Battambang, KH – Beechwood students travel from UK to help garden shop and families – 22 Jul 2016

From July 5th – 14th, the Healthy Life Garden Shop hosted thirteen students (aged between 15 and 18) and two teachers from Beechwood School in England. They were accompanied by an expedition leader from True Adventure. The students worked closely with the garden shop team to implement many exciting community projects including; compost & natural sprays, organic vegetable gardens and family toilets. The group also spent time working with a local teacher training college to help with some interactive English teaching lessons and challenging local university students to football (soccer)!

The students spent two years raising money and planning for their trip to Cambodia, which included a wilderness trek in the Cardamom Mountains, Angkor Wat temple visits and community project participation.

The ethos of these trips is for students to learn about: leadership, budgeting and project management to name a few. While working with the Healthy Life Garden Shop they were encouraged to organize their daily schedules which included food, transport, accommodation, and projects. The teams were responsible for buying any tools and materials needed for each project and to make sure they could be delivered to the appropriate site.

During their time in Battambang, the Beechwood students helped the garden shop team make compost and natural sprays for the organic garden program. The compost will enrich the soil and provide the necessary nutrients for the garden without using harmful chemicals. Likewise the spray repels insects and provides nitrogen. The students then worked with local families to build organic vegetable gardens to help them on their path to food self-reliance and better health. It was difficult working under the afternoon sun; but the students and families persevered to build three quality gardens for three qualified families. The community leader was so appreciative of the group’s work that she invited them all over for a lunch at her home and even taught some of them how to cook a Cambodian chicken dish.

In addition, the student group built three toilets while working alongside the recipient families. Many families living in rural areas of Cambodia do not have a toilet and instead use the jungle for their basic needs. This results in unhygienic facilities and increases the exposure to water borne illnesses. The basic toilets that were built will leave a lasting impact on the family for many years to come.

Midway through their time in Battambang, the students had a few days off to explore the area and participate in the culture. They explored local markets, discovered the riverfront, attended the Phare Ponleu Selpak Circus and played a tightly contested match of football (soccer) with some university students. A tightly fought game could only be decided by penalties with the local side victorious. The match was played in good spirit and provided an excellent bonding exercise between the two cultures.

On their final day in Battambang, the students visited the teacher training college and taught the teachers and students the English story, “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt,” which is a fun and interactive way to teach prepositions. The students acted the story out, then had the local children act it out with them. They then went into the classrooms and helped the children draw the story with their new vocabulary. A great time was had by all!

The Healthy Life team hopes that the students were able to get an idea of the impact that Better Lives strives for and hopes that in the future we can welcome more students from Beechwood School. They have had the opportunity to discover the true rural life of Cambodia and to appreciate all of the challenges it presents whilst the experience will enrich their lives.