I was happy to recognize several faces from our last trip. In fact, my interpreter was my old friend whom I wrote about last year. She has 2 young boys and also cares for her mother. Her teaching job allows her to provide her boys with a free education and a healthy lunch. Last year she had 17 students in her class, this year she has 96. I hope this reflects a greater effort at identifying those who need help versus an increased overall need for that help.
The Smoldering Dump
The orphanage sits adjacent to the former Phnom Penh dump. It was a logical location for an orphanage because many children were abandoned here. As I wrote last year, in the poorest families children are viewed as a source of income. Barefoot and half naked the kids would scour the dump site looking for anything that could be resold as a recyclable. If their economic usefulness waned, the lucky ones were abandoned while the not so fortunate we're sold into the sex trade.
The dump has since been relocated to another area of the city. It is less visible to the outside world because the government did not like the world knowing about their "children of the dump." Yet these children still exist hidden away, out of site.
The former dump is about 1 km from the orphanage. Though covered, the methane it produces has burned and will continue to burn for many years.
Our Clinic Today
Another Extraction for Jamie
I'm told told that our effort today resulted in 396 children being seen. A record number for one day. Fortunately, many were returning patients who only required fluoride, yet 131 patients required extractions. Despite our best efforts, oral hygiene is not well practiced and the Cambodians have an insatiable sweet tooth.
Tomorrow we'll return to this same site to see a few more children who we weren't able to treat today. It will be our last day, our flight leaves tomorrow evening. Already our group is talking about our next volunteer effort. I feel lucky that Jamie introduced me to these trips.
End of the Day
Its a good work which you did. I personally appreciate you.
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