Cambodia Day 2: (if you are still with me in reading this blog I am impressed, however I get the feeling I am just writing for me!! This will be a longer one as it was a big day)
Today started well and ended weird. We met for breakfast with Pyneath. We had a wonderful time of fellowship and sharing of our lives. Pyneath, who has been on staff for 10 years here in Cambodia, is a remarkable man. Cambodia is the #1 country in the world for NGO’s. (non-government organizations). World Vision, for example, has 1000 staff people here, AIDS organizations, child labor, the list is endless. This country received so much money and support post Khmer Rouge regime that it became and still is almost overrun by these organizations. Pyneath and his staff of 11 operate off a budget of $68,000 a year. The largest pay check is $450 a month. They have 4 ‘centers’, which I will describe below and 3 computer labs at school which I will also describe below. They literally minister to the whole kid, spiritually, life skills, and physically, and they do this with 1000’s of kids. The sad thing here is that different organizations steal the great leaders from each other by simply offering more money. Pyneath has been offered more jobs than he can count and his staff are continually solicited. He has seen many pastors and friends crumble under the weight of money and the traps it brings to a poor population when there is no accountability. Yes, YL Cambodia is supported from the United States but the long term vision is for Cambodians to be self supporting. That was part of the purpose of my visit, to start thinking with the staff here about sustainability from Cambodian donors.
After a full de-brief on the staff, budget, and Pyneath’s life over breakfast we headed to our most adventurous lunch. We ordered frog legs and a few dishes that Pyneath ordered that we didn’t understand. All was great, but when we were about done, while I was chewing on a piece of meat that seemed a little ‘chewy’, Rob asked what it was…Chicken Stomach. I didn’t eat anymore for lunch. (frog leg above)
We then headed to one of the computer labs that Young Life has set up in a local school. This is a tremendous strategy for reaching kids here. Most schools can not afford nor have the educated teachers to get computer training for kids. Young Life offered to outfit, set up, and staff a 20 to 30 station computer labs and many schools here in Phom Phen (largest city in Cambodia). It cost us about 12K to buy all the computers and get the room set up. Then the YL leaders and staff are the teachers. All this usually happens before and after school (6am to 9am), and then 3pm to 6pm. They have room for 30, but had 300 on the waiting list. The amazing thing is the curriculum. They are having kids do all English. So they do word, graphic design, formatting etc. The lessons however are bible versus. The graphic design is directions to the Young Life Centers they have here. The formatting is an organizational chart of the YL leaders and their phone numbers. It was amazing. Pictures below.
We then went to a Young Life Center. These are buildings that YL leases (3000 sq ft for $500 a month), and the others are cheaper. They are not the houses that we think of though. Think very clean, lots of plants, lots of joy, but a slum. (see alley where the house is below). Here they have Young Life club, one of the staff lives, they have an office and about 3 to 6 class rooms. Daily they teach multiple levels of English to 100’s of kids. It was fun to jump in and start teaching. They laughed a lot at me, but loved repeating everything I said.
We decided to take the whole staff out to an authentic Cambodian meal (ya, I thought the same thing you just thought…oh boy). We walked outside and all the leaders jumped on their scooters. Sope, one of the senior staff told me to get on the back of his. (below is a picture of us both). We drove through the streets of Phom Pen avoiding cars and scaring the life out of me. There were a about 10 scooters all going to the restaurant when all of a sudden Sope pulled over on the side of the road. I asked what he was doing when just then some guy started filling up the tires with air. Sope turned and said that I was too big to ride on his scooter. Nice. That was a good start to an interesting dinner.
Dinner consisted of fresh shrimp, more frog legs and for the main course..Goat Soup. Goat livers and lots of goat. I was done with adventurous Thai food.
What a day…tired and more tomorrow.
We are on the stretch home…
Jamie
Today started well and ended weird. We met for breakfast with Pyneath. We had a wonderful time of fellowship and sharing of our lives. Pyneath, who has been on staff for 10 years here in Cambodia, is a remarkable man. Cambodia is the #1 country in the world for NGO’s. (non-government organizations). World Vision, for example, has 1000 staff people here, AIDS organizations, child labor, the list is endless. This country received so much money and support post Khmer Rouge regime that it became and still is almost overrun by these organizations. Pyneath and his staff of 11 operate off a budget of $68,000 a year. The largest pay check is $450 a month. They have 4 ‘centers’, which I will describe below and 3 computer labs at school which I will also describe below. They literally minister to the whole kid, spiritually, life skills, and physically, and they do this with 1000’s of kids. The sad thing here is that different organizations steal the great leaders from each other by simply offering more money. Pyneath has been offered more jobs than he can count and his staff are continually solicited. He has seen many pastors and friends crumble under the weight of money and the traps it brings to a poor population when there is no accountability. Yes, YL Cambodia is supported from the United States but the long term vision is for Cambodians to be self supporting. That was part of the purpose of my visit, to start thinking with the staff here about sustainability from Cambodian donors.
After a full de-brief on the staff, budget, and Pyneath’s life over breakfast we headed to our most adventurous lunch. We ordered frog legs and a few dishes that Pyneath ordered that we didn’t understand. All was great, but when we were about done, while I was chewing on a piece of meat that seemed a little ‘chewy’, Rob asked what it was…Chicken Stomach. I didn’t eat anymore for lunch. (frog leg above)
We then headed to one of the computer labs that Young Life has set up in a local school. This is a tremendous strategy for reaching kids here. Most schools can not afford nor have the educated teachers to get computer training for kids. Young Life offered to outfit, set up, and staff a 20 to 30 station computer labs and many schools here in Phom Phen (largest city in Cambodia). It cost us about 12K to buy all the computers and get the room set up. Then the YL leaders and staff are the teachers. All this usually happens before and after school (6am to 9am), and then 3pm to 6pm. They have room for 30, but had 300 on the waiting list. The amazing thing is the curriculum. They are having kids do all English. So they do word, graphic design, formatting etc. The lessons however are bible versus. The graphic design is directions to the Young Life Centers they have here. The formatting is an organizational chart of the YL leaders and their phone numbers. It was amazing. Pictures below.
We then went to a Young Life Center. These are buildings that YL leases (3000 sq ft for $500 a month), and the others are cheaper. They are not the houses that we think of though. Think very clean, lots of plants, lots of joy, but a slum. (see alley where the house is below). Here they have Young Life club, one of the staff lives, they have an office and about 3 to 6 class rooms. Daily they teach multiple levels of English to 100’s of kids. It was fun to jump in and start teaching. They laughed a lot at me, but loved repeating everything I said.
We decided to take the whole staff out to an authentic Cambodian meal (ya, I thought the same thing you just thought…oh boy). We walked outside and all the leaders jumped on their scooters. Sope, one of the senior staff told me to get on the back of his. (below is a picture of us both). We drove through the streets of Phom Pen avoiding cars and scaring the life out of me. There were a about 10 scooters all going to the restaurant when all of a sudden Sope pulled over on the side of the road. I asked what he was doing when just then some guy started filling up the tires with air. Sope turned and said that I was too big to ride on his scooter. Nice. That was a good start to an interesting dinner.
Dinner consisted of fresh shrimp, more frog legs and for the main course..Goat Soup. Goat livers and lots of goat. I was done with adventurous Thai food.
What a day…tired and more tomorrow.
We are on the stretch home…
Jamie
Hanson,
ReplyDeleteFYI you're not just writing this blog for yourself. I would content that I'm the most avid reader, sometimes I log on before you've had a chance to make new entries. The work you're doing is amazing, I laughed for 10 minutes when I read that Jenny tossed a case of Power Bars in your bag. I also couldn't believe that you took 14 potty breaks on the way to HKG. Picturing you being uncomfortable and eating food you're not sure about brings a smile to my face. Way to just be doing it, the other day I was less than stoked about going to the junior high and I reminded myself "Hanson and Crawford probably just got malaria." You're an inspiration.
Love ya,
Dwyer