CPI Adisory Board Member Joan Widdifield is leading a group of CPI supporters through SE Asia and blogging their experiences!
We are in Phnom Penh. Like Vietnam signs of economic growth are everywhere.
Tomorrow we meet with Sarath, the Director of CVCD, Cambodian Volunteers for Community Development, and Arun, former Director. CVCD is an organization of amazing people who serve underserved populations in Cambodia, including women coming out of the sex trade, the poorest of the poor, and landmine/uxo victims. They conduct vocational training for landmine/uxo victims. It is fun to make the rounds to visit the graduates of the program and see the big smiles when they boast of supporting their families with their newly acquired skills (such as small motor repair, computer, English, sewing).
Another one of our missions is to transport 186 feet from Cambodia to Maesot, Thailand. Cambodia high quality rubber feet, and the prosthetic workshop in Maesot needs them because of the high number of uxo accidents each year. In Cambodia one out of ever 260 people is landmine/uxo affected. We've only been here a matter of hours and have already seen several amputees, including a boy who is missing both of his arms and is crippled and in a wheel chair. His brother is pushing him around Phnom Penh begging for food.
On Monday evening we're off to Bangkok where we'll fly to Maesot the next morning to visit the prosthetic workshop for Karen ethnic minority Burmese refugees. Dr. Cynthia runs the clinic. If you google her name with "Maesot" you can read about her. She is often called "Mother Theresa of Burma." Needless to say, she is an inspiring tireless woman (received a Nobel Peace Prize Nomination last year!) A few years ago we dedicated the prosthetic workshop there to my late husband, so it's always a special visit for me!
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