Our first visit for this morning was to Koko Kchok Commune. We had an overwhelming greeting from 100 + women from all the surrounding villages –
All 9 of us walked in with tears streaming down our faces, such an incredible sight. We sat down and and enjoyed a play performed by the students from the local school.

  The Children depicted the problems faced by families in small communities and the need for a family to earn money to survive, placed over the need for children’s education. A growing problem in Cambodia is young girls moving to the larger cities to earn money to support the family back in the small village. Unfortunately, these young girls are very often exploited.

  From Kok Kchok commune we drove further through the drought stricken rice fields to Kroal Village. A small village, but the biggest smiles you have ever seen.  We learnt about the credit and loans program CARE is facilitating – enabling the locals to buy livestock and fertilizer in turn producing sustainable incomes for them and their families.

  As a parting gift we all share boiled sweet potato dipped in palm sugar – YUM!

  After a quick pit stop at a pagoda to re-fuel our bellies, we carried on to Krous Village where we heard about the water irrigation system which has been installed. To date Cambodian’s only produce one rice harvest a year, the dry season is so extreme that farming can be almost impossible. However, with the installation of the new pump and correct irrigation channels they will soon be able to produce three rice crops per year enabling not only enough food to be produced for the village, but enough to sell and earn an income from. To see the sheer delight this has brought to the people of Krous Village is absolutely priceless.

  For everyone there today – the exchange of cultures will never leave the hearts and minds – the swapping of information and stories, asking questions to each other and the exchange of laughter was just so special.

  It just goes to show that all women around the world are the same. We think the same, we understand the same things, and at the end of the day – not speaking the language is never going to be a barrier.

  We ended our emotional day with Sharon the Country Director for CARE Cambodia., Both she and her husband, David showed us wonderful hospitality, it was just lovely, thank you!

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