kids health

A few weeks ago I was running near Wat Phnom just before 5:30am when I noticed a tuk-tuk parked on the side of the road. Four brown, sleepy eyes peered at me from above the seat. The two faces looked identical, just a year or so separating the siblings. There was another body curled up under a blanket on the opposite seat. My guess it was their dad. The kids were silent. In the couple of seconds it took me to run past their tuk-tuk I noticed that it was stocked with a couple of boxes, a mat and some empty 2L drink bottles that had been filled with water. It looked as though this was the family home... at least for the night. Their story could only be guessed at in my pre-dawn run. However, there was enough of a hint to tell me that despite rapid urban development, not everyone in Phnom Penh has “made it”.

In fact, for the most vulnerable, things are getting worse.

Last week I read in The Cambodia Daily about research carried out last year by the National Institute of Statistics (NIS) into children’s health. Having surveyed 7500 women and children, they found that among children younger than 5, 8.9% were found to be “acutely malnourished”. This is compared to 8.4% of children younger than 5 in 2005. The percentage of urban children who are malnourished jumped from 9.6% in 2005 to 15.9% in 2008. The NIS survey linked these results to the rising costs of food in 2008.

The following day, a letter was published in the same newspaper suggesting that forced evictions are also a reason for higher rates of malnutrition. There are an estimated 40 000 families who have been torn from their homes in Phnom Penh over the past decade. Evicting families from their homes and land, dumping them in relocation camps and separating them from work, schools and the community bonds they have forged is a recipe for malnutrition and disease. It is not surprisingly, the NIS study found that figures from diseases for children under 5 were also increasing. In the case of fever, for example, prevalence among children younger than 4 rose to 58.9% in 2008 compared with 39.6% in 2005.

My “Phnom Penh reality” includes a few days to run, have coffee, meet friends, cook, work and shop. But the other reality has peeked at me from the back of a tuk-tuk. I saw tired, homeless kids.... and the local paper reminding me that nearly 16% of Phnom Penh’s under 5’s are malnourished.

Valentines

People are still talking about Valentines. I asked a friend a couple of days ago if he did anything last Saturday. No. He didn’t have any money to go out. His mate asked if he bought anyone a rose? “Not this year. No money.” He continued, “but if I did, I wouldn’t just buy one... I’d buy five single roses, give them to five girls and then just wait and see which one loves me back!”

I had a great day on February 14. After the full day of soccer, a group of girls in their late teens invited Malis and I to share a picnic dinner on the grass outside the casinos.

Malis and I brought drinks. We packed the soft drinks, water & cups into a cooler bag and then headed to the girls’ place. They share a pad on the grounds where they work. It’s pretty basic (thatched roof, concrete floor etc.) but they seem to like living together and having some independence. They had prepared most of the food by the time we arrived at about 6pm. The pork, vegetables and garlic were all chopped. All that was left was to add noodles and stir fry the ingredients for our simple Valentines picnic dinner.

Sometime after 7pm we found our spot on the lawn. Half of Poipet was out. There were young people sitting on the grass eating rice boxes, snacks and beer. Toddlers played with balloons attached to their wrists and cried when their toy escaped into the night sky. Young girls ran around playing catch, not caring if their best dress got dirty. Aunts, uncles and grandparents called children back to the group when they wandered too far.... It reminded me of lantern festival in Hong Kong. In our group, the take-out boxes and chopsticks were distributed to each person. Ice and soft drinks were shared. The tub of fish sauce mixed with chilli & sugar was placed in the centre and we talked a little as we ate. After dinner two of the girls ducked off to buy some snacks. They came back with the promised food as well as a single rose each for Malis and I. It was touching to receive from these thoughtful young women. When dinner was finished we wandered around the park talking with people we knew. It was a bit like high school- roaming between groups, everyone dressed in their best jeans and T-shirt.

On February 15, I heard that a group of guys from one of the local churches had also been busy on Valentines. They went to their pastor’s house, cooked three dishes for the family, set it on the table with a letter of appreciation and said goodbye. These youth showed loved to a family who pour out their lives for their church.

At our place, the decorations for Valentines Day will stay up for the whole month. It’s still worth having an excuse to talk about the power of little things done with lots of love.

February 13-14

Six local teams. Two full days. One game played the world over. Zero chance of not having fun.

Secret

I’ve never sent a card to PostSecret. But if I did it would say:

I may be a single Christian living in an obscure corner of Cambodia....
...but today I am wearing some fabulous underwear.

Friday Night

Last Friday night we had our second monthly Youth Meeting for 2009 for the English students.

One of the students I teach arrived before the rush and sat down near me in the front row. She’s is in Grade 11. She brought her younger brother. He’s in Grade 5. He came dressed in his blue school pants and a bright yellow, long sleeved, button down pajama top. (Not stylish but really cute!) We talked a little. The meeting started and my student who sat in the very front row was one of the 42 who received recognition for Good Attendance in January. Her name was called and a look of surprise flashed across her face. What?! Me?! A prize?!!! She rose, came to the front, pressed her hands together to show respect and bowed a little as I handed her the home-made certificate and pen. I glanced at her younger brother and he was grinning with pride too. As cheesy as it sounds: this is who we meet for. We meet for the young people who want to get together, can use a little encouragement in their studies and need to hear a message of faith. They can dress in jeans, school clothes, pajamas or whatever.

February was the first time that we used a microphone and speakers. It soon became clear that we needed it. Bodies were crammed in. People stood up the back and spilled out the door. The speakers made me nervous, though, because I was asked to play guitar & sing a couple of songs in English. The first song was longer so I just sang it through once. Before the second song I gave an introduction in Khmer and translated the words, line by line, from the sheet I’d printed out for the students to read. Then I took a deep breath and tried not to think about the reality that some my class were about to hear me sing through a speaker that was a) almost as tall as them and b) about two inches from their heads. I started strumming. Still nervous. I sang anyway....

A friend emailed and asked me how God showed up in the meeting?

- in 10kg of oranges, 5kg of cookies and a dozen large bottles of soda not being enough snacks to go around
- in Jim preaching and drawing pictures on the whiteboard
- in the kid next to me copying the sketches down
- in the smiles of the students as their January attendance was acknowledged
- in the novelty of playing a silly game
- in the neighbours who heard a little from the sound that spilled out onto the street... and who told me afterwards that they want to hear more
- in a bright yellow pajama top and a pair of blue school pants

his nine

This week I learned that it is possible to ask someone on a date with just a few dozen words in a common language. The date may never eventuate, but it’s possible to ask.

On my latest eight-hour bus adventure, I was seated next to a Chinese guy. I guess he was in his late twenties. Slim build, soft hair, sculpted cheeks, perfect teeth. He was from Shanghai. This good-looking fella was well dressed but wasn’t flashing any expensive jewelry. (Anyway, he wasn’t rich... he was taking the bus!)

The stranger spoke a little Khmer and even less English. But he communicated with surprising efficiency the same way I find myself trying to convey messages when I’m in a foreign place. He spoke his first language, threw in a few words in the local lingo and acted his stories in mime. It worked.

Through gestures, the story of his morning mishap unfolded. He took a moto taxi to the bus station. Unfortunately on the way, his phone dropped out of his right trouser pocket. He didn’t realise until he boarded the bus... and by that time it was too late! He had a few numbers written down in a compact notebook stashed in his shirt pocket. But he was nervous because he didn’t have his phone. (I let him borrow mine and after a quick call to the person who was meeting him at the other end, he looked slightly less afraid.)

I heard/ watched his story. Then over the next few hours we managed something of a conversation. I’m sure he thought I had a particular linguistic gift because his Chinese became increasingly fluent. Even the few Khmer works he used started to sound like Mandarin, softened by his gentle articulation and melodic tones.

But you’re wondering about the date, right? Ok, I’ll tell you. He asked for some paper and a pen. I found a crumpled receipt. He smoothed it out, wrote down his name and number, folded it neatly and gave it back. He pointed to me, then to himself. He used the sign for “call me” and then threw in two basic Cambodian words, “eat rice”. Before he left, he went through the same routine just to make sure I understood the invitation. So I’ve got his nine numbers.... but I’m not planning on using them.

Medical Kitty

I've been in Phnom Penh for a couple of days. I bought equipment, had meetings, did coffee, got a vaccine and read a bunch of Christmas letters that have been sitting in my PO Box since late December. Deb sent me some Helly Kitty paper in her Christmas card. (Nice- reminded me of Hong Kong days!) The very next day morning I came across this in a magazine:

A Taiwanese maternity hospital is hoping to ease the stress of childbirth by adopting the Hello Kitty cartoon character as its theme. Believed to be the world's first Hello Kitty- themed medical establishment, every aspect of the 30-bed Hau Sheng hospital is emblazoned with the 34-year-old Japanese motif.