The Left Behind Children - Kampot, Cambodia (II)
the adventure
"We had to come back!"
This was my follow-on mission to Kampot, Cambodia. The Hope Centre's kids were simply too lovely, so I just had to visit them again! This time round, I brought along some friends from Singapore - Clarissa and Darren, in order to work alongside Chang How and the other chaps at the Hope Farm.
Everyone worked hard at the farm, but we also had great fun with the kids. We played games, did art and craft work, and went trekking in the surrounding hills. For the time that we were there, I hope we brought some additional joy and encouragement to these kids. Most of their parents were either away working in neighbouring Vietnam, Thailand or elsewhere in the other provinces of Cambodia. Sadly, many of their parents were unlikely to return for them any more.
The Hope Centre's modest objectives were to give the kids a good, hearty breakfast every morning, and to provide the kids with some after-school education. The limited operating funds available, mostly sourced from donations, could not enable the Centre to do very much more. As such, Chang How was constantly experimenting with different crops and livestock at the farm, with the hope of increasing profit yield to feed and care for the kids. With an uncharacteristically open mind, humble spirit and hardworking ethos, Chang How was doing a great job!
