“My Asian Americana”

The White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders is hosting a video contest called “What’s Your Story.”  Over 200 videos were submitted and 11 have been chosen as finalists.  The film makers of the winning video will be invited to the White House to speak about their film!

One of the 11 finalists is titled “My Asian Americana” and was shot in Phnom Penh, Cambodia; it’s a great short video that highlights the issue of deportation of Cambodian-Americans.  (It was featured on the MCC Cambodia blog a few months ago.)  As a finalist, it is now open to viewer votes.

Please visit www.whitehouse.gov/aapi/whats-your-story and vote for “My Asian Americana” today!  (The deadline to vote is March 1, 2012.)

This is a great opportunity to raise awareness around an important issue – one that is close to the work of MCC Cambodia.  It could be an important step towards changing an ongoing injustice.  We are asking for all of your help in spreading this link through your networks and getting as many people as possible to vote for the film.  And – go vote for the film yourself!  www.whitehouse.gov/aapi/whats-your-story

And, learn more about the work of MCC’s partner, the Returnee Integration Support Center, at www.risccambodia.org.

English Language Support Unit at RUPP

By Alex Heidebrecht

RUPP

Welcome to the Royal University of Phnom Penh, my current partner as an MCC SALTer!

The Royal University of Phnom Penh is the largest university in Cambodia, providing education for more than 12,000 students.  The university opened its doors in 1960 under the name Royal Khmer University.  The university was closed down during the Khmer Rouge regime (1975-79), but was opened again in 1980 and predominately taught classes in French.  In 1996, the university underwent a name change and officially became The Royal University of Phnom Penh.

Courtyard in front of RUPP

The English language program, which services a number of scholarship students, has been in existence since 1993.  (Its existence is – in large part – due to the work of Sister Luise Ahrens, a Sister with the Maryknoll Sisters.)  In 1996, the English program changed its name to the “English Language Support Unit.”  Students who are studying in the areas of Science, Math, and Social Science must complete 6 semesters of English during their four years to qualify for their degree.  Currently, the ELSU has 28 teachers (5 expatriate) and provides classes to 1,574 students, 880 of which are female.  Sister Luise also continues to be involved in the work of the unit, offering support to all the ELSU teachers.

MCC has been in partnership with the ELSU since 2000.  Chris and Dawn Landes were the first volunteers that MCC sent to the English department, and they were very instrumental in the development of the ELSU at that time.  Since that time, volunteers have included service workers as well as a number of SALT volunteers.  These volunteers have given their time, both as teachers and as management staff.  MCC’s involvement has given many Cambodian students the opportunity to further their studies in English, and thus find more sustainable careers in their field of study.

I am currently working in the ELSU as a teacher.  I am teaching two classes a day from Monday to Thursday.  One of my classes is a pre-intermediate level class (2nd year) and my other is an intermediate level class (3rd year).  The university has just begun semester two, which means a lot of new names for me to learn!  My most enjoyable time with the ELSU has been the relationships I have forged with my students.  It really is a joy to teach the students here in Cambodia, as they are very polite and also eager to improve their English.

Mr. Heidebrecht with some of his students

View of Phnom Penh from Alex's classroom

Mr. Teng’s story: ICA’s Youth Camp

As a continuation of last week’s blog post about ICA, below is a story from Mr. Teng Koytry – one of the participants from ICA’s 3rd Annual Youth Camp – expressing his feelings and life changes after attended this ICA event:

29^th October to 2^nd November, 2009 were the most meaningful days in my life, since I was provided with the golden opportunity to join in the 3^rd Youth Camp in Pailin under the theme “Youth and Social Engagement” organized by the Initiatives of Change Association (ICA).  It was a priceless time for me because I learned many useful things from the five-day camp.  After attending this youth camp, I realized how much I have changed from who I was to who I am now.  This youth camp has directly and indirectly brought me to three important changes in my life, which I have found very crucial for my daily life.

Firstly, I – of course – got to know clearly about the theme “Youth and Social Engagement.”  Formerly, I really did not know what the term “social work” really means.  More importantly, I never thought of having the passion to involve in any social work, since I believed that I could not have enough capacity to help the society.  However, the Youth Camp did explain to me what social work really is.

In addition, it inspired me to know the significant role of the individual as a Cambodian citizen to contribute to the development of Cambodia.  Since then, I have started to acknowledge that with my ten fingers, I can do many things to help many people who are waiting to be assisted.  All of my previous stereotypes were all eliminated.  I was touched by a phrase from the committee stated that “a single person can make a change, so what happens if 14 million people make a better change to the society by involving in social work?” Therefore, I have involved in many ICA activities in order to play a part in changing Cambodia to a better place.

Second, the importance of family is another thing I learned from the Youth Camp.  Since I am an orphan, I was never able to feel how warm having real parents is supposed to be like.  In my family, I live with my aunt and uncle whom I address as mum and dad.  Nevertheless, I never got close to them since my heart always regarded them as my foster parents.  So, I never gave them a very warm love and most of the time I did not involved in the family’s activities.  In other word, I usually stayed apart from the family. Life in this condition was so miserable for me.

Fortunately, Family Group – one of the programs in the Youth Camp – showed me the way on how to deal with this situation.  I was suggested to write a letter to them (my aunt and uncle) by expressing all my feeling towards them, as well as the whole family. I did it, but when I got back home, I was not confident enough to deliver the letter. However, I encouraged myself to do it.  Finally, my letter was delivered to them.  Once they read my letter, they were so shocked because in the letter I included all my regret and apology for not being very close to the family and entertaining the family environment.  Since then, I can feel how comfortable having parents is like, although they are not my real parents. They have been giving me a very affectionate love, which I never experienced before.  Even now, my relationship with my family is very close to each other, unlike before.  This is a great achievement in my life which I never expect that it will come to me any time in my life.  However, the Youth Camp could realize my dream.

Last – but not least – I got a deeper understanding of the four absolute standards: love, honesty, purity and unselfishness.  Before the Youth Camp, I did not really understand what these standards were, yet the Youth Camp gave me a clear picture of these four absolute principles.  After getting to know in detail about these words, I started to feel that we as human beings must live with these four standards.  If we lack any of the four, our life is not considered as a peaceful life on earth.  Hence, I have been gradually trying to apply these four standards into practice in my life, so that I can have a peaceful and joyful life.  Although, until now, I have not been able to reach the “Absolute” level, I am still trying to adopt these principles until reaching the “Absolute” level.

To sum up, my participation in the 3^rd Youth Camp conducted by the Initiatives of Change Association, was the greatest benefit to me.  It was not a waste of time to join in this program.  I can frankly say that if I had not participated in this Youth Camp, my life would not have been changed this much.  I am very thankful to ICA for conducting such a great program for Cambodian youth to develop themselves for the sake of tomorrow.

For more information on ICA’s work in Cambodia, please visit their website at www.icacambodia.org.

Initiatives of Change Association (ICA)

Written by Seiha Rath

Cambodian Thai Exchange Program (2011)

ICA is a volunteer association working with youth to seek for peace and promoting opportunities for them to volunteer their time and resources for a better Cambodia by changes in individual’s attitudes and mindset.

Because of the war during 1975-1979, that caused the death for many older people and left so many young children, presently, about 60%-75% of Cambodia’s population is youth (18-30 years old).  Many of them lack education because of previous civil war and insecurity in society.  Although, some of them have lots of talents and potential, but they are not aware of them and not able to use them.

Also, the endless debate on Cambodian-Thai border dispute over Preah Vihear temple currently has brought people’s attention back to the history of wars between Cambodia and Thailand after the Angkorean period, as well as the burning of the Thai Embassy in Cambodia in 2003.

Likewise, Cambodia and Vietnam has a harmful history over territory for a century.  Huge amounts of Vietnamese migrations into Cambodia, nowadays, is another source of prejudice, dislike, and mis-understandings of Cambodians toward Vietnamese.  Vietnamese presence, during 1979-1986, on Cambodian land has still not been clearly defined whether it was a humanitarian intervention or an invasion.  This difference in interpretations has added to the hatred among its people.  Discrimination causes lots of harm among us.  It causes lack of communication, escalates conflict on a personal level, which sometimes leads to unaware political manipulation. 

ICA believes that youth are the leaders of today and tomorrow.  They need to be trained well in order to make themselves good leaders.  Great potential within youth can really make lots of difference in Cambodia, and even with their neighboring countries, when youth themselves understand their roles and responsibilities to the community.  ICA’s vision states: “ICA wants to see Cambodia developed in a manner that allows the Cambodian people to live in peace and harmony in a country where human rights are respected and there is no discrimination.”

ICA was started and registered with the Ministry of Interior on January 21st, 2005 with two offices: the main one is in Phnom Penh and the other one in Battambong province.

To meet ICA’s vision, mission and goal, ICA runs several activities based on their four core values: Honesty, Purity, Unselfishness and Love. These activities are:

1. Cambodian Vietnam Exchange Program
2. Cambodian Thai Exchange Program
3. Youth Camp
4. Food Program
5. Book Distribution

Cambodian Thai Exchange Program

1 & 2. Cambodia Vietnam Exchange Program and Cambodian Thai Exchange Program is the program to promote a relationship built on mutual trust, understanding, cooperation and historical healing and to build a peace network between the countries.

3. Youth Camp is to create an opportunity for youth to meet up, to share, to make friends and to be inspired to do volunteer things beyond self interest for their society.

Food Program

4. Food Program is to offer a delicious food to those who are not able to get good food such as beggars, street kids and cyclo drivers.  Also, it is to create a unity of students/youth and to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor.

5. Book Distribution is to create opportunities for youth/students in the city to provide their resources, as well as to open their eyes to see the needs of students in the rural area. Also, it’s to encourage the community in the rural area to send their children to school.

For more information, please go to ICA’s website: www.icacambodia.org

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Rajana’s Pottery Project

Story and Photos by Philip Hosler

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And we’re off! The workshop is completed and the new kiln is waiting for its first trial run.  Upon the completion of a successful test-firing, production will be in full swing.  And now we step back about 4 months…

I showed-up in Cambodia as a ceramic adviser for Rajana Crafts, having been given the task of helping to revive and guide the struggling ceramic project that was started in Siem Reap in 2008.  The project had come to a stand-still a couple of months before I arrived, due to a broken kiln.

Soon, I realized that the need for a new workshop was just as pressing as the need for a new kiln, considering that the old workspace was a small, upstairs room with inadequate ventilation and a small bathroom sink with a very inconsistent water supply.  Additionally, the kiln was on an off-site location, 15 minutes away.  Because the ceramics needed to be transported between the kiln and studio (on the back of a tuk-tuk, on bumpy dirt roads), a small percentage of the ceramic ware was consistently being broken.  With all these factors limiting the growth and success of the ceramic project, it was fairly easy for everybody to agree that – for the project to have any chance at all – it needed a more-suitable workspace and an on-site, efficient kiln.

The building process was an interesting mix of my Western building ideas, the potters’ building ideas, and the realities of Cambodia.  In the end, we mixed a small percentage of my ideas with the majority of the potters’ and the end-structure is satisfactorily capable of doing what it needs to do and it was all completed hundreds of dollars under the budget I originally projected!  I learned many lessons during this time: the primary one being patience and the second lesson being humility – in that my Western ideas were not always the correct or only approach.

As for the details of the actual building process I will let the pictures and their corresponding captions tell the story.

At this time there are four potters working at the new studio with a fifth in training. The five potters are: Mr. Ratana Yoem (head potter), Mr. Bros, Ms. Srey Mum, Ms. Srey Dee, Mr. CenThai (hired since the recent completion of the workshop).  It’s a young team of potters (all aged between 20-30 years old), and they all seem excited about this new chance for the pottery project and the chance to get their hands dirty again.

Over the next couple of months, my goal is to work with Ratana – who, in turn, will teach the other potters the ins and outs of ceramics and the studio.  Hopefully, this process will help all 5 potters to have a deeper understanding of their work and, also, greater freedom to push their own skill sets.

The ultimate goal – for MCC and Rajana – will be that the studio becomes fully self-sustainable and functional, before I return to the USA in July.  As for me, this 1-year experience as a ceramic adviser in Cambodia is teaching me more about ceramics then my four years of college.

2012-13 SALT program

Open assignments are now posted for MCC’s 2012-2013 Serving and Learning Together (SALT) program for young adults, including positions in Cambodia.  Do you know a young adult who would be a good fit?

What is SALT?
Serving and Learning Together (SALT) is a year-long cross-cultural service experience for Christian young adults from the United States and Canada.  Participants live with local host families, serving in a variety of assignments with partners in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin and Central America and the Middle East.  salt.mcc.org

Meet MCC Cambodia’s current SALT and YAMEN! volunteers.

Flood Relief: Hygiene Kits and Training for Angkearhdei School

By Michael Bade

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MCC Cambodia was able to purchase hygiene kit materials locally and distribute them to all the students in the very rural Angkearhdei Primary School.  The director, Sat Mern, invited local health care trainers to come in and train the teachers, so the teachers could then do a training with the children, in order to facilitate the best use of the kits by each family.

Mok Aim, from our MCC Prey Veng office, facilitated the purchasing and delivering of supplies.  Because of its remoteness and the terrible road conditions, the truck delivering the kits couldn’t make it all the way to the school. So, the teachers had to drive motorcycles out and carry the supplies the last mile on their motos.

Lisa Bade, also from the Prey Veng office, said: “it’s always worth the bruising moto ride out to the school.  The enthusiasm of the students and teachers is inspiring and it’s good to see that the water has receded from the school building and the children are studying again.”  Thanks to everyone for their work on the flood relief!

To see a video of the Hygiene Kit distribution and training click here.