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| At Grace House Dental Clinic in Cambodia. |
Five
Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Balclutha, NZ flew to Cambodia to
work in the slums of Phnom Penh in September 2014. They worked with the
One-2-One Charitable Trust www.one2oneworld.org
that provides medical, dental care and schooling to the vulnerable and
destitute families in slum
areas.
Money
for the club’s first international aid mission was raised via a $2000
District Grant from 9980, their Rotary Club of Balclutha’s $10,000
donation, other local donations and the group’s personal
givings.
The
humanitarian travellers included dental surgeon David Tait, paramedic
Stuart Holgate, intensive care nurse Ngaire Pannett, plus Peter Buxton
and Joan Hasler teaching English in the save our students (SOS) drop-in
centre schools.
The
group lived with sponsored students in Grace House which is owned by
the One-2-One Charitable Trust. The dental clinic is part of Grace
House, so this is where David worked alongside dental students.
Orphanages and schools from around the city would bring the child
patients, including those with HIV, for dental
work.
Each
day Stuart and Ngaire would venture into the slums with Cambodian nurse
and interpreter Linda Bahn who originated from a slum and had then been
sponsored through schooling and nursing school. She knew all of the
people living in the slums, including those needing medical attention,
water or food. Each day they visited the slums where they gave out shoes
and clothing they had brought at the
markets.
The
story that stole their hearts was a little boy called Diamond. He had
HIV, as did his mother who was being treated. His little brother is
thankfully free of the disease. His father was in jail. Diamond had been
put into the HIV Clinic but he had run home. That little boy clung onto
Stuart not wanting him to leave and his mother hugged Ngaire in
desperation for her little boy. Finally the family were taken into the
clinic where Diamond is now doing fine and going to
school.
Peter
and Joan spent time teaching English and interacting at the SOS
schools. There is a sponsored teacher who encourages the children to
come to their little schools to get into the learning habit, so they can
go to the public schools. Books and other school needs were given out.
A
day was spent out in the country with the One-2-One medical team. They
were based in a sponsored Australian compound where they work with the
country people, teaching them to stay and work the land, to stop them
going to the cities for work, not getting it and ending up living in the
slums. The medical team checked the people who came from far and wide
for medical help. What surprised the group was the cleanliness of the
people and their tiny shacks in amongst all the rubbish, filth and
plastic bags that lay around. Some earned a little money for food and
water from recycling cans, plastic bottles and cardboard. These people
have nothing, but always give a smile and love a hug, and they are
grateful for anything they
receive.
The
group of Rotarians from Balclutha will cherish their Cambodian
adventure forever. They could change very little, but every little bit
helps, and it shows that we do care about these impoverished people.
The
last three days the group bussed to Siem Reap to visit Ankor Wat. They
flew home a very different group of five Rotarians who experienced “one
smile at a time and one life at a time” does make a difference.
