Riverkids Snippets - mini Photo Essay

Evening exercises

Every Monday and Wednesday, the social worker leads the Get Ready Girls in a session of evening exercises.

Trains go Choo Choo!

Children from Steven's House playing with a wooden train set at the Alexandra Family House during snack time.

Riverkids Retreat to Sihanoukville

After working hard for one year with Riverkids, on 06 January 2008, the team of Riverkids staff had an opportunity to get a trip to Sihanouk Ville for retreat.

We hired a mini-bus so it could take the whole team and it was so convenient for the team to go together. When we arrived in Sihanouk Ville, We did not go to check in the hotel yet, but went directly to the beach instead. We did not have a meal at the restaurant, but we bought raw shrimp, seashell, octopus and sea crabs and then we made our own food and had a meal at the tent we hired from the owner.

While we were having lunch together on the day we arrived in the beach, unfortunately Soklee got a phone call from her uncle in Phnom Penh asked her to join with the family trip, and then she had to leave the team. So Riverkids team included Sophon, Pheakdey, Navy, Kunther, Thida, Mr. Chin Chea, Mr. Houng, the night guard, Sopheap, the housemother, Sreya, the cleaner and two interns, Chot and Ro. Totally 11 staff joined together for the whole retreat.

We did not have many activities. We spend most of the time swimming in the green water, fresh air with the large horizon made us feel refresh mind. In the evening, we also went for a walk along the beach for sightseeing and enjoyed with other visitors until 09 pm in the evening then we return to the hotel that Soklee had booked for us.

The hotel was quite nice. We had four rooms totally. The hotel provided buffet breakfast, so every one could have food as much as they could. In the morning on 07 January, after having breakfast, our team were still interested in the beach, so all of us went to the beach again and took fresh air until 10 am we returned to Phnom Penh

One day and night at the Sihanouk Ville made us so happy, However, we will not forget to express our sincere thanks to Dale who kindly approved for Riverkids Team to have fun together after the hard working with Riverkids for one year.

from Karen - a volunteer with Riverkids

Hi Everyone, here's an entry from a volunteer from Singapore who went up to Phomn Penh to help up with our plans of implementing a micro-financing programme in the in the Alexandra community. Here's her story:

This is me, Karen, contributing my very first blog entry to Riverkids Project.

Long story short: stressed out company employee seeks a little time off from work, and then shelves all ideas of a relaxing getaway to join some amazing people on a volunteer trip to Phnom Penh.

The actual low-down: I read about the Jimmy and Dale’s story last year, contacted Jimmy to discuss about Riverkids and the possibility of my volunteering. Unfortunately, I was buried in my work and never got round to doing that. Couple months ago, I chanced upon a writeup on Jimmy and Dale and Riverkids Foundation in the papers - again, and it’s like THE SIGN to me. I was already thinking of taking a break from work, and I thought “What the heck! I should really go do this. If not now, then when?” And then came a chain of emails and a meeting between Dale and me, and it was decided that I would take on the micro financing programme assignment. This would entail interviewing and assessing the families of the Riverkids Project Community. Within 2 weeks or so, I was on my way to Phnom Penh via Siem Reap.

Visiting the slum area where the families of the Riverkids live was a real eye-opener for me. Slums aren’t alien to me as I’d previously seen a number in certain parts of India, The Philippines and elsewhere. However, this felt different. Different because I was not a “spectator” (to put it crudely) viewing from the bus or train or tuk tuk. This time, I went right into the slums to meet with its residents.

In all honesty, I was initially overwhelmed with disgust and guilt. Disgust at the filth and poverty surrounding the kids and their families, and guilt for what we have in Singapore and taking for granted all too often. For 3 days, I found myself balancing precariously on makeshift wooden planks and making my way from shack to shack, interviewing the families. And I couldn’t have done this without the help and company of Sok Lee, a Riverkids Foundation staff, who helped me with the interview translation and made sure I didn’t fall into the river (which I almost did once or twice! No kidding!).

Before I went to meet the families, I must have had like a gazillion thoughts (alright, this is an over exaggeration) swirling in my mind. Seriously, I felt like an intruder, invading the privacy and space of the families especially in the beginning. Yet the mothers of each family greeted me kindly and wore smiles, albeit weary ones, on their faces throughout our interview. And the children reserved their brightest smiles for me! I couldn’t speak nor understand one word of Khmer but it was just amazing how a few of the ladies just opened up and talked and talked while Sok Lee kept up with the translation. And I… I just frantically scribbled away on my notebook.

Going through my notes each night in the quiet of my guestroom, I realised that despite the different sad stories of each family, they were all looking for the same thing – opportunity and the access to it. And in a way, I believed that when they spoke to me in their own language, they were hoping for someone to believe in them, to give them a chance.

Looking back, I have come to admire a people. In a country pushing hard for development yet still grappling with the aftereffects of the horrific Khmer Rouge era, I see strength. I see dignity. And I see hope. In the slums and on the streets of Phnom Penh.

This is my story.

And to the following people who made my stay totally unforgettable, thank you:
Dale, Angeline, Eleanor and baby Sarah, Sok Lee, Heli, Preakdey, Sophon, and the rest of the staff and children of Riverkids

20 Oct 07 - first impressions

This friday makes my 1st month anniversary working in Riverkids. *gives self celebratory pat on back*. The past few weeks have been crazy digging out receipts and documents and putting (or at least trying to) things into some sort of order, and of course there's the preparations for the online shop.

So my first ever 'business' trip to Cambodia, was quite a welcome, away from the Singapore office and files.

Before the trip, the only ideas I've had about Cambodia and Phnom Penh were reviews from friends who've been there and stories from Dale about the lives of families and children under the care of Riverkids. Peers' reviews ranged from 'Oh it's the greatest place ever!' to 'Oh no, it's a dismal, dreadfully depressing place'. Stories of abuse, trafficking didnt help paint a very bright picture of Cambodia in my mind either. My dad being obsessively worried about landmines and the 'Cambodia mafia' did not help AT ALL.

Therefore, I entered the airport half wondering 'what in the world did i get myself into' and half telling myself to ignore whatever my pessimistic alterego was thinking.

Soon after touch down in Phnom Penh International Airport, we were greeted by Sok Lee, one of the staff from Riverkids Foundation . With a tuk-tuk and a taxi, we loaded our many boxes of donations (many many thank yous to all contributors!) and headed straight to the Family house.

Once there, Dale sat down with the others for a staff meeting while I got a chance to visit the Alexandra Riverkids community.

I was seriously surprised to see happy children running around playing. 'Everyone looks so happy! What abuse?' I thought.

I mean, how can you not be happy when you get to go swimming and diving everyday - with the river right under your house? And I'm not being sarcastic here, the girls really looked like they were having fun, and the life here constantly reminded me of the 'legendary' kampong days of my parents back before Singaporeans were packed into HDB flats in the 70s. I mean, my mum's always poking fun of the lives of kids here in Singapore nowadays, saying that we have no life and cannot survive for nuts without computers and expensive toys, when all they needed in the past for play were cheap erasers, marbles to play Goli, five stones, rubber bands to make catapults and the spiders among the bushes.

The kids now?

Playstation, Xbox?

So I couldn't help but be reminded of my mum as I walked explored the community, nevermind the very narrow planks for walkways in some parts which I tried to avoid or the litter infested water in some parts.

It wasn't easy to connect the smiling faces to the stories Dale mentioned from time to time. And it's not difficult as yet for me to stay emotionally detached from the families under Riverkids. But nonetheless, the stories are real.

A few days after the visit, I returned to the Family House and saw the Get Ready! girls touching up some stuffies that they had been making. What Mr Sophon mentioned later struck me a whole lot. Here's the gist of what he said:

'6 months ago they [the girls] were all disheveled. They come to class in a mess, hair messy, no confidence. And now, look at them! The things they can do [the dolls] is so amazing! They're all so well done, and now the girls are so full of confidence!'

I am not much into dolls, but seriously the dolls they were touching up were just adorable. And try as I may, I just couldn't imagine the girls looking messy or lacking in confidence. How I wish I was involved in Riverkids in her earlier stages so that I could see the transformation of the community!

The work that's been done here in the Alexandra RK community has been amazing, and definitely life changing for some.

So people, we've got a group of very passionate people here in Cambodia making things work in the best way they can. Do give them your support in whatever way you can in terms of expertise sharing, donations or any other ways.

Everyone here in Riverkids Foundation's an inspiration and I really am proud of being part of this community. :)

How to...

Graffiti-fy a wall, the Riverkids way (at the Alexandra Family House, 22-23 Oct 07).

A special thanks to the people from Tiny Toones. :)

Step 1:

Using a marker, sketch out an outline of your desired mural design. Following that, spray paint the outline.

Step 2:

Add some colour to the mural. Be careful to stay within the lines. Feel free to enlist the help of everyone and anyone.

Step 3:

Constantly do Quality Control Checks. (Stay within the Lines!)

Step 4:

Once the background is done, take a step back and admire your masterpiece.

Step 5:

Take a few more steps back, and let the Riverkids community take over.

Step 6:
Clean Up. Dispose of the used Spray Cans properly!

So here're the 6 simple steps to create your very own mural - Riverkids style!

p.s.: In my excitement, I forget to take a picture of the finished murals. I promise I'll get the picture the next time we head up to Phnom Penh!