Updating the Stats

Yesterday I was checking some of the statistics we use for Big Brothers and Sisters of Cambodia (BBSC). 77 000 is a number we print a lot. This is the number of children who are orphaned because of AIDS in Cambodia (UNICEF, 2005). I didn't realise that the figure 470 000 appears in that same report. This is the total number of orphans between 0-17 years in the country. (Oops... and I'd been thinking it was around 77 000...silly me...) From the latest World Vision country report (2004) I read that there are 616 023 working children aged between 5-17 years. Some 15 000 children in Phnom Penh spend more than 6 hours per day scavenging and begging.

Yesterday the staff of BBSC met briefly with a visiting team from the United States. I told them we have just over 100 Big Brothers and Sisters matched with orphans and children at risk. They were impressed. I am encouraged by the dedication and compassion shown by the young people who volunteer, yet there is little room for boasting compared to the great need. Updating the statistics for my own understanding motivates me to keep going. However, next time I do a significant amount of research on any one of the world's poorest countries, I might just have to soften the blows by bringing some quality chocolate with me as an immediate reminder that there are good things in the world.