The Friends-International team share their stories
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We hope you like it – www.friends-international.org/blog
In this edition of ‘A Day In The Life’ we are introduced to Sakun, production manager of friends@240.
My name is Sakun and I work as the Production Manager for the shop friends@240 in Phnom Penh. Every day I get up at around 7.30am; sometimes I eat breakfast with my family, but if I am in a rush I just grab something on my way to work. I get to the shop for 9am to help set it up the workshop for the day. During the day, I work closely with designers to develop new products and train new staff to make these. We now have a workshop at the Friends-International office as well as behind friends@240, so I often spend much of my time going between the two places to supervise; I have to make sure that staff keep the workshops clean and safe and that orders are fulfilled on time. I also monitor the quality of the stitching and make sure that patterns are placed correctly so that fabric isn’t wasted. I often end up driving between the two workshops many times a day! For lunch, I am often so busy that I just make instant noodles at work.
Three or four days a week I visit factories or markets to source materials. I also have administrative work to do, such as writing reports, coordinating scheduling for the shop and working with our Home Based producers to order the items we need. I find budgeting very difficult as I have never done it before, so I am glad that I have Technical Advisors from the Friends-International office to help me! We have a rolling schedule for evenings, so three days a week I stay at the shop until 7pm, otherwise I leave at around 5pm. In the evenings I like to relax, eating dinner with my family and playing with my daughter, who is 18 months old.
Putchica*, writing a nice field story about our work in Tegucigalpa is not easy…
For four years the CYTI Alliance team has been working closely with two alliance members in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras in Central America. Casa Asti is an NGO working with street living children and youth, and Alternativas Y Oportunidades (AyO) supports children working in markets and living in the poorest communities of the capital. In May 2011, Pauline and I spent three weeks in Tegucigalpa with our two partners.
We wanted to gather fresh news as our last update on the situation on the streets of Tegucigalpa was not very happy – murder rates on the streets had increased.
CYTI Alliance members, Alternativas Y Oportunidades, at work in Honduras
The situation has unfortunately not changed since then: success stories are few, hope is not a word often heard on the Tegucigalpa streets and happy stories are rare.
It is important, in these trying circumstances, to mention the incredibly difficult work our partner Casa Asti is doing and the immense courage of the team. This very small organization is composed of only six staff who work with extremely limited resources but who manage to achieve a lot in this harsh environment. As the Director, Susanna, says “our main enemies are crack, glue and solvents, sadly our second enemies are the faith-based NGOs providing only charity based work. They actually help the kids and young people remain on the streets, giving out clothes and food out of pity instead of supporting them through education, building respect and self-esteem which will help them in moving on and becoming independent”.
Life on the streets is particularly difficult here in Tegucigalpa where 300 to 400 hundred children, youth and young adults, beneficiaries of Casa Asti, have been living on the streets, often for over five or ten years. Living conditions are very harsh. Violence is common in Tegucigalpa and physical and sexual abuse is part of the daily routine for street males and females. Murders are also a common occurrence with an average of 10 to 15 per year amongst the group Casa Asti works with. This year is disturbingly high, with 15 murders committed by the end of April. The team attributes this high rate to crack use and dealing. Street youth are slowly turning blind through drinking locally made alcohol and are losing bodily functions or the ability to speak due to the effects of glue use. 10% to 20% of youth in contact with Casa Asti are HIV positive.
CYTI Alliance members, Alternativas Y Oportunidades, at work in Honduras
The new strategy is aimed at targeting, as much as possible, street mothers with babies and new children and youth arriving on the streets to put maximum effort on new comers who have left (or have been kicked out from) their family before they are irreversibly damaged by street life. The plan requires some initial research in the field to adapt existing activities and tools which the team will then use. The team will continue working to provide basic services to the young people who have been living on the streets for years, supporting the few who manage to make the decision that something can still be done with their lives, when they can still think and use their body. Preventing new kids from falling into the trap of having to endure this life is probably the best thing to do and everyone seems positive with the new ideas that we are now working on. We will continue working with Casa Asti in the coming years. We must also thank them for the great welcome they continue to give us and the chance to share the taste of the rare but great successes of the team.
For more information about the great work Casa Asti is doing and to know more about their activities, achievements and needs please contact Susanna Arrighi: casaasti@yahoo.it
*Putchica: Typical (and not too impolite!) Honduran swearing
CYTI Alliance members, Alternativas Y Oportunidades, at work in Honduras
CYTI Alliance members, Casa Asti, at work in the streets of Honduras
CYTI Alliance members, Alternativas Y Oportunidades, at work in Honduras
CYTI Alliance members, Alternativas Y Oportunidades, at work in Honduras
Pauline with CYTI Alliance members, Alternativas Y Oportunidades, in Honduras
A story by our AYAD volunteer Allan.
I’ve become somewhat of the unofficial photographer for Friends-International. It is an enviable position that allows me to travel and document many of the wonderful happenings of Friends. Several weeks ago I was asked to travel with the Olympic outreach team and take photographs of Mith Samlanh staff working during a routine field visit.
A child hard at work solving a math problem
The Olympic zone surrounds the Phnom Penh Olympic stadium. Built in 1964 the stadium is now the venue for the Cambodian Premier League and (some) international pop acts. During the early evenings the stadium is filled with aerobic music, soccer matches, food vendors and a fine layer of red dust kicked up by those exercising on the rough, dusty track. It all transpires against a beautiful, deep red, setting sun. It is a popular and distinct Phnom Penh landmark.
After travelling through a maze of narrow streets I arrived to find the team settled at the end of a shaded lane. Children and staff were engaged in games and non-formal education tasks while others received minor medical attention. The children were attentive, engaged and seemed very happy. Children worked together to solve math problems while others sat with outreach members working on various educational problems. A council worker sat at a short distance away with a young woman. They spoke quietly and kept to themselves for the majority of time we were in the area.
A happy child after a warm hair wash
At the conclusion of the lessons there were games for the older children while the younger children lined up for a Mith Samlanh hair salon treatment! Squatting in the customary Cambodian crouch, the children bent over a long gutter and waited patiently as fresh water was poured over their hair. This was followed closely by small amounts of brown shampoo. The children scrubbed wildly and called for a fresh rinse when finished. Suds gathered at a nearby drain as the children were rinsed one by one.
Once the children were cleaned and dried they lined for a serving of fresh rolls and fruit. With their bellies filled it was time to say goodbye. The children sang a song which included the lyrics Mith Samlanh (the only lyrics I could decipher) and jumped and clapped about in the shade. Girls combed their newly washed hair as we packed the equipment into the outreach van. The youngest of the children ran after the van as it left while the eldest stood back and waved sucking pieces of ripe mango.
The sweet smell of shampoo filled the air.
Children at play with the outreach team
Children participate in a numbers game
Children at play with the outreach team
Children at play with the outreach team
Children participate in a numbers game
Children during their afternoon hair wash
Children washing their hair in the afternoon heat
Children lining up to sing
Children lining up to sing
A story by our AYAD volunteer Allan.
When I ask Sitrin if I can ride with the Wisebird team to the Andong community a wide grin explodes across his face. He grasps at my hand and shouts “Yes! Of course Allan, of course!”
Sitrin talks loudly and laughs even louder. He is confident, intelligent and has gentleness in his manner that makes him irresistibly likable. He commands the Wisebird bus with great authority and at times laughs so much I’m frightened he’ll run us off the road.
Wisebird is an outreach team (a team regularly visiting youth and families on the streets and communities) providing education on topics such as health, sexual health and migration. Riding in today’s team is Sitrin, Nari and Yoth (pronounced Ute). Sitrin specialises in non-formal education for youth aged 16 to 24 years, Nari specialises in non-formal education for children aged 0 to 16 years while Yoth provides basic medical treatment and advice for youth aged 0 to 24 years. Although the Wisebird team are effectively educators they also work in a number of other areas including family reconciliation and migration.
It’s a hot, dusty ride to Andong. This is my second trip with Sitrin and his team.
Inside the Andong community
My head sinks when I realise she is crying. She paces around the small room before turning away, burying her head in a frayed handkerchief. Sitrin looks at her with wide dark eyes while I sit shell shocked on a rotting stool. I plead with Sitrin to apologise on my behalf which he does in a warm soft voice. Karona (not her real name) quickly regains her composure before, to my utter amazement, answering my question “My daughter died when she was 13 from dengue fever. She died and then we were moved here by government”. Her eyes fill with tears once more.
Andong is a community for displaced peoples situated 25km from Phnom Penh. It is a 3.3 hectare plot of land housing 1554 families. The community was moved in 2006 from Phnom Penh when their land was ‘acquired’ for development.
“Officials would be very rough and push us off our land. Sometimes in the night they would burn our houses. Sometimes bulldozers would start in the early morning. Once the houses were destroyed trucks come to collect us and bring here.”
Karona’s neighbour, a man with a broken leg nods in silent agreement. His cast rests elevated beside me upon a plastic container. Breaking the silence he points to a partially completed two story house across the thoroughfare. Chuckling heartedly he mimics his weightless body falling before hitting the dirt below. A warm breeze gathers dirt and blows it about their homes. We sit awhile watching children drag tin cans along dusty paths. Heat exhausted dogs lay in the dirt drinking from manmade drains.
Sitrin explains that he has brought me deep into the community to see firsthand the work and positive impact of Friends-International. Karona explains how she, with assistance from the Friends home based production program, is able to earn money for herself and her son. Home based production is a training initiative that teaches parents production skills to make items from recycled material which Friends purchase and on sell in their Phnom Penh stores. Karona has been able to earn up to 100,000 riel or USD $25 per week (The average Cambodia monthly wage is $50USD per month - Asean Comparative Wages). through the program. With the money earned she has begun settling the accounts for her daughter’s funeral and building materials for her new home.
While many of the other women in the community commute to Phnom Penh to work in beer gardens, laundromats, karaoke bars or construction Karona is able to stay at home and work while providing stability for her son.
“Many girls leave between 4am and 11am depending on job. They return between 5pm and 11pm while some only return on weekend. To make money in Phnom Penh it is a long distance. I am very happy with home production. I have been doing it for 18 months.”
Nari playing a number game with Andong children
Sitrin and I return to the Wisebird bus parked amongst a small nest of trees. Inside the bus Yoth sits applying alcohol swabs to children’s cuts and sores. Each child receives a soft lolly for bravery and a small bag of vitamins to aid in the healing. Nari sits on a mat in the shade directing a game that looks not too dissimilar to bingo. Surrounded by children eagerly watching, she holds their gaze just for a moment… “Pram!”
A high pitch roar breaks from the young crowd. Everyone breaks into laughter and rolls about on the mat. Sitrin and I join them.
I use it as a chance to forget about Karona’s tears. It’s a hot, dusty ride to back to Phnom Penh.
The Wisebird bus
Children playing a literacy game
The Andong community
Andong community member wading for shells
Andong community member wading for shells
Andong children waiting patiently those bananas!
Andong children finally getting their hands on those bananas!
Andong children waiting for bananas
In this edition of ‘A Day In The Life’ we are introduced to Vany, a single mother from Cambodia living on the streets of Bangkok.
Peuan Peuan is the name of Friends-International’s program in Thailand, working in Bangkok and at Aranyaprathet on the border between Thailand and Cambodia. Part of our work involves going out onto the streets day and night to work directly with marginalized people – we call this ‘outreach’. In Bangkok, one area that an outreach team focuses on is the Khao San Road. A busy tourist area, street children flock here to shine shoes, sell candles & flowers or just beg from foreigners. It was here that outreach staff member Nang first met Vany 3 years ago. A single mother from Cambodia, Vany was begging by the side of the road with her two-year-old daughter. She was visibly pregnant and clearly in pain. Nang talked to her and suggested she get medical help, but Vany adamantly refused this, saying she would be fine in a few moments. After some persuasion, Nang returned to meet the other outreach workers, but was so concerned about the young mother she soon went back to check on her. Vany was now in so much pain that she was unable to sit; Nang also realized she was bleeding. Worried that both the mother and her unborn baby were seriously ill, she immediately called an ambulance.
Vany was furious! Why? Because Nang had called an ambulance from the police hospital and the reason she was hurt was that she had been running from the police! As a Cambodian living illegally in Thailand, Vany feared being sent to an immigration detention center and in the chaos of trying to escape the policemen she ‘forgot’ that she was pregnant!
However, Nang was not going to let Vany harm her unborn child for fear of the police. She went along with her in the ambulance to the hospital and vouched for Vany so that she did not get into any trouble. Afterwards, Nang made sure she got home safely and monitored her situation in case she needed any more medical assistance. Luckily, there were no more complications and three months later the baby was born healthy and well.
Vany still works on the streets, but the Peuan Peuan team keep in regular contact with her to check everything is ok. They have built a good relationship with her and have made sure that she sends her older children to school. Nang sees her often and is happy that she was there to help this woman when she most needed it, protecting a child who was on the streets before he was even born.
Friends-International teams work day and night on the streets of Southeast Asia saving the lives of marginalized young people and helping them to make the first steps back into a productive and full life through reintegration into education, family and employment. You can find out more about our work at www.friends-international.org, and you can help by making a donation here.
Manchester United footballing legend Bryan Robson paid a visit to our Peuan Peuan Thailand program activities in Bangkok earlier this month, writes Vuthaya Charoenpol, our country program director for Thailand. Robson, along with Man Utd Foundation Chief Executive John Shiels, was on a visit to UNICEF supported initiatives in the country and saw at first hand the work that our program does with vulnerable children and young people in Bangkok.
John Shiels and Bryan Robson of Man Utd with Vuthaya Charoenpol of Peuan Peuan at Ban Phumvit
They visited the Pakkred Reception Home (Ban Phumvet) where our program works with boys and young men, both Thai and foreign, who have been rescued from the streets, and spent time talking to Friends-International staff and beneficiaries about the program.
John Shiels, Man Utd Foundation Chief Executive, sees the work of Peuan Peuan at first hand
As you can see from these photos (images courtesy UNICEF), the visitors were extremely interested in the work of Friends-International, and very appreciative of the positive impact it has upon the lives and futures of these young people. You can find out more about the Peuan Peuan program here.
Bryan Robson of Man Utd talks to Peuan Peuan Program Manager in Bangkok, Chanthana Sueprom
In this edition of ‘A Day In The Life’ we are introduced to Bunna, a ChildSafe Hotline Manager and student.
My name is Bunna and I work as the Hotline Manager for the ChildSafe Network in Cambodia. I live in Phnom Penh with my younger brother. Every morning I get up at around 5.30am. I spend time exercising, cleaning the house or just reading a book before my brother drops me to the office on his motorbike.
At work, the first thing I do each morning is talk to my staff and check the reports from the night before. Sometimes I need to follow up and contact a partner to help with a case, at other times I will meet with children and their families for counseling and assessment. Children are often referred to partners, such as Mith Samlanh or other NGOs, and I work very closely with them to follow up on each child’s situation. Some days I will go out into the community to meet key people such as local police or other organizations. At the same time, I am in charge of the hotline phone and will respond to any calls we receive about children who need assistance.
I eat lunch at around 12.30pm. There is a small shop near my house that sells delicious meals for only 6000 riel ($1.50), so I often go there. In the afternoons I work on any administrative tasks that need completed, such as replying to emails, writing monthly reports and compiling information about services available for children. I will go on outreach if I hear of a case that needs investigation or intervention. Otherwise, there is certainly enough to keep me busy between hotline calls!
I go home at 5.00pm and eat dinner with my brother. Sunset is my favorite time of day; I like driving a moto around the city or along the riverside. I am studying for an M.A in Clinical Psychology and Counseling at Royal University of Phnom Penh, so in the evenings I usually work on assignments. I am in my last semester, so I am currently working on my thesis, which is a big project for me, but I hope that it will help my work in the future.
By Bunna Phoeun
You can visit the Childsafe website here and read our Childsafe traveler tips here.
A story by our AYAD volunteer Allan.
It is early morning when Heng gently taps me on the shoulder, smiles and asks if I’m ready. We are to visit and monitor a former Mith Samlanh student of Heng – Ratana (not his real name) – in his new role.
The workshop, close to the airport is a long ride from town. As we pull up to the huge iron gates I’m not sure what to expect. Wondering if Heng is lost and has pulled over to look at a map I’m startled as a man suddenly greets us through a small opening in the high gates. It is Reng, owner of the welding shop. He welcomes us into his workplace before engaging us in short, friendly conversation.
Scrap metal in the workshop
The two politely stop allowing me to ask questions. It is an impressive workshop filled with four large truck bodies. Each truck has a team of men working in different sections. Two men work on an engine of one truck while on another employees lay beneath tightening bolts and screws. Another truck body, at the far side of the yard is being prepared for a colourful spray paint.
Reng opened the business in 1986 taking it from a small backyard operation to a two property workshop lead by four supervisors. Being employed by Reng seems like tough work “work quality has to be very good. If not perfect then it has to be started again.” While it did indeed sound tough it also seemed like an invaluable learning experience. Most students begin their apprenticeship working on lower quality housing gates and fence frames. Here with Reng they begin work on truck bodies and frames which require much more precise and detailed workmanship. It is a very difficult job but Reng is happy provide the opportunity to willing students.
A truck body in the process of being colorfully painted
Ratana understands and appreciates the quality of teaching “The owner is strict on quality which means if an employee leaves this workshop for another then he will have much more skill and will be well respected within in the new workplace.” Ratana has impressed Reng so much thus far that he intends employing another Mith Samlanh student in the near future.
Ratana is being paid $50USD for his first month of employment which will increase each month until he is fully qualified. Once qualified, Ratana will earn an estimated $300USD per month. This is a good wage in Cambodia where the average monthly wage reaches $50USD per month (Asean Comparative Wages). This will increase even further if Ratana secures a supervisor position which is entirely possible given his glowing report from Reng. In addition to his wage Ratana is provided with comfortable accommodation at the workshop and three meals each day. Working hours are 7:30am-5:30pm with a two hour lunch break. This is excellent for a 21 year old student who has spent only one year studying at Mith Samlanh.
Ratana hard at work
I can only imagine the background Ratana has come from and the difficulties he has faced to reach this point. It must be an amazing feeling gaining independence, confidence and further knowledge in his trade. Without an organisation such as Mith Samlanh it is entirely possible that Ratana may still be on the streets. I marvelled at the fortunes and hard work of this young man has he smiled and continued his work during our conversations.
After further discussion it is time to let the men get back to work. We wave and smile goodbye, leave through the opening in the huge iron gates to return to the Mith Samlanh center, where Ratana’s amazing journey began.
Truck body at the workshop
