Battambang, KH – Mill Hill County High School students work with local organization to improve lives – 19 Aug 2016

After a long journey from Vietnam, a group of nine students, two teachers, and a True Adventure expedition leader arrived late in the evening of August 1^st. Although they were exhausted they were ready to start work with the Healthy Life Garden Shop to implement some exciting community projects in rural Cambodia.  The group of students and teachers are from Mill Hill County High School in the UK who spent five days making compost and natural sprays, building organic vegetable gardens with families, and teaching lessons at a primary school.

Their first day started off with a brief introduction to Healthy Life’s programs and was followed by visits to families who are already participating in the programs.  The students enjoyed seeing the impact that programs like the organic vegetable garden have had on families’ lives.  It also gave them an eye opening understanding of the living conditions of a typical rural Cambodian family.

Later that first day, the group split into three teams and started working with the Healthy Life team.  Each team was responsible for purchasing all the tools and materials required for their respective project.  Asian markets can be chaotic and intimidating but with the help of their local guides, the students were able to bargain and purchase all the required items.

Over the course of their trip, the students helped make compost, organic fertilizer and natural pesticide spray, and develop three organic vegetable gardens for local families.  It was a great experience for the students and families as they worked closely together in the hot and sometimes rainy weather.

On one of the days, the group went to a local school and taught English with children from grades 1-5.  They taught the students using a variety of games which were a lot of fun for everyone involved.  For many of the UK students, the teaching and playing with the children was a highlight of their trip!

To show their appreciation for all of their hard work, the Healthy Life team taught the students how to make a famous local meal called “Cow on Fire Mountain.”  You use a cone shaped grill with a circular basin at the bottom to grill beef and make a soup with vegetables at the same time.  It was a unique cooking experience and a great way on their last night, to end a very productive trip.

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 Mill Hill County High School.