A few months ago we visited an annual school development meeting in a particularly poor area of the district. It was in the days when I had no translator so communication was limited and my understanding of what was actually spoken about in the meeting was next to zero. I did however manage to pick up the fact that there was a problem with children from a small village accessing their school because there was no bridge crossing the river which was growing every year due to erosion of the banks in the wet season. I asked to take a look at the problem and we drove out to the river. Children were crossing the river on a boat every day to come to school but it soon transpired that they had to pay for the privilege, a fare that poorer families couldn’t afford, resulting in long absences and even dropout.
In the past the area, which is prone to flooding in the rainy season, had concrete bridges built prior to the Khmer Rouge regime. During the civil war years the bridges had been destroyed and never rebuilt meaning that a whole community became reliant on the boat transport to stop from becoming completely cut off. We discussed alternatives such as the boat being free for school children but were met with obstacles at every suggestion. I immediately started thinking of all the NGOs who might be able to help fund the construction of a bridge to allow the children to come to school. This has almost become a habit now; when money is needed, who can we ask? And this time I stopped myself and decided to hand the problem over to my colleagues. There must be something we can do without going begging to a foreign organisation!! I mean, lets encourage some self-sufficiency here! Some sustainable problem solving! I politely pointed out that perhaps this was a problem for the district governor and that it was our responsibility to inform him of the fact that many children were not able to access their basic right to school because of an expensive boat toll over a small stretch of river missing a bridge! My DOE colleague promised to request a meeting with the governor and there we left the matter.
Over the past few months I have inquired about the problem until finally this month I was told a bridge had been built by the community! Whoppeee!!! Basically, a meeting took place between my colleagues and the governor, the governor sent a letter to the community and the community put money together to build a bridge a little way up the river from the school. It cost them around $200 for the bamboo and demands a toll from motos and tractors but not from school children! Great!! We were there at the wrong time of day to see it being used by school children and I hope to be able to go back another time in the near future. Let’s hope it lasts!
It was interesting to learn a bit more about the area when it was under the control of the Khmer Rouge and also to see the remains of the ancient road which runs through the district linking the temple at Banteay Chhmarr with Angkor Wat. I was also told that there are international funds available from some donor to restore the road and to improve the banks of the river to prevent it flooding in the rainy season which will have plus and minus effects. I have learnt that I usually find out this sort of information from the random informal and spontaneous visits we make which encourages me to do so more. My diary of carefully planned weeks and months are becoming more and more rough and ready for last minute changes which suits the pace and culture of this country so much more.
In the past the area, which is prone to flooding in the rainy season, had concrete bridges built prior to the Khmer Rouge regime. During the civil war years the bridges had been destroyed and never rebuilt meaning that a whole community became reliant on the boat transport to stop from becoming completely cut off. We discussed alternatives such as the boat being free for school children but were met with obstacles at every suggestion. I immediately started thinking of all the NGOs who might be able to help fund the construction of a bridge to allow the children to come to school. This has almost become a habit now; when money is needed, who can we ask? And this time I stopped myself and decided to hand the problem over to my colleagues. There must be something we can do without going begging to a foreign organisation!! I mean, lets encourage some self-sufficiency here! Some sustainable problem solving! I politely pointed out that perhaps this was a problem for the district governor and that it was our responsibility to inform him of the fact that many children were not able to access their basic right to school because of an expensive boat toll over a small stretch of river missing a bridge! My DOE colleague promised to request a meeting with the governor and there we left the matter.
Over the past few months I have inquired about the problem until finally this month I was told a bridge had been built by the community! Whoppeee!!! Basically, a meeting took place between my colleagues and the governor, the governor sent a letter to the community and the community put money together to build a bridge a little way up the river from the school. It cost them around $200 for the bamboo and demands a toll from motos and tractors but not from school children! Great!! We were there at the wrong time of day to see it being used by school children and I hope to be able to go back another time in the near future. Let’s hope it lasts!
It was interesting to learn a bit more about the area when it was under the control of the Khmer Rouge and also to see the remains of the ancient road which runs through the district linking the temple at Banteay Chhmarr with Angkor Wat. I was also told that there are international funds available from some donor to restore the road and to improve the banks of the river to prevent it flooding in the rainy season which will have plus and minus effects. I have learnt that I usually find out this sort of information from the random informal and spontaneous visits we make which encourages me to do so more. My diary of carefully planned weeks and months are becoming more and more rough and ready for last minute changes which suits the pace and culture of this country so much more.
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