RUBBISH DUMP FAMILIES
G'day guys,
Today I feature a story about folks who live in or near a rubbish dump in Cambodia - RUBBISH DUMP FAMILIES. This story is courtesy of a blog I subscribe to - TRAVELFISH.ORG.
It is
hard to believe that the village of Anlung Pi is just 25 kilometres from
the five-star hotels of Siem
Reap and the iconic lotus bud towers of Angkor
Wat. Tourists don't come here, and they shouldn't. The village itself is
unremarkable, but if you were to walk through the fields, just a few hundred
yards from the neat, traditional wooden village houses, you would find yourself
in the middle of a vast, stinking, rubbish dump. Sadly this rubbish dump
is also home to an entire community.
Adults
and children, many of them barefoot, scavenge daily among the rotting mountains
of rubbish and clouds of toxic smoke for hidden treasures that will
change their lives forever. But mostly they find just scraps of food -- not to
be sniffed at -- and a steady supply of tin cans and plastic bottles that they
sell on for recycling at 50 cents a kilo.
Those
that live here seek shelter under scrappy tarpaulins and in makeshift houses,
with nothing but rags at the “windows” to keep out the pervasive fumes of
smouldering garbage. There is no clean drinking water, the “land” on
which they live is unstable, and the risk of collapse, as well as spontaneous
outbreaks of fire, is ever present.
But there is a glimmer of hope. Volunteer
Development Children's Association (VDCA), a Cambodian-run
NGO, recently received a donation from two UK supporters with which they have
bought a sizeable piece of land near the village. Following discussions with
the families, plans have been drawn up to turn the land into a safe, clean and
sustainable community. When the fundraising target is reached, the empty plot
of land will be transformed into a 'village' with eight houses, a new well and
water filters for safe drinking water, toilets and washing areas, and land for
cultivation and livestock.
The
community will work in conjunction with VDCA which already runs a free school
in Siem Reap for children whose families cannot afford to send them to state
school, and with the recently established free school in the village of Anlung
Pi itself. While state education is officially free in Cambodia, many families
cannot afford school uniforms, books, and the additional payments teachers
charge for the private classes needed to pass state exams, so free schools play
a vital role in underprivileged children's education.
Founding father: Togh proudly shows off the new water pump at the village school.
VDCA
is run by former Buddhist monk, Togh
Main, whose parents live in the village of Anlong Pi. It was
set up in 2004 and originally consisted of just two grass-roofed huts in Siem Reap.
VDCA gained Cambodian NGO status in 2007 and now gives free education to
around 1,000 underprivileged children across the two schools.
If anyone would like to donate directly to the fund, you can do so securely online at VDCA's Virgin Money Giving web page.
Clancy's comment: I've seen kids eeking out a living in many rubbish dumps around the world. Somewhere I have a great photograph I took in the Philippines. Two young girls are sitting amongst rubbish, reading a book they have found. Shameful, eh? They should have been in school learning, but had no choice. What did I do? I found out where they lived, went out and bought ten books and delivered them to their parents. Their smiles were priceless.
Why not, eh?
I'm ...
Think about this!
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