Spending Donations Wisely

Today we revisited one of the special sponsored families.  The particular need was for the lady who is pregnant but abandoned by her husband. Her five older children are in the care of an orphanage run by the Catholic Church here in Siem Reap. 

Their smiles say it all.

Bed matts, mosquito nets for both Mum and baby, baby bath and clothes and the necessary sarongs for Mum.  All loaded onto Tuk Tuk with Perum's help.

Leaving the market laden with shopping.

Hoping to get a "Good Price, la"!

In And Around The School

I would say that this made my day or perhaps week! ❤️😊❤️

A little sibling who had to join us as there was no one at home to take care of her.

Today Ash and the other girls from Adelaide, Australia said goodbye.  I will miss working with her in class next week.

Always happy to pose and smile.

A very special much older student who has seen unspeakable events in his childhood.  We have been doing some work on a one to one basis.  Today he brought me a gift: a length of bamboo which he had pared to make a pointer for me to use at the whiteboard.

Reception class preparing to join classes in their age group.

Ash and I with our morning class....happy times.

From the safety of the Tuk tuk we spotted the girls riding to school.

Lining up,at assembly.

And we can complain because our shoes are uncomfortable!

Heads and shoulders, knees and toes at assembly.

The little people line up.

Working with visitng students from NYU @ Shanghai

A Visit To A Hmong Village In Laos

There are approx half a million people who belong to the Hmong culture living in Laos. Traditionally they lived in the mountainous areas but today they often come to the towns to sell their handicrafts.  The village we stopped at was receiving help from the government to encourage the villagers to trade.

Walking around the village I was struck by the extremely basic way of life. The men still use traditional methods of hunting and foraging.  You could see how the men and women engage in completely separate activities.  The women had dressed some of the children in traditional style clothes no doubt to make them more appealing to the odd small group of tourists who would stop along the road. 

The cutest baby.

This young man was ready to do business.

Appealing.

"Two for a dollar, Madame".

Checking over the rice.

Having fun.

Amidst all the poverty ...a satellite dish?

Vegetables for sale.

Daily Life In Cambodia

Ladies who sell fresh fruit from a barrow in Siem Reap town centre.

Keeping the produce looking good.

Some of the loads pulled by very ordinary looking scooters are amazing.

Off to market.

Mobile shop.

And perhaps home too!

Such a range of goods for sale.

Busking in Luang Probang.

Quiet day at her market stall.

Preparing spring onions for restaurant ..downtown Siem Reap.

Knife grinder.

Delivery downtown Seam Reap.

Another knife grinder.

A Boat Trip And The Deservedly Famous Sunset On The Mekong

We started with lunch in a restaurant overlooking the river.

Boarding a car ferry.

Off it goes.

Progressing across the river.

Looks like maximum load.

After some significant bargaining we were on our way.

Allotments along the riverbank.

One of several beautiful villas along the banks. 

The most glorious of sunsets.