Sunday, August 2, 2009

We Are Here and Doing it.......

Sorry to take so long to put something on the site but we have limited use for adding information from the Orphanage.

We have been busy teaching our craft skill and have been challanged by what we think we Could do and what we can actually Can Do..... but staying present in the Now has been the key...these children are so openly creative and have responded to the new learning of skill faster than we could have imagined and I feel we are not fast enough for them.....

After three weeks of intense teaching and hanging out with all the kids....we had our first real order of product today from a tourist shop owner from Siem Reap.
They ordered $280 US worth of product....the kids will be busy.But it was a great experience and trial for them in them over the next few weeks to complete the order. We also have two tour groups coming to see how well and happy the HIV kids are living with the Non HIV kids.....a very positive childrens community.

So we have taken 3 days away from the orphanage to let them make products on their own.

So stay tuned to the next post about how they did........

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How this Journey Began

Fund Raising Journey 2008 / 2009

Hi My Name is Fiona,
I am ‘FEEBS’ Paua flowers & Flowers For Cambodia NZ ’
In August 2007 after reading an article in the Readers Digest NZ I created and followed a great opportunity to visit Project Wat Opot in the Takeo Provence Cambodia.
Whilst there I was so inspired by what they were trying achieving there I knew I had to return to help with what skills I had, and to share them with them.

To my knowledge Project Wat Opot up until January 2007 was an orphanage for children, some of whom were dying from the HIV virus. For 8 years prior to 2007 Wat Opot saw many of the children and some of their parents succumb to the virus.

January 2007 brought a new trail medication which then gave an opportunity for for the children to have prolonged life. Project Wat Opot was faced with a new challenge with the children that were HIV positive, it was impossible for them to return to a normal community. Discrimination and Stigma.
They have now changed their status as an orphanage to a ‘Community’ with a vision to be completely self sufficient.
They are doing this by welcoming the learning of any trades that can offer them the potential to bring money and to learn a trade that can help support their community.

The Trade that I can teach them is jewellery making for the commercial market of which I have a vast range of experience in this field.

What I am aiming to achieve in my time there in July 2009 is not only to teach them techniques of the jewellery trade but to look at their own resources and help develop some products that can make and will be sellable to the rapidly growing tourist trade.

I now have another passionate person joining me in going to Project Wat Opot . Marijke Lups is an Arts and Crafts teacher in Chirstchurch New Zealand and is completely and utterly inspired about what is happening at Wat Opot as I was when I first read about Wat Opot.
We fly out for Cambodia from New Zealand on the 13th July 2009 and will be at the project for about 5 weeks. While there we will be teaching our skills of Art and crafts and how to be creativily resourceful with what resources they have to make some stunning jewelly and Craft products.

Follow my journey with Wat Opot ...read the posts I have added below to keep you updated.
Check out their Wat Opot's new website and be inspired yourself
http://www.watopot.org/