I made 14 visits to 9 different projects and met with several prospective projects for future consideration, cycled in two weekend training sessions before and after the Bike Race, took part in the Bike Race (and survived), took volunteering medic students on a tour of the less than modern Provincial Hospital, gave blood (at the slightly more impressive Angkor Childrens Hospital), cheered on a football team which is partly sponsored by HOPE playing in this year’s league final at the Provincial Stadium, a grand occasion but sadly decided by penalties (and Angkor Empire FC did not come out winners on this occasion),  met all the young adults in the three programmes HOPE now supports and finally got to visit My Grandfather House rural school project which has gone from being a dream for one local Cambodian when I left in April 2009, to more than a reality with some 300 local children receiving supplemental education.

While I loved every minute of my time back in Cambodia, there were three enormous highlights for me.

Taking part in the fifth Angkor Wat Bike Race was particularly special.  There is no other bike ride in the world quite like this one – where else would you see sunrise, paddy fields, monks, cows, water buffalo, elephants, cyclos, tandems, Japanese tourists and of course the wonderful temples of the Angkor Wat complex.   With some 400 entrants in total, HOPE entered a team 40 local Cambodian young adults and their educators from all three HOPE supported Young Adult Programmes.

The 30km race starts at 6am, just as it is beginning to get light, so we have to get there in the dark (another 8kms) and try to get organised in the dark –this is much easier for the Cambodians who are more used to early starts and lack of light, than it is for Jo and Tanya!  The backdrop for the start and finish is surely one of the most amazing temples, Angkor Wat, there is nothing more inspirational. We highly recommend a visit, with or without bicycle.   As the ride progresses you are cheered on by many of the small local children, all with the compulsory Cambodian smile.

You didn’t have to win the race to be a winner, anyone who got up at 4.30 cycled in the dark to get to the start line and then cycle for 30km around the temples has to be a winner.  Our photos speak for themselves.

Training sessions on Sunday are continuing, a great way for the young adults from different projects to mix, see more of their countryside and get some exercise (and a break from studying).  We will be back next year, I seem to remember Jo saying she would also enter the running races on the following day – I know I declined but maybe I said I would do the 100km cycle ride!

The day after the Race we were rewarded with dinner cooked by the 13 Young Adults from Sangkheum who all live together in a transition house.  Not only was dinner great (they have recently been taught how to make proper burgers by staff from a local training hotel) and I am so proud to see how well they are transforming into independent, motivated and curious young adults.  On this lovely evening they made a presentation to us, a framed acknowledgement for the $25,000 HOPE has, so far, provided to support their programme.

Finally, with my love of football I always squeeze in a visit to Sangkheum Centre to go along to the daily training session.  I usually end up playing around with some of the younger kids all too small to even kick a normal sized football.  But this time I was treated to a wonderful 10 minutes having a proper one on one kick about with Tour.  When I first met Tour, 5 years ago, he had only recently come to the Centre and could barely walk and definitely couldn’t talk.  Now he goes to school, chats away in Khmer, can ”high-five” and is starting to play football, This was probably the most priceless moment of the whole trip.  I saw a lot of positive progress during my trip but this brought the biggest smile to my face.

Hope sponsored young adults

Training for the Angkor Wat bike ride officially started this morning and 20 enthusiastic cyclists turned up before 8am this morning at Soria Moria hotel in the fresh (dare I even say cold) air! It does happen in Siem Reap sometimes and it’s a welcome relief to the constant hot, and the downpours during the rainy season. A light wind made this morning’s cycle almost pleasant as we trundled past the Siem Reap river, open lush green rice fields and ending up on airport road back to the town centre.

Thomas led the training group, hotly followed by the Sangkheum Center and Anjali young adults. It wasn’t a bad start as we clocked up 23 km in just about one hour and 15 minutes, only another 7 and we would’ve completed the target! We should be flying round the course after 4 more training sessions…

On the day Tanya, Thomas and I will be joined by some fellow Siem Reapers who enthusiastically turned up for training today – Natasha, Karla and her daughter Marli and Richard from Anjali House. Thanks for coming and thanks to the young adults too.

I am excited to say we have already reached 7% of our fundraising target and thank our loyal supporters for supporting us some more… as always, Mum and Dad, Lesley, Stu and a few others. If you would like to build momentum and encourage us all on our cycling challenge by donating please visit our just giving page!

Sangkheum Young Adults before the 23KM training ride

Sangkheum Football Team

We seem to be concentrating our many efforts on education so to start the new year off we have decided to put our funds towards the ‘P’ in our name – Play!

Last Sunday heralded the start of the new youth football tournament in Siem Reap and Harnessing Opportunities through Play and Education are wholeheartedly supporting it. Bringing together a whole selection of youth from various organisations will see an active Sunday league every week until the 21st of March concluding the winning team. Goal posts made by the Iron Workshop have been funded by us and helps two causes in one go!

This all came about when Gary first came to Siem Reap for a month in January 2009 to volunteer as a coach at the Sangkheum centre and whilst here he met several people from other children centres who expressed an interest in him coming back for a longer period to set up an organised league for them. So he did! In his own words he explains:-

“I was looking for something to do for these 6 months and perhaps yearly from now onwards and this seemed like a good idea. The idea is that with a league system the children learn to be part of a team and can get to play regardless of gender or ability, this is definitely not a win at all cost type league or any kind of talent spotting opportunity, just a chance for children to get to play the game in a competitive, safe, structured and fun environment. We have 3 age groups – under 11′s, 6 teams, under 14′s, 10 teams and under 17′s, 6 teams. We are keen for this to evolve into something that can be locally run by Khmer staff from the Centres and I am keen to train up assistant coaches, referees and administrators to make this happen. We are also using local businesses for our equipment; goals are being made at a local workshop, nets from re-cycled plastic, field from a local land owner etc. I am level 2 F.A. Coach and have coached in Schools in the U.K. and United States as well as working for local Government in the U.K. as a Rural Community Sports Coach setting up programmes similar to this one in rural East Anglia. The rest of the year I work for Camp Sangamon in Vermont U.S.A. as an Assistant Director and Soccer Coach.”

The Centres who are taking part are -Sangkhuem Center for Children, Self Help Community Center (SHCC), Grace House, Global Child, New Hope, Angali, Green Gecko and ACE School.

Chamroeun from Sangkheum Center will blog the results over the next few weeks and results and fixtures can be found here…. Next Chamroeun starts his blog with an introduction to football how the Sangkheum team got involved…

….Football is the most popularity sport all around the world. As well as in Sangkheum Center for Children football is the most popular and funs game for the Children. The Sangkheum Center has set up the football program since the beginning of the Center started 2001. Through this program we have been given a good opportunity to the disadvantages children living around Pouk District to have a chance to play and also to learn about the physical education.
In the 2006 The Sangkheum Football program has given opportunity to 16 young adults traveled to Norway for the Norway Cup. They all very exited and enjoyed themselves with the new world and atmosphere. Since then, the Sangkheum FC has also develop their own capacity to set up a girl team as well as a boy team. The Sangkheum FC both girl and boy team have been participated in the Football Youth tournaments in Siem Reap 2007-2008 and the also participated with the tournament in Phnom Penh which organized by the Star Fish foundation. In 2008-2009 through this result the Sangkheum Center Directional team have sent 2 Educators and 4 young adults ( 3 boys 1 girl)  to trained as a coach with SALT Academy in Battambong and one girl from the team have been trained by the FIFA expert,  then she was recommended to be part of a girl National team for Football federation Cambodia. She has been sent to play as a friendship in Loa.

Currently, we have 85 children participating in the Sangkheum Football program and get train by one of our young adult who get trained  FIFA D license from SALT Academy  in Battambong. There are 2 girls teams age Under 14 and Under 16 and there are 3 boy teams Age under 12, Under 14, Under 16. The training schedule is from Monday-Friday 5.00-6.00pm.  In every 3 months we set up a game to play with some of the organizations in Siem Reap.

On the 17th of January Sangkheum Center for Children took part on a football Legue. Boys and girls from different organizations around Siem Reap to play football against each other for the next ten weeks every Sunday. In this first week, Sangkheum Center participated with several teams with 45 children under 14 years. The children enjoyed the afternoon playing football, cheering and supporting each other from the sidelines. We won three of four games and the atmosphere was very joyful. We are looking forward to the next matches on the 31st of January 2010.

MORE TO COME NEXT WEEK…

On the 7th of December the annual Angkor Wat International Half marathon is on and as their slogan reads ‘Run to bring artificial limbs for mine survivors and save youth from HIV/AIDS’. If you fancy taking part or wish to find out more info visit www.angkormarathon.org 

For those based in Siem Reap who would like to participate there are several more options including a mini cyclo race (get your partner to do all the hard work and sit back and relax and take in the temple sites along the way…) or a gentle(!) 30km course on the 6th of December. The 30K races cover one loop around the magnificent Angkor Wat complex and other temples, including Angkor Thom. For those with a bit more stamina a second extended loop will take you further afield! For more information visit http://www.villagefocus.org/angkor_marathon/bike.htm.

There is an entrance fee for all participants in order to raise money to assist vulnerable children and land mine survivors in Cambodia. However, if you do wish to take part and want to help raise funds for HOPE that would be fantastic – If you would like to join the HOPE team please contact us, and I will add you to the list.