its the eve of our australia visit. in less than 8 hours i will be sitting on a plane with my four kids....hopefully breathing a sigh of relief that everything that needed to get done these last few days..actually got done...and that at least for the next couple of days i wont have to think about too many lists.
we can then reunite as a family with steve waiting at the airport for us... and the girls can FINALLY stop asking for dad...and stop drawing him pictures with dads and girls crying. seven weeks is a very long time when you miss your dad.
this visit will be a little bit different from the other ones weve had. ive purposely cut down on how many events i have - so that we can spend as much time together as a family as possible. because when we fly back to cambodia in early november...steve will have to stay on until february to complete his contract...so we really need to make the most of this time.
at this stage i actually only have two events locked in. one being a massive one...the big movie night fundraiser on oct 15. which we are hoping to have lots and lots of people come along to. then october 23 there is the waldorf spring fair in mt.barker...which if you havent been...is an AMAZING event.
its exciting to have people contacting me lately about wanting to know how they can help.... some wanting to come and volunteer in cambodia...others wanting to know where to send money and others wanting to help by either buying or selling items. its really fun to be that 'connecting' person and i know that there are so many people out there who are really aching to do something positive in this crazy world...but they dont know where to begin.. being able to point people in the right direction...or help them narrow down their options is something i get a lot out of.
on a personal note... after giving a wonderful friend of mine some advice about looking at the pros and cons of what she is doing...(and trust me...she is doing some amazing stuff)....i had a moment of clarity as i was doing the dishes and realised that i needed to listen to my own advice. what are the pros and cons of my current set up?? i took some time to actually look at the outcomes of what i do...and came to a few realisations.
at the moment im able to do a lot with just being in cambodia. being able to highlight different needs...and get enough support from friends to make some positive changes over here. of course building the house for the young mum is a biggie. as is starting a preschool in our village. and helping Da...(more on this later) and so on. i really didnt expect to be able to be involved in so many things in the short time we have been here. when i had a moment to really think through everything though...i had to be honest with myself that one of the main reasons we came to cambodia was in fact to spend more time as a family. to be more available to eachother as husband and wife...and to be more present as parents. when i look at our current situation i see a dad who is missing out on his family because he is trying to make money so we can pay for what we are doing over here. and i see a mum who is continually preoccupied with making this sewing project work. so eventhough we are grateful for the opportunity that steve has to make money as an engineer...and we know that there are good things coming from running a social business. we are in fact making it really hard for us to be who we want to be as a family. the kids are missing out on both their mum and their dad.
all this to say that ive decided that im not going to continue with the sewing business after december 1. that will make it one year since we started... i will still continue with helping different people or groups that i come across. i will still spread the word on how people can help....i just wont have 13 ladies in my home sewing. so from the outside it wont look very different... but the changes will be more internal. i will still promote things that are happily made in cambodia...just not things that we make ourselves...for example...if we need to raise $2000 for a health clinic....i will then buy some products from some fantastic local places...like 'cambodia knits' or 'CHOK cards' and put them in my online shop with ALL profits going to the health clinic. its a win win....health clinic gets set up, local places making beautiful things get more sales...and you get to be the proud owner or giver of a happily made product. of course good old fashioned donations will be welcomed as well...(and our paypal account should be up and running soon to make that easier too).
i hope that makes sense....and if not..please feel free to ask. and just so you know...the money raised on this trip to oz will be used for paying outstanding expenses from the sewing project...as well as current wages....and then all the extras...and we are hoping there are a lot of extras...will be given to a fantastic little project i want to tell you all about.
some of you will remember me asking for help for a 12 year old boy called Da. he nearly drowned when he was two years old...and for the past ten years he has been neglected in his home....mainly because there were no specialists who could help Da regain use of his legs. also because the current belief is that someone with disabilities is in fact cursed from a previous life...and there is nothing that can be done to break that curse. so...after ten years of physical neglect. this little boy's leg muscles contracted so much that his legs were so twisted that his feet were now infront of his face. his behaviour was becoming more and more out of control...in fact..his anger and violent outbursts were getting too much for his parents...who were looking for an orphanage where they could drop him off at.
well. we heard about Da last new years eve. a family that live on kampot with six kids were over celebrating...and told us how they had been asked that week to help out. they were shocked at his condition. with their two youngest children having severe disabilities when adopted...this family is very familiar with physical challenges...but this one really shocked them. nothing could really be done for Da though cause his knees were fused and there was no hope for therapy with his legs being as badly twisted and fused as they were. hearing this story me and my friend sarah were pretty heartbroken. surely something could be done for Da. some sort of surgery. we asked if we could put the word out on facebook and email...and lo and behold...a week later we were contacted by a hospital in Phnom Penh who had a doctor willing and able to perform the surgeries for free. by the end of january..Da already had a couple of surgeries...and by the end of february...his legs were straight! thing is...with his legs straight...Da now needed a walker. one that couldnt be sourced in cambodia...and it was needed quickly while his legs were healing. this is where steve stepped in and was able to use his engineering brain and design one. take the drawings to the local metal workshop...and within a couple of days...deliver the walker on the back of the motorbike! a couple more surgeries were done and then the doctor said that there was nothing more that could be done for this boy. his parents were showing very little interest in the improvements in their son...so he was actually invited to come and live with this family while his legs got stronger. within a couple of months he went from being an angry boy who would attack anyone smaller than him when they got too close - to a bright and bubbly kid who is beaming with happiness.
well...news spread. miracles dont go unnoticed in a country like cambodia...and by april this family with six kids of their own...had TWELVE more kids being brought to their home everyday for a miracle cure!! mothers would bring their toddlers from an hour away....everyday...just in the hope that something would make their child respond to their touch or show some sign of connecting. one mother explained that after her healthy little boy had his vaccinations...he stopped communicating..stopped making eye contact...and eventually slipped into his own little world...with his body eventually not being able to respond. out of desperation she took him to the fortune teller at the market. hoping that she would have some answers. the fortune teller took one look at the boy...said that he was paying for sins in his previous life. that he was cursed and evil...and that he would be dead by the age 20...so they might as well just lock him in the back of the house...and not waste their time or energy on him. of course the family was shocked to hear this...and ashamed for their son....and with no one else having a better explanation...they followed the advice given.
fast forward to september - and as im taking the girls to preschool in a tuk tuk...i see Da WALKING down the road...with only braces on his legs. massive grin on his face...and little kids running alongside him cheering him on. i seriously cant believe it...and straight away text sarah to tell her what im seeing. later that week i ride my bike over to find out whats going on over at the house. to see for myself. and sure enough. im blown away. their home and office has been converted into a makeshift therapy center. outside there are people making different equipment that is specifically designed for the different needs of the kids. of course with no budget to speak of...the equipment looks somewhat whimsical...but it works!! there are parents being instructed on what exercises to do. kids being held down on mats and forced to have their limbs moving for the first time ever. big children...dragging themselves across the room trying to reach the blocks or toys scattered around the place. its so confronting. so intense. yet im blown away by whats actually taking place there. the parents and helpers are obviously really dedicated to the goal of getting these kids to their full potential. the sessions for each kid is really physically exhausting for everyone involved...and im absolutely gobsmacked at the dedication of these people.
i walk around...getting some discreet photos....mainly just trying to absorb it all. convinced that there are so many people who would feel the same way i do...and that i really want to get the message out that there is something truly amazing going on here....and every little bit of help would make such a big difference. i mean..they really need anything and everything they can get right now. of course money for helpers...but also money for food...and much needed equipment..and donations of educational toys like duplo and blocks. mats that dont slide around the floor...padding...towels... i could go on. point is...if any of this rings a bell with you...then please let me know and i can give you more details on how to help. im sure you will hear more about this in the next little while...since im really hoping to get this frustratingly humble family some backing. by the way..i forgot to mention that the two kids that this family have adopted...have gone from being unable to even sit, speak or hear at age one & three. to now at age 4 and 7 running around. riding bicycles...and even writing their names!!
point is...kids with absolutely ZERO hope here in cambodia...CAN actually have fulfilling lives given the chance. if you want to help out in some way with this...if you want to organise an event...or get some ideas from me...or donate some money...then let me know and we can go from there. im actually going to set aside a bank account specifically for this family to make it easier long term.
so yeah...thats where profits from this trip will go.
now i must get some much needed sleep - big big day tomorrow.
ta DA!!!!
wow....you've taken on a big job! You're inspirational:)
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