I traveled to Cambodia as a tourist in the summer of 2008. I was shocked at the poor living conditions and obvious corruption and exploitation of the people in the country, as well as the fact that not all of the mines have been removed from the country's beautiful natural landscapes. You'll find a lot of expats who have nothing but contempt for people who are volunteering or want to 'save' Cambodia, and I agree that there's only so much that a limited-time volunteer can accomplish, and that change can't always be done by outsiders. But to me, this is about meeting and helping specific Cambodian children, and impacting their lives in a positive way. I know that a child's life can be saved by one day or one month, and that events from my childhood loom large to the adult I became. So, why not me? Why not Cambodia?
I took this picture on the road from Thailand to Angkor Wat. This picture, to me, embodies the state of Cambodia today. There's a sweet little girl, a bit shy, looking at the people on the road. She's holding a bag of grapes in her hand. She seems so tiny and vulnerable next to the motorcar, like it's something that doesn't quite fit her. I'm sorry that my camera back then was cheap and the resolution of my pictures is low. But to me, the underlying message of this picture can and should drive us to act, to help Cambodia become a better country responsibly and from within.
I won't be updating very frequently to start, but I will be keeping everyone informed of the results of my drive for funding and then, when I'm in Cambodia, updating almost daily with short anecdotes about my experiences and pictures. I also plan to use the blog to shout out to my donors and to coordinate donation incentives.
You can find the link to my Indiegogo campaign, once the campaign goes active, here. The campaign will go live on March 16, 2014 and I'll post an updated link at that point.
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