Jedidiah thrives on being able to support partners such as World Vision and this week our CEO, Kevin Murray, has the incredible opportunity to be in Cambodia with legendary photographer Aaron Chang and World Vision’s business developing partner Keith Kall. Here is the update they just sent us from the second day of their journey.
We left early this morning for a 3 hour trip to a World Vision training seminar. We headed due east for the Vietnam border. It was a good opportunity to extend our vision and see the beauty, brokenness and diversity of the country. What a special privilege to have Aaron Chang with me to capture the essence of the trip through photographs.
Yes, those are fried crickets, birds and assorted bugs at a roadside stand. And yes, that is an elephant cruising down a very busy road…
As a global leader of NGO’s, World Vision partnered with John Hopkins University to research and develop an aftercare program for the care and rehabilitation of traumatized girls exploited in the sex trade. They completed this 2 year program just last year and are beginning to roll out training seminars to assist other NGO’s. There is an old proverb I read somewhere that says “if you educate a man you educate a man, but if you educate a woman you educate a nation”. I have seen this proverb to be true in Africa and it seems true here in Cambodia as well. Sometimes the burden of change falls on the delicate shoulders of women. But even in our short time here so far, we can see the power, strength and determination of women to break the cycle of bondage that for some bizarre set of reasons is accepted as normal in Southern Asia.
In our discussions with the lead trainers, there are 3 structural phases in the healing and care process. They go as follows:
1. Secure the children in a safe house to provide short term protection and medical treatment. This could be as little as two weeks or up to a year. World Vision and other NGO’s have partnered and established a network of these that are underground and scattered throughout the country.
2. When ready, move the children to a more permanent care facility that provides protection, education and grace for their long term healing. The care providers are being educated under the leadership of World Vision and this is the seminar I witnessed today.
3. The last step is sometimes the hardest. The first priority is to try and get the children back home with their families, but unfortunately this is not always possible. In many cases a family member is responsible for the selling and exploiting of the children. So World Vision is working on establishing a network of “community houses”, this would be similar to what we know as foster homes. But in one of the poorest countries in the world it is daunting to find families that can afford to take in more children.
Clearly, I have seen the leadership of World Vision in this country. They are sometimes disappointed in dealing with the local government. But the staff here is committed to systemic, long term change not only in the lives of children, but also the culture of these communities as well.
Below are some other great shots from Aaron on our trip. Enjoy.
