Cambodia was a real eye opener; it was definitely the poorest country I have ever visited, and it really made me aware of how lucky we are. (This sounds incredibly cheesy, I know!) Me, Reuben and our friend Steph spent a month working in an orphanage.. We were only meant to stay there for a week but we became far too attached to the children and projects that we had started with them. So our visa to Laos was binned and we were all extremely happy with our decision to stay.
The orphanage was called the NCCLA... The New Cambodian Children's Life Assosiation. When I imagined visiting an orphanage (before I arrived) I had visions of cold floors and unhospitable environments.
But the NCCLA was not at all as I expected. Even after spending one day with the children I wanted to be part of their family. There was so much love. They all looked out for each other and the couple that started the project, and owned the buliding were incredible!
Neth and Lay the owners owned a restaurant in Phnom Penh and regularly welcomed begging street children (in their masses) into the restaurant, to provide them with a safe, loving environment. Even if it were only for a few moments until they were called back to work by their watchers! The couple decided that they wanted to take some of these street children in under their care and did what they could with very little resources...
The NCCLA has now grown and they house 28 children. All the children old enough to learn are provided with a bed (well, a floor!) clothes, shelter, food and most importantly love, safety and education.
Many of the children's parents died from disease such as AID's and landmines, and many of them simply could not afford to look after their children. On the streets of Cambodia, everyday there are children working as sex traffikers, shoe shine boys and book sellers, anything possible to make money for the person who has control of them. Families breed children, as we would animals in hope to use them for begging purposes to get money from tourists. A trade that us westerners are keeping alive.
Some of these children are extremely clever, and articulate. Their life experiences have toughened them and they appreciate any oppurtunity that they are given. The sad reality is that many of them will never be given a chance...
This is why helping the 28 children at the NCCLA is so important to us. These children have an oppurtunity to hopefully have a better quality of life. They are all in education and if finances are provided they can remain in school, with a safe home to return to.
But this may not be possible.......
Conflict on the border of Thailand and Cambodia has been preventing tourists from entering the country. As a consequence of this the restaraunt has not been doing so well... All the profits made in the restaraunt help run the orphanage.
This is why we must help now. The money we raise by holding THEMUSICBOXPROJECT on December 7th will help keep the orphanage running..
Please come along.
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