The Courier: Semester 1 2020

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by
ambodia Tour
Richard Graham, Head of Years 6 and 7
Cambodia is a country with a rich, interesting
history but a more recent troubled and harrowing
past. In Term Four of 2019, 12 students and two
staff made Woodcroft College’s first ever study
tour to explore the culture and to learn first-hand
about the work of Children in Families (CiF), the
organisation that Woodcroft College supports
through their fundraising endeavours. Led by
Stacie Ellinger (Woodcroft College Old Scholar)
and Suray Reuk, CiF supports Cambodian families
in fostering children, recognising that a home is the
best environment for children to grow and develop.
Arriving exhausted in Phnom Penh, we were
immediately struck by the humidity but with no
time to acclimatise, we were whisked wide-eyed
into the crazy traffic and warm night. The first
of many tuk tuk rides (always led by Pat, whose
war cry was ‘hold onto your bags’) immediately
immersed us in the first of many multi-sensory
journeys of unfamiliar sights, delicious aromas of
street food vendors and brief windows into the
trials and tribulations of those that live and work in
the Cambodian capital. Totally compelling.
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Next morning, after a delicious breakfast, we
had our first experience navigating a Cambodian
market and an opportunity to practise bartering.
We interspersed sightseeing with sessions led by
CiF and other Non-Government Organisations.
Through these workshops, the staff at CiF
challenged our thinking around conventional
notions of charity and how orphanages and other
charitable organisations can be well-meaning but
ineffectual in creating sustainable change.