LOA Visit to Cambodian Projects
In May 2010 as President of LOA I was very privileged to travel to the Lotus Outreach Projects that LOA supports in Cambodia with LOA Vice President Pheona Arndell and Director of Field Operations Glenn Fawcett.
After working with the Lotus Outreach Community for many years the chance to visit the projects we support was very exciting but also strangely abstract. I had read many reports,, applied for grants and made sure that we met all our commitments for these important projects but I had no concept of the human element and the real impact of our projects.
I was very fortunate to have Pheona as my travelling companion her passion for Cambodia is infectious. We set off and on arrival in Phnom Penh we met up with our larger than life and incredibly dedicated and competent Director of Field Projects Glenn Fawcett and our Head of Lotus Outreach Cambodia Raksmey Var.
Firstly I was stunned by Raksmey's facility with the English language and even more astounded to learn that she was entirely self taught. In many ways this is reflective of Cambodia. There is a palpable energy in this country, with such a large percentage of the population under the age of 30 the youth are desperate to learn and develop - but due to a lack of resources and crushing poverty opportunities are very limited.
I had been made aware of a Cambodian proverb "Men are gold cloth women are white cloth" which seemed obviously to suggest that gender preference was a cultural norm, I asked Raksmey whether this was a reality she confirmed it was and as a result many girls never develop basic literacy or numeracy. I learnt that in Cambodia the majority of girls don't believe that their futures warrant the same level of investment as their male relatives - girls often work so their brothers can attend school, girls are generally not encouraged to become self reliant or educated. This galvinised my commitment to our Girls access to Education program and highlighted the importance of the profoundly positive impact educating girls has on entire communities.
We visited the school in the Dangkar district and sat in on a Local Government network meeting made up of local government representatives, teachers, a parent representative, local police and CWCC (our in country partner) staff. The local community engagement and dedication to the success of the scholarship recipients was evidenced by the impressive retention rate of students, with only 2 out of 150 students girls dropping out of the program. GATE was clearly achieving its objectives and was helping to develop a cohesive community
On a visit to one scholarship recipients family the dire circumstances of their life were obvious. The father was unemployed, the mother had health issues and young children to support - without the rice support provided by LO they would not be able to survive. The fact that their daughter was a dedicated, hard working student who wanted to study medicine, was a brilliant indication of the positive impact GATE and the rice support program was having on the lives of the urban poor.
Another girl in primary school was thrilled to show off her most prized possession a colouring book Pheona had sent. Her mother was deceased and her father who was suffering a chronic illness had 6 children under his care. Again the rice support was essential for their survival, the rough terrain bike the girl had been given by LO to transport her to school lay idle with a punctured tyre- evidently her brother's friend had taken the bike and punctured the tyre without repairing it. The ever inventive Glenn organised a puncture kit so the girl could resume her studies. All the children were malnourished and the eldest girl was not allowed to go to school because she had to bring in an income to support the family. The scholarship was a beacon of hope in a very grim reality.
I wanted to find out what opportunities there were for girls once they completed school. One major focus for LO currently is the development of vocational training and placement for scholarship recipients who complete secondary schooling. We visited CISTRAIN a French run organisation that after a rigorous selection process trains students in the ITES industry (Information technology Enabling Services).
We were so inspired to see some candidates who had been supported in the 6 year scholarship program be eligible for placement in this program. Another testament to the positive and real impact LO programs have on girls and women in Cambodia.
It is not original and may sound terribly trite but this trip changed my life - I have seen first hand the real impact of our projects. We can contribute so much to people who have no prospects and often barely survive.
When I catch myself moping about not having achieved enough or whinge about not being able to do something I think about the girl living in a crowded shack, with illiterate parents, three young siblings and not enough food who dreams of being a Doctor - I feel confident that with our continued support she will realise that dream.
Julia Booth
President Lotus Outreach Australia
2010