Cambodia
Our destination is Phnon Penn in Cambodia, though teams often choose to add a day and finish the work with a visit to the amazing Anghor Wat in Siem Reep.
Our primary partner here is Manna4life, working in the ancient capital, Oudong, about 25 miles north of Phenom Penh. In 2009, the Cambodian government forcibly evicted over 400 families from a slum settlement in the capital, as they wanted to develop the land. Tear gas, bulldozers led to the destruction of their homes. the people were loaded in trucks and dumped in a field 15 miles away. 9 months later they were evicted again and each given a 6x4m plot in a field near Oudong.
Imagine losing everything you have. One lady had 12p in her pocket and 2 children. She started by selling her hair for $20. Manna4life is a grassroots initiative that has helped build homes, a school and a water treatment facility. They have just acquired 4 acres of adjacent land from Habitat for Humanity and our teams help to develop job opportunities which is at the core of what is so desperately needed. The first team we took started to build a sewing room and, in just a week, made a huge contribution to different village initiatives. The team were literally transformed through their helping others.
We typically fly to Phnom Penn with one change through China, Bankok or Singapore. Travelling overnight it is about a 12-14 hour journey and a time difference of 7 hours.
In addition to the main project we will typically visit 2 or 3 other groups where we may help decorate a school or community group for an afternoon. In addition we often spend an afternoon meeting people in the slums and washing children’s hair and clothes
The itinerary may also include some “downtime” and embraces:
- Visit to the Killing Fields and a prison used during Pol Pots regime.
- Local cultural tours such as a local theatre group engaged in local dancing and arts
- Shopping trips
If you would like to know more about how your company may make a significant CSR impact, do get in touch today.
