With Khmer New Year upon us, I was reflecting on a trip to Angkor in 2014 with my workmates from Human and Hope Association. Four of my workmates had met me near my house so we could ride our bicycles to Angkor Wat together, and celebrate Khmer New Year at 8:07am. Along the way we stopped to get some fried food (none for me, the only time in five years I was being good) then continued riding. After we had stopped at the checkpoint, we realised we would have to ride faster to get to Angkor Wat by our deadline. However, along the way, two ladies on a motorbike with a small trailer filled with drinks, were on the side of the road, having gotten a flat tire on the trailer. Whilst many many people drove past without stopping to help, one of my workmates rode over and stopped to help, followed by my other workmates (I just watched as I am useless in situations like these; I can't repair a flat tire, nor can I carry heavy items at risk of injuring my back again). After unsuccessfully … [Read more...]
Join Me for an Exciting Purpose and Philanthropy Field Trip to Siem Reap in September 2019!
I am so excited to be able to share an amazing opportunity with you. We are heading to Siem Reap on our Purpose and Philanthropy Field Trip from the 15th - 21st September 2019 and YOU ARE INVITED! This ethical, inspiring, socially responsible tour will see you form connections with local Khmers who have overcome adversity to move forward with their lives. You will be immersed in the Cambodian culture and learn about the innovative approaches that NGOs and social enterprises are taking to overcome poverty and social issues. You can download the detailed itinerary here. Travel out to Human and Hope Association and see firsthand our school, meet our fabulous teachers, see our students loving their learning, then join the local team for a Khmer BBQ. This is a wonderful opportunity to see our charity in action and to see and hear how your support, and our fundraising, make a direct and impactful difference, whilst empowering our community to become … [Read more...]
How Cindy is reclaiming her Cambodian heritage
This is a guest post by Cindy Thang. Cindy is the Melbourne-based volunteer Events Coordinator for Human and Hope Association Incorporated. Cindy is of Cambodian-Chinese heritage and grew up in Australia. This is her story about reclaiming her ethnicity and how it led her volunteering with Human and Hope Association Incorporated. I had never heard of the Khmer Rouge until I turned eighteen, and consequently, I didn’t know my family’s history. Growing up, my parents didn’t talk about their feelings, or their struggles, and as a child I accepted that. Sleepovers at my grandparents were a regular occurrence, with scrambled eggs cooked by my aunt while my parents worked long night shifts. Our family never had conversations about anything beyond the surface level. It’s an aspect of growing up that many families can relate to, especially Asian households. My siblings and I wouldn’t hear ‘I love you’ growing up. Our parents never told us that they were proud of our accomplishments. We … [Read more...]
The Land of Truth
Picture this. After having finally received confirmation that your NGO is registered, a difficult feat in Cambodia, you plan a party. A party where you invite your team, their family and other NGO’s. You spend weeks planning said party, and the day finally arrives. After working up a sweat putting up all the handmade decorations, you drive your motorbike home to have a shower, get changed into a dress and attempt to straighten your hair despite knowing the humidity would turn it into a Diana Ross-like fuzz ball in a matter of minutes. You head back to the pagoda on your motorbike, feeling quite smug that you have made an effort with your physical appearance. For the first time in a long time, you feel ‘pretty’. You stop at a roadside shop near the pagoda, one that is owned by your staff member’s sister. You need some ice for the party, and what better way to validate your self-esteem by saying ‘hi’ to someone you know? She comes out of her shop and looks at you. “You … [Read more...]
“I want to teach the children a song in Portuguese”
This is an excerpt from 'It's Not About Me', my manifesto that will be published by Elephant House Press in late May 2019. In 2013, I initiated child protection workshops at Human and Hope Association. We had implemented our visitor policy, which only allowed for visitors to come to Human and Hope Association with appointments, and they had to adhere to our strict conditions. We had erected a sign at the pagoda(which also included a ‘no horses in the pagoda’ rule, to keep the Monks happy with us constructing a sign) and were determined to keep tourists away unless they had an appointment. The first step of the child protection workshop was to educate our staff and Khmer volunteers on why child protection was important, the different types of abuse, and how we could keep our students safe in their communities and at Human and Hope Association. The second part was to teach them how to appropriately interact with tourists who came to visit the pagoda and would come … [Read more...]