Orphans, Frogs and Thunder – Volunteering in Sam Bat Village

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On our first day in Siem Reap we'd been approached by a young guy on a moped, clutching a tattereed ring binder and carrying photocopied sponsor forms. He introduced himself as Waha Long, the head of a school and orphange for underprivileged children in a village outside siem Reap. He was canvassing for money and support on his weekly trip to the city to pick up supplies. At first we were a little apprehensive – we'd heard so many stories of touts on the scam, using sad stories like this to fleece sympathetic tourists. After chatting with him nad looking through his documents and folder, we decided he seemed genuine and gave him some money. He gave us a website and e-mail address where we could find out more about the project and carried on down the road. Mike and I chattted and I told him I wanted to offer more than just money. I wanted to volunteer to teach English. Mike agreed that it would be a worthwhile thing to do with our time, not only would we be helping out a little in this underprivileged and poor country, we'd also see 'real' cambodia and witness first hand how the villagers lived.

We chased off down the road to catch Waha (it was then that I twisted my ankle slipping from a kerb and ended up wearing a support for the next 10 days!) and told him we wanted to volunteer. He seemed really pleased and asked for details of how to reach us, assuring us we'd be picked up the following Monday morning from our hotel and transported to his village where we'd live and volunteer for a few days before being dropped back to town. True to his word, he arrived on Monday morning on a scooter with a friend. We got ourselves and our backpacks on to the scooters and zoomed off, stopping after just 10 minutes. Waha explained we were picking up 3 other volunteers – all Canadian women. I was wondering where they were going to sit and if we'd have to squeeze onto the 2 bikes as I'd seen so many locals do when 3 more scooters manned by Waha's friends pulled up. We introduced ourselves to Dani, Koko and Izzy, all 3 around my age, and off we went.

The journey to sam Bat village took around an hour and a half and was exhilirating to say the least! We weaved through traffic on the main roads, dodging poles, ladders, pigs, chickens and children that were precariously balanced and arranged over scooters, and bumped up a dirt track into a dusty village of straw huts on stilts. This was the 'real' cambodia.

Our experience was amazing. As soon as we entered the village on the back of motorbikes, the kids and adults came out to the road to greet us, smiling, waving and calling out "Hello" and "What your name?" Unlike the poor in the towns they didn't beg or plead for money or help, instead they welcomed us into their community, offered us rice and laughed with us. We bought flip flops and toys for the kids and they reacted with such joy that it really made us realise how much happiness such small things can bring, and how much we in the west take for granted.

Of the 100 children who attend the school there are over 30 orphans, mainly due to parents encountering landmines or dying from illness due to lack of medical supplies. These kids are looked after by the community at large and live in little shacks in small groups. One in particular I fell in love with. Moy is 10 years old, loves studying, speaks English, dances and sings and is an orphan who looks after his little brothers and sisters in a shack on their own. I don't think I saw him once without a smile on his face and he and his 'family' gave us a tour of the village. He even told me the reading lesson was 'too easy' for him then proceeded to prove it by reading out the whole thing aloud with no mistakes! The school provides rice and basic food for kids like these, as well as an education in English language.
Wahu himself was orphaned and raised by monks. Three years ago he visited Sam Bat village with Oxfam and was so overwhelmed by the friendliness and happiness of the villagers, despite their poverty, that he decided to dedicate his work to them. He has since built the school and over 20 homes as well as securing a well, school supplies and stones to begin building a library and health centre. Wahu and the village rely on donations and assistance from tourists in order to keep the village running. With Dani, Koko and Izzy we purchased a water pump, enabling them to reach the water atcthe bottom of the well. Mike helped the local men install it and it was brilliant to watch them all laugh and splash around in the water that gushed from the big hose.

We spent our mornings and evenings teaching at the school -which was a big cement and straw hut furnished with folding tables and plastic chairs and full of eager youngsters who cycle or walk up to 5 miles to attend, before or after the majority of them go to Khmer school for the day. Can you see a Western kid doing that? In Cambodia education is a luxury never taken for granted.
When we weren't teaching, we spent time with the orphaned kds who did not attned Khmer school and tidied up the school yard. As soon as we started clearing the play ground of rubbish, big sticks and stones, the kids all joined in with gusto, carrying arms ful of dirt and grass to the ditch we were dumping it in and fashioning brooms from twigs and sticks. They worked hard and laughed and Moy even did a little dance routine with his broom! We also played volleyball, football and a version of jacks with them and took photos which we showed them – much to their delight! Soon they were all lining up to pose and see their faces on the little screen – laughing and grinnign at the pictures. The boys took a particular shine to Mike and 2 of them came to collect him for school. As they held his hand and walked him up the road, us 4 girls looked on all gooey eyed at the cute little tableau. 'That is adorable' said Koko. 'I think my ovaries just flipped.' seconded Dani.
On our first night a huge storm rolled in lighting the sky, roaring thunder and sending down torrents of rain. In the midst of it we saw the guys who'd brougt us here, along with several local lads, going out armed with nets and lights. They were off to hunt for frogs. With no electricity there was little else to do on a stormy evening! We were served the frogs, fried whole, for lunch the following day. Not bad, if a little crunchy!
Mike and I sat up chatting to the Canadian girls every night, swapping travel stories and getting to know each other. We got on really well and all 3 of them were very funny with great stories to tell of their travels so far! We went off on the mopeds between school hours one day to visit a temple even more overgrown than ta Prohm. As we hurtled and bounced down dirt tracks, through puddles the size of small lakes and across fields, my driver laughed as I screamed, part in joy and part In worry! The temple was fab but infested with massive ants who crawled up the legs of my palazzos and bit my thghs and bum...much to the amusement of the guys who'd drioven us, who were actually crying with laughter as I rolled uo my trouser legs and caught the offending ants!! On the way back to the village the rain came once more, soaking us completely! My scooter kept having engine issues and was not as fast as the others so I eneded up looking like a drowned rat – I did worry slightly when my driver folded in his metal wing mirrors after a lightning fork came down, but all in all we had an amazing day.
Before we left I got an address from Wahu where goods can be sent. It takes around a month – sent some boxes already.  The villagers really need basic things like clothing (not jumpers - there is no real 'cold' season), flip flops, medical supplies, pillows, blankets, underwear, pens, paper, crayons, torches and headtorches (there was no electricity when we went - we contributed money to re-build the generator, but it can only be run for a certain amount of time each day as the fuel costs quite a lot), toys, sleeping mats, books and tolietries. They also need money to build a library, health centre and to maintain and build more homes.

If you want to donate goods please package them and send them to:

Siem Reap Angkor PO
Mr Wahu
017372570
Sam Bat Village

To donate money or volunteer to help, please contact Wahu: [e-mail] or visit the, as yet incomplete, website http://underprivilegedschool.blogspot.com/

I won't be lying when I say I left a little bit of my heart in that village. The generosity of the villagers with despite their poverty was humbling. Their happiness in their situation, perhaps borne out of never knowing anything different, perhaps born out of their naturally buoyant spirit or perhaps borne out of the resilience they had to learn whilst under Pol Pot's barbaric rule, is a lesson to all of us. I was, and remain still, truly awestruck by that slice of 'real' cambodia.

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