Last day in Poipet

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Stuck in the cycle

For our last day in Poipet we were all up bright and early and walked up to the border before breakfast. It was a real eye opener to see all of the day labourers that P had mentioned, pulling their carts and lined up to waiting to be allowed into Thailand and hopefully get some worker. There were so many people with carts - both men and women, often with their kids with them. I was struck by how orderly and controlled the lines were - two straight lines of carts, no pushing etc. Apparently these people make about $1.25 or $1.50 per day. Even though it was only 7am, it was hot - I can't even imagine how much hard work it must be to push and pull a heavily laden cart around all day, and for such a small payment. As Brett noted, it made quite a stark contrast - the lines of workers hoping for a job for the day, set against the backdrop of the numerous luxury casinos that exist in the 'no man's land' area. As we walked around we could also see people coming into Cambodia from Thailand, usually with fish or fruits and vegetables. Very often we saw children, without any adult around, pushing a heavy cart across the border. My heart really went out to these people. I couldn't help but wonder what hope they could feel. How could they break out of this cycle of living day to day? Especially for the kids - they're not in school because they're out earning money, but without schooling, they're almost certain to stay trapped in the cycle. How can they be given a way out?

Part of the answer?

After a bit of breakfast, P took us to visit a preschool that has been set up in one of the poor areas of Poipet. This 'village' is just off the main road and has an extremely transient population. Many of the people who we'd seen that morning waiting to cross the border live there. After a bit of a walk though some quite muddy streets we found the preschool. Again, hearing about this project reinforced for me the importance of education. The idea is to give the kids a bit of a head start, to try and increase the chances of them staying in school for more than a year.

The rest of the day

The rest of the day was filled in by a visit to an orphanage which houses about 30 Khmer kids. This project really challenged us to consider the advantages and disadvantages of caring for children in an institutional setting, what the alternatives are, and how to best evaluate each option for the cultural context. I'm far from claiming any expertise in this area, and I'm still considering my thoughts on it all, so I might save this one for in person conversations.

For the afternoon, while the other half of the team went to teach English my group were privileged to visit P's friend in her village and hear about what life has been and is like for her, and to hear how she came to be a follower of Jesus. We also spoke with some of the other older women of the village and heard about the program they'd started running as a church to feed the most malnourished kids in the village and other ways that they are seeking to be a blessing to their community. We ended the visit by praying together, each in our different languages - quite a beautiful picture of unity, and what I imagine heaven might be like.

Tomorrow.. off to Siem Reap

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