Hopeful Projects
Trip Start
Mar 17, 2005
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Trip End
Mar 13, 2006
Phnom Penh,
Cambodia
Monday, May 9, 2005
RDI (Resource Development International) has many projects that combine technology, education, and heart in order to help the people of Cambodia.
Some of the projects they are working on:
-There are easily preventable water-born illnesses that kill 1,000's of Cambodians each year. RDI has created an easy to use water treatment method that is saving lives. They created this ceramic water pot that allows clean water to drain through it and the bad molecules stay trapped inside the pot and can't get through. After pouring the water inside the pot it takes 1 hour to make 2 liters, so people just do it overnight. Visual online: http://www.rdic.org/waterfiltrationsystems.htm Very cheap to make and they are given away to the people who can now have clean water.
-They are coming up with ways for locals to use animals to make an income as well as create techniques to keep humans from getting sick from their animals. For example, there was this pig that lived on dried rice that kept it from smelling. The rice also kept the dirty water run off that comes after cleaning the pig from making people sick.
-They shared how Cambodia has close to no export industry and no way for the country to really make money, so they are coming up with ways to help them create new industries like pottery, osterich farm, etc. that they could export.
They have created these great children's DVD's using karaoke--which is huge here! The karaoke programs are about many topics including healthy living and sanitation. Karaoke is a great teaching tool because they have it going all the time and their language is such where they can memorize pretty much anything in just a few times through singing it.
It is a great way to teach kids these messages that they aren't being taught anywhere else. (there is not one children's programming show on TV in Cambodia). The messages focus on love, compassion and community. They use puppets in these DVDs because they said that in this culture puppets can say things that humans can't say. Strange concept, but seems to work here. So the puppets can talk about sensitive issues (like AIDS, disease, etc) that a human couldn't say.
Their website if you are interested: http://www.rdic.org/
Another great organization we met with was Tearfund, which is a Christian organization with a mission to "bring hope and life in all its fullness to some of the world's poorest communities."
They focus mainly on the following issues: trauma effects, AIDS and helping children at risk. They showed us a study they had done on children's pornography and what a huge problem it is here. For example, they (anyone) can watch pornography in coffee shops here. Tearfund is working to help local organizations dealing with the sex trade industry and helping in the prevention of violence against children. Big issues to be dealing with in a country where the government is not very helpful or supportive of helping people with these huge issues.
More information on Tearfund: http://www.tearfund.org/
