By Anthea Ong, World Vision Supporter
Standing Tall. Cambodia. Picture taken at the top of the mountain at Oudong. |
“You will not come back the same person,” were the last words Tan May Li, External Relations Manager with World Vision Singapore, left us with at the pre-trip briefing. Words of truth, indeed.
As author Paulo Coelho puts it so aptly, travels are like ‘pilgrimages’. They take us away from our mechanised daily lives and re-tune our minds to one of discovery of self and the new.
So it was with this same frame of mind that I placed myself in for the trip to Phnom Penh with VisionFund Cambodia on a balmy Friday on 17 July 2009. New country, new city, new learning opportunities.
Well, this trip was not quite an exploration of the unknown and uncertain since VisionFund Cambodia had very efficiently arranged the entire trip for us – activities, transportation and meals!
The first critical conversation was at the Cambodia office with Kosol, VisionFund Cambodia’s Communications Advisor where we were given a briefing and orientation of VisionFund’s microfinance business.
Clad in a business suit and tie, he spoke in crisp American-accented English with so much raw passion and brutal honesty about the successes and challenges of VisionFund. His presentation prompted several questions from the group – the first of many critical conversations to come.
All inspired and psyched up for the two days ahead, I was a little taken aback that we were then whisked off in a group to a somewhat swanky-touristy restaurant with an excessive spread of food.
The resilience of the human spirit – life prevails even amidst the toughest of environments.
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At the inner city dump site where a community exists – complete with a ‘marketplace’ in the centre of it all.
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During lunch, I must admit the first contrast of the trip hit me like a brick – it felt like I was not on a study trip for a humanitarian purpose, but more like part of a holiday tour!
The next stop at the inner city landfill was the highlight of the trip – it was truly experiential and certainly, unforgettable.
Yes!! Finally!! Here we were – getting down and getting real with what life was like for many at the inner city landfill. Many in the group were taken aback by the overwhelming, somewhat suffocating stench of the dump site.
It was here that I witnessed the biggest contrast to reflect upon the irony in the trip. Only 30 minutes earlier, we were savouring mountains of food with plenty of leftovers while other human beings were scavenging mountains of garbage to find food!
It occurred to me that perhaps God wanted me to realise how far the two worlds were from each other - how big a gap existed between these two ends of existence; on the same planet, in the same time continuum.
With this simple yet profound illustration, I now know the distance I can and should try to bridge to close this gap. I was overwhelmed with gratitude for this tiny epiphany.
Heart-wrenching as it was, I was, nonetheless, moved by the resilience and faith of the human spirit that was evident. None of them came to beg or harass us – there wasn’t a tinge of shame. How can there be shame when they have such an ability to go about their lives in such an indescribably dignified manner?
We ended this raw and affecting visit by giving away stationery, which we brought from Singapore, to the children attending the make-shift schools set up by various NGOs around the dump site. The children were delighted – excited smiles and curious stares all round.
The most critical of conversations on this trip was with one of VisionFund’s clients at the community.
[Name] was trying hard to hold back her tears while sharing her story with us. She earned only US$1 a day from picking up saleable ‘stuff’ from the nearby landfill to feed her four children – two boys and two girls.
Children outside their school at the dumpsite and waiting for their ‘gifts’ |
The woman’s children listening to us as they munched on Oreo cookies that I gave them.
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Children outside their school at the dumpsite and waving goodbye to us |
Picturesque tranquility versus the intense struggles of life that many of the community members face on a daily basis.
At the Watergate funded by World Vision for a community in Kampung Speu. |
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Strength and courage - Cambodia and its people seem to be so full of this potent combination in its search for identity, peace and stability.
Picture taken at the top of the mountain at Oudong. |
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Living in a dilapidated shack that was scarcely the size of a normal wardrobe, her husband had passed away four months ago and she was obviously struggling to survive.
She had borrowed US$70 from VisionFund to purchase a wheelbarrow to transport more of her landfill ‘finds’.
I felt so much pain from her, especially when one of her sons seemed to be really ill (left picture, sleeping with pink blanket). He did not stir once throughout the time we were chattering around him.
Much as we all wanted to help her there and then, we knew that it would just be a selfish and emotional response, which would not necessarily help her and the community in the long run.
Her pain accompanied her every day like a constant reminder of her will to stay on course, to not lose hope and to, hopefully, find progress of any scale some day soon. I am sure she will hold up and fight on for her children – and that is the source of strength she gets every minute to live on and move forward.
More constant contrasts and critical conversations emerged during the rest of the trip. We visited communities in Kampung Speu that were served by VisionFund, where I was fortunate enough to learn a little about the backbreaking art of planting rice. We saw more success stories and understood more deeply how the impact of Microfinance can be varied and yet, so consistently meaningful and fulfilling.
Cambodia has had a long history of being plagued by foreign invasions and occupations. It is only recently that she is free – and will, no doubt, work hard to discover meaning in both her past and present struggles to come to terms with who she is.
The trip ended as inspiringly as it started with one last critical conversation with Kosol. He shared that his return to Cambodia was to find his identity and to help rebuild his country, despite having grown up in America. In his own words, “I am American on the outside, but I know I need to find who the person is inside”.
I was moved by this simple statement of sheer wisdom. Looking at him, I couldn’t help but feel happy for him that perhaps he’s one of the few blessed ones in our society who has found his purpose and has discovered where and how he can contribute. A great place to be, indeed.
This may have been a trip of constant contrasts and critical conversations but for me mostly, it’s been one of love, life and being.
Thank you so much to everyone who received us with kindness and generosity; and for sharing your country and your work of love with us.
To view a photo slide show of the VisionFund trip, click here.
To find out more about VisionFund, please click here.
To give to VisionFund, please click here.
To be added to the VisionFund mailing List, please email visionfund@worldvision.org.sg
