Worthy causes

There are so many worthy causes in Cambodia, and it’s easy for VSO volunteers to support them. While at our conference in Sihanoukville, I found out about the work of the Cambodian Childrens Art Project, a local NGO that helps vulnerable children who sell trinkets on the beach to have an education, a daily meal and to understand their rights. It also teaches them to paint, and provides materials for them to produce pictures which are sold to tourists. I arranged for the Project to exhibit some paintings in our conference hall, which raised awareness about the Project and also some money from selling pictures. The children were so excited that their work was being shown in a posh hotel, and those who helped to carry the heavy display stand to the top floor were thrilled to travel down in the lift!

We also arranged for the local blood donation service at Sihanoukville hospital to come to our conference hotel, and 15 people gave blood in the lunch hour. In general, VSO volunteer blood is better quality than that of local people because we are more healthy, and Khmer people only ever give blood to save their own relatives, so there is a desperate shortage in the hospitals.

Another thing I did was to ask VSO volunteers and staff to collect their hotel room toiletries each day. I have now given a huge bag of toothbrushes, soaps, combs and shampoo to the local NGO which runs the Happy Happy Club in Kompong Thom. The orphans and vulnerable children who attend the club each month learn about the importance of hygiene, and at their next meeting will be given these small gifts.