You could almost feel the electrifying anticipation in the air as we, the team from Singapore Management University (SMU) – our ‘Kruesa’ – touched down in Cambodia. The flight was forgettable, but as for the journey which we were just embarking on, I’m sure it would stay with us the rest of our lives…
We were first brought for a walk around the “Riverkids” community to get a first-hand understanding of what the living conditions were like for the children that the Riverkids Foundation reaches out to. Our casual chatter died down as we took in the simply terrible living conditions that most of the Riverkids children grew up in. And yet, even in the face of the adverse environment, the children that we saw along the streets seem oblivious to them – they were always smiling, waving to us, tugging at our heartstrings. Their indomitable spirit really did represent HOPE in an atmosphere of helplessness. For us, this was a wake-up call – how lucky we were! Undoubtedly, the short one-hour walk around the local community taught us more than what any classroom lessons could, and the team was even more looking forward to making a difference, as much as we could, to these Cambodian children.
A short abstract from the song ‘Sunshine’ by Gabrielle:
Reaching out, for the highs
You inspired me to try
I felt the magic inside
And I felt that I could fly
I'm looking at the world in an optimistic light
You made me appreciate my life'
Cos when you came you were my
Sunshine through my window
That's what you are
My shining star
Sunshine
Making me feel like I'm on top of the world
Telling me I'll go far
Numerous activities have been prepared for the children that would be carried out over the one week we would be with them. We wish to enrich their lives. We hope with all our heart we would be able to inject some joy into these underprivileged children. But most importantly, we want to be their sunshine – we do care, and they could carry on hoping and believing in a better life.
We started of our activities with a session of the Great Singapore Workout (GSW). All of us had previous experiences of doing the workout when we were younger and it was unanimous that it was pretty enjoyable. We thus thought that the GSW was an ideal way to bring the Cambodian children fun, ‘Singapore’ style. With shoulder shrugs, arm swings, and scissors steps, the sound of children’s laughter filled the air. Under the beautiful Cambodian sun, with a perpetual breeze, we watched the children smile and trust me on this, it was all the reward we ever needed for all the effort we have put into this community project. And guess what, this was only the beginning.
One of the games we played on the first day was “Rubber Bands and Cups”. Every team received a rubber band with 4-6 strings tied to it, and each member of the team holds on to the edge of one string each, and using this string, they stretch the rubber band to pick up the cups one at a time. The teams then run together, still holding on to the cup using the strings and rubber band, to a demarcated area to stack up the cups, before running back to repeat the process; and the first team to complete all ten cups wins. The RiverKids picked up the game quickly, and they danced around, the game escalating into a riotous chorus of cheering and excitement as they raced to finish first. We were encouraged to see how keen the children were on the competition as they put in a concentrated effort to get the task done in as quickly a time as possible. Because every team member is an integral part of the process, the game fosters team-building and cooperation amongst team members.
Next up, sports with dodgeball taking center stage. Amidst all the swift throwing, lithe ducking and most of the time comical hits, the children pleasantly surprised us with their antics. They were strong yet gentle, brave yet careful, and more significantly, competitive yet sporting. And man, were they good at this game! We ended up taking several hard hits when we challenged them to a few matches at the end. Also, the staff liked dodgeball very much, and it was heartening to see the whole school having so much fun together. Time really did pass too fast during the dodgeball activity. We were sweaty, tired and dirty but still received our fair share our thankful hugs from the ever indulgent Cambodian children. Thank you, for teaching us how to love.
Another program we had prepared for the children was a mask-painting activity. Well, what better way to break the ice and interact with the Cambodian children than with crayons, paint, paper plates, and deliberate carelessness! And they certainly did amaze us with their creativity and dainty art skills. All of us did end up with colorful hands, faces and t-shirts. But not only that, when we looked at the children’s masterpieces and their satisfied faces at the end of the activity, we only wish we could tell them how much they have colored our lives. “Thank you, we hope we did the same to you.”
Glue, paint, ice cream sticks and enthusiastic little fingers are always a tricky combination. For our model building arts and crafts activity, the kids were practically bouncing off the wall with excitement as they designed and built their own models – we had photo frames decorated painstakingly with stars and flowers, bright dragonflies, adorable frogs, beautifully crafted sailboats and sleek planes. Besides the sample designs which we made ourselves to teach the children, we were astonished by how inspired and innovative some of the kids were – some of them built the models without any instruction and others creatively fashioned their own contraptions – I saw one boy make an entire hangar for his plane! Bearing in mind how young the Riverkids are, it is truly a testament to how bright they are. I was very impressed by their determination to complete their pieces and even more so heartened to see how the older children would help the younger children with the gluing and cutting.It is truly an amazing and eye-opening experience to come to RiverKids and work with so many passionate individuals committed to making a difference in the community. Through the course of our journey here at RiverKids, we have definitely faced some challenges, and we could not have done without the help of the staff, teachers and local volunteers. More than anything, it’s been a joy to meet these children, whom, having so little themselves, have such big hearts, and have so much to give. The past four days have been incredibly fun and rewarding- there is nothing quite like the high fives and smiles on the faces of children’s faces; nothing quite as heart-warming as the sticky, spontaneous hugs we receive at the end of the day. It has been a privilege for us to have come here, and we hope that our program has been able to touch their lives as much as it has changed ours.
We would just like to end off with another short abstract from the song ‘At The Beginning’ by Anastacia:
We were strangers starting out on our journey
Never dreaming what we'd have to go through
Now here we are and I'm suddenly standing
At the beginning with you
No one told me I was going to find you
Unexpected what you did to my heart
When I lost hope you were there to remind me
This is the start
And Life is a road and I want to keep going
Love is a river I want to keep flowing
Life is a road Now and Forever
A Wonderful journey
From the deepest of our hearts, THANK YOU RIVERKIDS. We wish you all the best, rock on!
Written by:
Leonard Tan
Lauren Choy
Singapore Management University
12 December 2008
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