With many thanks to NIKE for their kindness and compassion
for Melanie, Michael Lim, and Mike Mahoney
for CACO community and friends
this world is a little better place because of you
Thank You
CACO / Bobism January 2006, Part I
Dear golden hearted contributors:
I knew that many of you are anxious to hear what CACO's members and I have done for our mission in Cambodia. What you are waiting for is finished, and we would all like to thank you for your kindness and patience.
Our first trip to Sihanoukville (Kampong Som) was on Jan. 9, one day after Michael and I arrived in Phnom Penh, the capitol city of Cambodia. The weather was nice and cool in the morning, but started getting quite warm after 10:00 am. Going directly to Sihanoukville was not easy after a long flight. 18 hours in the air caused swelling in my hands and legs - the side-effects of a very long plane trip. At that point, we still had a 3 ½ hour drive ahead of us, but the pain was forgotten because of how much we wanted to go see Salut Vuthy and her family. The next step was finding a truck to rent. This was not too hard, but we couldn’t drive all the way there without getting help for directions. We ended up taking the truck owner along. Arriving in Sihanoukville around noon time, we stopped by a market and looked for a place to eat. We were always hungry - I don't know why. We ordered some food to go, and bought some cookies and drinks for the children. Then we headed to find Salut’s family, knowing only the approximate area where they lived. It took us about two hours to locate Ak Sina and his wife - the couple that Salut lives with - not far from the coast. The couple doesn’t have any children, and he is a district leader in the neighborhood. He gave Salut her own room and kitchen in their house, which are nice accommodations for Salut and her children. We introduced ourselves, and at first they looked at us with questions on their faces. After they knew that we came to help them, Salut got so emotional she began to cry, and soon we were all sobbing. We gave her and the children some clothes that were donated from Nike. They loved them so much. The little boy, one year old, peed in his new shorts (he didn’t have any diapers on). Salut tried to take them off, but he wouldn’t let her because he liked the shorts too much. We gave them food, cookies, and drinks. They ate them right away; it was easy to tell that they were very hungry. We found out later that Salut has Tuberculosis, and really needed medical attention as soon as possible. I gave her $50 for medicine and transportation to and from the hospital. She didn't have to pay for the medicine in full, but needed to cover some of the costs. I told her that we would come back and discuss with her any options or plans that could help her get back in good health. We also discussed getting medical attention for her children. It was so hard to say goodbye after almost three hours talking to them, and even harder after learning that Salut has TB in addition to her current situation.
Michael and I, Mike Mahoney (CACO Volunteer), Saravuth Tha (from IOM), our driver and Vansat (who is the vehicle’s owner) all met up early on the morning of Jan. 25 in Phnom Penh. Our ultimate destination was Sihanoukville, for our 2nd trip to meet Salut Vuthy. Since we left the city so early, most of the restaurants were closed. We stopped at a large outdoor café as the sun was coming up, a nice way to start the morning. This gave us a little time to get to know Saravuth, who volunteered to spend the day with us. Saravuth is employed by the “International Organization for Migration Mission in Cambodia”. I.O.M. is local NGO organization that has branches in Phnom Penh and Kampong Cham province. This organization helps abused / poor women to restart their lives by providing shelter, training, and job orientation. He was quite moved, even somewhat overwhelmed and to see us, CACO, willing to help people who are in such desperate situations. We made the journey in about 4 hours, traffic being light so early in the day. Stopping at the coastal market, we picked up supplies – lots of supplies. Food, beginning with sacks of rice and all the other supplies, were purchased to be able to care for Salut, and for the family of Ak Rada. Ak Rada was the man working with Salut’s husband when he was killed by an unexploded ordinance (Please see the website http://www.bombhunters.com/ for more information on UXO’s). Ak was injured as well during the explosion. We spent about $200.00 (as well as $50.00 in cash) per family. The pictures show us buying two sacks of fresh rice, then off to the market for dried fish, fruits, sarongs and other necessities. From there we picked up fresh fish sauce, a cooking staple in Asia not unlike how salt and pepper is used to cook with in the U.S. Finally onto our last stop – to Salut Vuthy’s. She greeted us with a smile, though usually keeping her face partially covered, a towel draped over her hand. Part of the reason must have been from coughing – the direct effects of TB, but part of it too might have been the small crowd that appeared at her doorstep. I know I would have felt a little overwhelmed. We counted seven children, her two sons and five other children that belonged to Ak Rada and his wife whom expecting another one soon. One of the women was her mother, and the third woman living in the small house carried around a child of her own. Saravuth went straight to work, getting copies of Salut’s current medical records to confirm her adherence to the anti-TB routine (daily medicine and weekly trips to the local clinic). I can not stress how good it felt to have someone there with us, working directly to offer options to make Salut’s life better. We knew we wanted to make a difference – a long term difference. Saravuth and I spoke with Salut about the options of moving to either Phnom Penh or Siem Reap and getting access to job training – an important step to make a better life for herself and her family. Very quickly we were confronted with the reality that Salut liked it where she was, and was reluctant to think about moving out of where she lived. Even though we informed her about the opportunity to move would make for a better life for her and her children (thanks to many kind donors), it did not matter. Saravuth wrapped up his questions, and gave her more information about getting herself, her mother and the children in the house all back in good health. Since she would not move to one of the two locations where supervised health was available, we felt stuck. What to do with the money that we had received? We finished unloading the car, got a few more pictures and said our goodbyes. The last exchange I had with Salut, alone, was the final chance to tell her it would be better if she moved. It is not unusual for a single woman to remain willing to stay put where she is used to living - no matter how good an opportunity there is somewhere else. Culture in Cambodia is much different from “Western Culture”, women traditionally are not taught to be brave and responsible for earning their own living. They are very shy, and staying home most of time as a house-keepers or house wives is very common. Men are the only source of income for a traditional Cambodian family.
After a discussion on the way back with Mike, Saravuth, Michael, and I, we decided to contribute $50.00 a month for 11 more months for Salut and her children. Saravuth has volunteered to be our contact person for the Salut Vuthy family. We also have Mrs. Ross Sokon, wife of the head of the Land Title office in Sihanoukville, who volunteered to visit Salut often in case of medical needs, as well as checking up on her families well being. We gave her $250.00 to disburse over the first 5 months, and she will bring some rice and money to Salut at the beginning of each month. She will receive $300.00 more for the rest of the year in June via Saravuth and Michael’s brother in Phnom Penh. These individuals are so proud of what CACO has done, and they are willing to help as much as they can. We could not have asked for a better outcome to the current situation. There are people in Salut’s life to help during the short-term, and through the assistance of CACO / BOBism, Skye Fitzgerald / Nike and generous donors that care, she is well aware that there are options for her future, options that will make a difference for the rest of her life.
Skye, thank you so much for your contribution of $500.00. Nike employees, thank you for the financial donations and the clothing. CACO, thank you for the financial donations, friendship and unending support.
Updates to follow…………
~Melanie
Part II covering the school / village trip coming soon.
