Lets rewind a month. At the time it was only me and my exponentially improving Outreach Worker, Kimang. With the start-up of 3 partnerships, development of a life skills curriculum, lesson delivery, jewelry making, and the well-being of 17 teenage girls, very little time was left to get ‘official’ stuff done. Sure, it was ‘done’…but not ‘officially’. We needed help.
So one day, whilst sipping my 4th coffee that morning, I received a Facebook message (Oh, Hail Facebook!) from an estranged highschool colleague:
‘Hey! Long time no see! I heard that you’re working in Cambodia now and I want to do the same. Know anywhere I can volunteer for 6 months? I’ve got a Bachelors in Business and I’m Cambodian.’
As I wiped the coffee spray off my computer screen, my heart jumped out of my chest and kissed her profile picture.
Welcome, Emily Chhen, to Senhoa Cambodia!
High Schoolers unite! Emily, my new right-hand girl
Meanwhile, it was still a good 4 weeks until Emily’s arrival. We were still juggling 8 people’s jobs between us. Then on the 3rd of January, I was at brunch hosting some supporters from Australia describing to them the jet-speed progress of Senhoa.
‘We really want to find a way to help. What do you need?’
‘Honestly, the biggest thing we need now is man-power.’
Nearly as soon as those words left my mouth, my phone vibrated and I excused myself from company. (Normally I wouldn’t be so rude, but I felt a sense of excitement behind this call) It was from Jenni, the missionary worker for our partner shelter with whom I work very closely.
‘I just got a call from Youth With a Mission and they have 3 girls who want to volunteer for 2 months and they want to start tomorrow!’
I looked up to the clouds as they parted with beams of sunlight radiating through.
Haaaaaalelujah!
Thank you to Katie (Canada), Taylor (USA), and Joy (USA) for literally being angels sent from above.
Now with so many sets of hands and brains, our weekly schedules look like this:
By having the roles more spread out, it:
Opens me to develop more comprehensive curriculum and lesson plans, answer emails more thoroughly, attend more meetings with partner NGOs and other associates, train staff and volunteers, record in more detail the progress of the girls, and most importantly more time and brain space to plan out the big picture for Senhoa in Cambodia.
Allows Kimang to build stronger relationships with the girls and their families, dedicate more energy to learning Khmer, English and how to teach lessons.
And all this is supplemented by Marvelous Emily who will be in charge of administrations and accounts.
Phew!
So far it’s been an absolute pleasure having new team members on board and it’s given us a great taste for more! We’re still on the lookout for more volunteers to donate their time and services to the worthy cause that is Senhoa. Please don’t hesitate to contact info@senhoa.org if you are interested in our projects in Cambodia.
Over and out, from The Field
