NEWSLETTER JUNE 2011

Hi Everyone,

GREAT NEWS.  On 6th June we received our official approval as a registered Association in Cambodia.  The submission was handed in on 26th July, 2009, so after 22 months the official paperwork has finally surfaced!!  Nothing much will change on a day-to-day basis as we had verbal approval but a lot will change fundraising wise.  Government approval will enable us to apply for small grants to help set up new programmes eg security for young girls to travel home from class after 8.00pm; wages for a Khmer teacher to teach Khmer reading and writing to the villagers.  All sorts of small projects like these.  It will also enable us to officially fundraise for the building of the new school house and to approach organizations like Rotary in Phnom Penh for donations towards the various schools.  All of this will take time of course but at least we now have the official backing to do this.  So, if anyone out there would like to organize any fundraising events for Kep Gardens please let me know and I will scan and email the official paperwork to you.

Our first big fundraising push is raising funds for the two classroom schoolhouse and separate library/activity centre.  Our target is $25,000 which incorporates the $6,000 quote we have to bring a 20 cubic metre container from Adelaide to Kep Gardens.  It will cost almost as much to get it 100 odd kilometres from Sihanoukville to Kep Gardens as it will to come from Adelaide to Cambodia!  This container is full of library books, school resources for the children and teacher resources all kindly donated by friends in Australia before I left to live here.  It has been stored all this time but without Association approval we could not chance shipping it as once it reached Cambodia they could have charged whatever they felt like to release the container and we weren't willing to take the risk.  We will still check at the Sihanoukville port, brandishing our paperwork, before we ship it from Adelaide.

Good news also for the boat.  We had to move the boat to Kampot so that it would be sheltered in the river during the rainy season and not out on the sea being battered around.  We have done this every year.  In doing this we had a few enquiries for cruises but as Kep (once again) had given us verbal approval but not official paperwork approval to run the boat we were unable to do so out of another port.  A friend of Andrew's arranged for us to meet the Kampot Governor and his wife and he gave us approval and told his office to get the paperwork sorted out.  He even came out and visited the boat one day.  This was great but it still took over 8 weeks for this official approval to come through and meanwhile the weather was deteriorating.  Anyway we now have the official boat papers and these papers are valid for any port in Cambodia.  We also have the tourism licence, business licence, captain's licence, boat log book, you name it, we've got it.  So things are looking up.  Not many tourists around now so we have decided to batten down the hatches until October.  We are planning our schedule for the coming tourist season and will run some days out of Kep around the islands and some days in Kampot down the river, running a service between Kep and Kampot as we move to each place to run the daily cruises.  We have had a few enquiries from travel agencies in Phnom Penh wanting to incorporate a private cruise in their itineraries.  This is promising so we are looking forward to a profitable tourist season to get some cash flowing into Kep Gardens.  Everyone really enjoyed themselves on the few cruises and charters we did do including swimming off the boat and visiting islands.  Also they were really good learning experiences for us and the staff to get our routines together so we are ready are raring to go in October.

Kimsy greeting guests at the boat

Borith painted this behind the bar.  Unfortunately, he didn't quite get the Southern Cross right.  He checked the flying flag but obviously the concept of a cross didn't sink in but he got the 5 stars.  A job for over the rainy season to change it.  I like the kangaroo drinking a beer though and the green and gold colours in the background.

We can seat 28 passengers comfortably

Another very positive thing that has happened is that a video is being made of Kep Gardens.  A couple from England visited one day and emailed us a couple of weeks later offering to do a promotional video.  They do this type of work in England.  They interviewed many of the staff and students with their parents at all different venues, interviewed us, took video of the farm and the boat and the main theme was something like "How Kep Gardens has made a difference to their lives".  All in all, they took 14 hours of video.  They are going to make a 3-5 minute film for Utube which we can connect to our website and also a documentary type film lasting maybe ½ an hour, maybe shorter maybe longer, depending on how much good footage they collected.  They have a huge job ahead of them.  They have acquired the services of a Cambodian translator in England so things are starting to roll.  I can hardly wait to see it as I was not present at the majority of the interviews and am interested to know what the people said.  This video will help with fundraising as we can show people the benefits of our project and what we have actually done instead of just reading about it. 

So thanks very much Jo and Stu we really appreciate your support.  It never ceases to amaze me how people that you don't know, that come from all over the world, have travelled extensively in 3rd world countries and seen many projects running, believe in what we are doing and are so kind to give of their time and, in this case, money for film etc to do something to help.  It strengthens my belief that we are on the right track.

We have had another edition to our cat family recently, another 5 kittens born to one of the first litters of the matriarch cat.  Thankfully we do not have any trouble finding homes for them.  The last two were fit and healthy and students took them.  I am expecting the same will happen with these 5 once they are old enough to leave.  At least I hope so!!

Also have another two geese, white ones this time so that makes four and the chickens are producing a few chicks too.   We have 29 chicks.

I keep trying to get some pictures of the small chicks but they won't stand still for long enough or else they hide behind their mums and they sit on them.  We have built a new house for the geese in the chicken area so they won't have to sleep in the pouring rain in the rainy season.

Geese quarters

We also erected a potting shed, using up all the bits and pieces of material we had left over from other jobs and using old concrete pipes for water storage near the potting shed and future veggie garden.

Potting shed - have to put shade cloth around the sides yet and build some shelves and tables

We recently laid a concrete floor in the tool shed and the tractor shed as the water during the rainy season used to flood through both rooms.  We filled in the front of the tractor shed to make it into a room which is used as an office and also has enough room for a bed or two if we have any visitors over the rainy season.  Dry season no worries as its lovely to sleep outside.

April saw the half year exams, the end of term parties, Khmer New Year and two weeks holiday.  A busy month!  The kids love exams.  They roll up hours early, usually put on their best clothes and don't seem to worry if they can do it or not.  They are anxious for their results and all in all have a good time.  I can't understand it myself as I remember all the stress around exam time.  The parties are a great hit.  They love the 3 legged races, the rice bag races and throwing a balloon filled with water.  The smiles and laughter on their faces as they race down the driveway fall over laughing and get up to have another go are a joy to see.  I didn't take any photos as I was so busy I forgot all about it until it was too late. 

Khmer New Year is a huge event in this country.  The whole country virtually stops for two weeks!  I didn't participate much locally this year as I went to Kampot for a few days to have a break although I did mark all the papers while I was there.  The second week of the holidays I went to Phnom Penh for a couple of days as I had to renew my visa.  So I had a few days break away and now we are back to the daily routine.

The girl on the left, Kimhim, her mother died recently leaving 3 young girls behind.

Phanna, one of our younger students.  Quite a bright little boy and he loves the songs.

I love listening to them chattering away to themselves as they look at pictures in books

Andrew has been very busy organizing lots of little jobs for the staff at Kep Gardens to do to bring in some income.  Things like looking after a person's property once a month, gardening, keeping it neat and tidy; some maintenance, repainting etc on the same property; some handyman type jobs at a couple of restaurants. He is also working for the next two weeks at a sock factory in Phnom Penh, helping them set up the new machinery and design the factory floor.  We had to do this to keep some money flowing into Kep Gardens during the off season while we were waiting for our approval.  But it is probably something we will have to do every year as the boat will always be laid up for 5-6 months although hopefully it will be successful enough to provide enough income for the whole year to support and feed the people at Kep Gardens.   

Andrew went to Phnom Penh to the Australian Embassy for Anzac Day.  A BIG day apparently starting at 4.00am.  I couldn't go as it was the first day of school.  I must remember that for next year when I set the term dates!!

We are both very skinny but feel great.  Just the boring rice diet I think.

We had a bit of excitement one night a couple of weeks ago.  Three of the Upper student girls ride their bikes to school together.  Just before class one of them said she had a sick stomach and needed to go the toilet but was too embarrassed to use our toilet so she headed off into the jungle across the road.  About 10 minutes later one of her friends was concerned about her so all the class went across the road and walked through the jungle calling for her but we couldn't find her anywhere.  It was pitch black by this time.  We called her parents in case she had gone home.  Her bag and phone were still in the classroom.  They came out and looked and of course, started to get really worried.  They were burning incense and talking to the monk who is one of our students.  They called the police and by this time there were about 50 people all milling around.  Some went back to the market to collect 5 car batteries to work some lights to shine.  Meanwhile Andrew searched all the grounds of Kep Gardens and went down the road to a deserted building to check that out.  At about 2 minutes to 8.00 pm, just before the end of class, a moto came around the bend and who should be on the back but this girl.  A friend had picked her up and they had headed off to Kep, returning just in time for her to ride home with her friends as if she had been in class all the time.  You can imagine the look on her face when she saw her parents and the police and all these people.  Her father yelled at her and one of the police really got stuck into her verbally and the next thing I know she is apologizing to Andrew and me.  We were just relieved that she was safe.  Typical teenage prank so kids are no different the world over regardless of their socio economic backgrounds.  She is the youngest of 6 girls and of course all her sisters and their husbands and kids were there as well.  I don't think she will be doing that again in a hurry.

Sopheak and his bride, Sothey

The photo above is of Sopheak's wedding in early April.  Sopheak is one of our hospitality students.  All members of Kep Gardens were there and it was a great night.  It was like a family outing as we took up almost 3 tables.  As Sopheak is well liked by all at Kep Gardens everyone was in a bright mood, happy for him.   

Sothea has another job in Phnom Penh.  It is with an NGO Empowering Youth in Cambodia.  He is doing similar work to what he was doing at Kep Gardens but this time instead of in a rural community he is in the slums of Phnom Penh.  We are very happy for him as the whole concept of Kep Gardens is to train people so they can take the next step up and improve their situation.  Without his experience at Kep Gardens he would never have been able to even apply for such a job.  He has been with us for 4 years and needed a change.  He also wanted the experience of living in Phnom Penh and enjoying the night life as he has always lived and attended University in the countryside.  So he is very happy.  One of our hospitality students has really stepped up and taken over organizing staff and translating for us.  He has done this off his own back and quite surprised us actually as he is rather quiet and always stayed in the background but was obviously taking in all Sothea used to do and learning from him.  We will always stay in contact with Sothea as he regards us as part of his family, in fact he has left all of his stuff here for us to store for him but we are very happy for him although I do miss him at times.

Got invited to a meeting this morning for a Child Labour Free Cambodia by 2016.  A lot of children that they had targeted from local schools were there and I was surprised to see ½ a dozen or so of our younger students.  Apparently, over 2,500 children in Kep are working when they are supposed to be at school.  Not only working but working in unsuitable occupations for their age.  Kep Province only has a population of roughly 30,000.  Now we are an Association they want us to join with other Associations and NGOs in the area to attend the meetings and come up with ideas of how to achieve this.  Took 2 years to give approval but only 2 days to invite us to help them with something!!!!  Actually, we have been doing this for over 2 years as both Nieu and Sreynun that live here would be working if they didn't live here.  As I said last newsletter we were already thinking of expanding this part of Kep Gardens and being part of the whole business with the Dept of Labour will give us names of children to help.    Run out of room.  Hope all is well with you all.            Janine and Andrew