The adventure of a lifetime

I have recently signed up for ActionAid’s sponsor a child programme. I had a moment the other week where I thought of how privileged we are in the West and how much money, food, resources we simply just waste. I have been involved with charity work for years now trying to make a difference.
So it works out at 50p a day to help change someones life and in fact the community.

Here is my sponsored child from Cambodia called Malai Bo. My aim is to cycle over and to meet her and her family.

Malai Bo lives in Kratie Province, in the North East of Cambodia. She was born in 1998 and she is one of a family of 5 children. Malai and her family are Buddhist and the speak Khmer. The family home is made of bamboo and grass thatch. Most homes in the area are built on stilts because the space underneath can be used to protect stored goods from rain and also somewhere to keep the cow during the night or during the rainy season. Most people stay under the house during the day, because the climate is tropical and the weather is hot, and only stay in teh house at night.

Many families, like Malai’s, rely on argiculture, and they own a small patch of land. Most of the farmland lies along the Mekong River. The main crop is rice, sometimes accompanied by beans and corn. Fishing is also a main source of livelihood. The stable diet is Prohok (salty fish) and occasionally crab, chicken and vegetables. Most people struggle to grow enough crops to feed their family for the whole year.

Education is available but many children drop out to help their parents at home, especially girls. this leads to low literacy rates of 31% – over half of these being women. Malai is fortunate and goes to the local state school where she is learning to read and write.

Water is collected from the river and ponds for drinking and bathing. This water is unsafe to drink and diarrhoaea is common. Other illnesses suffered in this area include malaria and typhoid. There are only three basic health centres in the district and many people have to walk over 15km to reach them. Women reply on traditional birth attendants who are untrained and unreliable.

ActionAid is working in partnership with a local organisation called Community Economic Development (CED). Together we will work with communities in Kratie to improve access to food, water, education and healthcare. Families will also be supported to improve their livelihoods. With your support, we can give children like Malai a better future.

I will continue to update the letters I get from Malai Bo. 50p a day is nothing to us..

BOLLOCKS TO POVERTY!!!!!!!!

Tags: Action Aid, charity