Setting Up the Craft Room 2010

Liark and myself painting the window frames
The very helpful Monk!!!

One of our special helpers was one of the Buddist Monks from the Wat next door to the Childrens Community. I first saw him standing outside and watching the children painting.....he lingered for just a few minutes and then the next thing I know he is standing in the room and studying how Melinda and myself were painting the window frames. I managed to catch his eye and smile at him. Well ....that's all it took...it appeared. In a flash this monk grab a paint brush and a paint tin lid with a large blob of paint on it...and started painting the window frames.

He stayed with us for maybe 1 hour and then made his leave. Melinda and I were grinning from ear to ear.....as you rarely see the Monks out of the Wat let alone mucking in and helping......Wow we felt privileged.

The children that came into help ...fairly much came and went when they wanted ............but they did a great job of getting the paint onto the wall and window frames ( with the creativity of sometimes painting the floor with splats here and there).




The sewing machines were in Bad state of affairs.....and after picking the ones with the most remaining parts on them ......I manage to arrange for my Cambodian friend from Opot village ...to take me to see the sewing repair man or people. So in her truck we went and just 10 minutes trip away we arrived to the family who fixes sewing machines. We arranged to get them to come out to Wat Opot to fix the 4 machines and 1 overlocker that I had choosen to be rescued.
And low and bold they turned up the very next day and with out consultation ....inspected them and promptly took them away. I arrived at the room to see the machines (not their tables) being carted off on the back of a moto trailer, not sure if they were ever to be seen again. Hmmm
But the very next day they were brought back to us, all restored to their former Glory. $58 US dollars was the repair price..........which of course I paid and thought it was a good deal......Now to find a sewing teacher??????


I aimed to make part of the craft room into a shop area. This is where the jewellery that the children make for sale can be displayed. So after rescuing some fixtures that I was able to use for this area.....I arranged for Peeip the handy man to make up 2 large display boards that were free standing and could be used either side if required. So Peeip sent me off on another adventure to the main town of Bati. With Arun's help again and her trusty Toyota truck!! we set off to go see the wood man.......we ended up going to two wood men to see if we could get a good price for the wood but it turned out that when a Westerner is standing there prices seems to be high. So $89 US dollars later we had all the wood and Bamboo matting that Peeip requested and I also managed to pick up some plastic baskets for Beads and Materials and 2 lock up tins and some floor mats ( that are really Cambodian sleeping mats)...so I did bring in an element of Western world by putting them on the floor for when the little kids
were playing with beads on them.

We were ready to start!!! Let the beads be free and the children come forth.................and believe me they did!!!!!

First Week At Wat Opot 2010

On My Arrival I spotted Wayne Mattyse Founder and Director of the children's communinty.

He was over in an area that was being worked on. Upgraded living quaters for Adults with HIV living in the community and helping with the everyday running of it.

It was great to see Wayne again and he seemed in a motivated spirit.

Wayne filled me in on the progression of the Jewellery project from last years beginnings and on some of the areas it fell down it, also the state of it at that point.

He explained that after the tempory project manager, who had been appointed to help it along, had left just two months earlier...all the tools and materials that were left were put into a locked cupboard awaiting my return. He also explained to me that the project manager had become such a perfectionist around the product being made that she had become very stricked on the children to make the jewellery perfect...hence the children no longer enjoyed the process of what they were apart of.
Wayne also advised me that the jewellery project had got moved from one space to another a fair bit...due to the changing needs of the Childrens Community.

So with this information all registered into my brain, I was now able to look at what was needing to be done to reignite interest in this craft project.

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First I located all the tools and Materials and then I then discussed and negotiated with Wayne for a new space to set up the project again. Wayne happily came to the party for me and allocated a rather spacious room to be of use...........the only catch was that it would be one week before I could get into this space to set it up.......as One of the woman living with HIV was using it as her sleeping quarters until her newly made one was being completed. Who was I to be the westerner and start being demanding........

But I found that this was going to turn out to be a week of reconnecting, not only with the children but some key people I felt guided to talk to.
I also used the time to formulate what was needed to be done to the room to personalise it and make it into a space where it not only could be used as a space for Jewellery Making, a shop for selling the product made to visiting volunteers .......................but a space that was somewhere the children could come to try their hands at any crafts that volunteers would like to teach at a given time.



I looked at the room provided with a Cambodian friend and we both agreed that a new color of paint was needed to brighten up the room...also I felt it would give the craft room an identity of its own and less likely that it would be moved.......but we'll see.
With monies I had raised from fund raising efforts back in Christchurch.
I purchased 4 litres of white paint, 6 tins of tint and paint brushes and a roller for the children who wanted to help with this activity. So by the end of week 1 of 2010's visit we started preparing the room for painting. It started off with just me and Peeip the empolyed handy man and one of the boys who he recruited and within just a couple of hours I had the wonderfully helpful and enthusiastic volunteer Melinda and many of the children were showing interest in what was going on in this room.




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Getting back to the Jewellery Project 2010

I had just boarded my flight from Auckland to Bangkok...............not only feeling very shattered by experiencing sleep deprivation from the 7.1 Earth Quake that hit the Canterbury region two weeks earlier.....I was excited and nervous as what to find with the jewellery project I had started and nurtured into fruition back in July / August 2009. Here I was off back to The very community that has seemed to have captured my heart and my attention to want me to help them in the best ways that I can.
I arrive in Phnom Penh to the familiar sights and smells of a city with many people in it, many in poverty, especially comparison to the poor of New Zealand. Hundreds of people riding or being transported by the Moto or Tuk Tuk to work or school. Trucks with the back try crammed full of people going to work in the garment factories.

I am picked up from the airport from the driver I try to use when in Phnom Penh. Mr Sok. Its good to employ Sok for a few hours , as he has good english I am able to pick up any supplies needed for the Jewellery Craft Project before heading off to Wat Opot.
I have 2 days in Phnom Penh to get the supplies and try and get over any jet lag etc before my stay with the children.

Mr Sok was able to help me locate a place where I was able to buy rolls of copper wire. Cambodia is a place that uses all the resorces they have to create new resources. The place I was taken to, was a place where they pulled apart or rebuild electrical items....these items having cooper wire in them is handy for my needs. So after some pigeon discussion and good translation of Sok I was able to buy 2.5 kilos of various sizes and lengths of copper wire. Only $38 US dollars.......

I also had Sok take me to where there are Art Supplies and Paper. I wanted to get some supplies of Art pencils , acrylic paints and the likes for the Art students at the Childrens community.

Like wise I got Sok to take me to the russian market to see if I could get some sand papers etc for the Jewellery project.

The morning of Day 3 in Phnom Penh I headed for Wat Opot Community.

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.

FOUR CORNERS (NZ)

The Lastest Business to come on board with Donate a bead is Four Corners (NZ) in September 2010.

Four Corners (NZ) is a New Zealand owned local business, run out of Christchurch. They specialize in importing and wholesaling fashion Jewellery around New Zealand.

Four Corners has set the wheel in motion to support the Donate A Bead Campaign by promoting the project through their established client base. They are asking their customers to donate any unwanted beads, to go to supplying Wat Opots Childrens community with more beading resources which in turn the children make product to sell to the local tourist market and therefore more income for their Education and the orphanages daily expenses for the 79 children that may live there at any one time.


On Fiona Newsomes most recent trip back to the childrens community in September 2010, to assist with the next stage of the project, she was donated 11 kilos of beads by Four Corners (NZ) for the WatOpot Childrens community.

see http://www.fourcornersnz.co.nz for more information

Thank You !! Biba for your kind support with Donate a Bead campaign.

DONATE A BEAD

Hi and Welcome to 'DONATE A BEAD' New Zealand.

What is Donate A Bead: This is where you can donate your old beads, necklaces to a good cause. Wat Opot Childrens Community Cambodia.


Donate A Bead was started by Fiona Newsome at the end of 2007. The company The Bead Shop Christchurch New Zealand was the first to come on board, and it gave people the chance to donate their old Beads or purchase beads for donation to the Jewellery making project of Wat Opot Takeo Provence Cambodia. In July / August 2009 Fiona went to Wat Opot Childrens community to set up the jewellery project. With Donate A Bead she was able to Take with her 25 kgs of Beads alone. Since then The children of Wat Opot have made and sold to the local tourists market and earned themselves $1500 US dollars. The retailing NGO Rajana has been stocking product made by the children of the Wat opots Childens Community and to date September 2010 is still sell it.

Donate A Bead has also been contributored to by the following groups and businesses.

The Bead Shop .....................Christchurch, Dunedin, Queenstown shops 2007, 2008, 2009

Nelson Bead Gallery................... 2008, 2009

Womans Inner Wheel........... Avonhead & Rangiora 2009

Hands......................................Christchurch 2009

Many personal donations from the Christchurch region and Diamond Harbour.

The newest Business to come on board is Four Corners NZ Ltd for September 2010.

For any businesses or individuals wanting to be part of this then please email Fiona in the first instance feebs@clear.net.nz and she will be able to advise you where the Beads can be sent....

All beads and old bead jewellery accepted as every bit of the resouce can be used to craft a new product.

So check the cupboards and jewellery boxes and craft rooms for all the unwanted beads or beading craft supplies and Donate it today!!

Raffel 2 July Results

Hi Everyone sorry for the delay of posting the results of the winners for the fund raising Raffel.

My excuse: I have been so bogged with work I some how felt I had already posted the results and now realise my error.

First Prize was number 22 Miss B Bedi from Sumner Christchurch

Second Prize was number 16 J Radford Christchurch

Third Prize was number 33 L Coles from Hornby Christchurch

All winners have been notified.


I would like to thank Tim Whelan from Lone Star Cafe Christchurch for supplying some of the prizes for this raffel.

And I would also like to thank from all my heart all the people who helped promote and sell this Fund raising raffel to help me help at Wat Opot Childrens Community, as your support has been so valuable.

$500 dollars was raised from this fund raising campaign.

Thank you to all of you who contributed your support financial or time.

Love Fiona