On Saturday, 17 June I visited an orphanage in Cambodia. The children there were trained for cultural performance in the evening while they study during the day. There were approximately 72 children in the orphanage consisting of disabled, unwanted children and children of HIV parent/s.
The school's building had the bare necessities with only one classroom with long wooden tables and benches. The children wore torn clothes but were happy to receive visitors. There were a few Europeans there, who were volunteer English Teachers. The children entertained us with 3 cultural performances and they were fantastic. I made a small donation and asked the Manager there for the kind of items that the orphanage needed. We were told that they needed toiletries and washing powder. We mingled and talked to the children for a while. The children held our hands and refused to let us go. I hugged them to show them that I cared. Some of them said "I love you" and this really touched me.
Immediately the next morning, we woke up early and went to the central market at Siem Reap and bought lots of items like toothpastes, toothbrushes, soaps, bottles of shampoo, body powder and soap powder. The children immediately recognised us and came to us. It was their lunch time then and they had mere rice and vegetable soup for lunch. They were all standing and having their lunch as the ground was muddy due to construction works at the building for a permanent bigger stage for their performance.
My heart went all out to them. I tried to explain to them that I was to leave for S'pore the following day and one of them told me that she wants to accompany me. One girl was trying to tell me something but I think she has difficulty expressing herself in English and withheld what she was about to tell me. If I had the means I do not mind adopting one of them. They were so adorable.
Was trying to recall the amount of food we waste everyday. We have not experienced what poverty is but witnessing the plight of these children has been an eye opener for me. I could not sleep all night for the past few nights.
The children would have seen visitors come and go everyday. Wonder how they will feel if they are emotionally attached to some volunteers but only to see them go. It would be painful for them. I will keep praying for the children to have better, sophisticated lives in future with more donation from the public. I want to go back there again and donate in cash and in kind.
I saw heaven in this orphanage.
By the way, was thinking that before visiting the orphanage, was thinking of "A" most of the time but now, after visiting the orphanage, "A" is not the whole world to me as these under previledged children are in my mind all the time. Even when I take my meals.
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