A Journey towards helping the children at........
Wat Opot Children's Community Cambodia.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Together We Learn - A product of their own.
By the end of the first week, an idea for a jewellery product for Wat Opot to develop had come to light. So without much delay we got some of the children who were showing keen interest to start working on producing a sample. I thought wood would be a great material for what they were to create but was quickly advised that it would perhaps be too costly and time consuming to obtain... but there was lots of bamboo that could be worked with. So when in Rome as the saying goes... I quickly adapted to the idea of working with bamboo. The hand drills that were donated, as well as the drill bits, all came into action. Showing the boys who were there to learn was an interesting time for me... at one stage I stopped to laugh at the thought I was having: How did I become a woodwork teacher?... I ended up with a few drill cuts on my fingers and thumbs from holding the cut bamboo pieces that the boys were learning to drill on. So after about my third to forth cut I decided that it was time for the children to help each other and hold the bamboo pieces while they learned drilling.
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/
me... at one stage I stopped to laugh at the thought I was having: How did I become a woodwork teacher?... I ended up with a few drill cuts on my fingers and thumbs from holding the cut bamboo pieces that the boys were learning to drill on. So after about my third to forth cut I decided that it was time for the children to help each other and hold the bamboo pieces while they learned drilling.
No comments:
Post a Comment