It’s worth noting something about this team!  I’ve been traveling for the last 7 days (2 to go) with a team of people who I knew a bit before this trip (some more than others).  April had been on a team trip with me in Haiti.  Maxine had been on a team trip to Oaxaca.  

This was the first MTI team trip for Ted and Daisy and Marsha.  As I mentioned earlier…they came from two states (OR and WA) and two countries (Australia and US).  As an MTI staff member, you do your best to try to put together a team that will fit together and be prepared for “whatever” might occur.  This team has been stellar.  They’ve been totally committed to our work and learning more about it.  They’ve sweated (a ton) together.  They’ve been in massive down pours together.  They’ve eaten and laughed together.  They’ve traveled many hours on rough roads that seemed like they would never end.   They’ve been constantly concerned about understanding further in order to “bear witness” to what they’ve seen.   

They have been just awesome…and I feel blessed to know them and to be on the team with them.

Linda

The thing that binds the volunteer performing the health drama in a remote village in Cambodia…the donor who gives…the doctor who takes his or her holiday to train or serve those in need….the volunteer who helps with an auction or sorts supplies in our humanitarian aid distribution center…the staff member who works for a nonprofit instead of the other places they could work…the thing that ties us all together is a belief that we’re able to make a difference…and for many a “calling” to make a difference.

Today, I met a doctor who has just arrived in Siem Reap from Cincinnati, OH.  She is here to help train doctors on respiratory issues at a children’s hospital in Siem Reap.  She is here for two weeks and this is, I believe she said, her seventh trip.  I asked her why she’s here.  She said it’s a long answer but the heart of it is that she is Jewish and this is Rosh Hashana and she could think of no better thing to do at this time.  She feels God has called her to it.  A Jewish Doctor working with a Christian organization in a 95 % Buddhist country.  She, like all the others I met this week (those that work here, those that volunteer here, those that joined me on this team) have a common thread….it’s a quality that’s hard to define but binds us together in spite of a myriad of other differences. 

I’m thankful for that thread I share with those I’ve met in this work over the last 4.5 years.

Linda


Heading home

Today was probably the highlight of many of my trip.  We set out in the morning from Siem Reap through many, many rice fields…past many motos, cows, and water buffalos and a bit off the beaten path into a small village called Chong Kal where we watched Cambodian volunteers perform a drama that teaches the community about how to recognize signs of illness and what to do about when they see these symptoms.  Often times, people in these remote communities will turn to a local “pharmacist” who has access to medicine but no medical training.  They may also seek a witch doctor. The hopeful result is that they go to the local health center for good medical care.

I loved seeing the faces of the people in this remote community…women, children, worn older men…they were all participating and laughing at this local community activity.  It reminds me that a portion of global health which I saw as “less important” (training people versus actually providing care) is such an awesome sustainable activity.  If we were unable to provide any further help in that community, they have been trained on healthy behaviors that are life saving and sustainable.  I love the fact that the entire education drama was conducted by Cambodian volunteers who care about others in their community.

I can see these volunteers joining the circle of “teams”…these are people throughout the world…Redmond, Monrovia, Tigard, Les Cayes, Chong Kal…who care enough about the needs of others to step up and make a difference.

The pictures of this small, rural village will tell the story…ask me to see some.

From Chong Kal, we went to the health center where we refer members of the community.  Here, we saw an MTI staff member providing training to the staff members.  You could begin to see this health program coming full circle…training the community members and then training the staff at the center.  We then met with the Provincial Health Department Deputy Director, Dr. Tu.  Dr Tu helped us to build this health program and is a key partner in ongoing measurement of its success.  We also visited the MTI field office in Samraong and met with the local staff who are awesome….and all five of them share office space much smaller than your living room!

We drove from Phnom Penh to Kampong Cham which is north east of Phnom Penh.  As is typical on trips like this, the drive gave us some great context to how many of the Cambodian people live.  Homes built on stilts.  Rice fields.  White cows.  A variety of tropical fruits are available.  We stopped at a roadside stand along the way and were entertained by local kids who had learned to connect with the tourists.  One young girl, Lynn, asked me where I was from.  I said “the US” and she said…”Oh.  America.”  Just at that time, another young boy yelled, “Ohio!”  Funny…given that Mike’s side of the family is from there.  She pointed out all of the choices available to me…small quails, crickets, fried tarantulas, pineapple, bananas, mangos, and more.  I asked about the tarantulas and she said, “it tastes like chicken!” 

The destination for us was seeing the MTI Emergency Medical Services program at Kampong Cham.  We were able to see students respond to a mock motorcycle and vehicle accident where a baby was being born in the back seat of the car!  Who knew that there was a “resusca Annie” that gives birth.  That was a little too much for me so I focused on the leg injuries from the moto accident.  The team did a great job of performing emergency medical response and then we witnessed their graduation from the program.  Dr. Savuth Va who was the Deputy Director with the Ministry of Health thanked Medical Teams International for the partnership on the EMS program.  

From there, we visited the Chamkae Leu Referral Hospital.  We visited with the hospital manager who explained the importance of the medical supplies that MTI had donated and explained some of their needs.  We toured the hospital and the ambulances and got an overview of how Medical Teams Intl’s EMS programs and donated supplies improved the difficult circumstances there.  He said their greatest need is still improved training and equipment.

After several days of jumping rope, I convinced Ted to go running with me yesterday morning as I understood it wasn't safe to go out early alone. Guess what?!  Half of Phnom Penh was out exercising.

Today I went out by myself and joined thousands of others running, walking, doing aerobics or tai chi and just getting the heart rate up. There are even permanent exercise machines outside along the river. These guys are exercisers and it was fun to be a part of them for two mornings!

This morning was a time to experience the recent history we have read about through tours of the prison and Killing Fields. For some reason, back in the late 70’s, the Khmer Rouge took pictures of each prisoner as they entered the prison. Now, those faces bear witness to the tragedy that took place there. One would think they wouldn’t want to keep the record of the faces…the hundreds of people who they would torture and kill. As we saw the pictures of the faces of those who entered Toul Sleng Prison and never left and the skulls of those discovered in the Killing Fields (where up to 300 people were killed a day during its worst times), you think that there must be an inherent anger in those my generation and older who survived this recent tragedy.

Perhaps that’s what makes someone like Pastor Abraham especially encouraging. Pastor Abraham is the antithesis of the anger or even self preservation you’d expect from someone who has had to survive such brutality. He runs Organization Development for Cambodia (ODC), a non-governmental organization, in the Andong community. He, too, lived through this brutal history and, because he did, he focuses on small, positive change for communities that have little opportunity.  When this community of people (the Andong) was relocated from Phnom Penh by the government in 2006 (assuming making room for “progress” in the city), they were moved to a flood plain in the middle of rice fields where Pastor Abraham now lives and works.

Pastor Abraham is working hard in many areas for the community…nutrition, education, pastoral care, health and more. We were able to learn about the partnership of Imago Dei (a church in Portland) with Medical Teams International and ODC. Our group project focused on providing shelter through newly installed tin roofs, clean water pumped to homes and sanitation training to improve basic health. Pastor Abraham has many success stories to share but seemed very proud to know that kids that are the recipients of this partnership and his ongoing hard work are now becoming top students in city high schools and are destined for universities.  Pastor Abraham mentioned many other communities that he’d like to establish a similar partnership in. It’s good to know that this basic health project was part of a foundation for their ongoing learning and growth. It’s also good to know that, long after we completed it, our partner remains a vital part of the community. Imago Dei also continues to send a team here once a year. 

It can seriously rain here! I’m from Seattle and I know rain. When it rained today, the Andong community became a flood plain almost instantly. The rain, thunder, and lightning were, in and of themselves, worth witnessing. When we returned, Phnom  Penh’s streets became streams through which bikes, cars and motorcycles jockeyed for space. We made it back and are gearing up for tomorrow!

We spent today in the MTI Phnom Penh office learning more about the history of Cambodia and the poverty that exists today in the country. Specifically, we learned about the tremendous health need and how MTI is making an impact in addressing those needs. Roslyn, Sorn, and Stephen were our MTI experts. We listened to their stories and those of the team who have traveled here. I was touched by both. Roslyn is from Australia and has studied public health and felt compelled to leave her country of “comfort” to address real needs. Stephen, an American, who has been involved with sophisticated and expensive health solutions in the US, felt called to work here, where a dollar can help so many more people in need. Previously, Stephen lived and worked in South Africa. Sorn, as I’m sure is true of any of those who have lived through the Pol Pot regime, has a heart-wrenching story about his experience in this country. It’s awesome to know that each of them could be living and working in more comfortable situations, but have chosen here because of their calling to serve those in need.

I am thrilled to work with my MTI team members, who are eagerly learning more about what we do and asking great questions. Today was Ted’s birthday and I’m surprised that he chose to spend it in this way. I love the hearts that compel them to do this. At the same time, on the opposite side, I’m reflecting over the Khmer Rouge and the evil that can also exist for people of common culture to torture each other. Amazing to consider both on the same day.

Today, I saw a group of monks in their bright orange robes seemingly amused by my morning jump roping. My little "jump rope gym” was a small open room in the hotel, that magically transformed into quite a fancy store every day when we returned.

Out the other side of the hotel, we can see a construction site where men are building brick structures while very small young children play barefoot in their construction site. Phnom Penh, like many large cities in developing countries, is a ridiculous blend of fancy SUVs, motorbikes and scooters, heat and dirt, and street-side wares. I love the patience that people have for each other in traffic in spite of the lack of rules. There is little horn honking and a lot of a “dance” of each vehicle getting to where it needs to go without all of the signs/lights and traffic rules that make that possible in other large, more developed cities. Tonight’s dinner was marked by a giant downpour and streaming river in the street, followed by humid warmth, geckos and a call to prayer sound.

The team, coming from Portland's Pearl District, Melbourne Australia, and Bellevue, WA have all arrived safely in Phnom Penh. These guys have a lot going on...graduate programs, kids and grand kids, community activities and more and yet they made the time to be here right now. How cool is that? 

It's always inspiring to me that people will take the time to travel to see what Medical Teams International does.

Tomorrow that begins. 

Heading to Cambodia via Seoul. The team: Marsha, Maxine, Ted and Daisy are all here. April will join us from Sydney in Phnom Penh.  Excited to see more of our work first hand and to have this experience with this team and our staff in country. Pics and intros to follow.
Stay tuned,
Linda