World Vision and Rainwater

I spent the day out in the field joining a World Vision Khmer and Hueng Ly from Rainwater Cambodia. The village is near a town called Boeng Klang, 40km outside of Siem Reap, and then 10km on a dusty single car dirt road. In the past, I've had problems with World Vision because the organization has a mandatory religious study for all of their staff, whether they are religious in Budhism or with no belief at all. It's restricting a freedom they are so proud to persue. However, they are doing some incredible work accross Cambodia.

The Objective
The day was for the village people to be informed of the rainwater project and then in the afternoon to select the beneficiaries. The people of the village are the ones who decide which families should be receipients. I thought the porinciple of their method in selecting was healthy, but since the poorest of the village could not attend (too busy trying to find food to survive or to build a shelter), problems came into play. Some elders shed light on the poorest families so we decided to see for ouselves. There are 130 families in this farming village and only 20-25 families were to receive full subsidy.

The Tour of Village
I'm not sure if I could describe to you in writing what the poorest farmers experience - I met the kindest people from every corner. A dissability that I don't think they even have a name for, HIV children, widowed HIV moms (with HIV), single farming parents living in a 5ft by 5ft straw house, and on. It was a little overwhelming and hard for the staff to decided who gets the support. I also met the sweetest and oldest woman I have seen in Cambodia. Life expectancy is about 58 years old, and this woman was living in a 100sq.ft. home but the owner of the home wanted it back. She came up to us with aboout a dozen children standing by her side and sat on the dirty road with hands in prayer, almost crying for help. I sat next to her and listened; even though I couldn't rally understand the words, I could hear what she was saying. She told us she had land to build on but no money to contruct a house. Hueng Ly said that it was up to World Vision. How much does a small home cost? About a measily $25-40US. Of course I said I would pay for it. Elders are highly respected in this country and for a village to not be able to support her is truly poverty. The land she owned, for interest sake, was about 40 square meters.