Jessica's blog Jan.7

Our first week in Cambodia is nearly over - so far we have seen and done so much! Our days have been jammed packed. In the last few days we have taken a speed boat to see 5th and 6th century buddhist temples that were on the highest spots in cambodia (only a very small mountain range that is next to the Vietnam border).

We also went to the Teoul Slang Prison Museum that was formally a primary school before the Khmer Rouge took it over. Many people were tortured and killed in what were once classrooms. Out of several thousand prisoners only 7 survived when the Vietnamese liberated Phnom Pehn. However very few Khmer Rouge were captured or brought to justice - even their leader Pol Pot died of natural causes in 1998. It is believed that over 20% of the population were murdered, over 3 million people between 1975-79, but its believed that there were far more people murdered under Pol Pot's regime. Needless to say, the visit to the museum was very sad and heavy.

Yesterday we met the Princess Marie of Cambodia. She runs several community projects and formally funded the orphanage where we will be working this week in Battanbang. Her funding was pulled when her family lost power to the new government. She runs a facility in Phnom Pehn that helps to empower the community by teaching them skills like weaving and sewing so that they can make high-end quality handicrafts to sell. The Princess is very appraochable, hands-on and is deeply involved in these projects. It was a pleasure to meet her.

Today we drove to Battanbang where we will be staying the rest of the week and working in an orphanage that is sponsored by the charity group we are traveling with - Hearts and Hands for Cambodia. On our way here we stopped in Pursat and visited a community/day-care center that is teaching the community how to empower themselves to become self-sustaining. Its quite a successful project that provides not only education for the local children but also the surrounding villages. Villagers are learning to use bio-sand water filtration systems, raising bees for honey, rice banks, fisheriers, microloans for small businesses and other community cooperative programs that not only help their environment but also generate much needed income that helps to sustain the communities. It was quite an impressive project, as were the volunteers that make it happen. David Emry is one such volunteer, from the U.S. who has commited to volunteer for a whole year as well as paying for his own way and accomodations to be there to help out. He is just one of many who are volunteering their time and money to help Cambodians stand on their own.

Well that's it for today - more to come!

-Jessica