Monday, December 27, 2010

Trip to Wat Opot 2010

Another year of fundraising went by and before I knew it it was time to book my next visit to help at Wat Opot. This was booked for departure from NZ on the 21st September for a visit of one month.

Earlier in the year 2nd May 2010 I found myself busy not only making and selling Paua Flowers but also undertaking yet another fund raising golf tournament, of which I was able to raise $900. see Golf Tournament Link.

After this was achieved I realise that this kind of fund raising that I had under taken and solely organised myself would take its toll and left me feeling quite exhausted. I put it out there to the big wide universe that......If it was divine and right for me to be doing this work with Wat Opot then it was just simply not possible to be doing this alone. And low and behold it was only just 3 weeks after a supportive article in the Bay Harbour News, for what I am doing with Wat Opot and the Golf Tournament, that I received a phone call from Ronald Rodger from Christchurch Polytech College of Film and Documentary.

Ronald heads this department of Polytech and he said to me that he was very touched by what I was doing for Wat opot in Cambodia that he too felt compelled to help. So after some fundermental conversations it was agreed that he would come to Wat Opot Cambodia during the time I would be there. His mission was not only to film some of what I was doing there with the Craft project but also to Capture Wat Opot childrens community and in doing so hopefully a a special documentary would take shape to share with New Zealand.

So here is 2010's visit back to Wat Opots Children's Community.... Follow the post I put on this for a more indepth understanding of this children's communit, and this time I will share some of the individual children's story's of which I feel privaalged to know and feel heartened to spend time with these children on my visit of 2010.

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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/