation Army, the armed-wing of Karen National Union, one of the longest running ethnic rebels in Asia against the military-ruled Burma, soldiers will quickly ensure it is extinguished.
By now though, after two weeks of bolstered security in the face of intrusions upon Thailand’s sovereignty by Burmese government-backed fighters, mostly no one would be foolish enough to dare light their surroundings.
No one moves from their ramshackle perches in the night, a strict curfew is policed by both Thai soldiers and KNLA foot patrols.
Two weeks ago the camp was shutting down at 8.45 sharp, but one inhabitant said the “situation has calmed down a lot now”.
Just weeks ago brazen sorties by the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, a break away Karen faction but aligned with the military junta, had everyone on edge.
DKBA “spies”, Karens not part of the camp population, were intercepted creeping around in the darkness four nights in a row.
So paranoid were camp security officers that, at the height of tensions in the area around the camp, one accused spy was arrested and executed.
“I don’t think he had a trial,” said Carl Browne, one of two foreign teachers working at the camp.
“They’ve caught nine or 10 so far,” he said, adding that a committee member of the school at which he teaches, the ESC (for English Speaking Course), came across three in one night.
The word “course” in the school’s name replaces college, because Thai authorities do not allow colleges, which would suggest permanency.
Serious fighting has come as close as 10 kilometres to Noe Poh camp.
The DKBA is pursuing remnants of the KNLA’s 103 Special Battalion, which early this year lost its base camp further north.
As the KNLA unit pulls back into ever-higher mountains in the south it lays landmines, creating a constant stream of DKBA casualties, the most serious of which are admitted to Umphang Hospital, run by the Thai government.
The base camp of 103 was one of the last two KNLA Sixth Brigade footprints in Karen State. Its loss means only Wah Lay Kee, further north, remains.
A foreign donor who helps humanitarian fund the Karen struggle for recognition said he felt KNLA commanders now accepted Wah Lay Kee would also be lost.
“I think, just strategically, because they’re so outnumbered, they figure it is better to keep the soldiers safe by keeping them on the move,” he said.
DKBA and SPDC troops have been poised to take Wah Lay Kee at their liberty for weeks now, but have not yet launched a final push.
But the Thais know Wah Lay Kee is bound to fall and vigilant patrols have sealed the border, waiting to deter any combatants or civilians fleeing the fighting from limping into Thai territory.
The foreign donor explained the apparent reticence of DKBA and SPDC troops thus: “They’re not keen to go in because they know the place will be booby-trapped and there won’t be anyone there.
“And they know they will take casualties.”
Benedict Rogers, author of “A Land Without Evil” lamented 103’s loss over coffee in Mae Sot.
“You know I come here two, maybe three times a year and every visit another bit of land is lost.
“I see that they [KNU/KNLA] are being ground further and further down,” he said, shaking his head.
On this visit Mr Rogers will meet with the KNU’s new leadership, filled with hope the orginization can revitalize its struggle against Burma’s State Peace and Development Council.
“You know since Mahn Sha’s death (the former KNU secretary-general who was assassinated at his home near Mae Sot on February 14, 2008) there’s not been any real leadership.
“He was a unifying figure who drew together different strands of opinion, religion and he maintained links with the various democracy groups. He saw the big picture.”
Mr Rogers said the SPDC’s latest offensives, which began in Karen State but have now pushed into Shan and Karenni States, are part of an outright bid to force rebels fighting for self-determination into submission before the 2010 elections.
Burman dissidents in Mae Sot agreed, saying the SPDC would pressure armed groups weakened by the current extreme military offensives to sign ceasefire deals before next year’s poll.
Mr Rogers said he feared the international community, irritated and embarrassed by the junta’s harsh and belligerent excesses, might be willing to accept a veneer of calm, no matter how artificial it might be.
“That’s particularly the case with Asian countries, they’re tired of it,” he said.
The “official” population of Noe Poh camp is about 14,000, but each week new arrivals bolster that figure, as Thai brokers deliver their quarry hidden in cars or trucks.
People living in the camp, which is largely forgotten by the constant stream of foreign volunteer teachers, Christian groups and non-governmental organisations that pour into more accessible camps during the dry season, say passage from Mae Sot to Noe Poh costs about 5000 baht.
Carl Browne, who until this week was the only foreign teacher at Noe Poh and has more than 600 students, says once fugitives make it to Noe Poh, they’re safe.
“The real issue is getting in,” he said.
“But because we’re so far away from Mae Sot, we sort of get forgotten, or left alone – we have internet cafes, we have shops.
“There’s more and more activists seeking refuge at Noe Poh, from Rangoon, former political prisoners, there’s more than in Mae La even.
“That’s why Noe Poh is really under pressure, the junta wants to clean up before next year,” he said.
People living at Noe Poh know full well the junta wants to destroy the camp.
“Hell, the DKBA even contacted the Thai camp commander and said ‘get your people out, we’re coming in to burn it down’,” said Mr. Browne.
“The camp commander said no.”

Christmas at remote Burmese Refugee Camp Nu Po

2008-12-30T16:51:00.000-08:00

Another wonderful Blog report from Team member Lisa McCoy. We are still reeling from this trip in the most positive of ways. We will catch up on our Blog reports...promise...presently swamped!
Respect.
Asad

By Lisa McCoy
Five miles away from the Burma border under the watchful eye of the Burmese military junta is Refugee Camp Nu Po; not a place many would consider spending Christmas. But for almost 14,000 Burmese refugees, this remote Thai-controlled jungle encampment has been their home for 10 years. Astoundingly, this is where ‘Project Enlighten’ founders Asad Rahman, Olivia Lorge and I spent one of the most heartfelt Christmas’ ever. Their gift of friendship and hospitality is one that will never leave our hearts and souls.

The residents of Camp Nu Po rarely see western volunteers because the arduous 7-hour journey to this camp must be made in the back of a ‘songthaew’ - the Thai rural pick-up truck that acts as a bus by conveniently placing bench seats along either side of the box.

The 140km trip to Camp Nu Po is spent mostly winding round border hills which resulted in even the hardiest of locals pitching up their stomach contents over the side of the truck. The first photo on the left clearly displays the misery experienced by young local man on our journey. Every half hour someone, usually a child, succumbed to vomiting, which in turn nauseated others. At one point, my elbow which was placed foolishly outside of the truck received a spray of vomit from a young child sitting upwind from me.

To make matters worse, the songthaew picked up everybody at every stop until the every inch of the canopy, and box was covered with passengers. This cramped and nauseating trip is one that the three of us will never ever forget. A map of Thailand’s Burmese Refugee Camps can be found at this link which clearly details the remote location of this camp: http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/SHIG-7L9HLA?OpenDocument . We clearly viewed Burmese armed military en route as we traveled along Burma’s border.

Our visit to the camp had to be Okayed by the Thai Camp Commander previous to our arrival. The Camp Commander is a Ministry of Thailand Thai official who is specifically trained for camp control. Refugee camps experience domestic violence, child abuse, drinking and fights on a continuous basis. It’s up to the Camp Commander and the delegated Burmese refugees in specific roles underneath him to keep peace in the camp – not an easy job when you have 14,000 people living in small bamboo houses set 4 feet apart from one another.

Camp Nu Po began as most refugee camps did, when a group of Burmese IDP (Internally Displaced People) fled across the Burma border and built the first few houses 10 years ago. It wasn’t long until the population grew to its present 14,000. Nu Po isn’t the biggest camp in Tak province either – Mae La Refugee Camp has over 37,000! Refugees from Tak province are resettled in the United States, while refugees from other provincial camps are chosen for resettlement in other countries.

We were able to meet with the Camp Commander on Christmas morning, and through an interpreter we were able to ask many questions which helped unravel for us some of the mysteries that surround the whole refugee process. Why do some refugees get chosen for resettlement in a third country and others seem to wait for years in camps? Why are some refugees issued identity cards and others not? From what I learned, it is the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) and the Thai government who make many of these decisions, but their criteria stills remains somewhat clouded to me.

We arrived at the camp about 4pm on Christmas Eve. We were taken to the main office where we were required to turn in our passports for the duration of our stay – a normal requirement for security purposes. We were promptly escorted to one home and given a glass of water. After 10 minutes we were taken to one of the few camp ‘restaurants’, where we happily gobbled down the meal that was cooked up for us – we had not eaten since 7am! From there we were taken back to the first house for some after dinner treats. Then we were taken to the camps two schools, where we were served fruits and beverages again! So few westerners visit this camp – our visit was considered one of the highlights of the year for them – three foreign visitors at once, and at Christmas! We were also treated to a special musical rehearsal for the Karen New Year celebrations that were taking place in a few days.

Yes – it all sounds so fine and wonderful how we were treated at this camp – but don’t get me wrong; the need in this camp is great. This camp lacks the many projects by NGO’s that many of the less remote camps benefit from. Nu Po has a serious lack of drinking water. The Burmese were so proud of their one water purification system, but it does not suffice for the camp’s population. There is no electricity and few generators to charge the few batteries in the camp. One organization has installed a solar power panel, but more is needed.

Another great need is in the schools. The one school which teaches kindergarten through grade eleven curriculum has 600 students. It has no textbooks. The students have to copy lessons into exercise books. There is no loose-leaf paper for the teachers to make tests or exams with. There is no photocopier. There are no computers for the school. There is no library. We visited the nursery school on Christmas morning where 13 small children eagerly gleaned through the handful of tattered childrens picture books it possessed. Those small children treated us to a chorus of 4 nursery songs perfectly performed in English. It’s amazing what they have done with so little, but the eagerness these children display for education overcomes their lack of materials. It should not have to be so. The second school is in just as bad shape. We had brought with us enough exercise books, pencils, sharpeners and rulers for about 100 children.

It was at the second school that we were treated to a special Christmas Eve celebration put on by some of the adult students who were eager to be able to spend some time with us practicing conversation in English. The room was decorated with a hand-colored life-size Santa, Christmas tree and hand-lettered banners. Again, many treats were served to us! It was one of the most joyous times of comradeship that we had ever experienced.

I happened to have brought along a recent edition of a Bangkok newspaper. When I gave it to one of the teachers, he could not contain his excitement, as they rarely see any publications from ‘outside’ in English. I made a mental note to bring along some more upon my return; maybe some National Geographic magazines as well. Oh yes – I am coming back! Along with the many other needs, the teachers emphasized to me that along with books their other biggest desire is to see more volunteer teachers coming in to help teach English. They would be happy for whatever time a volunteer could commit to this. So, at our meeting with the Camp Commander, I told him that I would return in a few weeks to volunteer for a week or two. I would be living with one of the families in the camp. As I had on Christmas Eve; I would be sleeping on a mat on the floor with some blankets. Because of its high elevation, Camp Nu Po evenings can be quite cold. We have made some wonderful friendships at the camp, I’m eager to return to spend some more time with my new-found friends.

My dear friend Kipp!

2008-12-20T04:07:00.000-08:00

Through the years there are very few things to me that stay constant in my life. That is not necessarily a bad thing, I enjoy change and all the opportunities it can bring, and this is the yin. The constants in my life have been less pronounced but alas rarely change, like the 49ers and their lack of a Playoff appearance. One constant in my life that I truly count my blessings for are my strong and valued friendships. One of these friendships sprung a new branch on our apple tree! This new branch of our tree will bare a bountiful fruit for many more years to come. Allow me to explain.

I first met Kipp Morrill in the mid 80’s. We both started on the Organized Fire Crews in Chico California. Young and enthusiastic firefighters ready to take on the world, boy we were young! Through the years we have grown and matured in our lives and our profession’s. We have a fostered a friendship based on humility and respect in and around our circle of friends. We have gone years without seeing one another, as our jobs have taken us across this wonderful landscape we call America. We made time to stay in contact via email or phone, even if it was once every six months, the fact remained the friendship was based with solid roots and this tree was growing!

Over the last two years Kipp and his lovely and amazing wife Miriam had began to ask a few questions on our work in Cambodia, then a few more questions, then a donation, then a laptop for Mr. Togh, then more questions. A most gracious fundraiser dinner spearheaded by Brad and Sandy Azevedo at the Morrill’s home turned into one of my proudest moments. Kipp and Miriam joining us in Cambodia. To share our passion and work for all things Cambodian was a true treat. Many questions were asked about their role here and how they can help. My answer was always the same, “once you get here and meet the people and immerse yourself in the culture, you will know how to help, once you spend little time here, you will know, you will know”.

So Kipp and Miriam spent two weeks with us in Cambodia. They visited Mr. Sao’s village and played with children and learned how to harvest rice. They walked the proposed ground of the future home of Bakong Technical College. They shared with us our first visit to Mr. Togh’s completed school and we watched in amazement as our PE scholarship recipient Mr. Chumno was teaching with a passion and grace. Kipp and Miriam got to spend lots of quality time with Mrs. Chantrea and Mrs. Naret, our two wonderful and extremely gifted female scholarship recipients. They took all three out shopping for books and book bags, calculators and dictionaries. They shared the love and warmth of our wonderful hosts Yarann and Sa Eng and children.

At the end of the day as Kipp and Miriam have now left back home for the cold and rain of Northern California, many things remain the same. As I call from Thailand to check in with Mr. Sao or Mr. Togh, the questions are the same. “If you talk to brother Kipp, please say hello and high-five from us”.

Thank you Kipp and Miriam for allowing Olivia and I to share a little bit of what we love so much about Cambodia with you. I venture to say there is a new branch growing on our tree, it will thrive and grow like our friendship! We love and respect you both immensely!

2008-12-19T19:06:00.000-08:00

Early December 2008
As we walk the streets of Siem Reap it is noticeably quieter these days. The economic crisis has left not one stone unturned, even here in Southeast Asia. The massive rush of tuk-tuks, trucks, bicycles and pedestrians that packed the roads in previous years has ebbed. To an untrained eye, it would seem as if everything is normal. Our eyes see empty Tuk-tuks line the streets as their drivers meekly ask the small but steady stream of tourists if they need rides as they meander by. It seems as if there is a quiet desperation in voices and tearful longing in their eyes. Of all places traveled, my heart hurts the most for those who live in poverty here, in this beautiful part of the world. I know there are many who are suffering back home in the United States, but for whatever reason I don’t feel that the desperation runs as deep as it does in the souls of the people here in Southeast Asia.

There is a part of me that knows, as many in the U.S. know, that if all else fails and we hit rock bottom financially, we have social assistance in the form of many government programs. If we become unemployed, the government will give us a small stipend to help us get back on our feet. If we need shelter or go hungry, there are supplemental Welfare Programs for qualifying individuals. There are even programs that will give families basic food supplies to keep bellies full, I know this all too well, as I was a child who grew up in this system for several years. I remember standing in long welfare lines with my mother, to receive blocks of cheddar cheese, loaves of bread and powdered non-fat milk. We were modern America’s beggars, 21st Century survivors of the unpleasant circumstances of third-rate poverty. We lived on re-hydrated dried canned foods and the basic sundries that could be afforded. When I was younger, I couldn’t imagine anyone poorer, though my soul felt rich with my mother’s optimism. She utilized the government support while getting her Associates Degree, so she could better provide for her five children. She was able to rise above adversity. I feel most of the world is doubtful of poverty being so extreme in the United States but witnessing it, first hand, the dire poverty left me bewildered.

There are rural places all over the United States in which people live on hardly anything, Gary District Number Nine was one of these places in 1996. It was just outside of Welch, West Virginia in which I saw one of the most extreme forms of poverty, in the U.S. Small shacks and simply built homes lined the creek-side, simple trenches between the dwellings wreaked of raw sewage that spewed from the bowels of the structures and ran down to the creek. It was the same creek that the children swam in and families fished from for food. Those who were considered “better off” occupied nicer homes; many homes were left abandoned after the collapse of the coal mining industry. At that point in my life I had never seen the happiness and beauty of poverty before, nor such harsh conditions. Despite the odds delivered, people were inherently happy with the little they had, not wanting for more but extremely grateful for what was received. The community rallied together to support those who were worst off by providing vegetables, fruit, canned goods and boxed food. I was working with AmeriCorps*NCCC during this time, helping in many ways. One of our projects was to make improvements on homes that needed insulation for the winter…I remember there being basic shacks with nothing more than carpet covered hearth floors, thin boards for walls and tin roofs. These are homes I didn’t expect to be in Modern day America, but there they were. The children ran around covered in dirt, half-naked and unsupervised. Their parents sat waiting for whatever help they could receive, oblivious or living in fear of opportunities that lay elsewhere. We were there to help; we were a volunteer organization that was there to serve the community with compassion and respect. Americans helping poverty ridden America.

Sound familiar? Poverty has no defining lines. It is everywhere. Extremes are found in every reach of the planet, though many do not have the support that we have in the U.S.A. Project Enlighten is trying to help build this kind of support for communities around the world. Our purpose is to stimulate a self-help process in communities that have hardship without changing cultural identities. We want to change an ethos of receiving simple charity by inspiring others to become more involved in education, community volunteerism and to encourage them to learn to stand on their own. It's about more than just education, it's about finding a way to survive and prosper beyond education. As the economic crisis comes to a great crescendo, I wonder what the impact will be on the countries that have become so reliant on international support. There are so many that are in an even more fragile state than most western countries. Perhaps there will be a much different story to share next year.

Arriving in Pakse, Laos was done with more ease than I imagined it would be. For $35 dollars, a passport photo and a properly filled out visa form, an American can obtain a 30 day Visa on arrival at the international airports in Laos. Pakse was an even quieter place than Siem Reap and as we made our way to the taxi counter, it was evident that our stay would be much different in this sister country. We set out for the Pakse Hotel in the central part of town where we enjoyed sticky rice, laap (meat cooked and served minced with lime juice, an arrangement of herbs, peppers and local spices) and Beer Lao dark. As we settled in to the slower pace of the country, we contemplated what the countryside would be like. We were anxious for our bus-ride north to the Khammouane Province. We were looking forward to exploring a part of Lao we had yet to travel to.

Our friend, Phouva, a fellow Forest Service Firefighter grew up in Navangthai Village in Central Laos. It was in his early teens that he immigrated to the United States of America in search of better education and greater opportunities. In a short period of time, he was able to take command of the English language and move on to graduate from Humboldt University. He seeks to help his home country in whatever way possible, starting with investment in the local education system that he grew up in. His wonderful village is in need of improvements on the school facilities. They have three schools in the area that are in dire need of repair. In one of our meetings, one teacher innocently asked if the schools in America were like theirs. Our honest reply was no, that we hadn’t seen schools so exposed to the elements and lacking libraries in the U.S. We, however, did explain that many countries we have visited in SE Asia had similar problems with their schools. Upon collecting all necessary information and presenting it to our board of directors, we will share more information on this wonderful and hopeful project! What I can tell you now, is that the people of Laos are amazing, caring and generous human beings. Phouva’s family, friends, villagers, the local police and the educators within the community took great care of us. I will let Asad expand upon that whole notion in our next blog.

Until then, I encourage everyone to get out & take a daring chance in traveling the world. You will see and experience so much of humanity and extraordinary beauty within each country, culture and religion. Open your heart to the differences that make each continent a bountiful and glorious adventure. Feel the hearth of foreign lands under your feet, breath the air that some of the worlds greatest humans beings have breathed, your life will be forever changed.

Love and gratitude to all,
Olivia

Like a proud father.

2008-12-09T15:34:00.000-08:00

Like a proud father I share this update!

To watch a seed blossom to a beautiful and robust flower, to watch a wave tower above the surf and crash into the sand as the passerby’s gaze in wonderment. This has been my day, my journey.

We took a familiar ride with our top man and Project Coordinator Mr. Sim Sao to visit our old friends at Mr. Togh’s school just outside the hustle and frantic pace of Siem Reap. It had almost been exactly 365 days since Olivia, a few hundred school children and I had spent a weekend carrying rocks by worn hand and weaved basket to set the foundation for their new school. A foundation set in belief and immense optimism for the future.
As we sputtered up the dusty side road to the school it was becoming evident in the distance there was new flag of Cambodia amongst the sun worn prayer flags. As we turned right it proudly shimmered before us… Mr. Togh’s school stood proud just like our greeting from Mr. Togh himself. Purposeful, confident, focused! Olivia and I were gushing with exuberance. But this moment is only half the moment…..
As Sao parked the Tuk Tuk and we walked through the iron gate into the center of the school, I heard a voice commanding the attention of his young students in the distance. As I walked towards the voice it became clearer before me who commanded the attention of the future leaders and spirit of Cambodia. Mr. Chumno! Yes Mr. Chumno, Project Enlighten 2008 University Scholarship recipient. I froze in amazement as Mr. Chumno worked the young class with precision and vigor. I had always respect an instructor that projected with passion! His passion was more than evident. I refrained from grabbing my camera or camcorder, I wanted to savoir this organic moment!

It is treasured moments like these that make the whole experience and process to get to this point worth the journey!

Moments like these cannot come to fruition without a great cast of TEAM members. Ronnie and Thavy Yimsut, Chann Noun, Lisa McCoy, Matt Keys, Riva Duncan, Mike Caroll, Mr. Sim Sao and so important in this process is our Education Coordinator in Cambodia Mrs. Gail Anderson, who has shined bright with hope and optimism with our first 3 scholarship recipients, Ms. Chantrea, Mr. Chumno, Ms. Narett.

A few more updates:

We were very excited to share almost 100 new books for Mr. Togh’s new library generously donated from Jenny Bennett from Quincy, California. It was an exciting moment watching the teacher’s tear into the well-wrapped box. Smiles and wonderment surfaced as one of the teachers asked about the local Quincy newspapers that were used for packing material. As he scanned the adverts for automobiles and asked, “Can everyone in America afford this”? It was an ad for a Ford F-350 at over $30,000.
Thank you so much Jenny, the books were one of the most precious gifts!

Travels to South East Asia 2008/2009: Part One

2008-11-29T00:13:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-11-02T10:59:00.000-08:00

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.”

Emergency Aid from Project Enlighten Arrives by Boat to Stranded Delta Victims

2008-05-31T15:50:00.000-07:00

Emergency Aid Arrives by Boat to Stranded Delta Victims
May 28, 2008

Three convoys of emergency relief supplies reached stranded delta regions thanks to the generosity of those who are donating to Project Enlighten’s: ‘Burma Cyclone Emergency Relief Immediate Action Plan’, www.projectenlighten.org .

Posted now on the blog site you’ll see photos of aid distributed by boat to the delta.

Supplies include items such as plastic sheeting, mosquito nets, food, water, water purification tablets, plus various medical supplies and medicine including ORS (Oral Rehydration Salts) which treats dehydration and guards against cholera. Most days here now see temperatures hover in the mid-thirties, so ORS is vital to those exposed to harsh conditions in the delta. You will see a photo on this site of a baby holding a packet of this.

You can obtain a copy of the Excel spreadsheet detailing all the items sent and their cost by emailing me at mccoy@vianet.ca .

Aid items are purchased here on the border and in Rangoon, where prices are much lower than outside of these countries, resulting in MUCH MORE aid going directly to the victims. Your donations go a long way here.

In the photos you’ll see Burmese volunteers wearing white t-shirts with a Burmese word on the front which translates into ‘Sympathizer’. These eager volunteers were recruited by ABITSU (All Burma Student IT Union), one of the Burmese organizations here on the border that are gathering donations funded through various western and European organizations such as ours.

The UN has estimated that of the 2.4 million people affected by the storm, about 42% had received some kind of emergency assistance. But of the 2 million people living in the 15 worst affected townships, only 23% had been reached. On May 26, the International Red Cross reported that at least 1.5 million people, many of them hungry and ailing remain homeless in the rain-swept delta. The UN also reports that 85% of school buildings were destroyed or severely damaged in the country’s cyclone-ravaged region. It will take decades for this already impoverished region to rebuild and replace all that has been lost.

Foreign aid workers are starting to trickle in, and I mean ‘trickle’! Paul Risley of the UN’s World Food Programme stated “Yesterday was a record, red-letter day with 7 visas applied for and 7 issued. But every step has required agreement with the government, clearance from the government, approved by the government of virtually all our actions.” Much more needs to be done to facilitate the swift processing of visas for foreign aid workers to get into Burma and through the military roadblocks in the delta region.

Sadly, the US and British ships loaded with relief aid and equipment stationed off the coast of the delta region, have still not been granted permission to unload their supplies in Rangoon, or to fly their on-board helicopters into the delta.

Burma’s PM Lt General Thein Sein said only civilian vessels could take part in the aid operation, and that they would have to go through Rangoon.

‘Project Enlighten’s’ funding of emergency supplies going into Burma via boats manned with Burmese volunteers is a working solution that is accepted by the Myanmar regime, and with your continued support we can send much more in!

2008-05-15T14:38:00.000-07:00

Dear Project Enlighten Supporters, Family and Friends,

In recent days the Project Enlighten Team has asked you to respond
along side us in support of the Burma Relief Fund. On May 3, 2008 a
monumental event occurred along the coast of Burma: Cyclone Nargis
struck and has decimated communities within the delta regions. You
have responded in helping us raise $4,000!!! The money was wired over
on May 13th and supplies are being purchased and shipped to those in
need. You are helping provide clean water, medicine, food, and other
relief supplies to the survivors of the cyclone.We are nearly half way
to our goal of raising $10,000 in one week! We implore you to pass on
this message and encourage others to help us raise more for the
survivors.

As of 5/12/08, the UN reported that 150,000 are feared dead, 2,000,000
are in serious need of aid, and 1,500,000 are in serious danger of
disease (diarrhea, malaria, cholera, water borne illnesses, measles,
etc) . Some victims have been drinking whatever water is available,
with many freshwater sources contaminated by saltwater or littered
with decaying human bodies and animal carcasses. 24,000,000 people
live in the cyclone affected areas. There are 220,000 people reported
missing. The catastrophe that occurred in Burma, one of the poorest
countries in the world, is now designated as the world's most
devastating natural disaster in 50 years. BKK Post reports that over
40% of the victims are children, because they were not strong enough
to hold on to trees, etc.

With a heavy heart, we ask you to please view this photo album sent to
us by our Burmese partners. They have recorded, acquired and passed on
the photographic history of the destruction of Cyclone Nargis. We
continue to ask for your help! Please view and pass on to others, we
ask this with respect to those who are represented in this album. We
must not let their deaths end the plight of survival for those who
were left behind:

!!! WARNING AND DISCLAIMER!!!! PHOTOS FROM THIS ALBUM WERE TAKEN IN
BURMA, ARE TRUE, REFLECTIVE, RAW IN NATURE AND CONTAIN MORTALITY!!!
http://picasaweb.google.com/cbthang/Nargis/photo?authkey=kJZckA4Vzq0#s5198948871534776674

As our relief efforts continue, with the help of Project Enlighten
Team Member, Lisa, we will keep you appraised of the ongoing
situation! Please see and read Lisa's May 13th report attached for
further updates on how your donations have already gone to work to
help the cyclone survivors!

We encourage you to share this message with as many people as
possible!!! We desperately seek your assistance for these survivors!
Donations are greatly appreciated! To designate funds specifically to
the P.E. Burma Relief Fund, please include this on the memo line on
your check or advise us through a note or email.

Please make checks payable to 'Project Enlighten' and mail to:
USA:
Project Enlighten
Burma Relief Fund
1299 C South Main Street #168
Yreka, California 96097
U.S.A.

CANADA:
Project Enlighten
Burma Relief Fund
Box 53,Gravenhurst, ONP1P 1T5
CANADA

Again, your urgent donation is desperately needed.
With Respect,

Asad Rahman & Olivia Lorge

www.projectenlighten.org
http://projectenlighten.blogspot.com/
http://schoolsforcambodia.blogspot.com/

http://www.cambodialandminemuseum.org

"All human kind shall have the right to a life of respect and dignity."

Project Enlighten Report: May 13, 2008

2008-05-15T14:32:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Cyclone Emergency Relief for Burmese

The Devastation in Burma

PROJECT ENLIGHTEN has donated $4000US towards Emergency Relief supplies destined for the Cyclone Devastated Region tomorrow. Please donate so we can send more! (This was done through YOUR DONATIONS)!

May 13, 2008

I arrived in Mae Sot Thailand, 6km, from the Thai-Burma border two nights ago. There was heightened security at highway checkpoints and at town perimeters. The catastrophe that occurred in Burma, one of the poorest countries in the world, is now designated as the world’s most devastating natural disaster in 50 years.

As of yesterday, the UN reports that 150,000 are feared dead, 2,000,000 are in serious need of aid, and 1,500,000 are in serious danger of disease. 24,000,000 people live in the cyclone affected areas. There are 220,000 people reported missing.

The United Nations has also dire concerns over the environmental damage, and has warned of violence and mass immigration due the present military government’s neglect to allow only a minute amount of relief supplies into the country. These supplies are not reaching the affected areas. Tons of supplies that have made it into Burma are sitting impounded at Rangoon airport, including a plane-load sent by the Red Cross. Yesterday, a ship-load of supplies sent by the Red Cross sank off the delta coast. Regional commanders inside Burma have put their names on the sides of boxes of supplies sent in, saying it was a

gift from them, and then distributing it to the people in their region, not the regions of the most dire need.

The BBC has now reported that the city of Rangoon has run out of rice.

Foreign aid workers and emergency supplies have sat for days 6km away from me, ready to go into Burma.

I am here representing, and reporting, to our TEAM and Board at Project Enlighten: http://www.projectenlighten.com

As you know, this past winter I worked closely in a volunteer capacity with several Burmese organizations on the Thai-Burma border. They have networks that constantly are sending supplies from Thailand into areas of need in Burma. These organizations are now successfully taking emergency supplies from Thailand into Burma. Right now they are struggling for funding to keep those truckloads going in. They have transports that leave Mae Sot and go to four relief stations set up inside Burma. From those relief stations, smaller trucks are taking the supplies into the affected areas. They are the ones who can bypass the military and get that aid to the affected areas, because they are registered Burmese citizens.

Yesterday, I spent much of the day in meetings with ABITSU http://www.abitsu.org . Their ‘Cyclone Nargis Relief Response’ is a workable solution. They need western organizations that are willing to take on individual donations and foundation grants. ‘Project Enlighten’ is willing to channel donations from our Cyclone Emergency Relief Fund towards their relief efforts into Burma. Donations made to this fund will be issued a receipt for income tax purposes in the States. 100% of these donations go towards relief supplies going into Burma. Neither Project Enlighten, nor ABITSU, utilizes any of this money towards administrative costs.

One transport load of medicine, food, water, and supplies costs $12,000, and can get into Burma in a day, bringing aid to 50 families, or more, approximately 250 people. A smaller truck of supplies can be sent in for $4,000US. A breakdown of all the items and costs pertaining to one transport load are provided. ABITSU will provide written reports, receipts and photo documentation to ‘Project Enlighten’, which will be made available to our donors.

Any donation given to Project Enlighten at this time will go towards immediate aid that can reach the cyclone afflicted Burmese within days through Burmese run organizations such as ABITSU. I am working closely with my friends at ABITSU, who themselves have lost many family members in the cyclone disaster.

I ask that you would please consider any donation at this time of urgency, and that you please pass along this information and to your friends and family. Donations can be made online through Project Enlighten using Credit Card or PayPal. Project Enlighten is a registered 501 (c) (3), Non Government, Non-Profit Organization, in the United States of America. The latest photos on the blog show donations received today at ABITSU by Rescue Task Force in California and World Emergency Relief. All emergency supplies are presently being itemized, and receipt provided by ABITSU. These supplies will be heading into Burma tomorrow. Your donation will also be used to provide much needed supplies that can reach affected areas quickly.

I also include some photos of the devastation inside Burma.

I am stationed in Mae Sot and can be reached by cell phone anytime at 66 087-5736-189

Please make checks payable to 'Project Enlighten' and mail to:

USA:

Project Enlighten

Burma Relief Fund

1299 C South Main Street #168

Yreka, California 96097

U.S.A.

CANADA:

Project Enlighten

Burma Relief Fund

Box 53,Gravenhurst, ONP1P 1T5

CANADA

To designate funds specifically to the P.E. Burma Relief Fund, please include this on the memo line on your check or advise us through a note or email.

Your urgent donation is desperately

With deepest respect,

Lisa McCoy

URGENT!!! Project Enlighten Raising Donations To Aid Cyclone Victims!

2008-05-09T13:48:00.000-07:00

Dear friends and family-

Project Enlighten has sent PE Team member & Burma Education Coordinator Lisa McCoy to Mae Sot on the Thai/Burma border this morning! Our focus is to raise $10,000 this week to help aid in the massive relief effort. We desperately need your valued donations!! We are coordinating with organizations on the Thai-Burma border that are assisting in the delivery of desperately needed supplies, food and medicine. The groups are comprised of and run by local Burmese, whom are effectively providing aid. Our partners in the region are offering their assistance without administrative costs; therefore 100% of the money given goes towards direct and immediate aid to the cyclone survivors!
Lisa will be on the ground in Mae Sot assuring accountability of all funds raised!

You know how desperate the situation is, children and families are dying hourly due to lack of basic supplies, WE have an opportunity to save lives and help those in an otherwise hopeless situation. Again our goal is to raise $10,000 this week! Will you forgo a basic pleasure like a dinner at your favorite restaurant this week to save a life?

Help us raise money, Help us raise HOPE!

Utmost respect.

--
Asad Rahman & Olivia Lorge & PE TEAM

www.projectenlighten.org

http://www.cambodialandminemuseum.org

http://projectenlighten.blogspot.com/

"All human kind shall have the right to a life of respect and dignity."

Local photographer seeks to help victims of land mines.

2008-03-16T20:42:00.000-07:00

March 15, 2008
Local photographer seeks to help victims of land mines

By Julie French
Ashland Daily Tidings

Christopher Briscoe photo
Before Christopher Briscoe left for Thailand last month, he took his son, Quincy, to see the latest Rambo movie about a mission to rescue Americans kidnapped by violent rebels in Myanmar, the very area Briscoe was headed. When Quincy told him not to go, Briscoe brushed off his son's concerns, saying it was just a movie.

But when he arrived at the border between Thailand and Myanmar, he learned the film hit so close to home that the Myanmar government had banned it.

"Unfortunately, most of us in America just see it as another silly Rambo movie," Briscoe said. "It's a dark place."

The violence was so bad that Briscoe spent only one day in Myanmar, and he had to leave his passport at the border and be out by 5 p.m. He split the rest of his month-long journey between Thailand and Cambodia, visiting overflowing refugee camps and meeting children maimed by land mines left over from Pol Pot's 1970s regime. He returned with a cache of pictures he hopes to turn into a book that will ultimately help the people he met along the way.

Despite the bleak environment, the only grumpy people Briscoe met seemed to be foreigners, he said. When he pulled out his camera and battery-operated printer, crowds flocked around him, eager to be photographed, many for the first time in their lives.

"It was one of the many times in my life that I didn't take my craft for granted," he said. "For me to preserve their families' lives on a piece of paper made me as grateful as they were."

As he snapped photos, Briscoe began to notice the people he met had much more in common with his typical, wealthy clients than he once thought.

"There's a universality I saw a lot there," he said, pointing out a picture of a young refugee boy dancing around in a superhero's cape.

"Just like any other boy around the world who wants a cape, he wants to have special powers and be able to fly," Briscoe said.

Later, he noticed a woman who lived at a dump site sitting in a pile of ash with her children, removing labels from cans so they could be recycled.

"I couldn't understand what she was saying," he said, "but they were laughing and playing and working together, and it was the same feeling I had seen working at the Congressional Country Club in Washington D.C. It was the same kind of love."

In the week he has been back, Briscoe said he has questioned everything he does, down to the amount of electricity his house consumes even when he is not there. He is planning to create a coffee table book of the images he captured to spread awareness and raise funds for the children he met. All proceeds of the book will go to Project Enlighten, a small Yreka, Calif. nonprofit that operates a school in Cambodia and funds scholarships for land mine victims.

"Christopher ... his idea and his willingness to help, I'm just humbled," said Asad Rahman, a firefighter who founded Project Enlighten after his own eye-opening trip to Cambodia five years ago. Although Briscoe and Rahman were in contact before Briscoe's trip, they met face-to-face only after Briscoe's return.

"I'm amazed at his kindness and generosity, and excited about where it's going to go," Rahman said.

Briscoe said he hopes to have the book finished in 30 days, and he is already planning a return trip with his son in July, so he can see for himself what Briscoe says woke him up after so many years.

"I love my country. I love my town. But after going there, I feel like I've been asleep for 20 years, asleep to the struggles of other people around the world," he said.

"This whole story is about struggle; it's about hope and the universal idea that people just want to take care of their families and are trying to have a better future."

"Hands-on" helping halfway around the world.

2008-03-15T18:58:00.000-07:00

This was a wonderful and kind article written in our local paper here in Yreka.
Thank you Brad for believing in us!

By Brad Smith
Siskiyou Daily News Staff Writter
YREKA – U.S. Forest Service firefighters Asad Rahman and Liv Lorge believe strongly in helping people.
Rahman recalls watching TV commercials by organizations asking for people to help the less fortunate in other countries.
"But, I always wanted to do something more 'hands-on' than just be an anonymous donor," he said.
Rahman and Lorge got their opportunity two years ago.
The couple is now actively involved in supporting a free school for Cambodian children establishing a college fund for those maimed by land mines and raising awareness about the conditions of life for many poor Southeast Asian residents.
The road to the couple's focus on service began when Rahman went to Cambodia in 2003.
When he and a fellow firefighter traveled to the Cambodian capitol, Phnom Penh, Rahman was struck by the number of kids on the street begging for money and food.
Seeing children begging for food wasn't necessarily a shock to Rahman, he said, but their ages and condition bothered him.
"It was the two- or three-year-old kids asking for food that got to me . . . and the fact that some had been severely injured or maimed by land mines," he said.
One young man, missing a leg and using a tree branch as a crutch, caught his attention.
Despite his handicap, the young man easily weaved his way across a crowded street, dodging vehicles, "easily outdistancing me – and I have both legs," Rahman said.
The young man and his friends slept in an alleyway not far from Rahman's hotel. Seeing them as he returned from a day touring Phnom Penh, Rahman decided he wanted to do something for them.
He told the kids he would buy them something to eat. An English-speaking taxi driver, who was acting as Rahman's tour guide, translated.
The kids cheered and shouted.
"Ice cream," Rahman said. "All they wanted to eat was ice cream."
After an ice cream feast, Rahman asked his taxi driver guide if he could do anything else for the kids. The driver told him the kids slept every night on the cold streets, and could use some warm clothes.
So Rahman and the kids walked a few blocks to an open-air market and shopped.
"The boys grabbed whatever they wanted, even flowery shirts made for women," he said.
According to Rahman, the kids were grateful for the clothes, especially the young man with the tree branch crutch, whose name was Chet.
The young man darted down the street to the alleyway where he slept and brought out drawing paper and pencils he had wrapped up in cloth and hidden away in a wall.
Sitting down on the street, Chet "furiously drew something on paper" and gave it to Rahman.
It was an "incredible drawing," Rahman said, one which Chet insisted he take, as a gift.
The next day, Rahman left for the U.S.
When he met Lorge, his future fiancee, one of the first things Rahman shared with her was the story of his Cambodian trip and his meeting with Chet.
In Dec. 2005, Rahman returned to Cambodia with Lorge. The couple planned to end up in Phnom Penh by Christmas.
Although it was "a long shot," Rahman hoped to locate Chet.
During a temple tour early in their trip, Rahman and Lorge's guide told them about a former Khmer Rouge soldier named Aki Ra, who was famous for disarming Cambodian land mines and creating a land mine museum.
The couple visited the museum, where Aki Ra, his wife Hourt and extended family of adopted children also lived.
Lorge recalled the moment when she was holding a small, de-activated land mine in her hands and Rahman called out to her.
"Asad was nearby looking at pictures of children," she said. "He called out to me, 'I found Chet.'"
Sure enough, a photo of the young man was hanging on the museum wall.
They learned from Hourt that Chet had been adopted by herself and Aki Ra, and had moved from Phnom Penh into their home. He was attending school and selling his artwork in the museum's gift shop.
When Chet came home from school that day, Rahman said, the reunion was emotional.
"It was a great Christmas – especially for Asad," Lorge said.
Lorge and Rahman learned that Aki Ra was working to establish a college fund for the children he and Hourt had taken in, and that he wanted to help other children get an early education as well.
Cambodia doesn't have a free education system, Rahman said. Parents send each child to school with thirty to fifty cents to be given to the teacher as salary.
But in a country where a family's average income is no more than $300 a year, even that amount makes sending children to school difficult.
When they learned that Aki Ra was working with two Buddhist monks to construct a free school for children, Lorge and Rahman knew they wanted to help.
Back in the States, the couple started telling their families, friends and co-workers about Aki Ra, Chet, the land mine museum and the special education project.
Fellow firefighters from California and other states expressed interest in helping.
"It was a snowball effect," Lorge said.
The Cambodian Land Mine College Fund was started last year. Aki Ra also takes donations for both the school and the college fund at his museum.
Rahman, Lorge and several others established Project Enlighten, which offers college or trade school scholarships and micro loans to Cambodian kids who finish school. The Project also helps Aki Ra and the monks with school costs.
"Our project is helping people to better themselves. It's a hand up, not a hand out," Rahman said.
He expects Project Enlighten to expand over time.
Lorge works with a firefighter whose family came from Laos, and through his stories she and Rahman have come to believe that they can use Project Enlighten to help people in that country, too.
Rahman is preparing for his trip overseas this week, on Thanksgiving.
He is going back to Aki Ra's new museum and the new school with some new equipment, including a few donated laptop computers, for the teachers.
"They're using rebuilt computers that still use the old floppy drives," Rahman said. "The new laptops will really help them."
Lorge will join Rahman and Aki Ra's family in Siem Reap for Christmas.
She said it's "interesting" celebrating Christmas in a Buddhist country.
Due to the influx of American and European tourists, Cambodians have adapted to new ceremonies and celebrations.
"You step out of the Phnom Penh Airport and hear Christmas songs and see tuk-tuk drivers wearing Santa Claus hats," Lorge said.
To learn more about Project Enlighten, visit www.projectenlighten.org.
Lorge and Rahman said that donations of everything from money to pencils are needed.
"If people want to pitch in and help, even a little bit, they can learn how at that Web site," Rahman said.

Tuk Tuk for Peace & Project Enlighten

2008-02-09T09:08:00.000-08:00

Really not sure where to start with my dear friend and Khmer brother Sim Sao, but here it goes. Sao was sitting on the steps of a dusty Guest house in Siem Reap over 5 years ago. Pontes, Reed and myself had just landed and were looking for a place to call home for a few days. We were dropped off at the Red Piano, but were told they had no rooms, oh well the pictures of Angelina Jolie at the bar made up for my disappointment!
We grabbed our gear and slowly walked down the dirt road. A voice in broken english yelled " need a room?" That is how it all started with Sao, he asked if we needed a room. I know I never thought if you fast forwarded to 2008 how much we would accomplish together! But as I set in front of my computer and look outside this chilled and frosty morning, I can't help but smile wide at how much I love Sao and his family!
During that trip Sao took care of us in every sense of the word, he got us a fantastic guide for the temples, he took us to the best street stall's for dinner. He made sure we knew how important the history of Cambodia was to him and how it affected his life. Every Khmer around Sao's age (40) has a story on how their life was ravished by the Khmer Rogue, but still he smiled, resilient beyond words!
Fast forward now, Sao has a tuk tuk, Sao is married, Sao has a beautiful son, Sao has a dream! When I flew over this year, this was the first year I really didn't come over as a tourist. We had just started Project Enlighten in November 07 and had raised a little money to put to work in our project's. I was trying to explain to Sao one morning all our TEAM members that were coming over to help. Brian and Gwen were coming, Riva and Matt, Bill Morse and Richard Fitoussi were all going to be here. I told him this TEAM works together to accomplish goals in your country. Sao didn't say much that morning, you could tell he was in deep thought. We took our 45 minute drive to the Land Mine Musem and started our work for the morning.
The next day Sao came upstairs at the Warehouse and excitedly bellowed, "I have a TEAM as well!!"
"What's that Sao?" I questioned.
"I HAVE A TEAM AS WELL!" he spoke louder.
"Okay, Sao explain to me, I don't understand," I responded.
"I have a dream," he said. "I have a team as well, I have good, trusted friends who are tuk tuk drivers. I had a meeting with them last night. We are going to donate part of our fare to help buy school supplies for the schools that we are building together! I want to call our TEAM "Tuk Tuk for Peace" what do you think?"
I was so proud at that particular moment. It is truly hard to put into words when a culmination of 5 years of friendship manifests itself into such a positive and moving moment! So if you are ever in Siem Reap Cambodia and need a TRUSTED and HONEST tuk tuk who speaks really good English or if you ever want to see PE's Project's or need a good friend to help you while in Cambodia, then please give Sao a call, he would love to hear from you.
Please have a look at his site!

http://tuktukforpeace.blogspot.com/

Grand Day for Project Enlighten and Cambodian Land Mine Museum Relief Fund

2008-01-24T14:55:00.000-08:00

This was a wonderful article by our good friend and team member Lisa McCoy. I promise I will fill the rest of the dates on this Blog this weekend..just a bit shell shocked, coming home to snow!

Sunday, January 13, 2008
Grand Day for Cambodian Land Mine Museum and Relief Facility
Cambodian dignitaries, team workers from around the world, facility staff and children all came together to celebrate a significantly special day for the Cambodian Land Mine Museum and Relief Facility.

On Thursday, January 10, 2008, a ceremony took place in which the facility was presented its official organization licensing certificate. In Cambodia, this certificate, difficult for most organizations to achieve, is imaginably more difficult to attain for an organization which has defused land mines on display. But this facility, an eight year project implemented by Canadian documentary filmmaker Richard Fitoussi of Bayfield, Ontario, is more than just a Land Mine Museum. It is also the home to Akira, his family, and the 22 child land mine victims which presently live there.

As part of the 'Team', I was delighted to be a part of this momentous day. The ceremony saw 23 noted dignitaries on the stage, and the event was covered by Time Magazine (Canadian Edition).

At 9:30am, after the opening remarks, we all rose to respect the Cambodian National Anthem. Richard Fitoussi then thanked everyone for making this day possible, and proceeded by reading a letter recently presented to him by Lloyd Norman Axworthy, PC, OC, OM, Ph.D, MA., who's greatest success was the Ottawa Treaty, an international treaty to ban anti-personnel land mines. He also campaigned against the use of child soldiers and the international trade in light weapons.

In his letter, Dr. Axworthy speaks of keeping a landmine from Bosnia in his office as a stark reminder of the devastating cruelty of this man made weapon. He noted that as of October 2007, 156 state dignitaries have signed the Treaty, and that 40 million land mines have been destroyed since the Treaty's implementation. Dr. Axworthy thanked and congratulated the Facility for the success of all its endeavors.

The Deputy Governor of Siem Reap was the next dignitary to take to the podium and offer his congratulations, followed by His Excellency, Secretary General of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority, Mr. Sam Sotha. In 1997, Sam Sotha was in attendance at the signing of the Ottawa Treaty. He spoke on how hard Cambodia, and other NGO's in place, work constantly to clear land mines. He stated that the government has to work hard to assist the victims, and acknowledged the help the new Facility gives to children injured by land mines. His Department worked hard to check, and double-check, every landmine at the Museum, to ensure that they were defused. He applauded Fitoussi and Akira for their tremendous work, and then ceremoniously handed them the official licensing certificate.

The children were next in line to be honored for their scholastic achievements, as each one in turn was presented with an Oxford Khmer/English dictionary. They were presented by Asad Rahmen & Olivia Lorge of Project Enlighten www.projectenlighten.org , the NGO which raises funds towards scholarships for these children. Richard Fitoussi Sr., along with wife Corrine, next presented gifts to the Facility staff and educators.
Tol and Voleak, two resident children of the facility gave heartwarming speeches of how the facility has given them the opportunity for a better education, resulting in hopes for a rewarding future.

Local police and military were also in attendance, and Akira presented the local police with a gift of hand held radios, insuring the Facility's immediate communication with the police, should the need arise.

Ending the morning's celebration was one final speech, given by the man who's dream made this all possible – Akira. Akira's never-ending vision, 'To Make My Country Safe for My People', is a vision shared by many in Cambodia. Akira has never stopped acting on his vision, resulting in many years of having personally defused and removed landmines. He has also taken into his family uncared for children of land mine casualties. I was personally touched when he stressed his strong desire to build more schools in the rural areas of Cambodia lacking schools. Within the next week I will personally be able to share this desire with Akira as we go to visit the Cambodian countryside to view the site for the future 'Muskoka School', funded by the generous citizens of Muskoka.

He is a man of many visions, and thanks to all of those who made this New Facility possible. The Facility is solely run on donations. It presently has a very small schoolroom that only comfortably seats 5 children. The Relief Facility is presently fundraising to build a new, larger schoolroom. Donations can be made through the Cambodian Land Mine Museum and Relief Facility's website at: http://www.cambodialandminemuseum.org/

Posted by Lisa McCoy at 5:20 AM

Land mine Museum Certificate Ceremony.

2008-01-19T17:07:00.000-08:00

Where does the time go? It’s 3:53 and I can’t sleep. I’m watching a Japanese football program and the announcer is wearing a San Francisco 49er jersey. Maybe next year! Lol.
I’m the lone one here, Olivia left for home on Friday night and today is my last day before I march over the miles to a sleepy little town called Yreka!

Here is another quick recap of what our fantastic team accomplished!

*January 10th we proudly celebrated with Akira and family the celebration of his many years of sacrifice and hard work. None of this would have come to fruition with out the leadership and vision that Richard Fitoussi has brought forward. Thank you for allowing Project Enlighten be a part of the children’s lives and supporter of their future academic aspirations! We were humbled to be able to present school books to these inspiring children.
The day was filled with smiles, none brighter than Akira’s as he proudly accepted his plaque from the Honorable Sam Sotha adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen and secretary general of Cambodian Mine Action and Victims Assistance Authority, we were able to have a nice conversation with the Honorable Mr. Sotha at the end of the ceremony.

*Matt, Riva, Olivia and I interviewed five prospective scholarship applicants from Build Bright University in Siem Reap. I had met with the Vice President of Student Affairs a week earlier in hopes of finding students who had met the entrance requirements but did not have the financial capability to attend college. We met with three wonderful young men and 2 fantastic young ladies. Their hope for the future was bright and they knew their place to make it a reality! We will keep you posted, as the PE team will have to make some tough decisions, as we will be offering two scholarships!

Sorry this a short one as I’m running late..much do to on my last day, you will be happy to know I have a 10-hour lay over in Bangkok tonight, so I promise to get you caught up!

Snake Bites & Good Samaritans

2008-01-14T19:17:00.000-08:00

The days pass by so quickly as our time here in Cambodia is winding down. We finally have time to catch another swift breath & write a bit more for you all. Even with Matt & Riva’s arrival (and fairly quick departure), our team barely had time to pause. Meeting Richard Fitoussi in person was one highlight for Olivia and most of our team members who have only conversed via email & Skype. It was a genuine pleasure speaking with him and learning of his various travels and passions in life. At first encounter, he has a quiet, charismatic presence but as conversations flow, a domineering side emerges. He is a well read, well spoken, subtly humorous, energetic and an altogether positive person to be around. We are happy to be working with such an ambitious and inspiring individual.

Mr. Brian Janes taught a couple crash courses of first aid at the Volunteer Development Poverty Children’s School with the gracious support of Miss Gwen Hobbs. It was an intriguing course for the kids, which covered very basic first aid techniques [like choking, stopping bleeding, getting stung by insects and a classroom favorite, SNAKE BITES]! Differences in respective cultures were exchanged as Brian helped them understand the western way of medical response and how it can benefit them all to learn the basics. The children shared with him the challenges they have helping people in their community when they get hurt. The “Good Samaritan Law,” doesn’t really exist here in Cambodia and there are even greater fears of helping severely injured [bleeding] patients in regards to HIV, AIDS and other blood born diseases. People are apprehensive in helping others when they need medical help, despite this, Brian was successful in sharing ways the kids could help without putting themselves in harms way. One thing notable was that the children were very interested in health related illness and conveyed the desire to learn more. Perhaps this is something we can help plan for sometime down the road. Ideas anyone?

Minutes after landing Riva and Matt were ready to fully engage the people, sites and genuine beauty surging within the landscape of Siem Reap. We got them checked into the Angkor Green Guesthouse (a local favorite of ours: www.angkorgreen.com) and took them on a quick tour of the area. We had a meeting afterwards to get them fully prepared for the rest of the week. Their excitement and energy was rejuvenating. One of the first things we tackled was taking them out to the Landmine Museum. Monday was a Holiday, a day of remembrance for the Khmer, Victory Over Genocide Day. We hoped to give a good tour of the Landmine Museum and Facility to share with Matt & Riva our inspiration for helping the people within Cambodia. We had quite the entourage of tuk tuk’s…Richard Fitoussi, Lisa McCoy, Bill Morse, Brian & Gwen and Matt & Riva joined us for a dusty, colorful, full of electric beauty ride through the countryside to the Cambodia Landmine Museum. Upon arrival everyone there was busy preparing for the ceremony on Thursday. Our team was able to get a good look at the facility and later met up with Richard, Akira, Hourt and the rest of their team to put the finishing touches on the plans for the ceremony.

While Asad continued to show Matt & Riva various projects, Brian & Gwen also kept busy. Brian designed a recycling and compost area for the museum and later in the week teamed up with Lisa and Gwen to construct a new clothing line for the museum. We can’t express how happy we are to have such a dynamic group on our team! We worked so hard to make good things happen, great job to everyone! Next chapter, the perseverance and dedication of all pays off, we take a small break to visit our good friend Sao’s village, visit some school sites and help Akira & Richard celebrate the museum’s success…

Quick updates...

2008-01-06T17:06:00.000-08:00

01/06/08-

First things first- we have to wish everyone all the best in health and happiness in this fantastic New Year. Olivia and I want to personally thank EVERYONE who made 2007 such a productive and empowering one. We are eternally in debt to you all for allowing us to pursue our passion of serving the amazing people of Cambodia! We cannot say thank you enough!

I will try to give you a quick update on the happening of the last week.

*Mr. Meng is the assistant director at the VDPCS School, if you have been keeping up on the Blog you know Mr. Togh as the Director at the school. Well Mr. Meng was out with Graham getting cement for the foundation of the new school. He returned from the cement shop to find his motto had been stolen. He had the keys in his pocket even. Long story short I sent out an email and was able to raise a quick $500 to buy Mr. Meng another motto! Thank you so much Graham, Nick, Kipp and Chann, we were able to give Mr. Meng the best possible Christmas present!

*We returned to Sao’s village with Brian and Gwen in tow. As always the hospitality and kindness that is shared through the village leaves us in tears, there are not words to describe the kindness and sheer joy we feel. I will let the pictures speak instead!

*Sao took us to his pagoda in his village, Bangro pagoda to be exact. It is a humble place, maybe 20 or 25 monks living there. We watched Malay teach English to the children of Sao’s village. I felt bad as they were more focused on us then their lesson. Giggles and smiles seemed to be the topic of the class! Malay is a 22-year-old monk/teacher; he shared his simple classroom and explained to us the frustrations of trying to teach English to the children, as he had only one textbook for 60 children. We discussed the possibility of Project Enlighten helping provide materials for a very simple and basic school. As you will see by the pictures, it was standing room only and even some children were using their bikes as a make shift desk! I hope to make this a thing of the past, as every child should have the ability to write on a desk, not a bike seat.

*Olivia and I have been visiting the local universities and speaking with students with the pro’s and con’s of each. I want to Build Bright University or BBU and was able to speak with Mr. Siv Vutthy (First Vice President) and Mr Srin Sivhorng (Vice President Student Affairs). I shared with them my intent for Project Enlighten to provide 2 scholarships for 2 students. One under the John Fletcher McKim scholarship and one under the Dave Linsdell scholarship. Mr. Vutty explained to me that he had a list of 49 students who met the entrance requirements for the university but where to poor to attend BBU. For the price of $330 to $390 a year for tuition, we will do some massive fundraising when we get home, as my dream is to wipe that list of 49 students to zero!

* The team is together. As I mentioned earlier, Brian and Gwen are in Siem Reap. Bill Morse our dear friend from the Land Mine Relief Fund came into down and we had a wonderful dinner and caught up on the work we need to accomplish in our time together. Lisa McCoy a wonderful fundraiser from Canada was in town as well. She raised close to $4000 to build schools for Akira in the rural villages in northern Cambodia! As Olivia and I were waiting at the airport to pick up our Board Members Matt and Riva we were shocked to see Richard Fitoussi walk down the ramp! Wow what a day, the whole team is here!
We were so happy to see Riva and Matt today as well, we were so worried that the massive storms in California would cancel their flights, well after many delays and cancelled flights we were so happy to see their smiling faces at Siem Reap Airport! We are so fortunate to have a wonderful people like Matt and Riva on our Board! We will be interviewing 6 prospective scholarship candidates at the University on Wednesday with Matt and Riva, we will keep you posted! We have a very busy week upcoming as we attempt to get Matt and Riva up to speed on our TEAMS many projects! Life is grand!

Thavy.

2007-12-30T18:15:00.000-08:00

12/30/07-

I must apologize for the lack of updates for the last week; we have not slowed up at all, trust me. It has been more of a matter of getting Olivia up to speed on the ground with our projects. First off, was having her meet the new children at the Landmine Museum and meeting Mr. Togh and Mr. Meng from the school and a day with Sal our Cow Bank Manager.

We have had some amazing and dear friends arrive in Siem Reap today, Brian Janes and Gwen Hobbs arrived from California via New York back, across the west and over to the land of bliss. We are humbled to have them as part of our Advisory TEAM and look forward to getting them up to speed and sleeves rolled up as WE continue to forge forward!

We have spent the last few days checking out the various Universities in Siem Reap, finding out about cost structure and admissions. We’ve taken tours of classrooms and libraries and have been talking with current students on pro’s and con’s of each facility.

I was supposed to take Chet to Phnom Penh to get refitted for a new prosthetic leg; sadly I came down with a great case of something not so pleasant. So I reluctantly had to call and promise to reschedule our trip, I’m thankful he understood and wanted to make sure I was healthy before we went. There is a great little side story to this, Thavy is one of the daughters with whom we are staying with, and she is 10 and has a wonderful personality and charm. She faithfully comes upstairs and whistles and sings softly at 0630 to make sure that we are awake! It’s a really funny thing as she slides notes under our door to see if we are awake. So Thavy came in the afternoon to give Olivia and I our Khmer language lessons, Olivia showed her by hand signs that I was ill and not feeling good. Thavy had a confused look on her face and then said she would come back at 1700 to give us her lesson. She came back a few minutes later to say our lesson would have to be at 1800 as she was going to the Angkor Wat. This made no sense but we shook our heads in understanding, Liv told me she would cut the lesson short if I was not feeling up to it, I would give it try. Well imagine our surprise and wonderment when we hear Thavy and her older sister Chaen walking up the stairs with a tray of warm rice and fried fish. Young little Thavy never went to Angkor Wat like she told us, she went straight downstairs to start cooking us a simple dinner that would rest easy on my stomach. She changed the time of our Khmer lesson so she could prepare that beautiful dinner for us. This gesture my friend shows the beauty and compassion of this amazing family, country and culture! Thank you Thavy for your calculated act of kindness and compassion, you shine as bright as Kampuchea!

Another positive step forward!

2007-12-24T03:18:00.000-08:00

12/23/2007-

The great news of the day is that Olivia has landed safely and is getting eased into the hustle and charged pace of Siem Reap. Every part of her travels went flawless, for that I was very thankful. Sao was so very excited to see Olivia as he paced back and forth at the airport, checking the arrival board every few seconds, I decided to chill with a plate of fresh spring rolls and large bottle of Angkor beer!

On the way home we had bite to eat at an old favorite restaurant, Green House. The food is great and the staff is genuinely caring. After a restful nights sleep, it didn’t take long to get to work. It was breakfast & meeting with Sao first thing in the morning. Computer classes have been going really well for Sao. It seems he is learning with ease. A trip out to meet with Togh and his friends at a neighboring Wat was on the docket for the day. We couldn’t be happier with Togh and the Volunteer Development Poverty Children’s School’s (VDPCS) success! They have already broke ground on the new building site for the school and the children are so excited about it that even they have gone to help build it!

We had a meeting with a friend of Togh’s, Daro. Daro is a monk at Kok Chork Wat, not very far from the VDPCS site. He has lofty dreams to build a better structure for the English & Buddhism School he runs. They currently are teaching in a very simple structure built of simple wood poles & thatch walls and roof. Their template for a new school is based on that which is currently being built for VDPCS. They wrote up a project proposal for their new school, it will be presented in it’s final form to Project Enlighten’s Board of Directors for vote.

After meeting with Daro, we made our way to VDPCS new school site. It was absolutely amazing, what we saw! The children from Togh’s school had all come to help move the rocks for the foundation onto the property for the school! How cool is that? Graham who volunteers and one of the teachers at the school, Victoria, were already helping move the rocks so we hopped right in to help. Asad organized the crowd of smiling faces into a couple lines, to teach them the “chaining” technique we often use at home. The children had a wonderful time, laughing & giggling all the way. The pictures are worth more than a thousand words; see here with your own eyes.

Nothing could be more satisfying than an ice cold drink after an evening of good hard work. We settled in for dinner at the Taj India Restaurant. It is a newer Indian style establishment that serves exquisite food that is to die for. When you make your way to Siem Reap and hunger for fine Indian Cuisine/ Halal Food, please check them out! Another successful day in Cambodia, Olivia is feeling at home.

Merry Christmas Chet!

2007-12-20T01:44:00.000-08:00

12/13/2007-

This was a morning I was looking forward to for a long time. Spending some quality time with my boy Chet, though reality is I’m watching him transition from a boy to a man. I see him watching over the younger children and helping Akira and Hourt, being respectful to the staff. This was a far cry from the boy I left last year, teetering on the choice of buckling down on school or running to the bright lights and trouble of Phnom Penh. I’m very proud of the choice he made.
So as I entered the new Museum, my smile widened as the people’s faces grew sadder, why is this you say, well about time we wake up to the horrific reality of landmines and what they leave behind after the war machine and the troops go home. The children, the museum and Akira’s work are a testament to the will of the people to pick up the fragmented pieces and carry on, carry on and smile. Lessons learned!

Ok back to Chet, I asked my main man were Akira was as I had brought 2 refurbished laptops over for the children and their future Education Center. He pointed upstairs and said he would take me there, I heard Chet yell up to Akira in Khmer, all I picked up was “Bong Asad, Bong Asad” (older brother).
I gave Hourt a big hug and gratefully shook Akira’s hand as we talked about his impressive new home. What a difference a year makes, again if you haven’t seen their website, have a look. http://www.cambodialandminemuseum.org/
Chet and I had planned to spend the day in Siem Reap, he really wanted a hair cut and try to find a music store that could fix his keyboard as many of the keys are stuck. Before we left I wanted to spend some time with the new children who have recently come to the museum, I was so impressed with their kindness and playfulness, we had a blast in the short time we spent together!
Chet and I said goodbye to Akira and Hourt and loaded our trusted Tuk tuk with Sao at the helm. Chet asked if he could take pictures as Joa who is one of the wonderful
English volunteers caught a ride back with us. Chet was so happy trying to compose great pictures on a bumpy Khmer road while Joa and I were in bliss talking American Football!
We dropped Joa off and proceeded to Sao’s favorite restaurant, we walk in and they ask..”The usual Mr Asad?” yup the usual Beef with green Khmer paste. We had a fantastic meal, so much so desert was not an option, stuffed!

Well we knew of only one shop that could possibly fix a keyboard, as luck would have it, they couldn’t fix them but more than happy to sell you a used one! Merry Christmas Chet, your hard work and solid grades did not go unnoticed by me!

Pigskin/family/friends!

2007-12-19T02:18:00.000-08:00

I was flipping through some pictures to use on my next entry, and stumbled across these, I forgot how much I love them and how much I love football and admire and respect my dear friend Phouva! I had the pleasure of meeting this outstanding gentleman at our National Wild land Fire Academy in Sacramento. Olivia was his crew boss and briefly introduced me to this amazing man from Laos. Phouva came up to my hotshot buggie on the Zaca fire earlier this year, we briefly discussed his dream of returning to his village and assisting with rebuilding his school and other projects. I was humbled and honored at the thought of working with this compassionate leader, who wants to use his Natural Resources degree to stop deforestation in his country.
Phouva gave me a call yesterday at the museum as I was in a meeting with Hourt, his voice and character reminded me how much I look forward to working with him and helping in some small way. He sent me these pictures before I left of his wonderful family! Man I love the passion of football/family and friends!

Kok Chark Pagoda.

2007-12-18T20:45:00.000-08:00

12/12/2007

Went back to the Togh’s school in the morning, we talked about buying school supplies as I had promised $200 from Project Enlighten! We talked about his teachers and training they needed, I expressed our interest in wanting to support the teachers with continued training and development. I also shared our desire for Togh to spread the word among staff and students for our upcoming scholarship. Togh was very excited when I described our expectations. He stated almost instantly who he thought would be perfect. I won’t give anything away yet, but I look forward to Olivia, Matt, Riva, Gwen and Brian showing up and sharing in this process.
I went with Togh to visit his fellow monks at the Kok Chark Pagoda; this was a 5-minute walk from Togh’s current school, very nice and peaceful walk to get to the Pagoda. I met with several of the monks who teach English to 20 poor children. On the Pagoda’s grounds you will find at least 30 families who were so poor they had no were to live, this Pagoda helped them build simple shelter on the Pagodas land in which this impoverished families call home. So I spoke with Sithon and Daro about what they envision for the future. There problem was simple really, the current classroom is on low ground, thus it floods in the rainy season. They have watched the number of children increase due to the fact they have more poor families building on their land. Their dream is to build a 3-room classroom on the other side of the Pagoda where the ground is high and won’t flood in the rainy season. I shared with them the idea of recycling what we could from Togh’s old school, with was made mostly of wood. They had not thought of that, but liked the idea of not wasting anything, I tell you a recycling plant and ethos would go far in Siem Reap!
I told Sithon and Daro I would visit later in the week, and wanted them to draw up some simple plans for the school on paper and give some idea on project costs. The first number was $200 based on 3-classrooms, I asked do you want a library? Would you like an office? How about a concrete floor? We adjusted our number now to $500. I shared with them that we would not build the entire school, that they would have to assist with the labor. It is very important to Project Enlighten that we share in the construction of the building and in turn the Pagoda will share in the vested ownership of this task!
I shared with them my pleasure in seeing their compassion towards to poor families and wanting to improve their current classroom. I shared with them that I was committed to seeing Togh’s school been built, plus various team members are coming over and want to share their ideas with them as well. I look forward to the possibility of working with the Kok Chark Pagoda.

The MAN that is TOGH!

2007-12-15T03:51:00.000-08:00

12/11/2007 Continued-

Just a continuation on the day, Sao and I went back to Togh’s school to assist in some questions he had about the builders, we walked over to the proposed plot of land he had gained a lease on. His eyes grew big and his smile wider as he stated, “My dream is becoming for real” he said, I could only gaze in wonderment at what this 24 year old visionary had accomplished in just two years. I asked him, “Where will you be in 10 years”?
Togh answered “I want to build a place where older citizens can come and we will care for them with respect and dignity, I want to share and teach Buddhism to them, I want them to be happy, many older citizens are not happy, I want them to be happy.” I ask you my fellow Blog readers, how do you not stand behind this school and this incredible young humanitarian and support his dream, he is 24 years old and moving forward with perpetual optimism! We stood together and shared this picture, I was never more proud of our work!

Cow Bank and Sheryl Crow!

2007-12-14T18:50:00.001-08:00

12/11/07

I arose today with the sound of children playing, not a bad way to wake up at all! From my fantastic room which Ronnie has so graciously provided, I can look off the balcony and watch the boys and girls play football (soccer) and perform their morning calisthenics. Yarann lives below with his wonderful family. One of the morning’s great pleasures is when Yarann’s daughter Thavy who must be 7 or 8 comes up before school to clean my room. I always try to give her a hand and she always skips over to my laptop and wants to look at pictures and listen to music. This morning we looked at pictures of my job as a wild land firefighter. Thavy loved the video clips of the helicopters flying and picking up water, she really enjoyed looking at the huge mountains and big trees, a bit different than the landscape here in Cambodia!
So I wade through my music library trying to find something that grabs her..Classical..no, world music… a little better…Sheryl Crow..oh my goodness that girl is a dancing machine, big smiles..”I like I like”!! So we listened to Sheryl and looked at fire pictures. We were having so much fun we lost track of time, Thavy pointed to my watch, she wanted me to show her what time it was…oh my Buddha, she was supposed to be at school at 0700…um it is 0745, here eyes got big and she frantically started to clean my room, not knowing were to start, I motioned for here to go to school, we high fived and she ran out the door with a huge smile. Yes she was late for class, but she got to hear some Sheryl Crow and see some geography of the ole US of A.

After breakfast and emails at the Blue Pumpkin, Sao unhitched the Tuk tuk and we took the bike and headed west on Hwy 6 for maybe 15 km. We rode into Pouk district and made a phone call. We got to meet Sal, who is the Manager of the Cow Bank Project here in Cambodia. Sal does not speak any English, hence why I have hired Sao to drive and translate for me! My first impression of Sal was a no BS kind of guy, I was right. He showed us Ronnie’s beautiful farm (Called Nak farm by the locals) and we feed the fish as we settled into one another. He asked how cows I wanted to see, I told him I would like to visit all the cows and families, there was a long pause..He started to walk across a field and motioned for me to follow… I guess we were starting!

We meet with all the farmers that we easily found around Nak’s farm. Sao took my camera as he has now nominated himself as official photographer! It is hard to argue as it frees me up to talk with the farmers. I asked many questions to Sal and the farmers. Where they happy with their cows? Did they encounter any problems with the cows? What could be done better? things of that nature. All the answers were positive and smiles abound. Ronnie and Sal have set up a very successful program here, their hard work is paying massive dividends! Tell a friend and let’s help Ronnie and Sal support their local farmers with the gift of a lifetime!

Chet!

2007-12-12T18:34:00.000-08:00

12/10/2007

Today came with much anticipation and excitement, even Sao was restless. “We go see Chet today? We go see Chet today Asad”? “Yes Sao we go” I said. I don’t think I need to explain to anyone who is reading these pages what Chet means to me. The mere utterance of his name brings a tidal wave of emotion to me, as Olivia and I have worked through the good and the bad with this child of the streets. I must be honest, I was slightly nervous and a bit apprehensive after a less than stellar last meeting the year before. There were a few issues last year with “I want this and I want that”. We had a long talk about steeping up and being a man, not waiting for things to happen, but making things happen. I told him this would only manifest itself with a strong work ethic and solid education, these were the key’s to self-sustainability. These were the keys to your successful future! I left unsure if these words sank in....

So as Sao and I drove to the new Landmine Museum about 6 km south of Banteay Srey Temple, I had 40 minutes to reflect and hope, reflect and pray...
I had brought along 2 laptops for the Education Center to be used by the children and teachers, Olivia and I were able to provide these refurbished computers with the amazing help from Charles and his volunteer staff and Interconnection (www.interconnection.org). Truly though a BIG THANK YOU must be extended to all those who made those cherished donations in November to help us make these contributions for education!

When we finally arrived at the New Museum I saw Chet talking with two tuk tuk drivers. I smiled from afar as I realized how much he had grown in just one year! I motioned to Sao not to say a word as I sneaked up behind Chet. Knowing he would not recognize me with my new hair cut (that’s another story). I came up behind him and he quickly turned around as sized me up, “Asad Asad Asad Asad you are back!!” We hugged and walked hand in hand away from everybody, he looked me in the eye and said, “Asad you were right, Education is the most important thing, I realize that now Asad, I’m sorry, you forgive?” I was fighting back the tears, but the tears won…

Oh my Buddha!

2007-12-11T17:29:00.000-08:00

12/09/2007:

My morning started at 0600 with slow run through the back roads of Siem Reap, it is a wonderful time of the day as the city takes the first steps of the new day. I ran through my head what needed to be accomplished today. Deliver a laptop to the Director of the Voluntary School, Mr. Togh. In my correspondence with Togh I realized how valuable this tool was going to be to assist him and his team in organizing and developing for the future.
We met Togh with Bob and Claire from Australia whom Togh affectionately calls his mother and father. Sao and I showed up with his laptop donated by my dear friends Kipp and Miriam Morill from California. After a few minutes of small talk I could sense that Togh was very anxious to see his new laptop. I had it hidden under a chair, under the table. I couldn’t take the waiting anymore, I presented Togh the laptop to a soft yell of “oh my Buddha, oh my Buddha, oh my Buddha!” The site of Togh’s face that danced between smiles and tears was so humbling, as the realization that WE made a huge positive difference in this young school Director’s life! Thank you again Kipp and Miriam, this gift will reap a harvest of goodness!
Other accomplishments today was the discussion with Togh on the construction of the school and getting final signatures for the land, working with the builders to get several prices for construction of the new school. We discussed at length providing an opportunity to apply for a scholarship with Project Enlighten. This was a fantastic meeting as the hunger for continued knowledge was never more evident!
It was a fantastic day!!

Britney Spears in the streets of Angkor!

2007-12-09T18:05:00.000-08:00

12/08/2007:

Much hard work was finally coming to forefront. Hard work by many on our TEAM was starting to show its fruit! It was an exciting time!

As the snow slowly kissed the top of Siskiyou Pass, my mind wandered to were I would land in 28 hours. Siem Reap and the Kingdom of Cambodia was my only wish. Much planning and anticipation has finally come to fruition. Before I answered a few emails in San Francisco airport I put on my new headphones and tuned out the world for a few minutes…………..
The last song to come out was my favorite band Marillion doing a live cover of Britney Spears “Toxic”. They smashed the original, I boarded my plane for Hong Kong, only to catch another to Bangkok and yet another to my second home in Siem Reap!

As I walked back to the center of town from my fantastic living arrangements (Thank you so much Ronnie!) I found myself humming the last song I had heard, yup it was Britney! I started laughing at my pathetic self, glad no one heard me!

Things are going fantastic, picked up a cell phone, bought some new clothes for the little son of my right hand man Sim Sao and planned some meetings with Togh the director of the wonderful The Voluntary Development Poverty Children’s School and to give him his much needed refurbished laptop! (thank you Kipp!)
Here are a few pictures..more later I promise..minus Britney!!

Peace and respect
Asad

2007-11-17T09:42:00.000-08:00

Cambodia facing uneducated future
By Guy De Launey
BBC News, Phnom Penh

Pich Dy's eyes are welling with tears as she remembers her classroom humiliation.

Pich Dy's father died of Aids, leaving her mother poverty-stricken

"The teachers asked me to stand up," she sniffs. "Sometimes I was ordered to stand for 30 minutes or one hour, just because I didn't have money."

It is something Pich Dy does not have to worry about anymore. At the age of 14, she has dropped out of school and is unlikely to return. Her hope that an education would give her a better future has been dashed.

The story could have come from any poor community in Cambodia. All over the country, teachers' demands for "informal fees" are forcing children to quit classes because their parents cannot afford to pay.

Seng Hong of NGO Education Partnership, an umbrella grouping of Cambodian education organisations, says research shows sending one child to school uses up almost a tenth of the average family income.

"This increases if the family have two or more kids to send to school," he says. "Then they may reconsider which kids should go to high-grade education and which kids should stop."

Justifiable expense?

In many respects, Cambodia is doing remarkably well at school. Registration rates for primary school are high, at about 90%, and in the countryside yellow-washed school buildings are some of the most noticeable landmarks.

Before and after classes, the surrounding roads are packed with white-shirted students, most of them sharing bicycles or walking along the red dirt roads. The numbers dwindle, however, as the students get older.

Cambodia's Ministry of Education has recognised the scale of the problem. The department's Bou Chum Serey has estimated that half of those who start primary school fail to complete their classes.

I want the authorities, especially teachers, to help children - not take money from them
Sophal

Poverty is the main factor. The schools are supposed to be free, but in reality they are a major drain on family resources. With about one-third of Cambodians living on less than 50 cents (25p) a day, it can be difficult for parents to justify the expense.

That was certainly the case for Pich Dy's mother, Sophal. She lives with her five children in the community of Chbar Ampov, on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.

During the rainy season the area is flooded, leaving many of the ramshackle houses semi-submerged in murky brown water.

Sophal's husband died of Aids, leaving her HIV-positive and struggling to cope.

Like many others in Chbar Ampov, she gets by on what she can earn from collecting bottles and cans on the streets. It was not enough to cover the "informal fees" for Pich Dy's teachers.

"When my daughter was smaller I had to pay a few cents a day for school," recalls Sophal.

"As she grew up, I had to pay more - almost 25 cents a day. We had no money, so she had to quit and come scavenging with me. I want the authorities, especially teachers, to help children - not take money from them."

Supplementary income

The teachers, however, have problems of their own. Before Cambodia's decades-long civil war, they were highly valued and relatively well-paid.

Now teachers live close to the poverty line themselves, earning as little as $30 a month.

I cried when my mum said we had no money to send me to school
Srey Mom

"The salary barely covers utility payments like water and electricity. There's nothing left to spend on anything else," claimed one teacher in Phnom Penh, who did not want to be named.

She admitted that she and her colleagues took money from students - for test papers, course materials, or simply for attending class. It was the only way they could earn a living.

Another teacher in nearby Kandal province supplemented his income by driving a motorbike taxi, and saw informal fees simply as a matter of survival.

"Students have many problems, teachers have many problems, people in our communities have many problems," he said.

Limited chances

For the enforced drop-outs in Chbar Ampov, it comes as little comfort to hear that teachers are also struggling to get by.

All 15-year-old Srey Mom knows is that her hopes for the future have been thwarted.

The children of Chbar Ampov play when they should be at school

"I cried when my mum said we had no money to send me to school," she remembers. "With an education, when I grow up I could have a job. All I can do now is make half a dollar from scavenging."

The scene at Chbar Ampov speaks for itself - dozens of school-age children play in the filthy water when they might be expected to be in class. The situation is similar in other parts of the country.

Everyone seems to agree that the best way to change the situation is to raise teachers' pay, but there seems to be little chance of that happening quickly.

Cambodia still depends on overseas donations for about half the national budget, and the teachers will continue to rely on their students to top-up their salaries.