Grassroots...

Today, we spent the day with an organization called C.H.O.I.C.E.  It's a grassroots organization run by a small bunch of expats and Khmers here in Cambodia.  What we learned in one day is that small organizations are much more effective than the slower bigger (and probably corrupt) aid organizations

C.H.O.I.C.E. helps out a small number of very poor villages surrounding Phnom Penh.  They bring small amounts of food, provide some basic healthcare for mothers and their children, and even set up a small school which serves almost 50 children.  And they do this on a weekly/twice-weekly basis.

It's amazing to see that in a country where there are so many Lexus's... and you wonder how so many can afford these all of these luxury vehicles (could it be the numerous kickbacks at all levels of governments? Hmmm...)... that there is such a level of poverty around.  Most of the people in these villages live in bamboo huts without running water or toilets.  Heck, most of these people can barely find any work most of the time.  They squat on land by the dirt roads the governments built through private property (most owned by politicians of course).  And we were told that most are homeless like this because of land grabbing, which is rampant here in Cambodia.  The land grabbing also doesn't always occur to build productive infrastructure like a railroad or highway... often it's for some project owned by a politician or well-connected businessman.  I'm all for capitalism, but if you're going to displace people, at least give them market value and more for the land, and do it for some good reason.  In the west, there's far too much red tape, here there's not enough.

Corruption is rampant as well... it takes place at all levels... including the local school teacher!  School is supposed to be free for the people here... but how is it free when you have to pay-off the teacher to provide your children with some attention?  But sometimes you have to wonder if there's a reason behind it... wages are so low, that could they survive without having to take "corruption money"?

Anyhow... I've run off topic.  Back to C.H.O.I.C.E... these guys do good work, and I think it's a worthy cause worth supporting.  So take a look at their website, and if you agree with me, throw a little money their way.  The money will go a lot farther than if you donated to an organization like the United Way/World Vision, etc.

http://www.choice-cambodia.org/

$25 buys them a 50kg bag of rice... which will feed about 20 families for a few days from my calculations while filling up food bags.  They also bring powdered milk to nursing mothers who don't have sufficient nourishment to feed their babies (eg. Today, at our last stop... we found a mother crying with two twin babies who had been born within the last couple weeks.  She had just moved to the village where the elders let her stay in a hut that had recently been abandoned.  The father was nowhere to be found... apparently he had run away, but at least he shows up once in a while with a little money... anyhow she was crying because she had no way to feed/provide for the babies, let alone herself and her other son.  She even offered the two twin babies to our group to take with us so that we can bring them to an orphanage... her wish was not fulfilled, but the C.H.O.I.C.E. guys will be back on Wednesday with powdered milk and water for her).  And when they find people who need further healthcare, they bring them back to the city, with family, and bring them to a hospital... and feed the supporting family while in town, as the hospital only feeds patients.