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We had explored three of Mr. Krisher’s programs in Phnom Penh, The Bright Future Home, the New Life Orphanage and the Cambodia Daily. Now it was time to leave the security of the city- and go into the countryside.

Destination: Banlung, Ratanakiri Province– 9 hours north east of Phnom Penh, bordering Laos to the north, Vietnam to the east, Mondulkiri Province to the south, and Stung Treng Province to the west. I was definitely nervous.

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Journey to Ratanakiri

Made by Anne Marble Caramanico, Caramanico School in Ratanakiri

Anne, Thank you!

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I am in Cambodia is to see all of the programs that Mr. Krisher has created. I have already seen the American Assistance for Cambodia (AAFC) Bright Future Kids Home and the AAFC New Life Orphanage. Before leaving Phnom Penh we had one more stop to make, the Cambodia Daily, the first English-language newspaper in Cambodia. Mr. Krisher had been a foreign correspondent for Newsweek during the Vietnamese War and had used his journalism skills to establish the paper in 1993.

Once there, I found journalists and photographers from around the world that “cover their beat” reporting breaking news.

Three points:

• The team from the US AID said that the Cambodia Daily is a prime source of independent journalism.
• Tiann Monie, Supervisor, Ratanakiri English Education, described how the Cambodia Daily is used on a daily basis in classrooms across the country to help teach English. In fact, the paper includes a weekly insert devoted to furthering English-language skills.
• The paper is not just for English-language speakers. Every day the local news is delivered in Khmer.

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Please scroll down (below the pink type) to meet journalists describing what it is like to produce an independent paper in Cambodia.

On a personal note, I am about to leave the security of the city. Knowing that that is an Apple Store, a Canon Store and a hospital in the capital has been comforting.  Tomorrow morning we have a ten-hour drive to Ratanakiri Province in the north east corner, about an hour from the Vietnamese border. I have no idea of what to expect!

Talk to you from Ratanakiri. . .

p.s.

Check out the video clip on the “Experiencing Phnom Penh” post. It shows My tuk tuk driver (who I hailed randomly), wearing a Child Safe Network t-shirt!

Laurie

Click here to view the embedded video.

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After visiting the Bright Future Kids Home, we walked down a short path. There we found people that I will never forget–the children at the New Life Orphanage.

I had so much fun with these kids- instead of going for just a few hours, we went as often as we could. All I can say is that after spending time at the New Life Orphanage, I can’t wait to go back!

Before leaving Phnom Penh we had one more stop- the offices of the Cambodia Daily- All the News Without Fear or Favor.

Laurie

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With the Bright Future Kids, the future is bright!

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Click here to view the embedded video.

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* Next Post: Introducing the “New Life” Kids.

Talk  with you soon

Laurie

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Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia

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From the moment I arrived on Saturday, Phnom Penh literally took my breath away. Here are some of the reasons why:

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Click here to view the embedded video.

For you camera buffs, this video was shot with Kodak Zi8.

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Next post– the Bright Future Kids School!

I hope all is well.  Miss you . . .

Laurie

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]]> http://learningteam.org/blog/learning-teams/experience-phnom-penh/feed/ 2 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ http://learningteam.org/blog/learning-teams/meeting-mahatma/ http://learningteam.org/blog/learning-teams/meeting-mahatma/#comments Sun, 27 Jun 2010 02:47:57 +0000 Laurie Kreindler http://learningteam.org/blog/?p=202

Bernie Krisher, Cafe des Pres, Tokyo

The first question that Mr. Krisher asked me when I had lunch with him and his daughter, Debbie Krisher-Steele, was “Who is the Gandi of Cambodia”?  When I told him that was a reference to him, he blushed.

Question:

• What does it take to create partnerships that result in the building of over 400 schools in rural Cambodia?
• What does it take to create the first ever free press newspaper in Cambodia?
• What does it take to start an orphanage and a hospital?
• What does it take to work towards eradicating child/sex trafficking?
• What does it take to create commerce?

Answer:

Mr. Krisher has accomplished all of these things and more.  Yet, when I met him, Friday in Tokyo, he was one of the sweetest and most humble men I have ever met.   I can’t wait to return to Tokyo in a few weeks to “formally” ask him for the answers to these questions.

But first, I need to see the results of his work.

I am writing this post from Cambodia!!!

Today, Sunday, I am going to explore.

Tomorrow, I am off to see my first school!

I miss everyone!

Laurie

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CNN Clip on Mr. Krisher

Click here to view the embedded video.

Francisco J. Grijalva, Ed.D., Head of School, The Overlake School with students Emily Hanna, Marcus Munoz, Will Putnam and Director of Diversity, Mark Manuel.

When it comes to service learning, the Overlake School, its faculty and its students, are definitely role models. They are the only US school that I am aware of that has put together an ongoing and meaningful relationship with a sister school on the other side of the world!

During breakfast, I was able to hear some of the ways that the Overlake Redmond/Pailin relationship has impacted the students’ lives.  I can’t wait to go back to Overlake in the fall to hear and learn more.  My hope is that we can work together to put together a “How-To Guide” based on the Overlake model to help other US schools create the same amazing learning opportunities.

For now, I just want to say thank you to Frank, Emily, Marcus, Will and Mark for taking the time to meet.  As the ABC News clip below shows, your stories are an inspiration.

Next stop:  Tokyo to meet the Founder of the American Assistance for Cambodia!

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ABC News clip on Overlake in Redmond and Overlake in Pailin, Cambodia

Click here to view the embedded video.

]]> http://learningteam.org/blog/learning-teams/role-model-overlake-school/feed/ 3 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ http://learningteam.org/blog/learning-teams/cambodia-learning-teams/road-map-half-the-sky/ http://learningteam.org/blog/learning-teams/cambodia-learning-teams/road-map-half-the-sky/#comments Thu, 24 Jun 2010 21:07:02 +0000 Laurie Kreindler http://learningteam.org/blog/?p=139

Half the Sky, Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.

After reading Three Cups of Tea, and its sequel Stones to Schools, part of me wished I could help Greg Mortenson and his team build rural schools in Afghanistan or Pakistan, but I was hesitant to travel to that part of the world.  So, as a result, I was looking for another way to help build rural schools. I found my answer in Nicholas Kristof’s and Sheryl WuDunn’s book Half The Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide.

Half the Sky is a tremendous road map. It provides both a moving and detailed description of the plight of women and girls around the world and a personal description of wonderful organizations that are working to improve the situation. The appendix provides a summary organized by country and then by NGO.

The project that caught my eye was the American Assistance for Cambodia’s Rural School Project particularly the partnership that Kristof and WuDunn described between the Overlake School in Redmond, WA and the Overlake School in Pailin, Cambodia.

I knew immediately that I wanted to help other schools in the United States create similar sister schools around the world.

So, towards that end, I decided to get involved and that my first location to visit would be the Overlake School in Redmond.

I am writing this post from Tokyo.  I have just left Redmond.  It was amazing! My next post will be on Overlake.

By the way, thank you for the comments!  Please let me know any questions that you have.  I am talking with wonderful people and would be happy to try to get the answer

Until the next time

Laurie

p.s.

One of the great things about this journey is the people that I am meeting along the way. It seems as if there is a huge community of people doing great service learning work- but we don’t know each other. So, I am going to try to include the names of their organizations and little tid-bits in the blog roll below.  So far, please note:

• Shannon Small’s Blog on what it is like to volunteer in Cambodia- I really am enjoying it.
• Jay Corcoran’s great work on a library in Afghanistan (Jay, I think about you all the time and have a funny story about the flip camera)
• Jean-Michel Tijerina’s Child Education International. If anyone wants to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in September- he is the person to call!
• A friend’s recommendation about the Golden Pyramid Program.
• A friend’s suggestion to look at buildOn- a group helping schools in CT.

]]> http://learningteam.org/blog/learning-teams/cambodia-learning-teams/road-map-half-the-sky/feed/ 3 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ http://learningteam.org/blog/learning-teams/three-cups-of-tea/ http://learningteam.org/blog/learning-teams/three-cups-of-tea/#comments Tue, 22 Jun 2010 04:28:30 +0000 Laurie Kreindler http://learningteam.org/blog/?p=89

Three Cups of Tea By Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

Last summer I read a book that changed my life. It was Three Cups of Tea– One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. It started me on a journey and I am about to take a major step.

In a few hours, I will be on my way to document the work of another great man- one who many refer to as the Ghandi of Cambodia. I will be taking my computer and the smallest cameras known to man and I will be blogging every step of the way- assuming I have access to electricity.

I have put your name on my blog email notification list. Please let me know if you would like me to take it off. I hope we get to talk when I come back. Until then, up, up and away-

Laurie