Cambodia

Before the boys talk began, Secretary Gordon presented Chris N and Allen with the District Award for Rota Kids, which they shared with Retford R C.

Jacob & Callum described how they had spent a month volunteering with Camps International in Cambodia to try and improve the way of life for the locals, having had to raise £4000 to enble them to go. They spent their time in 3 different camps: Camp Beng Pae, Camp Preal & Camp Bangtea Lea.  They normally 'worked' 6 hours per day in 35oC and very humid.  They soon got to know the lacal children, with whom they played football and donated some Radcliffe Olympic football shirts, which were well received.

They spent quite a bit of time mixing concrete for construction of toilets, Dam refurbishment.  In the second camp, which was in a mountainous area, apparently with a tiger in the forests there, they did some road reconstruction to a junction that became unusable in the rainy season, so much improving transport connectivity. They also turned their hands to brick laying helping a local man with serious disease issues to build ahouse for him, as he had been isolated by other villagers.  They made some water pots, working with the Buddhist Monks, who seemed to organise activities of the villages, also assisting in some English teaching.

However, they did manage to do some site seeing, visiting Angkor Wat, The Killing Fields and various temples.  What impressed them most was the culture of the locals and their eternal optimism, despite all the issues that the Country had experienced with the Khmer Rouge.                 AR