It was our first holiday together without the kids and instead of heading to the popular tourist destinations or romantic getaways, Hubby and I settled on a trip to Siem Reap. This time the grand Angkor Wat will have to take a backseat as we planned to visit places out of the tourist belt. Often-heard stories of extreme poverty were brought to life right before our eyes. Photos of malnourished kids, rundown shacks, surviving landmine victims, all materialised into harsh reality. Witnessing poverty that is beyond imagination is indeed a humbling experience, one that left a deep ache in our hearts. However, all is not ugly as the warmth of the simple Cambodian people provides the beautiful memories. Smiles were abundant, be it from the village folks or townfolks, from the shop owners to the tuk-tuk drivers... their lives may be hard but they still find it within them to smile...
We were fortunate to befriend a Local Tour Guide who took us down the less-travelled road and showed us sights that most tourists do not have the chance to see. Mara Long was born during the chaotic period in Cambodia’s history, his own father a victim of the infamous genocide. His hardwork and perserverance earned him a university degree in Tourism Management, and with that he was able to break away from the poverty cycle. Nevertheless, he never forgot his roots and returned to his hometown, Siem Reap, where he joined a number of NGOs to assist them in bringing about improvement and change to his people’s lives.
Acknowledging our wish to contribute something to his people, Mara arranged a visit to Kok Dong Village, which is situated about 10km away from the city. Inhabited by more than 200 families, mostly farmers and plantation workers, this village fare slightly better than others due to its close proximity to Siem Reap city. The poverty level here, even though not as extreme as in the slum areas, are still disheartening to witness. The scenic beauty of recently harvested rice fields are occasionally marred by huts with makeshift walls made of dried leaves. Most do not even have a proper door, just a simple covering to keep away bugs and shield them from the wind and rain will suffice.
The day before, Mara had brought us to the Local Market to purchase the grocery items for 10 of the neediest families in that village. We spent hours going from one stall to another haggling prices for the best bargain. We truly respect Mara for not taking advantage of our generosity but went through the trouble to ensure that our money is well-spent. Each grocery pack consist of cooking oil, salt, sugar, fish sauce, chilly sauce, noodles and other essential foodstuff. Non-edible items such as soap powder, soap bars and mosquito coils were also included. Even though it didn’t look like a lot to us but we were told that each pack could last for a month or two, depending on the size of the family. This truly makes us reflect deeply on our lives and appreciate the blessings we have now.
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| The Grocery Pack |
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| Ten boxes of noodles firmly strapped |
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| All the Grocery Packs boxed up ready to go |
The recipient families had earlier on gathered at their Village Community Hall awaiting our arrival. As they are strangers to such feeding program, we did not want to create unnecessary attention or feelings of uneasiness, thus we asked the Village Chief to hand-over the grocery package to them on our behalf. Anyway, we always believe in giving without recognition or expectation. In fact, we prefer to term it as sharing our blessings with another. When one bow to us in thanks, we acknowledged by bowing even lower, as we thank them for giving us the chance to serve them in this way.
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| Ready for distribution |
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| The Village Chief handing out the Grocery pack |
After the families had returned to their own homes, we were led to an open space at the back of the Community Hall, where the Village Chief planned to construct a two-room school building to provide free English language education to the village children. Application had been submitted to the Authority and is pending approval. Mara, being a staunch believer in education as the stepping stone out of the poverty cycle assisted in raising the funds for this. Through this school, both Mara and the Village Chief hope to improve the literacy rates among the village children through spending time here and establishing better reading habits. In this part of Cambodia, being located not far from the famed Angkor Wat temples, tourism is another major employer and knowledge of English is a necessary skill which can provide a passport for future development.
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| Mara and the Village Chief with the school's application papers and plans |
The Village Chief also expressed his intention to set up a small pharmacy, which is actually a two-door cabinet equipped with the necessary medical supplies placed inside the Community Hall to address the villagers’ minor ailments and cuts. Families there do not have the luxury of owning a first-aid kit or a medicine cabinet at home like we do here. For minor fever, they will just sweat it out and wait for it to go away. Minor wounds or cuts are left to heal on its own. For serious illness or infected wounds, they will have to find their way to the local Government or Charity-based Hospital which is kilometres away and wait for ages to be treated. One such hospital located a short distance from our Guesthous had long queues along the sidewalk from early sunrise to sundown. Hubby on hearing this, parted with his First-Aid kit which he carries around all the time and handed it over to the Village Chief. A seemingly small gesture but one which we hope can provide some relief for time being.
It was late afternoon by the time we left the village, but the village never left us … they remain in our thoughts and etched deeply in our hearts. We know we will return again, not only to this village but to others too. We are aware that what we have witnessed in that village is just the tip of the iceberg. Much more pitiable conditions and crushing poverty lies out there, especially in the more remote villages. A beautiful country on its recovery path from the ravages of war and internal conflict. It will take years before it can resemble a shadow of its former glory but slowly yet surely, it will happen.
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