Wrapping up

Home Sweet Home

Its lovely to be home.  High on my list are catching up with family and friends, a tannin rich shiraz, Frank’s spaghetti bolognese, Mum’s roast lamb, a thought provoking night at the theatre and a Swans game.  Its also nice to be cold and need to snuggle under bedclothes.  I won’t miss being in a constant film of perspiration

I will miss easy, genuine smiles, marguerites on a Monday, fabulous local food and the adventure of new tastes and eating alone, making a difference every day, and being in a country where family and relationships come first and people have a dignified serenity despite their significant poverty.

I am going to hang on to my Cambodian experience, by:

• Keeping perspective
• Smiling more than frowning
• Keeping language simple
• Taking more time to really listen, and
• Talking to strangers
• AW KAHN.   Thank you Cambodia

Last days at CARE - so much to do  - so little time

As usual time has evaporated and my last two days at work are very busy.  Minimal meetings at least – so I can get on with finalising the strategy document and the brochure copy.  Thursday and Friday are tough tines at CARE.  The organisation is restructuring around its focus areas, in the past CARE has been stretched across many projects.  The new strategy defines women as the key focus, and also rural poor and ethnic minorities.  These groups are amongst the most marginalised in Cambodia.

But this also means that resources not core to these areas are no longer required, and over the two days people whose jobs are affected are advised.  The leadership team has reluctantly come to these decisions; they are professional, focussed and empathetic, but its tough.

Working for an NGO has a certain prestige in a country like Cambodia.  It pays better than government jobs, and the conditions and training opportunities are generally good.  I’ve been impressed with my local colleagues – they are all so talented and committed.  Naturally they are upset that their jobs have been made redundant.

Working for an NGO may be a converted job, but pay generally remains low in Cambodia.  The financial rewards are minimal compared to western standards.  I saw a position vacant in the Cambodia Daily for a Translator to work for the UN on the Khmer Rouge trial – what an interesting job that would be.  The applicant had to be highly qualified, and fluent in Khmer, English and French.  Remuneration = $US29,581 pa.  And the UN is one of the highest payers!

For those more interested in the environment, WWF is seeking a Regional Marketing Director for the Mekong based in Laos.  This role will work towards conserving 600,000m2 of mainland Asia’s most biologically diverse, economically significant and threatened forests and rivers which are located in the Mekong region and home to more than 300 people.

There is so much to be done in Cambodia, and any wealth of opportunities for expats to be involved in meaningful work.  There are 3000 NGOs in Cambodia.  That may be overstated (counting sporting and school initiatives), but even if 1000 is closer to the correct number that’s a lot of NGOs

And just about every benevolent group ever conceived is working here.   One of the more interesting is the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC).   MCC in Cambodia envisions seeing Gods will fulfil for the resolution of hope and dignity and the transformations of suffering into wholeness for the people of Cambodia.  Practically speaking I think they would prefer food, clean water and education over god!  MCC claims to work with locals – but of their 32 personnel 18 are expat.  A couple of evangelical MCC missionaries have even gone as far as buying tuk tuks in Siem Reap.  A sermon and a ride home!!  I guess you can’t close the door on them!

All nations, even the Maltese are present.  MINT is the worldwide relief agency of the Sovereign Order of Malta.  But my favourite NGO (after CARE of course) is Pour Un Sourie d’Enfant which translates to  “for the smile of a child”.  Founded by the French, “sourie” works with at risk children.  With 607 staff, only 4 are expats, good sustainable development.

I’ve been in Cambodia during an interesting time for NGOs,.  The government is proposing a new NGO Law.  This law will place significant restrictions on NGOs and enable tho government to have more control, and indeed earn money from NGO activities.  The US has warned the Cambodian Government that aid levels could be frozen if the draft NGO law is adopted in its current form.  US Aid are vocal in their lobbying – with US Aid saying the law would educe civil society’s ability to operate freely in Cambodia.  Despite the fact that the US is Cambodia s 3^rd largest bilateral donor, the Cambodian government si not listening and proceeding with eth law