Tales From a Female Traveller

Going to school

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Our first real day in Siem Reap after arriving was spent visiting the HSPCCO (Helper Students for the Poor Children of Cambodia Organisation). The Tuk Tuk driver that saved us from the previous day's chaos arrived at around 1o to take us to the school. It's about an hour's trip going about 30 k's.. if that.. on a bad, unsealed, pot holed road that takes you through Siem Reap's western countryside and the Tuk Tuk will take you as far as the main part of town, which is really a large covered market, and then he phone's up Mr. Noeum Samuth who arrives to meet you on Moto.
Noeum Samuth was born in 1959 and is also known as "Luckyman", and when I tell you his story, you will understand why. Back in 1976 when the Khmer Rouge was taking over the country and killing all of it's literate and learned peoples, Noeum took a hike into the jungle to search for some food for his family. Upon returning to his home, his mother, sister, brother and father (a former Governor and Commander of the former army) had been shot dead, execution style in the forest.
At he sight of such horror, Noeum and many others fled to Thailand where he was imprisoned in a Thai jail upon crossing the border. The other people with him weren't so lucky, many were killed by land mine's or sickness and only Noeum and 6 other people made it across with their lives. They were in the Thai prison for 8 months and during this time Noeum read everything he could get his hands on. Noeum tells us that he actually taught himself to read and write Khmer and 8 months later the French Red Cross, after hearing of his story, came to visit him in prison. Noeum says that it was a very difficult time because the Red Cross workers didn't speak Khmer and he didn't speak French, so eventually, he wrote a letter in Khmer which the Red Cross took away to be translated. And that's when it all started. The Red Cross felt such compassion for Noeum that they gave him a copy of the Bible hoping that it would offer him some answers his own religion seemed to be falling short on. Byron and I both cringed at this... and even though we both have "Christian" beliefs we do not think that religion of any sort should be pushed onto anyone who does not want it. But Noeum tells us that this was not the case.
The Red Cross never pressured him and even when they worked to get him released there was no alterier motive of having to switch religions. Noeum tells us he converted willingly after seeing all that the Red Cross stood for and the way they helped anyone and everyone. So after his release, and witnessing Noeum's courage and intelligence, the Red Cross decided to train Noeum as a Doctor and Denstist among many other things. By 1992 Noeum was working for the United Nations and in 1995 he volunteered to work in a refugee camp in Thailand after being forced out by the cCambodian Coup that was taking place. Finally, in 1999, Noeum was repatriated for the second time to Cambodia (the first time was in 1992 after he worked in a blood donation and dental program) where he remains, dedicating his life to helping poor and underpriviledged and orphaned kids all across Cambodia. All his work relies on charity donations and even though he funds most of these operations himself, including a denatl clinic and medical services he takes no revenue for himself.
So after we visited the first part of the school where the kids were being taught English by an engineering student who was volunteering for 3 weeks (we let the kids play with our camera's and spoke to them for a while) we all hopped on the back of his Moto (me riding side saddle) and headed out to the more remote orphanage school which was on such a bad road Byron and I had to alight from the Moto and walk most of the way. But the school's themselves are very basic. Fantastic, but basic. The kids who stay full time work in the yard and have chores to do to keep the place looking nice and every single child we met was more curious about us than anything else.
Noeum teaches Christianity in Khmer and English and showed us a copy of the Bible in Khmer and spoke to us of how his three voluteers Andrew, Ken and the engineer we met don't agree with his Christian preachings (believe it or not, Noeum is also a preacher). But he feels that if they want to learn then they should be given the opportunity and he does not descriminate against children who do not want to learn. Noeum however, is the most faithful Christian I have ever met and he even sung us some gospel songs as we drove along the countryside on the back of his Moto. He truly is an amazing man and a true inspiration to anyone who thinks they've had a hard life.
After Noeum took us all the way back to the Jasmine Lodge he invited us to come and teach some classes to the kids for a few days and told us we were desciples from God, sent to help him with his cause... that I thought... I couldn't argue with.. so we graciously accepted his offer and told him we'd see him in a week. I feel completely honoured to be given such an opportunity to give back to a community I seem to be taking so much from. It definately will be one of the most memorable experiences of my life to help out an NGO (non governmental organisation).. and here I was saying I'd never be a teacher!!!

posted by Lucyspeak @ 10:09 pm