Emotions that Cambodia brings
It may be a bit surprising, but this Polish report will not be the description of the third day we spent in Cambodia. I would like to share with you my intimate world of the pictures that I still hear and see.
Cambodia is a country where for many years human rights were not respected, a country in many conflicts, neglected from an economic point of view. Children forced to work and abused was the reality of that time.
Now the situation is changing. Despite living in very difficult conditions, families and communities know how to take care of each other. They can smile and enjoy their lives. And all the children in the places we have visited are treated as the most important people in the world. Charisma, determination, consistency in taking important actions, and clear goals of education and child development combine the efforts of many people. It has united many groups and communities and even involved many people from other countries. And it all has a common purpose: to create better conditions for future generations.
I’m very grateful for all the engaged people from Save the Children in Cambodia, that they show me all the operations that bring many amazing results – better schools, life and health protection programmes, teachers and parents’ education. These are the ones I have had the possibility to look closer at. And the most beautiful result is children’s happiness that is really priceless. Children’s smiles when they proudly sit at the desks looking forward for the lesson to start – these are the memories that I will take with me.
I will never forget the face of a Khmer girl who was bravely looking at me for a moment. She was a little girl, so most probably she did not know English, but when I asked her, “How are you?” she replied quickly and easily, “I’m fine”. It was a breathtaking moment for me. I have my name written by her in Khmer language – this is a gift she did just for me.
Children’s happiness goes together with the happiness of adults – I will never forget how proud the teachers were of a new toilet and a new accommodation facility in the first school we visited during our trip.
The great value of children’s education and the education of their families helps to bring Cambodia back to life, thanks to the involvement of so many people. They have been doing so much. And at the end of my stay here, I ask myself a question: What more I can do for them?
