LHA 2006

September 2006 Update

Visit to the representatives of the Life and Hope Association
Ven Somnieng, the director of LHA told me a little about himself. He was staying in the rural areas outside Siem Reap when he lost his father at the age of 4. He then followed a kindly family to Siem Reap who fostered him. At the age of 15 he returned home to his mother and a step father, who turned out to be abusive (among his other vices). This appears to be common in Cambodia and I heard such stories often. He recalls how his sister would run away in terror every time his father called her. These events in his early life led to him ordaining and devoting his work to the alleviation of suffering among his people.

The house at the back was built at a cost of USD1,000 by the LHA. It comprises a 5m by 4.2m plank floor, thatched walls and a galvanized iron roof. A room was created by hanging up a sarong inside.
The kitchen was under the house which meant that during the rainy season, which was 3 months a year, you'll need to wade through water to cook. Still, Ven Somnieng said it was better than his old house. The house was gifted to the widow (back to pic)with three children and with some financial support she is making a living by selling some rice cakes and vegetables.

Another LHA beneficiary is this divorcee with 5 children. The bamboo shelter you see here is her "shop". She too was given a house in the same village. Amelia just gave her USD10. This is in a country in which the average government servant earns USD20 a month.

She's all smiles and thankful to the monks who brought us here.

We took a tuk-tuk to a village by Tonle Sap. Except for the obvious poverty, the scene could pass for a resort, with idyllic palms, the sea at the back and little thatched huts.

Alan, being more adventurous chose to take over the controls of the bike from his Cambodian host. That almost ended in disaster when he swerved to the left of the road on hearing a blast from a motorcycle horn. He had forgotten that Cambodians drive on the right side of the road. Ven Somnieng found the prospect of him falling into the ditch to be utterly hilarious and gripped his sides with laughter.

Alan says "And that, girls, is where the wee-wee comes from".

Anyway at Tonle Sap, the monks took laid out a plastic rug on the dirt road and pulled out a bag full of the stuff we donated. There were dolls, balls, pencils and plasticine which a LHA monk (didn't get his name), Alan and Amelia sweetly distributed. That quickly ran out and Alan hastily bought sweets and chocolates from a nearby shack-shop.

It was amazing that the children were thoroughly well behaved. No one shoved or snatched but waited patiently to be given something. And they would put their hands in the Asian gesture of respect before taking a gift. It is good to know that even in difficult circumstances, the Cambodians are teaching their culture to their children.

But the calm soon erupted into a foot brawl as Michael took on the village kids. Mike won, but only after stomping the feet of some children who were foolish enough to grapple with this Malaysian EPL fan.

LHA supports this village with aid. That includes financial assistance to some families as well as digging wells. Tonle Sap may be a lake but you can't drink the surface water. And during the dry season, the lake shrinks by half so that the village then sits on oven-baked mud.

Back to Sept 2006 report

Visit to the representatives of the Life and Hope Association Ven Somnieng, the director of LHA told me a little about himself. He was staying in the rural areas outside Siem Reap when he lost his father at the age of 4. He then followed a kindly family to Siem Reap who fostered him. At the age of 15 he returned home to his mother and a step father, who turned out to be abusive (among his other vices). This appears to be common in Cambodia and I heard such stories often. He recalls how his sister would run away in terror every time his father called her. These events in his early life led to him ordaining and devoting his work to the alleviation of suffering among his people.
	The house at the back was built at a cost of USD1,000 by the LHA. It comprises a 5m by 4.2m plank floor, thatched walls and a galvanized iron roof. A room was created by hanging up a sarong inside. The kitchen was under the house which meant that during the rainy season, which was 3 months a year, you'll need to wade through water to cook. Still, Ven Somnieng said it was better than his old house. The house was gifted to the widow (back to pic)with three children and with some financial support she is making a living by selling some rice cakes and vegetables.
	Another LHA beneficiary is this divorcee with 5 children. The bamboo shelter you see here is her "shop". She too was given a house in the same village. Amelia just gave her USD10. This is in a country in which the average government servant earns USD20 a month. She's all smiles and thankful to the monks who brought us here.
	We took a tuk-tuk to a village by Tonle Sap. Except for the obvious poverty, the scene could pass for a resort, with idyllic palms, the sea at the back and little thatched huts. Alan, being more adventurous chose to take over the controls of the bike from his Cambodian host. That almost ended in disaster when he swerved to the left of the road on hearing a blast from a motorcycle horn. He had forgotten that Cambodians drive on the right side of the road. Ven Somnieng found the prospect of him falling into the ditch to be utterly hilarious and gripped his sides with laughter.
Alan says "And that, girls, is where the wee-wee comes from".	Anyway at Tonle Sap, the monks took laid out a plastic rug on the dirt road and pulled out a bag full of the stuff we donated. There were dolls, balls, pencils and plasticine which a LHA monk (didn't get his name), Alan and Amelia sweetly distributed. That quickly ran out and Alan hastily bought sweets and chocolates from a nearby shack-shop. It was amazing that the children were thoroughly well behaved. No one shoved or snatched but waited patiently to be given something. And they would put their hands in the Asian gesture of respect before taking a gift. It is good to know that even in difficult circumstances, the Cambodians are teaching their culture to their children.
	But the calm soon erupted into a foot brawl as Michael took on the village kids. Mike won, but only after stomping the feet of some children who were foolish enough to grapple with this Malaysian EPL fan. LHA supports this village with aid. That includes financial assistance to some families as well as digging wells. Tonle Sap may be a lake but you can't drink the surface water. And during the dry season, the lake shrinks by half so that the village then sits on oven-baked mud.
Back to Sept 2006 report