[ SOLIDARITY MATTERS 2017 SECOND QUARTER ]
[ LaValla School Cambodia ]
[ IN THIS ISSUE ] Welcome to the second quarter edition of Solidarity Matters for 2017. In this edition: 1. CEO’s Message Brother Allen Sherry FMS introduces this quarter’s edition of Solidarity Matters and launches our End of Financial Year Appeal. 2. Feature Story - Marist Solidarity Cambodia Community Village Step inside the Community Village as we walk you through this project’s progress in recent months and the work that still lies ahead. 3. Talking Point We introduce our readers to students from LaValla School, Cambodia. 4. Volunteer Report Helping young Cambodian students is close to the heart of Micah Di Muzio. 5. EOFY Appeal Form How you can help. 6. Contact Us
[ CEO’S MESSAGE ] We are pleased to present this special edition of Solidarity Matters to our valued community. This quarter we focus on the Community Village in Cambodia.
education and some to university. More details and the plans are outlined in this edition of “Solidarity Matters”.
Dear Friends of Australian Marist Solidarity (AMS),
It will be a great moment for the Marists in Cambodia, and indeed for all of us in Australia, connected with the mission for young people who are denied access to good quality education, to see this project launched. It is a significant marking of the Bicentenary Year of our foundation. Cambodia, it should be noted, is listed on most indices as being among the poorest of nations and young people with disabilities are the least catered for in the society.
It’s almost mid-year and tax time for us all. In the past two years the AMS board and team based in Brisbane have been very appreciative of your generosity in the first of two appeals a year (and there is no direct mailing approach from our office except to a few loyal supporters resisting an email address). The Marist NGO in Cambodia, Marist Solidarity Cambodia (MSC), is under the umbrella of AMS. You would be aware that we have had a major project for this small office “on the books” for two years and we are now into the final funding search stage. The project is called the MSC Community Village. Many of you have contributed often to LaValla School for Cambodian young people with a disability, while others have also supported our campaign for accommodation in the MSC Village for these young people, as we give them access to secondary
Your support changes young people’s lives and creates a home away from home for students from the rural areas. Yours gratefully, Brother Allen Sherry fms CEO, Australian Marist Solidarity
People with disabilities are one of the most vulnerable groups in Cambodia. Stigmatised by society, many live in extreme poverty without the means to improve their living conditions or attain their educational goals.
[ MARIST SOLIDARITY CAMBODIA COMMUNITY VILLAGE ] The MSC Community Village builds on two other Marist projects, the LaValla School (primary) and the Inclusive Education Program, by providing purpose built accommodation for young people with disabilities enrolled in high school or university. The Community Village aims to provide assisted accommodation for up to 80 young people initially in a facility that will include:
8 student residences 2 staff residences 3 laundries
Kitchen and dinning hall Tuition and IT building Health and rehab building
Administration building Undercover recreation area
With an estimated 86,000+ children and young people under the age of 20 living with a physical disability in Cambodia there is a critical need to integrate this population in the public Cambodian education system (Handicap International 2009). Bailey & Nguon (2014, p. 16) reported that ‘scholarship and housing support is often needed to enable youth with disabilities from rural areas to access higher education in Phnom Penh and other cities’. Marist Solidarity Cambodia is committed to supporting this integration at high school and tertiary level through the Community Village.
In addition to the assisted living facilites will be a small scale farming operation. Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia. Almost two-thirds of Cambodians are reliant on agriculture and fisheries for a livelihood in a country that, despite increasing urbanisation, remains overwhelmingly rural with only 21% of the population living in urban areas. The Community Village will help ease the burden on families who would otherwise have to travel for hours, or in many cases not at all, so that their child with a disability may receive the same basic rights as any other. Planning, earthworks and farm land cultivation of this 1.6 hectare plot has started, but we need one final push to raise the essential funds to break ground and bring this project to fruition.
[ THE COMMUNITY VILLAGE PLANS ]
[ TALKING POINT ] Marist Solidarity Cambodia accepts students from all over Cambodia. Many of these students require on-site, assisted living. Meet Mey and Khan, two of the students. Mey is 16 years old and was born in the rural province of Kampot which is south-west Khan is 13 years old and was born in Sihanoukville, a beachside city in the south west of Phnom Penh. Mey was born with a leg deformity which has stunted her growth and of the country. Khan was born with congenital defects, which resulted in club feet and severely restricted her mobility. She is one of seven children and shortly after her birth a right arm that is significantly smaller than his left. He has 4 siblings all of which are her father abandoned the family. in the normal schooling system whilst his father works as a security guard at a hotel and his mother sells cakes at the beach in Sihanoukville. Mey came to LaValla School having barely attended any previous school as her disability meant she found it too painful to travel the distance to get to and from school. Rural As a young family, they live in impoverished conditions. Their current dwelling is in students often travel great distances to attend school due to the sparsity of schools. Phnom Penh; however, it is built upon the open canals of the city which acts as the main Prior to arriving at LaValla School Mey had already undergone 3 operations to try and sewerage drain. The dwellings along the banks of this canal are considered temporary correct issues arising from the growth deformities in her legs. accommodation for which the government could remove at any time. They are also at risk of flooding during heavy rain. Commencing year one in October 2015, she is now in year six. A shy student at first, Mey is a very good singer and excels at performing arts. The improved social skills and Khan commenced at LaValla School in October 2014 aged 10. He was placed in grade confidence are a result of intensive classes focusing on languages and interaction with one as he had never attended a school before. Khan arrived at the school with wounds fellow students, for which accept one and other without judgement or prejudice. Mey from walking on the sides of his feet. Since then, he has had surgery to correct his club has another operation scheduled later this year to correct a small break in the leg as feet and now walks much better. she has brittle bones. After which she will require a walking aid until her leg recovers from the procedure. Khan is now in grade three and enjoys English, Khmer and Information Technology. He would like to own his on telecommunications business when he finishes school. Mey enjoys mathematics and with the end of her primary education fast approaching, would like to attend secondary school and hopes to become an accountant in the future.
Micah Di Muzio takes some time out from his busy day teaching English to share with us his experiences as a Marist Volunteer at LaValla School, Cambodia.
[ VOLUNTEER REPORT ] Phenomenal!!! Is the one word I’d use to encapsulate my time at Lavalla School in Takhmao, Cambodia. The whole experience is like nothing I’ve ever accomplished before. I can promise you two things: • You will work harder than you have ever done before in your entire life • There will be numerous occasions when you are forced out of your comfort zone If you are willing and able to do the following – then the experience for you will be completely and utterly surreal. My journey was filled with countless memories and special moments that I will hold with me forever. The children are simply beautiful. There’s no other way to put it. They will change the way you view your entire life. That’s a fact! The Khymer staff and Brothers are tremendous. They made me feel right at home from the moment I arrived. In time, these people will become some of the greatest friends you will ever have.
Funnily enough – even though there was this massive language barrier; there were so many times when I felt I was in unison with the kids. Whether you’re helping them study, playing football with them, singing to them, throwing them around in the pool, or simply watching TV with them they will always manage to put a smile on your face. You must go into this experience with the clearest of minds and be willing to try and do everything you possibly can. I can’t really put into words what you will get out of it. It is something you must see for yourself. For anyone thinking of undertaking this once in a life time opportunity. Do not hesitate or waver whatsoever, I simply cannot endorse my time at Lavalla any further. It truly was the ride of my life!
Marist Volunteers Australia coordinates volunteer experiences just like Micah’s. For more information visit www.maristvolunteersaustralia.com or email mva@marists.org.au
[ EOFY APPEAL FORM ]