Operation Orion 2006 - Cambodia
It’s the holidays again, a time where most us will decide to take shopping trip to Bangkok or even find a job to earn the extra cash. However this was different for a group of NUS undergraduates. A team comprising of 11 members with the support of NUS Civil Engineering Department ventured to one of the poorest countries in the world, a place that suffers from an almost total lack of basic infratrucure. Destination - Cambodia. With the heart and vision to make a difference in lives that we will be touching, Operation Orion 2006 embarked on it’s Youth Expedition Trip to Baray, Cambodia from the 6-16 June 2006.
Songkhem VillageWorks (Songkhem– means hope in Khmer) is a registered NGO and based in Baray is their workshop. The workshop employs a total of about 20 full-time women chosen based on their family situations, and are all single mothers. Each day, they can earn up to 15000 riel (US3.50) by doing handicrafts work like sewing or embroidery. Similar to previous Operation Orion, our mission consists the construction of basic facilities to improve the living or working conditions of the local people. Our plan was to cement the ground floor within the workshop so that the women have better working environment and safety which they lack because of poverty.
Besides the construction project, Team Orion was also involved in the English Library commissioning, which we worked with the Girl’s Bridage and the Singapore Lions Club to open libraries and make the reading of English language possible for the children and youths at Baray.
Team Orion arrived safely in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on the 6th June and a 3 hour minibus ride brought us to the village of Baray. Most of us arrived exhausted but excited as we toured around the workshop which was around a basketball court size and got to know the Songkhem staff. As night began to fall most of us began to embrace the new experience before us.
While most were mentally prepared for the poor living conditions like sleeping together on the floor or going without electricity( since most have gone outdoor camping at least once), no amount of preparation could get us ready for the real cultural shock. Large lizards aka Gecko, size of an arm, creepy crawlies and frogs “cohabited” with us during as spent our nights without air-conditioning. With sheer engineering innovation (or sheer desperation) one team member, came up with a ultimate solution– paper plates. Using the plates we bought, each now had a “motor– driven” fan cum “precision” fly swatter! Brilliant!
Songkhem VillageWorks (Songkhem– means hope in Khmer) is a registered NGO and based in Baray is their workshop. The workshop employs a total of about 20 full-time women chosen based on their family situations, and are all single mothers. Each day, they can earn up to 15000 riel (US3.50) by doing handicrafts work like sewing or embroidery. Similar to previous Operation Orion, our mission consists the construction of basic facilities to improve the living or working conditions of the local people. Our plan was to cement the ground floor within the workshop so that the women have better working environment and safety which they lack because of poverty.
Besides the construction project, Team Orion was also involved in the English Library commissioning, which we worked with the Girl’s Bridage and the Singapore Lions Club to open libraries and make the reading of English language possible for the children and youths at Baray.
Team Orion arrived safely in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on the 6th June and a 3 hour minibus ride brought us to the village of Baray. Most of us arrived exhausted but excited as we toured around the workshop which was around a basketball court size and got to know the Songkhem staff. As night began to fall most of us began to embrace the new experience before us.
While most were mentally prepared for the poor living conditions like sleeping together on the floor or going without electricity( since most have gone outdoor camping at least once), no amount of preparation could get us ready for the real cultural shock. Large lizards aka Gecko, size of an arm, creepy crawlies and frogs “cohabited” with us during as spent our nights without air-conditioning. With sheer engineering innovation (or sheer desperation) one team member, came up with a ultimate solution– paper plates. Using the plates we bought, each now had a “motor– driven” fan cum “precision” fly swatter! Brilliant!
posted by Yuansheng at 1:39 AM
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