More Children In Need Of Help!

Last 2 years I went on a bagpacking trip with my two best buddies, Chinger & Shirls. One of our stops was going to Siem Reap. The bus ride from Thai border to Siem Reap was dreadful with its bumpy and dusty roads, but we didn't have much choices since we were travelling on a low budget.

However, it turned out to be a life changing experience. I remember the bus took a stop near a small village for us to use the toilet, but all of us were shocked to see the situation and didn't dare to get down of the bus. There were so many children running towards our bus, practically screaming with JOY! They were really excited to see us, and started selling bracelets, fruits and some other stuffs.




It was a quick stop as it was getting late.. somewhere past midnight. The bus took us to some bagpacking lounge where we stayed for a night and left to a new place the next day. The new place is a common ground for all foreigners to stay..known as the Old Market Area. This is also a place where you will find most children who are beggars at a very young age! I was really shocked to find SO MANY CHILDREN being abandoned by their family. I was wondering to myself, why do they continue producing when they know well enough that they could not take care all of them? Perhaps to earn extra income for the family since they are forced to become beggars as young as 3 years old?

But why don't the government make change to the community instead of investing to its Airports & Casinos? Perhaps investing on the barren lands they have or boost their tourism industry by building more excessive roads into the tourist spots could help the community better! But instead the Khmer Rouge is vandalizing the people and the community has to live in fear most of the time.

I remember one of our tut tut drivers asked us where we were from. After knowing we were from Malaysia, he told us how lucky we were to at least have the chance to get proper education and career in life. He said he has a degree from his hometown but it is still difficult to get jobs around. Most people in Cambodia faces the same problem too.

As we reach Angkor Wat and many other temples around, we see children everywhere! Whether it's begging or selling fruits and accessories or serving food. Whatever they are doing, they speak REAL GOOD ENGLISH and they are really POLITE! I would say it's even better than our school children back in Malaysia!

Not all of them are always asking for money. I remember one of them asked me to give him some plasters to wrap his infected wound and some water to drink. Sadly I did not have any plaster with me but had only a bottle of water that I was drinking, which I gave it to him eventually. So every time I hear anyone who's visiting Angkor Wat, I'd asked them to get some plasters there! Same to you!




I always believe children are innocent and they should not be forced to slavery.. while some are even forced into prostitution! We should put a STOP in this inhumanity!

Children are gifts from God! They should be nurtured and loved to be great future leaders!

I couldn't do much since I'm still a small income earner. All I could do then was buying some kids dinner. It's a privilege to see someone enjoying a meal together with you and being real. I hope in future I could do more, or perhaps adopting one. I've been blessed with a loving adopted mother. I hope I can do so in future as well!

-yEE-