While temple hopping around Angkor Wat, I happened upon the Cambodian Landmine Museum, the first such museum in Cambodia. There I met Ra, who laid thousands of mines during his time in the Khmer Rouge before he defected to the Vietnamese army.
Now he dedicates his life to undoing the damage. He started clearing landmines by hand around Angkor Wat in the early 1990s. Today he spends 25 days a month clearing landmines and unexploded ordinances, the legacy of three decades of war in Cambodia. I was fortunate to visit on a rare day when he was not in the field.
Landmines are a major problem in Cambodia, particularly in rural areas. They were placed across the country by various political factions in modern Cambodia’s short but complicated history. The Vietnamese and American militaries also contributed to the problem. There are no records of where all the landmines were buried, and memories are fuzzy. It’s dangerous, time-intensive work to purge the land.
“Will you ever finish?” I asked Ra, as he showed me his present-day tools for landmine clearance, which he no longer performs by hand. “Yes. By 2030,” he confidently replied. “But it will take five more years after that to clear all the bombs.”
Aki Ra is an inspiring example of someone who identified a need in the community and works to solve the problem, however treacherous or insurmountable. He was recognised as a CNN Hero in 2010.
WHY TRAVEL?
There are many reasons why I travel, but on this journey, I was travelling with a pro-social purpose, sprinkled with some adventure. For years I’ve had a keen interest in Cambodia’s development, and 14 years ago I cycled across North America in support of a Cambodian children’s charity. I wanted to revisit the country, visit some NGOs doing important work, and confront a question that has nagged me for some time: Does this charitable activity make a difference, or even a dent?
To thread this purposeful journey, I chose a Siem Reap-to-Saigon cycling trip organised by Social Cycles, which specialises in ethical, impact adventures and facilitates NGO meetings along the way.
In Cambodia we visited four children/youth organisations, not counting the charities I visited on my own. All the meetings echoed a constant funding struggle. COVID disrupted established fundraising channels, and many charities, including the ones we visited, haven’t recovered their pre-pandemic momentum.
While funding has taken a hit, COVID caused an immediate and pronounced spike in social issues. These effects are still being felt, I learned from the emergency hotline counsellors at Friends International in Phnom Penh. We spent a morning with Friends International, who offer a novel city tour that highlights the seven principles of their ChildSafe movement, which protects vulnerable children. It’s the best way to see the Cambodian capital ‒ and try to understand a complex socio-economic situation.
That day in Phnom Penh I was able to also catch up with visiting friends from the United States who have a long relationship with Cambodia. They updated me on the wonderful work of Education First Cambodia, the charity they founded nine years ago to provide some of Cambodia’s brightest but poorest women with university educations. There are 70 graduates (and counting) of the program, many of whom now have master’s degrees as well. “We felt there is a need for help with education in Cambodia,” explains Annette Jensen, a co-founder. “We had fallen in love with Cambodia and its people.”
In the southern city of Kompot, one morning we cycled to the salt fields on the outskirts of town. Working in these fields is back-breaking hardship, often resulting in chronic health issues among the labourers. By the time a worker hits 40, he or she is usually unable to physically continue with the tasks. Young people are recruited to help out, sacrificing their education. It’s a vicious cycle committing generations to poverty.
Waiting for us in the salt fields was Nget Sothy, who goes by the name Mr Thy. As we walked around the salt fields, Mr Thy explained how he was born into a rice farming family, one of nine children with little access to education. He realised the only way to break this poverty cycle is by getting an accessible education. So he created an on-site Salt Field School, and has also created the Chumkriel Language School nearby to supplement the government education provided to rural children. This includes English lessons, computer classes and other community initiatives. Mr Thy explained to me that his funding is month to month, underscoring the plight of many of these grassroot NGOs.
Although this Cambodian trip had a sharp NGO focus, I try to visit NGOs wherever I venture. While travelling in Uganda earlier this year I discovered the Little Angels Orphanage in Ruhija, a remote mountain town. There I met with the aptly named Directress, Happy Kyoheirwe. Like Aki Ra of the Landmine Museum, Annette Jensen of Education Firm Cambodia and Mr Thy of the Salt Field School, Happy observed a need in the community and did something about it. She started taking care of 20 orphans in 2008. That number quickly swelled. A couple years later her father deeded land and a formal orphanage was established. The land is on a steep mountainside, near the edge of an impenetrable forest.
Little Angels currently houses 127 kids, of ages 10 months to 16 years. These children sleep two and three to a bed and have neither running water nor electricity. It is a hand-to-mouth operation that receives zero government support and no assistance from international NGOs. The facilities are basic, comprising a couple small dormitories, a few classrooms, and a small kitchen/eating hall. The freshwater supply is a two-kilometre hike down the mountain. When I visited, many children were reportedly out fetching water. Another child, age 12, was cooking soup for everyone’s dinner. Not all Little Angel’s children are true orphans. Some come from untenable family situations. All are in need.
DOES THIS MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
Travelling with a pro-social lens is an insightful way to see the world as it really is. But it can be heartbreaking and discouraging, for the needs are endless. So are the challenges.
Hence, back to my nagging question about whether charitable activity makes a difference or even a dent.
Another chance meeting while I was in Phnom Penh provides in-the-flesh proof to dispel my doubts about the impact of charitable efforts. While catching up with a Kiwi friend who also happened to be in town, she invited a special guest to join us. This surprise guest was a former student of the charity on whose behalf 14 years ago I cycled and raised tens of thousands of dollars. He and his sister were rescued from scavenging in a gigantic dump in Phnom Penh and provided with a first-rate education and a future. He was age 7 when he joined the program, and ultimately received a scholarship to attend university in Thailand.
Today he is articulate, confident and independent. He heads the marketing operation of a major Cambodian sports organisation. He’s 23 years old.
One child at a time, these organisations are making much more than a dent in a systemic problem. They are making a long-term difference. And they could greatly benefit from your assistance.
Adventurer and author Todd Miller has cycled across two continents and visited all seven. He authored the Amazon bestseller ENRICH: Create Wealth in Time, Money, and Meaning, lauded by Forbes, USA Today, Entrepreneur, and other global media. Todd has contributed to Fast Company, Newsweek, and dozens of podcasts on work-life topics, and resides at Natai Beach. www.enrich101.com