Project Angel 8
This was what I wrote to submit to Dean's office on 24th January. took quite a while to put it here.cos the photos a bit hard to upload..been bz..tired..and sick recently..n i have lotsa problems..so i kinda gave up le..when i find an easier way to upload, i will upload them..if not, just words and a collage picture..sigh..anyway here it goes..
"Project Angel 8 – For the angels, By the angels
12 Dec – 29 Dec 2006, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Project Angel 8 felt like a miracle to me. My appointment as Project Angel director was confirmed on 19th September 2006. It was less than 3 months from the day of the appointment to 12th December, the first day in Cambodia. Initially, I hesitated about carrying out Project Angel 8 in December as it was too short a timeframe. However, Project Angel 7 has made a difference in my life and given me an invaluable and unforgettable experience. I wanted more people to gain such an experience of a lifetime. I realized that Project Angel can make a difference to the lives of the volunteers as well as the overseas community and I saw no reason for me to give up such a meaningful project. Project Angel 8 ensued. A week later, it was the mid semester break and I was off for a recce to Cambodia with the facilitator. I was lucky to have found a facilitator who had prior experiences with community service projects in Cambodia. Furthermore, our Cambodian host, Mr Bun Kao, had worked with us for Project Angel 7 and so our problems were greatly reduced.
Many people asked “Cambodia again?” Yes. It was back in Cambodia. I believe that, having been in Cambodia for Project Angel 7 last June, I saw for myself the situation that the Cambodians were in and I could empathize with the Cambodians. Also, I have grown to love Cambodia – love the children, love the food and simply the feeling of being in Cambodia.
The recce ended and plans for Project Angel 8 were confirmed. Project Angel 8 would enter Siem Reap, Cambodia from 12 Dec to 29 Dec 2006. We would be working with the locals for 2 school projects in Kampung Phluk and Ang Chagn Chass village respectively. In Kampong Phluk, we would assist in the furnishing of the new school while in Ang Chagn Chass Village, we would assist in the building of concrete flooring for 4 classrooms and an additional classroom. We would also introduce basic English to the students and teachers.
Money had to be raised to buy the construction materials and the furnishing of the schools in Cambodia. The 20 of us in the team worked hard towards our target of SGD10,000 for the project. We sold consignment items at bazaars, sold postcards and Tshirts to friends and relatives, went round asking for sponsorship and donations and did a 3-day long charity car wash to raise funds for the project.
On top of fundraising activities, we had a local community service project where we reached out to a group of children from the lower income families in Agape Childcare Centre. It was a day of fun-filled activities at the East Coast Park which brought much joy to the kids as well as to us. Due to the lack of funding, Agape Childcare would have to be closed at the end of year 2006. We even had a short camp of 1 day 1 night at Pulau Ubin to allow everyone to have a taste of the outdoors. Sometimes, when I looked back at the series of intensive activities, I marvelled at how everyone managed to pull through. It was really the true spirit of teamwork.
Of course, I would believe that Project Angel 8 was blessed too. We were blessed with funding from Science Students’ Overseas Exposure Funds, which greatly reduced our financial burden. We were blessed with 2 Cambodian exchange students who taught us basic Khmer language before our project. Our project was also blessed with kind donations of stationery, school uniform, children’s books, toothbrushes and toothpastes.
12th December came and we were off to Cambodia, embarking on our exciting journey of Project Angel 8. Our first part of the journey was at Kampung Phluk. Getting to Kampung Phluk was like our first challenge. We had to take a bus to one part of a village, then load onto the truck and finally onto a boat. Things were made even more challenging with our many donated items, logistics and luggage. Yet, we had much fun squeezing on the truck and riding through the bumpy road and enjoying the beautiful scenery along the riverside.
We were cordially welcomed by the villagers and I was indeed touched by the hospitality of the villagers. Everyday, we would spend one hour teaching English in the morning session and afternoon session. It was encouraging to see the enthusiasm in the students. They enjoyed learning and they were always responsive in class. In the evening at 6pm, when the sun has set, we gave English lessons to teachers and adults. Teaching English with a small dim fluorescent lamp powered by car battery was a new experience. There were even students who came back for extra English lessons in the evening. It was even more touching when the students came up to us to request for extra lessons on Sundays. Sunday was their only free day. These students displayed such strong motivation to learn that it impacted much on us. We reflected on how we took education for granted – skipping classes or falling asleep during lectures, yet these students were grabbing every opportunity to study. Somehow, it dawned upon us that we should really treasure our educational opportunities that many of us got to enjoy in Singapore.
Kampung Phluk is a cluster of 3 villages of stilted houses built within the floodplain of the Tonle Sap about 16km southeast of Siem Reap. It is home to more than 500 families. There is only one primary school in Kampung Phluk and the current school is made up of 3 buildings. The number of students is increasing and they needed more classroom space. Plans for an additional school of 2 classrooms have been made since 2 years ago. However, due to the lack of funds, the school project is still uncompleted. They have finally received the last sum of money from the government to complete the last phase of construction but there no money was given for the furnishing of the school. Project Angel 8 decided to come in with funds to providing for the furnishing of the school.
We organized a healthcare day where each family was given a thermometer and taught how to use it. On that day, the students were given a toothbrush and a small tube of toothpaste each and taught how to use them. Students were also given playmats which were donated.
We stayed in the villagers’ houses for the duration of our project. It was a good way to understand more of the culture and the way of living of Cambodians. We had the chance to eat traditional Khmer food that we have never tasted before such as a unique tasting fish pasteFor many of us, it was a memorable experience cooking for more than 20 people. Some of us even had the chance to kill live poultry.
A closing ceremony was held on our last day in the village. The students sang for us while we acted out the history of Singapore and sang some songs. It was a mini cultural exchange between the local students and the volunteers.
Donated unforms and stationery sets were given to the children. From their smiling faces, we could see that they were truly appreciative of these small gifts.
Giving out of donated items such as uniforms and stationery sets
It was upsetting when we knew of several students who repeated Grade 6 as they did not have the money to travel to another village to receive higher education. The village head is planning for the construction of another secondary school and future collaboration between Project Angel and Kampung Phluk was discussed.
Kampung Phluk was a beautiful village. Beautiful sunrise at dawn, attractive sunset at dusk and tons of stunning shooting stars at night. The innocence of the children, their heartwarming smiles and laughters touched many of our hearts. We had to drag ourselves to move on to the next village.
Ang Chagn Chass village was a little different from Kampung Phluk. The children were a little more shy and took more time to open up to us, yet we still enjoyed every second that we could spend with the children. We taught English lessons for the children, similar to the ones in Kampung Phluk.
On top of that, we had morning exercises with the children and played games with trhe children. We even organized a Christmas party for the children. The joys, the smiles and the laugher of the children really warmed our hearts.
There was a little more manual work in Ang Chagn Chass village than in Kampung Phluk - working on the construction of the new classroom and painting murals for the classroom. We even made a small garden and planted seeds for the children. To me, building schools and leading expeditions was like planting seeds. I do not exactly know if whatever we are doing is going to help them. I do not know how far education can help them to break out of their poverty circle because in the end, it seemed that many of the students would still return to work as farmers. But I believe, just like sowing seeds, there are some seeds that would grow eventually. As we “sow the seeds” in Cambodia now, I hope that at least some “seeds”, that is, the students, would manage to get a chance to pursue higher education, find a better paying job in town and break out of their poverty cycle.I hope and I pray that when I return to Cambodia, the seeds, be it the plants or the students, would have grown. I also believe that the “seeds” for the team have been planted. Eventually, I hope that the “seeds” can grow – this experience with Project Angel 8 can help the students to develop in their own ways, to realize that they have the potential to make a difference to the lives of the students and contribute back to the community, be it local or overseas community.
Our work in Ang Chagn Chass Village was finally completed on 27th December 2006.
The team proceeded to Phnom Penh where we explored more of the history of Cambodia. The S21 Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields impacted much on us. It was a cruel and sad history that Cambodia had. Though many people are still suffereing from the the after effects of their history, I am glad that the Cambodians have moved on. The final activtiy for the project was an exchange with Cambodian students from the Royal University of Phnom Penh. The students shared with us more information about their country, their educational system, their culture and their hopes for the future of Cambodia. It was indeed insightful.
Project Angel 8 has ended. For many of us, it was an experience of a lifetime. We have learnt to be more appreciative of the little things in life and not to take things for granted. We have discovered much more about ourselves, about Cambodia and even Singapore. We have realized the importance of education. We have explored issues about poverty, about education, about how we could continue to extend help to the local communities or third world countries. We have all been touched by the angels in Cambodia. New dreams are unfolded. New hopes are created. New directions are found in life. We would like to thank all who have contributed to the success of this project in one way or another. Our chapter has closed. As we move on to write a new chapter in our life, the chorus of our theme song “It’s the little things” continues to run in our minds. “it’s the little things that we share, the love and joy that’s in the air, the children’s laughter everywhere and all our favourite things…”
"Project Angel 8 – For the angels, By the angels
12 Dec – 29 Dec 2006, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Project Angel 8 felt like a miracle to me. My appointment as Project Angel director was confirmed on 19th September 2006. It was less than 3 months from the day of the appointment to 12th December, the first day in Cambodia. Initially, I hesitated about carrying out Project Angel 8 in December as it was too short a timeframe. However, Project Angel 7 has made a difference in my life and given me an invaluable and unforgettable experience. I wanted more people to gain such an experience of a lifetime. I realized that Project Angel can make a difference to the lives of the volunteers as well as the overseas community and I saw no reason for me to give up such a meaningful project. Project Angel 8 ensued. A week later, it was the mid semester break and I was off for a recce to Cambodia with the facilitator. I was lucky to have found a facilitator who had prior experiences with community service projects in Cambodia. Furthermore, our Cambodian host, Mr Bun Kao, had worked with us for Project Angel 7 and so our problems were greatly reduced.
Many people asked “Cambodia again?” Yes. It was back in Cambodia. I believe that, having been in Cambodia for Project Angel 7 last June, I saw for myself the situation that the Cambodians were in and I could empathize with the Cambodians. Also, I have grown to love Cambodia – love the children, love the food and simply the feeling of being in Cambodia.
The recce ended and plans for Project Angel 8 were confirmed. Project Angel 8 would enter Siem Reap, Cambodia from 12 Dec to 29 Dec 2006. We would be working with the locals for 2 school projects in Kampung Phluk and Ang Chagn Chass village respectively. In Kampong Phluk, we would assist in the furnishing of the new school while in Ang Chagn Chass Village, we would assist in the building of concrete flooring for 4 classrooms and an additional classroom. We would also introduce basic English to the students and teachers.
Money had to be raised to buy the construction materials and the furnishing of the schools in Cambodia. The 20 of us in the team worked hard towards our target of SGD10,000 for the project. We sold consignment items at bazaars, sold postcards and Tshirts to friends and relatives, went round asking for sponsorship and donations and did a 3-day long charity car wash to raise funds for the project.
On top of fundraising activities, we had a local community service project where we reached out to a group of children from the lower income families in Agape Childcare Centre. It was a day of fun-filled activities at the East Coast Park which brought much joy to the kids as well as to us. Due to the lack of funding, Agape Childcare would have to be closed at the end of year 2006. We even had a short camp of 1 day 1 night at Pulau Ubin to allow everyone to have a taste of the outdoors. Sometimes, when I looked back at the series of intensive activities, I marvelled at how everyone managed to pull through. It was really the true spirit of teamwork.
Of course, I would believe that Project Angel 8 was blessed too. We were blessed with funding from Science Students’ Overseas Exposure Funds, which greatly reduced our financial burden. We were blessed with 2 Cambodian exchange students who taught us basic Khmer language before our project. Our project was also blessed with kind donations of stationery, school uniform, children’s books, toothbrushes and toothpastes.
12th December came and we were off to Cambodia, embarking on our exciting journey of Project Angel 8. Our first part of the journey was at Kampung Phluk. Getting to Kampung Phluk was like our first challenge. We had to take a bus to one part of a village, then load onto the truck and finally onto a boat. Things were made even more challenging with our many donated items, logistics and luggage. Yet, we had much fun squeezing on the truck and riding through the bumpy road and enjoying the beautiful scenery along the riverside.
We were cordially welcomed by the villagers and I was indeed touched by the hospitality of the villagers. Everyday, we would spend one hour teaching English in the morning session and afternoon session. It was encouraging to see the enthusiasm in the students. They enjoyed learning and they were always responsive in class. In the evening at 6pm, when the sun has set, we gave English lessons to teachers and adults. Teaching English with a small dim fluorescent lamp powered by car battery was a new experience. There were even students who came back for extra English lessons in the evening. It was even more touching when the students came up to us to request for extra lessons on Sundays. Sunday was their only free day. These students displayed such strong motivation to learn that it impacted much on us. We reflected on how we took education for granted – skipping classes or falling asleep during lectures, yet these students were grabbing every opportunity to study. Somehow, it dawned upon us that we should really treasure our educational opportunities that many of us got to enjoy in Singapore.
Kampung Phluk is a cluster of 3 villages of stilted houses built within the floodplain of the Tonle Sap about 16km southeast of Siem Reap. It is home to more than 500 families. There is only one primary school in Kampung Phluk and the current school is made up of 3 buildings. The number of students is increasing and they needed more classroom space. Plans for an additional school of 2 classrooms have been made since 2 years ago. However, due to the lack of funds, the school project is still uncompleted. They have finally received the last sum of money from the government to complete the last phase of construction but there no money was given for the furnishing of the school. Project Angel 8 decided to come in with funds to providing for the furnishing of the school.
We organized a healthcare day where each family was given a thermometer and taught how to use it. On that day, the students were given a toothbrush and a small tube of toothpaste each and taught how to use them. Students were also given playmats which were donated.
We stayed in the villagers’ houses for the duration of our project. It was a good way to understand more of the culture and the way of living of Cambodians. We had the chance to eat traditional Khmer food that we have never tasted before such as a unique tasting fish pasteFor many of us, it was a memorable experience cooking for more than 20 people. Some of us even had the chance to kill live poultry.
A closing ceremony was held on our last day in the village. The students sang for us while we acted out the history of Singapore and sang some songs. It was a mini cultural exchange between the local students and the volunteers.
Donated unforms and stationery sets were given to the children. From their smiling faces, we could see that they were truly appreciative of these small gifts.
Giving out of donated items such as uniforms and stationery sets
It was upsetting when we knew of several students who repeated Grade 6 as they did not have the money to travel to another village to receive higher education. The village head is planning for the construction of another secondary school and future collaboration between Project Angel and Kampung Phluk was discussed.
Kampung Phluk was a beautiful village. Beautiful sunrise at dawn, attractive sunset at dusk and tons of stunning shooting stars at night. The innocence of the children, their heartwarming smiles and laughters touched many of our hearts. We had to drag ourselves to move on to the next village.
Ang Chagn Chass village was a little different from Kampung Phluk. The children were a little more shy and took more time to open up to us, yet we still enjoyed every second that we could spend with the children. We taught English lessons for the children, similar to the ones in Kampung Phluk.
On top of that, we had morning exercises with the children and played games with trhe children. We even organized a Christmas party for the children. The joys, the smiles and the laugher of the children really warmed our hearts.
There was a little more manual work in Ang Chagn Chass village than in Kampung Phluk - working on the construction of the new classroom and painting murals for the classroom. We even made a small garden and planted seeds for the children. To me, building schools and leading expeditions was like planting seeds. I do not exactly know if whatever we are doing is going to help them. I do not know how far education can help them to break out of their poverty circle because in the end, it seemed that many of the students would still return to work as farmers. But I believe, just like sowing seeds, there are some seeds that would grow eventually. As we “sow the seeds” in Cambodia now, I hope that at least some “seeds”, that is, the students, would manage to get a chance to pursue higher education, find a better paying job in town and break out of their poverty cycle.I hope and I pray that when I return to Cambodia, the seeds, be it the plants or the students, would have grown. I also believe that the “seeds” for the team have been planted. Eventually, I hope that the “seeds” can grow – this experience with Project Angel 8 can help the students to develop in their own ways, to realize that they have the potential to make a difference to the lives of the students and contribute back to the community, be it local or overseas community.
Our work in Ang Chagn Chass Village was finally completed on 27th December 2006.
The team proceeded to Phnom Penh where we explored more of the history of Cambodia. The S21 Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields impacted much on us. It was a cruel and sad history that Cambodia had. Though many people are still suffereing from the the after effects of their history, I am glad that the Cambodians have moved on. The final activtiy for the project was an exchange with Cambodian students from the Royal University of Phnom Penh. The students shared with us more information about their country, their educational system, their culture and their hopes for the future of Cambodia. It was indeed insightful.
Project Angel 8 has ended. For many of us, it was an experience of a lifetime. We have learnt to be more appreciative of the little things in life and not to take things for granted. We have discovered much more about ourselves, about Cambodia and even Singapore. We have realized the importance of education. We have explored issues about poverty, about education, about how we could continue to extend help to the local communities or third world countries. We have all been touched by the angels in Cambodia. New dreams are unfolded. New hopes are created. New directions are found in life. We would like to thank all who have contributed to the success of this project in one way or another. Our chapter has closed. As we move on to write a new chapter in our life, the chorus of our theme song “It’s the little things” continues to run in our minds. “it’s the little things that we share, the love and joy that’s in the air, the children’s laughter everywhere and all our favourite things…”
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