My first visitor

Last night Lizzy came in from London for her first trip here. The flight was 2.5 hours late, but all the better to finally have her in my arms. Very quickly it seemed as though we never left in January. We feel very relaxed and at home in Phnom Penh and now I'm really glad I have Lizzy by my side if for only a few weeks this time.

This week I've been in the office reviewing my work so far. It's been a steep learning curve about the economic landscape in Cambodia which is influenced by so many factors. Although I've been in business for the better part of 30 years, this is a very different context when compared to America and the rest of the Western world. I'm advising VSO Cambodia so that it positions itself most effectively to play a role in developing small scale enterprise. As in America where small business employs nearly 50% of the people, the same is true in others parts of the world as well. It is a strategy that most of the economists in development work have signed off on as being the best way forward.

The classic problem here is that 85% of the population is rural and depend on fishing and rice farming to create their subsistence. That which they don't eat for themselves they take to a village market to sell. Or, more likely, they sell it to middlemen who in turn give them a token amount compared to what it will sell for. But the challenge for the small fisher or rice farmer is how do they transport it to the village or town to sell it? Instead they simply take the lower amount offered on the spot. This is just one very little snapshot of a symptom that we need to address if we are going to make an impact at the furthest reaches of poverty.

Then there's the fact that Cambodia has over 75% of its population under the age of 30. That's due to the enormous loss of life during the Khmer Rouge years. So there is a real deficit of experience and know how that somehow needs to be made up.

And the "enabling environment" - the macro economic, legal and political forces under which business and society operate - is very challenging for small businesses to form and grow. Take the statistics I ran into this week from the World Bank that ranks 175 countries of the world in enabling environment terms. Cambodia ranks the following: 159 in ease of starting a business, 143 ease of doing business, 124 in employing workers, 100 in registering property, 159 in obtaining and dealing with licenses, and 174 in financing and obtaining credit. Compare this with the US rankings: 3, 3, 1, 10, 22, & 7 and you can see there is a dramatic difference in the context of creating free enterprise.

There is a direct correlation between the economic growth and prosperity of a country, driven by private sector (business) activity, and the well-being of people in terms of income, health, education, etc. It's fairly simple: businesses are willing to take risks and invest because they have confidence in the government and the enabling environment. Otherwise they'll take a defensive position or go elsewhere where they'll feel safe to invest.

I could say a lot more about this but it gives you a flavor of how I'm having to calibrate my knowledge and experience. On one hand I shake my head in disbelief at the enormous obstacles, and on the other hand I'm confident we can find a way through the obstacles to create a sound strategy. I'm totally inspired that I get to play a role in shaping long-term, sustainable strategies that can and will affect so many people. And I believe we can make an effective impact even in the face of these, and other, adverse enabling environmental factors.

I'm moved, daily, as I see people in their struggle to make ends meet.

Laborers working on construction projects earning 3,000 Riel - about $0.75 - for an entire day's labor is a shocking reality. Driving to the airport to pick up Lizzy last night I saw many buildings under construction and there in the darkness of the massive concrete skeletons, the workers huddled together in their makeshift homes, resting before the next day's work.

A young boy, probably 9 years old, slides under my table at the restaurant with a beat up shoe brush, grabs my foot and vigorously shines my sandals.

Two little girls come up to our breakfast table, not more than 6 and 8 years old, with wide eyes locked onto the food that remained on our finished plates, and the satisfied smiles as they emerge from under the table after having feasted on our leftovers.

Daily images of life in Cambodia challenge my sense of fairness in the world and fuel my sense of purpose of why I'm here and, I suspect, why there are so many others from around the globe who are making Cambodia their home away from home for awhile. There is much work to be done.

The market

Okay, I'm really proud of myself today. I went to the market - the open air market that is - where the locals shop. Open air isn't an accurate description though. It's situated in a square with stalls configured into a sort of serpentine arrangement with lots of cover overhead from the hot sun. They trade just about everything here. It's not a place where many Westerners come to shop for consumption - they go to the Western supermarkets. Not me, not today at least.

Fruits, veggies and meats, household goods, sewing shops, countless hairdressers, moto repair, DVD's and CD's, mobile phones, and lots of mini restaurants. You name it, you can buy it here. But no one speaks English and, quite frankly, much of the food hygiene is a bit scary for a Westerner to stomach. And yet I came here on a mission today: to shop like the locals and buy local food. After all, I am a new neighbor living just down the street.

So there were a lot of hand gestures and pointing to things. I do know numbers in Khmer so I can tell them how much of whatever I want: 200g of fresh coconut, a small handful of Kaffir lime leaves, two chicken breasts, a knot of fresh turmeric, some red and green chillies, limes, 100g of long green beans, etc. By the end of it all my backpack was full and I spent less than $7, a very good deal for what I got, but probably 100% markup because I have a white face.

I went home and prepared my dinner which was a Khmer curry dish I learned how to prepare when I was in Battambang in January. This includes pounding my own curry paste from fresh ingredients. I must say it came out just divine.

I'll return to the market again and again. The fear is now gone and the experience was worth it all. Check out the new pictures.

Life in Battambang

I'm on a three day trip upcountry, near the lake, but beyond where I went last week, about 5 hours by bus from Phnom Penh. Battambang is the second largest Cambodian city at about 150,000 people. Today I went out to several villages along the river, which is the lifeblood of transportation and commerce (fishing) in the area. Let me tell you, I'm not in Kansas anymore.

I just wish you could be with me for an hour to experience this country on the back of a moped, to see for yourself what flashes before your eyes as you pass life by...a narrow dirt lane, a group of naked children swimming in muddy water, two saffron-cloaked monks holding umbrellas in the scorching sun, children swaying to and fro on oversized bicycles, mopeds with three-four-five passengers, three goats blocking traffic, disbelief and yet wide and smiling eyes as the "barangue" passes by (colloquial for Westerner), a massive tent being erected in the yard for a coming wedding (big deal here), ramshackle shop after shop in the small village market area, thatched homes on 8 foot stilts, men wrapped only towels, ancient pagodas dotting the landscape at the heart of each tiny community...

Behind each "snapshot" of life is a rich story of how life is in this part of the world and how it has been for centuries. It is life being lived out in the simplest ways but with incredibly purposeful action, a response to life's challenges so that man can survive. I can only tell you that it is a depth of experience for which words come not easily.

I love Battambang because it is Cambodia in daily life, not for the tourist, but for themselves. Nothing spectacular, simply life being lived in a way that is truly not of the world as I have known it. And what a treat it is for one who takes the time just to behold it.

first week on the job

I’ve just spent my first week working in my new job. The first couple of days doing the things that happen to most people – feeling a bit awkward with new surroundings, including learning Khmer names that don’t have an easy rhythm for a Westerner.

On Wednesday I headed to the field with my two Cambodian colleagues from the Programme Office, Piseth and Yanat. We went about three hours away to Pursat, one of 24 provinces in Cambodia, situated on Tonle Sap Lake, which is the heart of Cambodia in many ways. Geographically it sits centrally, backfilled by the Mekong River during the rainy season, and also at the heart of Cambodia’s economy because of its abundant fish and natural resources.

We visited a mushroom farming project waaaaayyyyyy out in the country. I mean way out. This is where people stared at me in friendly wonderment because very likely many of them had never seen a western white man before.

The mushroom project was started by one of our volunteers, Biro from India, who is supporting very poor rice farmers to supplement their incomes by growing a second crop out of rice season. 20 families have now learned how to increase their incomes by about 50,000 Riel, or about $12 for one month’s work. This translates to about a 5% increase in ANNUAL income for these people. Hard to get your head around that one, isn’t it?

The second day we visited Kampong Chhnang which is known for its clay pots. I’ve uploaded a photo of a woman who was taught to make these simple but amazing water jugs by hand. She makes them entirely by hand, as has been handed down by her elders. You can see the unfinished one on the ground while she completes the one in her lap. She gets 3,000 Riel ($0.75) per pot.

Last night VSO had a welcome party for us new volunteers. Nearly every volunteer from around the country attended, some traveling 10 or more hours to get here. A “snapshot” moment I remember was simply seeing the crowd of 100 heads or so and feeling such immense gratitude to join forces with people who are committed to make such a difference here.

A couple of you asked about traffic here. Well, it’s thick and horrific to my Western eye. Which side of the road do they drive on? BOTH! I mean it’s the most confounding experience I think I’ve ever had, and yet it works. Forget traffic lights, stop signs or one-way streets – these are all optional and grossly ignored. But I’ve gotten used to it – the trick is to keep moving and just get in the flow! I’ll take some pictures during rush hour from my balcony so you can get a sense of it. Unreal.