As some of you will know, Cambodia is a country close to our hearts, but my husbands heart in particular. Having lived there for a couple of years back in the 90’s as a volunteer, D considers Cambodia his other home. The country and the people are a part of him and he was told on his last visit that his Khmer is now so good that he doesn’t even sound like a foreigner any more. A very proud moment indeed for a white guy.
It’s D’s birthday soon, and this is how wonderful he is – he does not want any gifts, but would prefer to give to those in need instead. He wants to give something that we all just take for granted – clean water. We bathe in it, drink it, water our plants, wash our clothes in it, swim in it, shit in it and clean our cars in it. In many parts of Cambodia, villages still do not have access to clean water. D is doing what he can to turn this around. There is water there, but they have no means to access it. He wants to help build wells so ALL small villages throughout the country can have access to this basic necessity. Simple.
Rather than me tell you about this venture, I am going to take the text from D’s gofundme page, as he puts so much more eloquently than I ever could.
10 Wells for My Birthday
So in a few weeks (Feb 22nd to be exact) I am going to turn another year older, and figuring I am about halfway through life, I think it is time to start making a point of giving back. Today I stumbled across a Khmer/Australian guy named Allan Lim on my Facebook feed who has had a great idea, and it is to him that I owe this brainwave and much of this text.
Many of you know I have a long-standing love affair with Cambodia, ever since taking up a volunteer position there back in 1996. What Cambodia gave to me simply cannot be explained. If you have spent any time in this wonderful country, you know what I mean. If you haven’t, please place it upon your bucket list immediately.
So anyway, here’s the idea.
I want ten wells for my birthday. Simple. The only catch is I want them in Cambodia, and with your name on them. Many small villages still have no access to clean water, and guess what? It only costs $165 to dig one of these bad boys (In truth, they are $150 each, but PayPal fees and the like charged to use this method of fundraising are out of my hands.)
There is no obligation or pressure to sponsor a whole well. I would appreciate any amount you could contribute to this ultimate birthday present. Maybe find some people to chip in with you and buy part of a well together! Any donations of $55 or more will get your name (or any name you like for that matter) engraved on the well.
Details of where the wells are situated (province, commune and village) will be posted along with photos and GPS co-ordinates so you can view where the well you built is located. You might even visit your well one day! More than eighty of these wells have been built already and I really want to help push that number over 100.
All donations will go directly towards the well building, regardless of how much is donated. Remember, any money you can donate will help make this the best birthday present ever for me, provide some of your fellow humans with clean water, and will do your karma the world of good. Triple win.
Here is Allan’s explanation:
Heang, a friend based in Siemreap has been a renowned off-the-beaten track tour guide since the mid 1990’s. Over the last 4 years has arranged for around 80 wells to be constructed for families who didn’t have access to clean running water. Usually families have to hike through rice paddy fields to a faraway water supply. The funds for these wells were mostly originating from Norway, so I figured what a better way to start 2013, with a bang of 65 wells.
I was very surprised to find out how inexpensive it was to construct a well. All funds raised during this cause goes directly to build the actual wells. Unlike charity organisations there is no “admin fees” that are added to the costs. At only $150 per well which includes drilling, labor for construction and price of materials (the pump, cement etc.) it is a small price to help provide & pay for clean running water.
CONTRIBUTE TO MY BIRTHDAY PRESENT HERE:
http://www.gofundme.com/tenwells
Isn’t he wonderful. I am so proud of him. I’m very pleased to say that he has already raised enough for 6 wells! That is over half way to his goal of 10!
I am posting this for 2 reasons.
- To help my husband reach his goal of building 10 wells. If we can raise more than his goal amount then we just keep on building wells! All money raised goes towards the building of wells. I just want to get the word out there any way I can and hope that the beautiful readers of this little blog can find it in their hearts to give a little (or a lot!) to help D get his birthday wish. This is not a cliche – every little bit DOES help.
- Share this post, reblog it, tell you neighbours. Just help this little preggo and her hubs get the word out there about the plight of this beautiful country. It is not just the lack of clean water we are worried about it, it is helping rebuild a once thriving country after the horrible crimes against humanity committed there. And I am not talking hundreds of years ago, I am talking recent history peeps. In our lifetime. It is unthinkable. If you have no idea what I am talking about I urge you to watch the movie The Killing Fields and that will give you a heads up.
Some photos from our visit to Cambodia a few years ago of Tuol Sleng (Prison S-21) and the Killing fields:
At Tuol Sleng. Never mind the random tourist. Click on this one to read the sign.
Some of the victims.
More victims – children.
Oh my 😦
A single cell.
At the killing fields. Skulls recovered from some of the mass graves.
More.
My heart bleeds.
Random teeth and bones found by visitors to the Killing Fields.
Cambodia is so much more than a gruesome past and what I have shown you. It is an amazing country with so much history and soul. The people are beautiful, as is the landscape. I know I was forever changed after visiting and long to return again soon. I know that some of the photos are hard to take but let me leave you with one of beauty. This one is of one of the thousands of butterflies at the killing fields. I like to think they were the souls of the slain, hanging around to remind people of the beauty that still remains, and to see that this horror never happens again.
I have added an image link on my side bar that can take you straight to D’s page. You can share and donate from there or you can share or reblog this post. Anything that you can do to help is so greatly appreciated. D and I are so humbled by the response he has had so far and really want this goodness to continue, past this 10 wells and beyond.
Much love from D and I.
Four Doodles and a Taco 