School Construction

March 14, 2015 Olivia Blinn

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit some of our school construction sites. I always enjoy interacting with beneficiaries and hearing about how excited they are for the new schools. The average Cambodian student only attends school for six years. After that, they often begin working to help their family. In the first village, the new school is the first concrete building that's been built. That fact alone brings excitement to both students and their parents.

The visits aren't just all work, however. Our staff always take time to interact with the students — whether that's playing soccer or sitting around and asking them questions. They invested in the community and build genuine relationships with beneficiaries. Honestly, it's a beautiful things to witness.

Food Distributions

March 14, 2015 Olivia Blinn

Drought in northwest Cambodia has led to crop failure, leaving many villagers without a source of food. Because of the proximity to Thailand, many Cambodians migrate in order to find work. However, IOM Cambodia estimates that 25% of these migrants meet the criteria for trafficking and abuse.

In order to assist these villagers, SP recently conducted rice distributions in two villages. Our staff work closely with village and commune leaders to ensure that distributions are carried out fairly. Villagers and leaders alike expressed deep gratitude toward SP for this assistance.

Once the rice arrived, it was time to unload. Staff and beneficiaries alike stepped up to help out. — *Once the rice arrived, it was time to unload. Staff and beneficiaries alike stepped up to help out.*

*The SP project manager worked closely with village leadership to organize the distribution.*

*The distribution included a short program with SP project and program managers, as well as governmental leadership.*

*The provincial governor attended the event and share how grateful he is for SP and the work that they have done in this area.*

*The governor hands out booklets on safe migrations in order to educate villagers about the dangers of unsafe migration.*

*Villagers pile bags of rice on tractor in order to transport them to the homes of beneficiaries.*

*The second distribution was held on the grounds of a wat, which the monks allowed the use of.*

*Safe migration booklets warn beneficiaries about the dangers of unsafe migration.*

The deputy governor attended the second distribution and expressed her gratitude for SP and the work that has been done in this area. — *The deputy governor attended the second distribution and expressed her gratitude for SP and the work that has been done in this area.*

The SP program manager hands out safe migration booklets, greeting each beneficiary individually. — *The SP program manager hands out safe migration booklets, greeting each beneficiary individually.*

A Shoebox Gift

December 13, 2014 Olivia Blinn

Although my organization is best known for sending shoebox gifts to children in need all over the world, we work in a number of different sectors. Since my job focuses on the other work that we’re doing here in Cambodia, I don’t often get to help to distribute shoebox gifts. However, I recently got invited to photograph a distribution that was taking place in a village about an hour outside of Phnom Penh. The experience was all kinds of delightful.

Photographing children in Cambodia has been interesting for me — this is the first place I’ve visited where not every child immediately smiles. Many of the children get sheepish and turn away or just look at me with a blank stare. When I greet them in Khmer and ask them their name, they’ll usually crack a smile. Whether they’re surprised to hear Khmer or laughing at my poor pronunciations, I’ll take whatever I can get.

There was one little boy in particular that I became determined to make smile. He would laugh with his friends, but stop smiling as soon as he saw my camera. I would hold my camera away from my face to see if he would laugh with me… Nothing.

But then his friends came around. Suddenly, four boys were fighting to be the closest one to my camera. When I would show them their photos, they would howl with laughter. I took out my iPhone and let them take selfies on it, which they had a blast with.

Once every child had been given a shoebox, they were allowed to open them all at once. The room filled with children laughing and showing each other their toys. Some of the kids would look through their box and then shut it tight. For many of them, this was the first gift like this they had ever received, and they wanted to make sure they didn’t lose a single part of it.

When the event ended, the children packed up their belonging and headed their separate ways to walk home — many of them with big smiles on their faces.

An Angkor Wat Exploration

December 13, 2014 Olivia Blinn

The most famous site in Cambodia is Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world. Technically named the Angkor Archaeological Park, this vast temple complex is a World Heritage site. Located in Siem Reap, Cambodia’s northernmost province, the bus ride from Phnom Penh takes 7-8 hours. Although I had signed up for the Angkor Wat International Half Marathon, I knew the weekend of the run would be too crazy to see the temples. About a month before the race, though, I had to opportunity to visit Angkor.

Because of the size of the complex, the best way to see it is to hire a tuktuk driver for the day to take you from temple to temple. Although I made the visit on my own, throughout the day, I chatted with people from all over the world. Not to mention, I got to be friends with my tuktuk driver, Sweet Khorn — but more about him to come.

I had a blast shooting photos throughout the day. Sure, it was exhausting and you never stop sweating while in Cambodia, but the photos I was able to capture made it all worth it. In the middle of the day, it rained for a little bit, but it wasn’t anything that a rain jacket, waterproof iPhone case and covering for my DSLR couldn’t fix.

Around Phnom Penh

December 13, 2014 Olivia Blinn

After having lived in Cambodia for a few months, I finally got around to visiting some of the typical tourist sites. For a variety of reasons, I don't often carry my large DSLR. However, visiting these sights were some of the rare times that I bought my camera along. My iPhone usually does the trick for day-to-day life, but it still can't compare with some of the images that I was able to capture.

National Museum of Cambodia

The National Museum is Cambodia's largest museum of cultural history and houses a large collection of Khmer art. The building itself is unite beautiful, with an open courtyard in the middle. However, the museum wasn't quite what I was expecting — there is a lot to look at but not always a lot of information about what I was seeing.

The Royal Palace

The Kings of Cambodia have lived in this royal complex of buildings since being built in the 1860s. The construction and establishment of the Royal Palace is relatively recent considering the history of Cambodia but displays traditional Khmer architecture. The complex includes the Throne Hall, Moonlight Pavilion, Silver Pagoda, Khemarin Palace and other smaller structures.

Wat Phnom

Wat Phnom was originally built in 1373 and is the legendary founding place of Phnom Penh. It is the tallest religious structure in the city, sitting atop an artificial hill that's nearly 90 feet tall. The current temple was last rebuilt in 1926.

Motherhood in Cambodia

December 13, 2014 Olivia Blinn

One of my favorite project that I’ve been a part of in Cambodia was a follow-up about one of our programs. In the last year, our office has built two community birthing centers (CBCs) in remote villages, and there are plans for five more to be built in 2015. The province in which we are building these CBCs has the highest infant mortality rate in Cambodia. Many women give birth at home with a traditional midwife, and they are far away from medical help if anything goes wrong. Because of this reality, many women fear giving birth.

I had the opportunity to meet a number of women who were either pregnant or had just given birth. They welcomed our staff into their lives and their stories. As I capture photographs, I heard stories about their fear, joy and dreams for their children.

Not every story has a nice, neat bow on the top of it, though. Since arranged marriage is common, I met some women who got married when their parents told them to do so but had wanted to continue their education instead. Once married, there is a cultural expectation that they will have a child as soon as possible. Although their lives may not be going exactly how they had hoped, these women are working hard to learn how to take care of their children.

Because of the entire generation that was eliminated in the Cambodian Genocide, a lot of basic skills have been lost along the way. Our staff help to organization classes on hygiene, cooking and healthy family dynamics. I sat in on a cooking demonstration, where women learned how to make simple, healthy meals for their children.

For many years, I have cared deeply about the plight of women around the world. Through this project, I put names and faces to so many of the heartbreaking statics that I've read. At the same time, it gave me hope to see the work that my organization is doing and the lives that are being impacted.

I will be writing more about this experience in the future. In the meantime, if you are interested in learning more about this project and the women shown in the photos below, I encourage you to check out the story that my coworker crafted.

Vietnam // Singapore // Thailand

December 13, 2014 Olivia Blinn

Clarke Quay // Singapore — Clarke Quay // Singapore

During Pchum Ben, a Khmer holiday in October, my coworker and I decided to take off a couple extra days of work and plan a whirlwind, 10-day trip. The planning started out small and eventually expanded to three countries — Vietnam, Singapore and Thailand. Realizing that time would be of the essence, we decided to fly between each of our destinations. Our flight path ended up being: Phnom Penh --> Ho Chi Minh City --> Singapore --> Phuket --> Chiang Mai --> Bangkok --> Phnom Penh. We affectionately named the trip #10days6planes.

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Ho Chi Minh and found it to be a fascinating city. It is filled with interesting juxtapositions — old and new, natural and man-made. The people were incredibly friendly and helpful and would offer assistance whenever we looked confused. Plus, there's nothing like eating some authentic pho in Vietnam.

The Vietnam War ended at the Reunification Palace in 1975. Nearly every room in the building was symmetrical. I felt like I was in a Wes Anderson film.

Notre Dame Basilica // Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam — Notre Dame Basilica // Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Central Post Office // Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam — Central Post Office // Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

War Remnants Museum // Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam — War Remnants Museum // Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

City Hall // Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam — City Hall // Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Singapore

Our time in Singapore lasted roughly 24 hours, as it was actually a layover in-between flights. We purchased a one day tourist pass for the subway, which ended up being a fantastic decision. We explored somewhat aimlessly, making stops at a few of the more well-known sights.

Phuket, Thailand

After the amount of traveling we had done up until this point, Phuket was a nice break for a couple of days. We made very few plans other than to spend a lot of time at the beach. We visited Phuket Town and ate a lot of seafood, but the ocean was the best part of our time there.

Chiang Mai, Thailand

We had originally debated whether or not we were going to travel to Chiang Mai but decided to do so at the suggestion of some friends. Chiang Mai ended up being my favorite city that we visited, and I wish we had been able to spend more time there. We ate a lot of fantastic food and went to the best coffee shop that this coffee snob has ever visited — Ristr8to.

Night Bazaar // Chiang Mai, Thailand — Night Bazaar // Chiang Mai, Thailand

Bua Tong Waterfall // Thailand — Bua Tong Waterfall // Thailand

One of my favorite part of the trip was visiting Bua Tong waterfall. I climbed up this "sticky" waterfall with four sections, spanning hundreds of feet. The falls have a limestone face because of the high amount of calcium carbonate in the water. The rocks look slick with the water rushing over them but aren't at all. It was such a cool experience. When I reached the bottom of the falls, it began to lightly rain. It was a pretty great day in the rainforest.

Old City Walls // Chiang Mai, Thailand — Old City Walls // Chiang Mai, Thailand

Bangkok, Thailand

By the time we reached Bangkok, we were pretty exhausted. However, we were determined to make the most of our time. We explored the city by subway and by boat, which made for a great adventure. The hustle and bustle of Bangkok was a little overwhelming for me, but it wasn't anything the regular consumption of coffee couldn't fix. Before we headed back to Phnom Penh, we stocked up on vitamins and other products that we can't find in Cambodia.

Chao Phraya River // Bangkok, Thailand — Chao Phraya River // Bangkok, Thailand

Tuol Sleng & The Killing Fields

December 13, 2014 Olivia Blinn

As part of my job orientation, I spent a day visiting Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and Choeung Ek Genocidal Center — more commonly referred to as the Killing Fields. It is impossible to walk through either of those places without feeling the heaviness of the Cambodian Genocide. However, in order to fully understand Cambodia today, it is vital to understand the history of the country. During my visit, I quickly realized how little I had previously known about the reign of the Khmer Rouge from 1975 to 1979.

Tuol Sleng is in the heart of Phnom Penh. Under the Khmer Rouge, it was named security Prison 21, or S-21, and used as an interrogation center where innocent people were imprisoned and tortured. It was one of at least 150 execution centers run by the Khmer Rouge.

S-21 had been a high school, but the Khmer Rouge outlawed schooling and murdered anyone who was highly educated. The Khmer Rouge blindfolded people before taking them to S-21, and the people had no idea that they were still in their beloved city.

Prisoners were shackled and packed into cells. Every morning, they were searched to see if their shackles were loose or if they had any objects that they could use to commit suicide. Barbed wire covered every possible opening to prevent prisoners from jumping to their death.

When people arrived, they were photographed and required to give a detailed history of their lives. People were imprisoned and tortured until they confessed to the "crimes" they had committed. They were then sent out of the city to be executed. Almost 20,000 people passed through S-21, but only 7 people survived.

This small graveyard houses the remains of the last 14 people to die in S-21, found when the Vietnamese invaded the prison in 1979.

The Killing Fields lie outside of the city, where prisoners of the Khmer Rouge were brought to be executed.

Visitors from all over the world leave bracelets to pay their respects to those that died here.

Many of the mass graves were exhumed in 1980, yet human bones and clothing still litter the site. Some graves are untouched, but heavy rains often cause remains to surface. Although there are believed to be more graves surrounding the water, the decision was made to simply leave them be.

The Khmer Rouge hung a large speaker from this tree. At night, they would play nationalist songs to cover the sounds of executions.

A commemorative stupa is filled with more than 5,000 human skulls.

In a 4 year span, the Khmer Rouge murdered an estimated 2 million people — nearly a third of Cambodia's population. There are almost 400 known Killing Fields throughout Cambodia.