The Optimism of Uncertainty

I highly recommend reading Howard Zinn's new book, A Power Governments Cannot Suppress. It is an excellent collection of essays about American history, government, race, justice, class, and individuals who stand up for what they believe. So many passages I could quote, but I'll just give you one from the closing page (which by no means spoils the rest, it in fact made me want to start again!)

"What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places--and there are so many--where people have behaved magnificently, it energizes us to act, and raises at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don't have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory."

Pointing the Finger in the Mirror

I wrote the following as an article for the PEPY Newsletter, but wanted to include it here as well.

“We as people, even though it may seem insignificant, need to start taking small steps towards change. Everyday we should be doing something that means something, because if everybody does a little something then the whole begins to shift.”

It is simple truths like this from Mickey Sampson, the founder of Resource Development International, that make him so captivating. Sampson, a former university chemistry professor, moved his family to Cambodia 10 years ago and soon after founded RDI. A self-admitted science nerd with a short attention span, he overflows with ideas and captures the attention of all around, his speech jumping naturally from scientific to layman, from serious facts to self-deprecating humor. A tour of the RDI facility with Sampson is inspiring, and it is challenging to absorb the immense amount of information he is so eager to convey. Combining education, technology, and sincerity, Mickey and his team at RDI manage a wide range of projects that empower Cambodians to help themselves.

RDI’s primary focus has been increasing access to clean water for rural Cambodians. Each year, easily preventable water-born diseases kill thousands of Cambodians. To tackle this problem, RDI has implemented many projects, including water filtration, arsenic testing, rainwater harvesting, and water pumps for rural wells. Finding practical and sustainable solutions to these problems is challenging, and Sampson recognizes that it’s not feasible to just give things away because people must feel a sense of ownership, empowerment, and agency in the betterment of their lives and health. Says Sampson, “We’ve got to take good business principles with good development principles, and meld those two so that we can really impact people.”

One of the most extensive projects at RDI is the production and marketing of inexpensive ceramic filtration systems, which are manufactured by a team of Cambodians at the RDI facility outside Phnom Penh. The simple ceramic filters, which look like large clay flowerpots, can remove 99.5% of all germs and bacteria from rainwater and surface water. The filters, placed inside a large plastic water storage container, provide a dependable point-of-use solution for Cambodians who do not have access to clean water. At $8, the simple systems are affordable and, in areas where many families purchase charcoal to boil drinking water, they pay for themselves in less than three months. If maintained correctly, the filters can be used indefinitely.

RDIC has also designed water pumps for use at rural wells. These simple rope pumps, made of inexpensive and easily acquired materials, are extremely efficient. RDI currently sells the pumps on a rent-to-own basis. For $240, RDI will dig a well and install the pump and cement apron. A community or group of families can collectively purchase the pump by paying $10/month for two years. Additionally, monthly visits to the communities give RDI ample opportunities to monitor the pumps and teach lessons about health and environment. By the end of 2008, this project will be completely self-funding--the revenue from monthly payments will equal the cost of installing new pumps. Development is now reaching a level where RDI does not need to ask donors for money for these sustainable programs, because Cambodians are the integral part of the development process and are helping other Cambodians.

One of the most striking things about RDI is their continual effort to improve their projects and processes. For example, the water filter program presently uses the waste cuttings from rubber tree plantations to fire the ceramic filter kilns. However, RDI wants to stop using wood completely, and is currently designing machines to produce compressed rice husk logs to use as fuel instead. Rice husks, essentially a waste product in Cambodia, are transformed into a valuable resource.

Sampson notes that many development projects fail because organizations become donor-driven and lose sight of their goals. This unfortunately can lead to organizations focusing on what they have accomplished, rather than the impact of those efforts. For example, there are a number of organizations in Cambodia investing millions of dollars in wells across the country. However, by Sampson’s estimates, “30% of those wells will be unsafe for human consumption or are undesirable” because those same organizations do not test the wells to make sure they are safe.

To tackle this critical issue, RDI developed a program to test the safety of wells in Cambodia. Beginning in Kandal province, they extensively mapped the water quality by testing over 2500 wells. Yet some development organizations, who install wells at a cost of $2,000, are unwilling to pay for the $25 tests simply because they do not know what to do about the problems that may arise. Unfortunately, by ignoring the problem and charging ahead with their number-driven goals, these well-meaning organizations are actually making matters worse, and in some cases, killing Cambodians. RDI hopes to continue mapping other provinces as well and makes all of their data public by posting the information on the Internet. By doing so, other organizations become legally accountable for placing wells in unsafe areas.

Sampson says, “We want be the small little ant that bites and really hurts so the big people have to do something about it. And that’s what we want. We’re about people, and I think that’s the thing that oftentimes gets lost in development. This is people we are talking about.”

Sampson is quick to point out that while RDI does not have the financial resources of some of the larger development organizations, he also knows those same organizations lack creativity and are slow to change. It is his hope that by implementing sustainable and resourceful projects that empower Cambodians, RDI will serve as a model for other development organizations to follow. With the help of his talented team, a wealth of ingenious ideas, and a commitment to the people of Cambodia, Sampson is truly making change.

For more information about RDI and their on-going projects, please visit www.rdic.org.

Help PEPY win $50,000

I really don't like asking for money, but its for a good cause, so maybe you can help us out. Here goes...

For only $10, you can help The PEPY Ride organization win $50,000!!!!

PEPY, the organization where I work, is currently part of a fundraising challenge. If we can get 800 people to donate at least $10 each, we will be in the running to win $50,000.

http://www.networkforgood.org/pca/Badge.aspx?BadgeId=109979

We are one month late into this competition, and it ends at the end of this month. However, if we all do it and get a 5-10 of our friends and family to donate as well, it an easily accomplished goal!

It takes 5 minutes. It costs you $10. So simple.

$50,000 would be an enormous contribution to PEPY, and could help us fund a program (together with Rural Development International) to deliver monthly educational videos and health training to schools this year, with a goal of 100 schools onboard in the coming year.

PLEASE HELP! DO IT NOW! THE CLOCK IS TICKING!

New Stuff

Young 1st-grader at the PEPY Ride School, overjoyed at her new toothbrush and plastic cup. Or maybe it was my camera with the bright flashing light.

All smiles

One of the days we visited the temples of Angkor, a group of 4th grade students from the PEPY Ride School joined us. Each PEPY participant matched up with a buddy for the day. In the photo with me is my buddy Duan, who barely spoke the entire morning, but warmed considerably after lunch, where I watched him polish off 4 heaping plates of food. My rainbow rigatoni bling-bling was a Xmas gift, courtesy of 7yr old PEPY participant Michael.

Face of Stone

I've now been to the Bayon temple three times...on each occasion the some 200 almost-smiling faces have left me speechless.

Boeng Mealea

The following photos are all from Boeng Mealea temple, perhaps the most visually stunning place I've visited in Cambodia. The temple has been completely reclaimed by the jungle, with roots, trunks, limbs, and lush greenery growing in, on, between, through, and over the massive cut stones. Though perhaps trite to describe it as such, it did indeed feel like a scene from a Indiana Jones movie. Most of the outer walls are still standing, and inside is a child's ultimate playground. Piles of rubble, secret passage ways, countless things to climb, fantastic carvings of ancient figure--it would be an incredible venue for a game of Capture the Flag!

We had an excellent tour guide, but I was much too busy exploring the ruins on my own to listen, so I learned very little of the temple's history.

Happy Ch'nam Thmey

I am finally back after a nearly month-long hiatus. December found me quite busy with office work and countless hours in front of my laptop, hence I had no desire to blog. For two weeks over the holidays I co-lead a PEPY Tour. It was a great experience for me as I got to meet some fantastic people, share some ideas/knowledge/experience with them, and see some of Cambodia that I had not before. I suppose it will take me awhile to catch up completely, so I'll start with a few photos and captions from the past few weeks.

Yep, this is a big bowl of fried tarantulas, for sale on the roadside. The vendor assured me they were delicious and was quite miffed when I refused.

A spool of silk at the silk farm/production facility outside Siem Reap.

Ancient Khmer script on the wall of one of Koh Ker's temples.

Standing in one of the many temple portals. Stepping through them is truly like entering another world.

Early morning, near Prasat Thom ("the big temple") of Koh Ker, a former capital of the Khmer civilization.