Well, what a year we've had! It has been a great year in many ways....some thoughts on what we've achieved / have experienced throughout 2008 are:
- Forum Program: Continuing to see slow but steady fruit in the Church Sustainability Forum program - with numbers increasing this year to approx. 20 people attending regularly.
- Life Skills training: Completed a six training sessions for New Life Fellowship Dorm / Church members
- Training of staff in International NGO's: We continued to build a strong base of training for NGO staff - including Samaritan's Purse, International Cooperation Cambodia and Mercy Ministries (Jan '09).
- Vocational Skills Training (VST) development: We narrowed down the field of what we believe is the best starting point for VST in Cambodia, this led to IT services being selected. We are now progressing detail assessment of developing IT services vocational training programs.
- Visiting key province centres and building relationship with pastors in Kratie, Battambang and Siem Reap
- Development a business case for a tuktuk/van hire business that will help support the NLF Dorms project. Currently awaiting interest from potential khmer candidates for the Business Owner / Manager role.
Some pics from the last 2 months:
December Life Skills Training at NLF: Attendees with certificates are those who completed the training in full
Game to start of the December Life Skills Training at NLF
Forum - End of Year Function
We had a very nice meal catered by Hagar restaurant and a cruise along the Mekong-Bassac rivers, Phnom Penh. A beautiful moonlit night made the function extra special for most who attended!
Jo with Rathana and some of the girls in the Forum program - not so serious pic really!!
Jo with all the girls - Vathey, Samphor & Pov from Jars of Clay, and Marion Fromm (RTC Cambodia).
Ps. Toun Kakada and Buntheoun from RTC Cambodia enjoying the boat cruise.
Mingling throughout the night on the boat cruise.
Mark with Kounthea (VisionFund), Ps. Chanthoeun's father and Ps. Mith (NLF pastors)
Frank Woods with Rathana and Ps. Kakada behind him, enjoying the cruise.
Pov from Jars of Clay and Ps. Chanthoeun.
Group pic on board the boat.
Ps. Kakada and Sophal enjoying the boat cruise.
Visits to Provincial Centres: Battambang and Siem Reap
Small above ground (was a very novel design for sure!!) fish farming project in Siem Reap province, part of Cambodia Global Action (CGA's) development work.
Not too much meat on this one! One of the catch from the small fish farming project in Siem Reap province.
Jo trying her hand at climbing the coconut tree at a local pastors house, Siem Reap province (the ladder does help somewhat!!). Our hosts served us fresh coconut juice - which was fabulous!
A sign in our Hotel in Siem Reap...the "cowboy" days of Cambodia are not that long ago judging by this sign!!
A farmer in Siem Reap province - growing long green beans (we think they call them "snake beans") to sell at the local markets.
This farmer had undergone micro-agriculture training with CGA in Siem Reap. Here he is growing cauliflower to sell in the Hotels in Siem Reap. After having only started 3 months ago - it definitely looks a very promising way of raising incomes in the villages.
The farmer in Siem Reap province we met through CGA contact Ps. Chhay. The farmer is growing herbs, cauliflower and beans currently after training from CGA people. He also has a small rice field on his land too.
Group pic of the local pastor (on Mark's right side) and his family and some church members. The village chief is on the far left of the frame. Apparently he is not a believer but is supportive of the pastor and the church in his community. Ps. Soklay our key contact in Battambang is on Mark's left side.
Group pic at the same pastors church / house in Battambang province (this time with Jo in the frame!)
While visiting this local pastors house in Battambang province, he showed us his rice yield after this year's harvest. Apparently he harvested 23 bags this year, several below last year's crop (it was a late wet season this year so many farmers did not get a bumper crop) leaving the family about 4 bags short of what they typically need for subsistence until next year's harvest.
Typical day in the life of a rice farmer in the provinces, this about 3o mins out of Battambang township.
A local church in Battambang province. The female pastor had quite a testimony...with most of the women in this church sharing a common thread of being divorcees - it seems a lot are due to their husbands alcohol addiction, domestic violence or infidelity.
Mark with Ps. Soklay (on his left) and the local Battambang pastor on his right, together with her family.
The local pastor outside a small building used as a students dormitory (about 5 young guys from the countryside live there and study in Battambang). She is trying chicken farming as a small way to generate income for herself and for some of her pastors in the provinces.
Mark & Jo with Ps. Timothy's wife and two boys at Battambang province. Ps. Timothy lives in a small community just out of Battambang that was established by United Nations following the war as a housing project for war refugees. Ps. Timothy has recently left a mainline denomination to go independent and holds church at the ground floor of his house.
Mark with Ps. Timothy, his wife and their two boys.
Jo with a Cambodian counsellor who oversees a number of counselling and rescue programs at ARMS International rescue centre (they work in prevention and rehabilitation of trafficked young girls and women), Battambang province.
Mark with Ps. Soklay and the pastors at KCS Church, Battamang province. This church is active in serving the community with HIV/AIDS orphanage, vocational skills training (hair-dressing, sewing, IT) and a soccer outreach program from at risk youth in Battambang. All great stuff!
One of the very successful programs run out of ARMS International centre - this one is a mushroom growing agri-business (micro-enterprise) - a fantastic little model for helping very poor families eek out a living. ARMS make up the kits for growing the mushrooms and gift them to poor families.
The postcard picture: pond lily cambodian style (Taken at ARMS International centre, Battambang)
Part of the ARMS International counselling centre. This building is actually a boat floating on the dam at the ARMS International centre!
The main building of the ARMS International centre, Battambang.
Forum Photos
December Forum group photo - we had quite a few new people attend this day and some usual attendees unable to join us. Approx. 20 people attend the Forum regularly - which is great!
Discussions during the December Forum - talking about ethics and integrity in business.
Group discussion during the Dec Forum.
Training for Samaritan's Purse staff
The winners of a team building activity requiring creativity and good design of a fail-proof egg container! Lots of fun!!
The egg-drop activity. A final test of which team has the best design. All but one failed the drop test..with a bit of sticky mess left to clean up afterwards!!
Group game / relay activity to break up the after-lunch tired spell!
Part of training in communication styles - this one involved one-one dialogue practising active listening skills. All fun!
Ice-breaker activity at the start of the day to loosen everyone up before the day's training.
Training at New Life Fellowship Church, Phnom Penh Thmey (Ps. Sophea Sem)
Mark teaching on understanding mindsets and attitudes.
Group workshop on discussin typical cambodian mindsets. Very interesting results as usual!
Jo teaching on mindsets and attitudes.
Posts
