Thanksgiving for Cambodia
Hello friends and family,
(I'm going to try this fancy formatting move that puts important parts in bold so that those of you who are just skimming will still get the highlights).
As we are joining in an epic meal with our loved ones today, giving thanks for the bounty that we enjoy, I'd like to ask for a small favor:
As many of you know I'm going to be traveling to Cambodia in a couple of weeks on an exchange program to teach at the Royal University of Phnom Penh. Before we go, we will be taking up a donation for the Seedlings of Hope orphanage. You got it, I'm asking for a donation. Even a $1-$5 donation would be incredibly generous as the average household makes only $50 a year.
The orphanage provides a home to about 110 HIV+ children who would not be alive today, if not for Father Kevin and his foundation. Many of these kids are even able to be in school, saved from a life on the streets, scavenging garbage to survive. Father Kevin is a clinical psychologist that my university works with to plan activities and engage with the children while we are there.
Cambodian Genocide
Mental health counseling established in Cambodia before 1975 was completely destroyed by the Khmer Rouge. Only recently have psychological services been rebuilt. The need for couseling is important after so many Cambodians suffered extreme trauma that comes with a genocide. Here is a very brief summary of the events that occured during the Khmer Rouge Reign:
The Khmer Rouge period (1975–1979) refers to the rule of Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen, Khieu Samphan and the Khmer Rouge Communist party over Cambodia, which the Khmer Rouge renamed as Democratic Kampuchea. The four-year period cost approximately 2 million lives through the combined result of political executions, starvation, and forced labor. Modern research has located 20,000 mass graves from the Khmer Rouge era all over Cambodia. One fourth of the Cambodian population died this way. Due to the large numbers, the deaths during the rule of the Khmer Rouge are often considered a genocide, and commonly known as the Cambodian Holocaust or Cambodian Genocide. The Khmer Rouge period ended when Vietnam invaded, which left Cambodia under Vietnamese occupation for a decade.
The Khmer Rouge regarded traditional education with undiluted hostility. After the fall of Phnom Penh, they executed thousands of teachers. Those who had been educators prior to 1975 survived by hiding their identities. Professionals and intellectuals were considered enemies of the Khmer Rouge —in practice this included almost everyone with an education, or even people wearing glasses (which, according to the regime, meant that they were literate). Many artists, including musicians, writers and film makers were executed. Health facilities in the years 1975 to 1978 were abysmally poor. Many physicians either were executed or were prohibited from practicing. Teachers were executed by being thrown off the rooftop of the university.
Since 1990 Cambodia has gradually recovered, demographically and economically, from the Khmer Rouge regime, although the psychological scars affect many Cambodian families and immigrant communities. The current government teaches little about Khmer Rouge atrocities in schools. Cambodia has a very young population and by 2005 three-quarters of Cambodians were too young to remember the Khmer Rouge years. Art Therapy from a survivor:
(I'm going to try this fancy formatting move that puts important parts in bold so that those of you who are just skimming will still get the highlights).
As we are joining in an epic meal with our loved ones today, giving thanks for the bounty that we enjoy, I'd like to ask for a small favor:
As many of you know I'm going to be traveling to Cambodia in a couple of weeks on an exchange program to teach at the Royal University of Phnom Penh. Before we go, we will be taking up a donation for the Seedlings of Hope orphanage. You got it, I'm asking for a donation. Even a $1-$5 donation would be incredibly generous as the average household makes only $50 a year.
The orphanage provides a home to about 110 HIV+ children who would not be alive today, if not for Father Kevin and his foundation. Many of these kids are even able to be in school, saved from a life on the streets, scavenging garbage to survive. Father Kevin is a clinical psychologist that my university works with to plan activities and engage with the children while we are there.
Please give just a little. My friends and I would like to bring a gift from all of us to these kids who were born into a horrible circumstance.
You can click on the donate button on the top right of the blog to donate. This is a private collection so everything we collect will go directly to the kids.
Thank you so much for reading! Happy Happy Thanksgiving to you!
If you want to know more about the orphanage and Cambodia, keep reading. But if you're busy basting a turkey and mashing potatoes so you just want to make your donation and bail, that's fine with me. *insert smiley face, and maybe wink smiley face*
Sok Kuntea's Story
Sok Kunthea is receiving anti-retroviral therapy, is back in school and happily living in a Seedling of Hope group home. She saves her weekly snack allowance to send to her grandmother who used to care for her.
Here is a link to their site if you want to find out more about their services.
Cambodian Genocide
Mental health counseling established in Cambodia before 1975 was completely destroyed by the Khmer Rouge. Only recently have psychological services been rebuilt. The need for couseling is important after so many Cambodians suffered extreme trauma that comes with a genocide. Here is a very brief summary of the events that occured during the Khmer Rouge Reign:
The Khmer Rouge period (1975–1979) refers to the rule of Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen, Khieu Samphan and the Khmer Rouge Communist party over Cambodia, which the Khmer Rouge renamed as Democratic Kampuchea. The four-year period cost approximately 2 million lives through the combined result of political executions, starvation, and forced labor. Modern research has located 20,000 mass graves from the Khmer Rouge era all over Cambodia. One fourth of the Cambodian population died this way. Due to the large numbers, the deaths during the rule of the Khmer Rouge are often considered a genocide, and commonly known as the Cambodian Holocaust or Cambodian Genocide. The Khmer Rouge period ended when Vietnam invaded, which left Cambodia under Vietnamese occupation for a decade.
Since 1990 Cambodia has gradually recovered, demographically and economically, from the Khmer Rouge regime, although the psychological scars affect many Cambodian families and immigrant communities. The current government teaches little about Khmer Rouge atrocities in schools. Cambodia has a very young population and by 2005 three-quarters of Cambodians were too young to remember the Khmer Rouge years. Art Therapy from a survivor:
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