Cambodia: Finding Treasure After Living on Trash
June 2007
Standing in a heap of trash at one of Phnom Penh's city dumps, children smile nevertheless when they see the World Vision truck arrive to provide aid. Photo by Marilee Pierce Dunker.
“Prepare yourself,” Vanthy said as we inched through the bustling night traffic. “We will be setting up on the street by a garbage dump behind the city’s largest produce market. The smell can be pretty bad, but this is where the children will be. They come every night with their families to pick through the trash for anything they can sell.”
Smiles Under Desperate Circumstances
She was right. I smelled the dump long before I saw it — a mountain of rotting vegetables, fruits, flowers, broken boxes and plastic wrap, rising about two stories high. People swarmed over the wreckage, picking through the waste like miners looking for gold.
Then I heard the excited cries of children as they recognized the World Vision logo on the side of the truck. The staff jumped out and set up a “kid’s camp.” First, they laid down a large green tarp, creating a clean and defined space where the children could sit. On one side, a mini medical clinic was set up, and several children lined up to have minor cuts and infections treated.
On the other side, a staff member sat down with several large, colorfully illustrated books. She was surrounded by more than 30 youngsters, who listened to her explain about personal hygiene. A second book addressed a different issue — one illustration showed an adult about to strike a young boy.
“We have to teach them that violence and abuse are not right. For them, being hit and hitting others is just part of life,” said Vanthy.
After story time, it was time to hand out the soy drink, dry noodles and bottled water. Then, the staff brought out a box of toys. Suddenly, our green tarp was littered with trucks, dolls, puzzles and puppets. I pulled out the bottle of soap bubbles I always carry with me. Delighted, the children chased the showers of fragile spheres into the night sky.
A Different Scene
It was time to go to our next stop. What a contrast. This time, only a handful of ragged boys came to gather on the tarp. They were mostly older, and their faces were harder and more guarded.
“These boys are all addicted to sniffing glue,” Vanthy said. “Sniffing glue is the most important thing in their lives. You can see how thin they are. Most of them would rather sniff than eat.”
Nevertheless, their tough exteriors melted as they gathered around for story telling.
At one point, one of the older boys slapped another boy on the side of the head, rebuking him for sniffing glue concealed under his jacket. The younger boy scurried away.
My heart went out to him. Almost without thinking, I lifted my camera to take his picture. Instead of turning away, he smiled. I asked Vanthy to ask him how he came to be here.
Vanthy chatted with the boy. His father used to beat him. Sometimes he was chained to a bed all day without food or water. Later, his father left his mother for another woman. The mother became upset and also started to beat the children without reason, so he ran away.
“Tell him about the World Vision street children center,” I said. “Why doesn’t he go there?”
“He is afraid to go, because he knows he can’t sniff glue,” Vanthy replied. “He says it takes away the hunger pains. If he has glue, he doesn’t need food.”
Reflecting on the Experience
Rith, 13, studies at World Vision's Bamboo Shoot Children Center in Cambodia. Free of his addiction to sniffing glue, Rith now has a future of hope. Photo by Marilee Pierce Dunker.
As we rode back, I could not get the image of the boy out of my mind. I told Vanthy that I would print his picture when I got home and pray for him. I asked her if she would ask the staff to look out for him and keep encouraging him to go to the center.
“I know God has His hand on that young life,” I said. “We didn’t meet him by accident.”
“We will keep encouraging him,” Vanthy promised. “I’ll let you know what happens.” True to her word, Vanthy has e-mailed me several times since my return to the United States.
On April 30, she wrote:
The child’s name is Rith. He is 13 years old. After your visit, Rith started to think about coming to the BSCC [Bamboo Shoot Children Center]. About a month later, Rith decided to come to our center. Unfortunately, he could not stay for long due to missing glue and his friends at street very much. So he … went back to the street after a few days. My team did not give up … at last, Rith made the decision to come off the street and stay in BSCC.
A second e-mail came on May 10:
Today I visited Rith at BSCC. I hardly recognized him at first, but he remembered me well. He said that you and I were the ones who encouraged him to come to the center and to try stopping glue sniffing. My heart beat rapidly with joy when seeing the physical change in his body — stronger and healthier than before. I was told by the staff that he has gained 2 kilograms since he lives in the center. I was very impressed with his commitment to never go back to the glue sniffing. He said: "There is no benefit from sniffing the glue. It’s useless.”
He touched me deeply with his desire to help his mother. He said: “When I leave the center, I want to go back home to help my family. I feel very sorry for my mother who works very hard selling rice porridge every day. Nobody washes her clothes, as my big sisters are not with her anymore. I used to do this work for my mother when I was with her.”
One boy who came to the center a little bit after Rith, mentioned to me that he and Rith were together closely for giving up the glue addiction and they both are succeeding.
Learn More
>> Get the facts about Cambodia's people, their needs, and World Vision's work there.
Three Ways You Can Help
>> Pray for Cambodia's street children — that World Vision staff would effectively aid these youth in need by providing them with basic necessities they are often forced to live without. Pray especially that, by our efforts, children like Rith will see futures of hope through previous situations of despair.
>> Sponsor a child in Cambodia.
>> Become a Child Crisis Partner. Be an advocate for children forced to live on the streets.
Learn More | ||
 | | |
| Get the facts about Cambodia's people, their needs, and World Vision's work there. | |
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Three Ways You Can Help | ||
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| Pray for Cambodia's street children — that World Vision staff would effectively aid these youth in need by providing them with basic necessities they are often forced to live without. Pray especially that, by our efforts, children like Rith will see futures of hope through previous situations of despair. Sponsor a child in Cambodia. | |
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