Below you have an account of a working holiday in Cambodia
Still coming up....nature walk and jokes evening.
miércoles, 22 de septiembre de 2010
domingo, 19 de septiembre de 2010
martes, 14 de septiembre de 2010
Pour un Sourire d’Enfant from Patricia Muñoz King
Many years ago, in 1992 while working in Cambodia, Christian des Pallières was curious to know more about the young child who begged for scraps in the street. Some time later a child showed him where he lived with his family. He was led to the city dump outside Phnom Penh. There he was shocked to see so many families living on the dump in huts in terrible conditions with their children scavenging in the waste.
By talking to the children he learnt that what they really needed... what they really wanted was one meal a day. He started there by bringing cooked food to the dump.
Another dream was to rest, as the children were sent to work all day and all night in the dump to eke out a living for their families. Another wish was to learn to read and write.
Over time these dreams and wishes have come true for many children of Cambodia. The schools he has built are testimony to how we can make a difference.
The work of des Pallières is a real story of perseverence.
Firsthand experience
I have spent 5 weeks in Cambodia, helping run the summer camp of the schools created by the NGO For the Smile of a Child (PSE). This summer camp is just a small part of the work that is done during the school year.
It was such an amazing experience! There are several schools of PSE around the country of Cambodia, next to the dumpsites usually, to facilitate the access of the children working there. I was helping out in the school of Phnom Penh, but during the weekends visited other schools.
We went to see the old dumpsite in Phnom Penh, there is no rubbish brought into it anymore, there is a new dump site that has been fenced to avoid “voyeurs”. The people that live next to the old dumpsite now have to spend part of their meager salary to travel to the new dump.
We also visited the dumpsite in Sieam Rep, the smell was unbearable, yet the people have built their houses on the rubbish itself! By talking to the children he learnt that what they really needed... what they really wanted was one meal a day. He started there by bringing cooked food to the dump.
Another dream was to rest, as the children were sent to work all day and all night in the dump to eke out a living for their families. Another wish was to learn to read and write.
Over time these dreams and wishes have come true for many children of Cambodia. The schools he has built are testimony to how we can make a difference.The work of des Pallières is a real story of perseverence.
Firsthand experience
I have spent 5 weeks in Cambodia, helping run the summer camp of the schools created by the NGO For the Smile of a Child (PSE). This summer camp is just a small part of the work that is done during the school year.
It was such an amazing experience! There are several schools of PSE around the country of Cambodia, next to the dumpsites usually, to facilitate the access of the children working there. I was helping out in the school of Phnom Penh, but during the weekends visited other schools.
The worst part is not the housing setting; the worst part is that many kids are forced to work day and night in terrible conditions, under the 40 degree sun, with hardly anything to take to their mouths, to earn 20 cents to bring back home.
During the week we would stay in the Phnom Penh school, teachers are on holiday in August, so volunteers are requested to help out in running a summer camp, preparing lessons, games and activities for those same kids (music, baseball, journal, water games...)
1300 children per day! We were not expecting so many! But managed to send them all to shower, give them breakfast, make them laugh, learn and enjoy the activities, give them lunch (and a snack between the classes) and send them to siesta.
Of course we had the help of Khmer instructors that were translating and running the activities with us. These instructors, my age, had also been kids of the dumpsite, now they are studying bachelor degrees; gardening, secretarial school, mechanics, and even medicine or law, and have a summer job as instructors.
Every day we were getting better and better in our classes, but the heat, the food, the fatigue and the mosquitoes were making us tired at the same time. However the smiles of those kids made worth the effort. Waking up at 6 in the morning was hard, but when you see the smiles in the kids face when they arrive to school you find energy again.
Some children that have had a specially troubled life (mistreated, abused by their parents) are taken intern in the school, they live there. We would have dinner with them and keep them company in the evening and during their prayer. The prayer was the most relaxing part of the day. Buddhist and Christian children requested to be able to pray together, their thoughts were, "if we live together, study together, why do we have to pray separately? We are a family". So now you can sit and listen to Buddhist songs and Christian prayers in the same ceremony. Dosen’t that teach the world something?
There is a relatively new class adapted for handicapped children in the school, if conditions are harsh for children you can imagine how it is for handicapped kids, with parents with little resources.
There is a relatively new class adapted for handicapped children in the school, if conditions are harsh for children you can imagine how it is for handicapped kids, with parents with little resources.
When we walk around the city the children wave their hands at us and ask us in a very lyrical English “Hello, what is your name?” “Hello, what is your name?” everyday we hear it hurndreds of times. People smile very easily. They don´t have much but they enjoy what they have.
They love when we speak our broken Khmer when we walk through the market. And many say "Spain, world champions", and are curious to know more about our lives in Europe.
It has been amazing to be able to be close to those people, the Kmher instructors specially as they were our door to communication and the example for their parents and younger brothers, they managed to catch up in school thanks to the teaching methods of the NGO where they have the possibility to do 2 grades per year. Some of the instructors were telling us how they didn´t know how to write or read 6 years ago, and now they not only write and read Kmher but English or French too.
Some days in class I would act mute, I would use only gestures to communicate, it made the classes very peaceful and the kids very interested. Other times I would sing and shout then they would laugh and play with a lot of energy. You discover therefore other ways of communication. One of the things I learned is to listen, even when you don´t understand, because eventually, one way or another you will :)
I would like to thank PSE for welcoming us and looking after us, and thank them for the impressive work they are doing.
I´d like to thank all of you that helped me bring my bag full of toys and medicines to Cambodia (Esther Muñoz, Janice Richardson, Paul Gerhard, Alexa Joyce, Maria & Leticia Pérez, Teresa Bertamino, Marie Le Boniec, Stephane Chaudrone and many more)
And thank Biddy for this space and for her positive energy.
Lastly I encourage everyone to take a look at the website of the organisation, because I can guarantee that not a penny is misused. It´s all used for the smile of a child :)
Pour un Sourire d'Enfant
They love when we speak our broken Khmer when we walk through the market. And many say "Spain, world champions", and are curious to know more about our lives in Europe.
It has been amazing to be able to be close to those people, the Kmher instructors specially as they were our door to communication and the example for their parents and younger brothers, they managed to catch up in school thanks to the teaching methods of the NGO where they have the possibility to do 2 grades per year. Some of the instructors were telling us how they didn´t know how to write or read 6 years ago, and now they not only write and read Kmher but English or French too.
Some days in class I would act mute, I would use only gestures to communicate, it made the classes very peaceful and the kids very interested. Other times I would sing and shout then they would laugh and play with a lot of energy. You discover therefore other ways of communication. One of the things I learned is to listen, even when you don´t understand, because eventually, one way or another you will :)
I would like to thank PSE for welcoming us and looking after us, and thank them for the impressive work they are doing.
And thank Biddy for this space and for her positive energy.
Lastly I encourage everyone to take a look at the website of the organisation, because I can guarantee that not a penny is misused. It´s all used for the smile of a child :)
Pour un Sourire d'Enfant
domingo, 1 de agosto de 2010
NEWSROUND
Hello and welcome!!!
Firstly, we have, at last, accessed our account and will soon be in contact with all members of the association to formalize their inscription.
Many many thanks for joining this initiative!
Secondly, as there is very little activity on the blog this hot hot summer Patricia will be sending us letters from Cambodia to tell us about her working holiday there. She is working with her friend Patri Lo for a French NGO that has schools for children who otherwise would spend their days looking for food in the rubbish dumps
In summer other volunteers from Spain and other countries take care of the children so that they don't drift back to a life of scavenging for food.
And of course the next activity we are all looking forward to will be a nature walk in September where we will walk and talk about anything we like.
Also we still hope to have a jokes evening. Another simple experiment. All we need is a venue and for everyone to come and tell us a joke in English. Hee hee hee!
Firstly, we have, at last, accessed our account and will soon be in contact with all members of the association to formalize their inscription.
Many many thanks for joining this initiative!
Secondly, as there is very little activity on the blog this hot hot summer Patricia will be sending us letters from Cambodia to tell us about her working holiday there. She is working with her friend Patri Lo for a French NGO that has schools for children who otherwise would spend their days looking for food in the rubbish dumps
In summer other volunteers from Spain and other countries take care of the children so that they don't drift back to a life of scavenging for food.
And of course the next activity we are all looking forward to will be a nature walk in September where we will walk and talk about anything we like.
Also we still hope to have a jokes evening. Another simple experiment. All we need is a venue and for everyone to come and tell us a joke in English. Hee hee hee!
viernes, 2 de julio de 2010
Important Notice!
You can download and read the children’s stories by clicking on the right of this page
jueves, 1 de julio de 2010
Juegos de patio
On Saturday 19th June la Asociación Educativa Oscar Wilde (ASEDOW) and la Asociación de madres y padres (AMPA) del CP Antonio Buero Vallejo invited children between the ages of 9 and 12 to a Sports day and Prize giving event in the school playground.
.... 
This was the itinerary:
11.00h: --- Welcome speech and some warm up exercises
.... 
11.30h: --- Playground games circuit: Skipping rope games , Lifeboats, Queenio, 12.3 Red Lights, Dodge the ball.
.... 
12.30h: --- Fun Races: Egg and spoon race , three legged race, cheese rolling race
.... 
13.30h: --- Prize giving and farewells
.... 
How did it go?
The children really enjoyed this informal contact with our traditional Sports Day.
This was only possible thanks to the help and goodwill of all the people involved
-- La AMPA del Colegio Público Buero Vallejo San Sebastián de los Reyes for the use of the playground, distribution of information and refreshments.
-- All the monitors and helpers: Jane, Patri, Manu, Jesús, Victor, Eva and Nicole.
-- Booksellers and Bilingual readers who donated the prizes for the Story Competition.
-- The seventeen children who participated this year.
ASEDOW will continue to organize fun activities each month to bring you close to the English speaking world.
We can only do so if we increase our membership. See details on the right.
.... 
This was the itinerary:
11.00h: --- Welcome speech and some warm up exercises
.... 
11.30h: --- Playground games circuit: Skipping rope games , Lifeboats, Queenio, 12.3 Red Lights, Dodge the ball.
.... 
BREAK
12.30h: --- Fun Races: Egg and spoon race , three legged race, cheese rolling race
.... 
13.30h: --- Prize giving and farewells
.... 
This was also an occasion to hand out the prizes for the
Story Writing Competition.
.... 
.... 
How did it go?
The children really enjoyed this informal contact with our traditional Sports Day.
This was only possible thanks to the help and goodwill of all the people involved
-- La AMPA del Colegio Público Buero Vallejo San Sebastián de los Reyes for the use of the playground, distribution of information and refreshments.
-- All the monitors and helpers: Jane, Patri, Manu, Jesús, Victor, Eva and Nicole.
-- Booksellers and Bilingual readers who donated the prizes for the Story Competition.
-- The seventeen children who participated this year.
ASEDOW will continue to organize fun activities each month to bring you close to the English speaking world.
We can only do so if we increase our membership. See details on the right.
jueves, 24 de junio de 2010
And the winners are...
STORY WRITING COMPETITION
First of all a great big thank you to Bilingual Readers and Booksellers for the wonderful books the winners of the story competition received.
The children loved them. These are the prizewinners.
Junior Category
First prize
Ainoa Quirce (prize donated by BILINGUAL READERS)
Second prize (Tie/Empate)
Mario Vila (prize donated by ASEDOW)
Clara, Carolina, Itziar and Cristina (prize donated by BOOKSELLERS)
Senior Category
First Prize
Gonzalo Troncoso (prize donated byBOOKSELLERS)
Second prize (Tie/Empate)
Cristina González (prize donated by BOOKSELLERS)
Daniel Esteban (prize donated by BOOKSELLERS)
The booklet with all the stories is a reward for all the participants.
It is a very special souvenir that all the participants should treasure.
The stories contain the keys to happiness from a child’s point of view.
In ASEDOW we will guard ours very carefully.
First of all a great big thank you to Bilingual Readers and Booksellers for the wonderful books the winners of the story competition received.
The children loved them. These are the prizewinners.
Junior Category
First prize
Ainoa Quirce (prize donated by BILINGUAL READERS)
Second prize (Tie/Empate)
Mario Vila (prize donated by ASEDOW)
Clara, Carolina, Itziar and Cristina (prize donated by BOOKSELLERS)
Senior Category
First Prize
Gonzalo Troncoso (prize donated byBOOKSELLERS)
Second prize (Tie/Empate)
Cristina González (prize donated by BOOKSELLERS)
Daniel Esteban (prize donated by BOOKSELLERS)
The booklet with all the stories is a reward for all the participants.
It is a very special souvenir that all the participants should treasure.
The stories contain the keys to happiness from a child’s point of view.
In ASEDOW we will guard ours very carefully.
viernes, 4 de junio de 2010
miércoles, 2 de junio de 2010
May Pub Quiz
Here are some photos of the pub quiz and the very lucky winners of a hamper from Food Hall.
People are asking, ‘Where did you get those wonderful cookies?’ The address of Food Hall is C/Isla de la Alegranza 6 Nave 38 San Sebastián de los Reyes
People are asking, ‘Where did you get those wonderful cookies?’ The address of Food Hall is C/Isla de la Alegranza 6 Nave 38 San Sebastián de los Reyes
Delicious chocolate bars for second prize winners...The Flyers...the next time we will keep them in a cool box.
The spot prize question:
The kick off match for the World cup will be between South Africa and which other team?
A box of tea for María for guessing correctly...Mexico.
Four teams participated and we will welcome any feedback, criticism etc.
The Flyers
¡CHAOS!
Who knows?
Gerton
And the winners were ¡CHAOS! proving that a combined English/ Spanish team have the best chance of winning!
Many thanks to NUBA and FOOD HALL for their support.
martes, 1 de junio de 2010
First Story Competition
We have winners!
They will be contacted and with their permission the fantastic winning stories will be published on the blog. We hope you enjoy them. Congratulations.
And the prizes will be typical sweets from England and a good book for the runners up.(Second prize)
For the winners, typical sweets from England, a good book and a pen and pencil set to keep on writing good stories. (First prize)
Also we hope to give all participants a booklet with all the stories so that they can proudly remember their contribution to
ASEDOW’S FIRST STORY COMPETITION
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