The long anticipated pilot trip to Cambodia finally took place during the recent mid-year holidays, having been on the drawing board for the last 18 months. Eight students and two members of staff took the opportunity to spend the majority of their holidays working in a country far less fortunate than ourselves.

The trip had a brief, one day stopover in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, before continuing on to the main destination: Cambodia.

The group spent 4 days in the capital, Phnom Penh. Here we were confronted with the sight and stories of Tuol Sleng, also known as the S-21 prison. The former school is now set up as a genocide museum, commemorating the horrors carried out there by the Khmer Rouge during their reign between 1975 and 1979. From here the group moved out into the killing fields, where many of the prisoners of Tuol Sleng were taken to be executed. A towering monument has been constructed, housing over 8,000 skulls and many more thousands of other bones. All in all the day was a very sobering experience, and only once you have heard the stories and seen the images can you truly begin to comprehend the trauma this nation has been through.

The majority of the time in Phnom Penh was spent observing the activities carried out by World Vision in order to aid many of the residents of the city. An obvious highlight was the time spent in the “Bamboo Shoots” orphanage, where the group was able to distribute sporting equipment and take time out to enjoy the company of the children living there. The joy felt by the children was obvious, our mere presence bringing smiles to the faces of children who possessed nothing.

Other programs run by World Vision include a school for disabled people. Land mines continue to be a huge problem faced by the Cambodian people, and as such a limbless man or women is a common sight. However, the most confronting sight whilst in Phnom Penh was definitely the rubbish dump: some 2000 people make their living every day by salvaging through piles of rubbish looking for food scraps, useful pieces of metal or any other items that could possibly be sold or used again.

From here, our tour moved on to Siem Reap, the major tourist town in Cambodia and home of the Angkor Wat temple complex. The first 2 days were spent building houses for Tabitha, an NGO that works solely in Cambodia. The principles of Tabitha are based on families saving money, and once they have saved enough money to buy a piece of land, Tabitha builds the houses for these families. Often building teams are comprised of foreigners, as was the case with us. The two houses we built were small but the task was immensely satisfying, and well appreciated by the families for whom we built.

The most famous attraction in Cambodia, the Angkor Wat temple complex, was our destination for the next two days. We explored the remains of Cambodia’s ancient civilisation, home of some of the most amazing sights. Angkor Wat is one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world, and a truly amazing complex. Another temple with a claim to fame is the ‘jungle temple’, which served as a set for the film “Tomb Raider”. The temple has live trees and other jungle plants growing on and over it, pulling apart the stones in an amazing spectacle. A part of the experience was of course, the elephant ride that all had the opportunity of taking.

“Met Rohot” became the theme for the next few days, which was spent with our friends from the Leang Dai School. Translated into “Friends Forever”, the title was chosen by the entire group at the end of the short visit. The purpose of our stay was to plan future visits to the school, with regular meetings between Plan International, Leang Dai and Ivanhoe Grammar, ensuring that the trip will be able to run in years to come. English classes are the most pressing need according to these students, and plans are now in place to begin English classes at the school. Our teams will go back to run week-long “English Camps”.

The whole time spent with these students was not all work, though: everyone took the opportunity to get to know each other while having fun at a nearby lake, and at the Cambodian cultural village. The latter is designed for tourists, but it was the first time that many of these students had had the opportunity to see such things. It was also the first time that the majority of the Leang Dai students had ever had the opportunity to travel in the bus, or to dine in a restaurant.

All in all, the experience was amazing and enjoyed by everyone who took part. Big thanks must go to Mr Fox and Mr Trouse, who have put in endless hours getting ready for the trip, and to World Vision, the Tabitha Foundation and Plan International, for giving us the opportunity to take part in their programs. Thanks must also be given to Robyn Fox who spent a week working with us in Cambodia. I would recommend the trip to anyone interested – it was a truly amazing experience.