Speak Truth to Power

A part of my role at Chab Dai is to assist in the development of a  ‘What is Human Trafficking’ curriculum. This is being designed as a resource for facilitators to use when addressing community meetings and forums with an audience seeking answers on trafficking. It’s a bit of a tricky process, as I’m working with content from my director who has facilitated a number of these forums across the United States – and I need to figure out the best way to ‘package’ the information into one document.

This is really testing my ‘Pages’ knowledge. Thank goodness I had some practise throughout uni and on my professional folio (and yes Lucy, I will try my best to make sure the entire curriculum is written in Century Gothic).

I’m regularly distracted by the task as I begin to explore ‘What is Human Trafficking’ from all the resources I have available at work. One of my favourites so far is called ‘Speak Truth to Power’. 

I’ve fallen in love with the curriculum created by the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights.

It began as a book written by Kerry Kennedy and has since been translated into  6 languages, adapted into a dramatic production (Speak Truth to Power: Voices From Beyond the Dark by Ariel Dorfman, with a premiere cast including Sigourney Weaver, John Malkovich and Alex Baldwin), displayed as a photographic portrait exhibition in four continents, AND developed into (my favourite) human rights curriculum.

The curriculum covers stories and the journeys of remarkable people working in the field across the globe, and encourages students to become personally involved in the protection of human rights. 

'Speak Truth to Power: Voices From Beyond the Dark' cast

As a teacher – I love this. The curriculum itself is broken down into topics such as Genocide, Slavery, Trafficking, Forced/Child Labour, Poverty and Free Expression of Religion and Beliefs. It guides teachers and students through a personal account and then provides study notes allowing students to go deeper. It states class objectives, student skills, learning areas, concepts covered, technology requirements, additional resources, vocabulary, differentiation instructions, student activities – all the beautiful sub headings that make a teacher’s heart skip a beat! It’s a cut/paste job when it comes to unit planners – and who doesn’t love that? It’s aimed at high-school classes but certain chapters can certainly be adapted to upper primary classes too.

I’ve only been out of my teaching contract back home a few months – but reading a curriculum like this gives me the itch to get home and back in the classroom!

Seriously – for my teaching friends (and those of you interested in reading the stories of truly inspiring people) – please consider integrating this curriculum into your planner for Term 2 – and well done for surviving the first term of 2013!

‘The Speak Truth to Power lessons were designed by New York state teachers and brings to the classroom the passion of those who risk their lives for human rights. Their compelling stories are made real to students through a rich curriculum…that challenges students to think about how they can become defenders of human rights locally and how their actions will be felt globally. I invited you to integrate these materials into your classroom curriculum. All the lessons are available online at www.nysut.org and at www.rfkcenter.org

Thank you for moving forward the advocacy of these defenders.’

Richard Iannuzzi (President, New York State United Teachers). 

Voluntourism

This week in Cambodia, a report was released stating that an Australian-run orphanage had been shut down in an emergency response to human trafficking and abuse (you can read the article here SHISA - Emergency Shutdown ).

Before leaving this year, friends would sometimes confuse my plans of working in a school with 'Miranda's trip to an orphanage in Cambodia'. Without taking any offense that my friends didn't know my actual plans (well actually Jemma, I regularly took offense that you couldn't get it right), this little sentence made me cringe inside and I instantly felt the need to say 'no, no - I'm not working in an orphanage'. Why?

Here's why. 

Cambodia's tourism has been booming over the last few years. People are coming here to see the the stunning and ancient temples in Siem Reap, to learn more about the Khmer Rouge regime in Phnom Penh's museums and to soak up the sun and beach down south in Kep. Most come here with the best intentions and when they arrive, the poverty they face draws them to say something along the lines of 'I need to do something'. Keen to help this war-torn country, increasing numbers of tourists are now also working as volunteers. 

Unfortunately, well-intentioned volunteers have helped to create a surge in the number of residential care homes (orphanages), tempting impoverished parents with promises of an education and western-style upbringing. In 'worst cases' these children are 'rented' or even 'bought' from their families because they are perceived to be of more value by earning money pretending to be a poor orphan than studying and eventually graduating from school. Parents 'willingly' send their kids to these institutions believing (through the lies they are told) it will provide their child with a better life. Unfortunately in very many cases, it won't.

Orphanages rely on donations and know that the more children they have in their care, the more 'at risk' and 'in need' they are and therefore, more likely to receive funding. Unfortunately, in many of these institutions (but not all), very little of the money donated will ever actually assist the children who will remain living in sub-standard conditions. The orphanages have also relied on the big hearts and curiosity of tourists who are invited into the facility and asked to stay and play with the children.

I get it. I once did that. 

In Hoi An, Vietnam - my friend and I visited an orphanage run by an Irish woman that we'd heard about at a local cafe. It was a warm and fuzzy sort of experience at the time. Cuddling little children and playing games with them before sharing the lychees we'd purchased as a gift before entering. We'd left a donation at the end of the day and (as 19 year olds on our first trip through South-East Asia) promised that we'd return. 

We didn't - and it's taken me 7 years now to reflect on that experience. 

The 19 year old me walked away thinking that somehow I'd made a difference in the lives of those kids. I'd put a smile on their face. I'd given them fruit. I'd given them love, hope, blah blah - who knows what I thought I gave them. 

Really - a stranger, speaking a foreign language, entered their home, took photos, gave them food, held them, waved goodbye and never returned. 

When would that ever be OK in Australia? Or anywhere?

This is SUCH a massive topic and debate for people working with vulnerable children and victims of human trafficking here in Phnom Penh, and mixed in with the heat - doesn't take much to get the blood boiling when reports like the one released by SISHA this morning come out.

Below is a little more information on orphanage tourism. Please, please, PLEASE consider these things before you embark on any journey that may lead you to visiting or volunteering in an orphanage. 

Orphanage Tourism - ChildSafe Network

This document seeks to assist travelers and volunteers in finding a way to contribute, yet avoid situations or actions that may lead to child exploitation. Certain 'tourist attractions' such as orphanage tours exploit children's vulnerabilities. 

ChildSafe Questions and Answers

Friends International Resources

Friends is a leading social enterprise, saving lives and building futures of the most marginalized children and youth, their families and their communities in South-East Asia and across the world. This is a list of documents including annual reports, stories and statistics. 

Friends International Resources

ISF Boys Football Tournament

This weekend was the final event of the ISF Football Competition.

ISF hosted the first Pricewaterhouse Coopers Annual Cup back in 2008 with just 4 teams from Phnom Penh. Today, there are close to 30 teams competing in both the Girls and Boys events from all across the country.

'Realising that all children, no matter how disadvantaged, should be given the opportunity to enjoy themselves and participate in organised sport, ISF has established and arranged sponsorship for a network of football squads for kids from local school, NGOs and disadvantaged families and communities throughout Cambodia'.

The program trains disadvantaged children across the country and develops them as leaders and coaches. The children from rural provinces are given the opportunity to travel into Phnom Penh for the final tournament and several teams have even had the chance to compete in Singapore and Thailand. 

ISF's school team (with students from the school I'm based at) had an amazing day - finishing in second place. Though my brother and many friends are mad about 'football' (I'm still more comfortable calling it soccer), I've never had any interest in the sport. It frustrates me...too much running around and too few goals, BUT - I loved watching these kids. There was still a LOT of running around and still very few goals (mixed in with heat, sweat and dust like you'd never believe), but with all the smiles and excitement...I forgot it was a sport I generally ignore. 

I'll never understand how they survive in this heat with jeans and jumpers!

Our live entertainment

The winning team

 

ISF Children's Party

There’s a gorgeous tradition in Cambodian schools that I was lucky enough to experience on Friday. Each year, the students are invited to a big party at their school and awards are handed out to students who’ve demonstrated excellent behaviour, improved academic achievements or attendance.

Our party was basically a big assembly, held on the fourth floor of the school building (which is usually where the kids practise football) and was a chance for the kids to dance, sing and have some fun.

Some of the younger students awarded

One of our school leaders with the flowers she'd made to thank the trustees

The ISF Khmer Dance Group

The school’s Yoga Group and Khmer Dance Group performed, the Chairman of the Board and Trustees/Sponsors were thanked and Gangnam Style was played close to 17 times before the kids fled downstairs for their annual water fight. 

This was an absolute water war. 

Water guns, water bombs, buckets, bins, bowls, shoes – anything that would hold water was a weapon, and nobody standing on the ground floor of the building was safe!

I definitely did not remain dry – but thankfully this ‘lovely’ heat meant that I looked relatively normal again before moto’ing it back home.

Chab Dai

Here's a little about the amazing place I'll be working at over the next few months. 

Human trafficking, exploitation and abuse are global issues victimizing and enslaving men, women and children in every country, and of every nationality and race. Chab Dai is committed to seeing an end to abuse and trafficking through collaboration, networking, prevention and direct project development.

Chab Dai is an organisation based in Phnom Penh which aims to address human trafficking and exploitation through coalition building, advocacy and research. The name “Chab Dai” means ‘Joining Hands’ in Khmer and was founded by Helen Sworn in 2005. Chab Dai provides help, support, resources and training to NGOs working Cambodia, and is developing and distributing innovative resources to assist with programs including:

prevention

intervention

rehabilitation

 reintegration

The team at Chab Dai (over 37 staff) work with urban and rural communities, organisations and government ministries to identify strategies to address the issues of sexual abuse, trafficking and program gaps. There’s so much that happens at the office every day – with clinics and forums being held on site to train and build the capacity of staff working directly with survivors, and an entire floor of the building devoted to a 10 year research program known as the Butterfly Project which aims ‘to better understand the experiences of survivors of abuse who have been reintegrated back into society after rehabilitation’.

Chab Dai - Butterfly Project

My role at the office is to assist in the development of an online library (with over 2000 resources) and curriculum for facilitators to use when teaching about Human Trafficking.

There’s a WHOLE lot of reading ahead of me (luckily I can do this by my 'office' at the pool after school) and a heck of a lot to learn. 

 It’s been a total blessing landing a job like this – and a privilege to be a part of the Chab Dai team. 

xx Miranda 

Indochina Starfish Foundation

I've now finished my third week working at Indochina Starfish Foundation (ISF) and am finally able to direct my moto drivers to school in the outskirts of the city, make it up the 3 flights of uneven stairs without a rest AND recall the names of some of the munchkins in my classes.

Below is a little information on ISF taken from their website www.indochinastarfish.org

The ISF Education Programme strives to take children (mostly from the slums) who have never had the benefit of schooling or those who have had to stop education for economic reasons and support them through a period of “Catch Up’ teaching to their correct age grade for state school. Thereafter the children are sponsored through state school and onto vocational training or further education. These are children who currently spend their days scavenging in the streets of Phnom Penh to raise money. 

In addition to education we maintain the children’s health (including optical and dental care and vaccinations) and monitor their welfare.

Our educational programme is focused on children who live in two districts within Phnom Penh. Our original Stung Meanchay Education Centre currently serves 225 children; this number will grow to 450 students by 2016. The redevelopment of this Centre will be complete by mid 2013. Our second education centre in the Chbar Ampov district opened in September 2012 with 50 new students – a number which will reach 250 by 2016.

I've come at a really interesting time - as the school has just hired a new English Teacher (their 4th) and are in the process of redesigning the English curriculum. My role is to assist in the development and help to train the teachers here - who have little experience using classroom management skills, activities and content that we take for granted as trained teachers at home. 

I'm working with 4 classes each day (Monday-Wednesday) and will soon begin withdrawing my students for Literacy Assessment, which for my teaching buds...takes a little longer than a Numeracy Interview and is a little most complex with the whole language barrier thing!

The English coordinator here, Sopha, is an amazing woman incredible vision for the school and passion for the education of these students. It's so refreshing to meet a Cambodian teacher who's keen to move away from the traditional methods of students sitting in straight lines, copying from the board and standing when speaking to their teacher, and she is just as excited to see new games and activities used in the classrooms as the kids. 

The money raised for ISF back home will be used to increase the number of literacy resources available to the children, and Sopha and I are having a great time writing our shopping list!

Indochina Starfish Foundation

My classroom is up on the third floor (a whole lot of stairs away) and yes, that truck is considered a school bus!

The school playground where I'm regularly dodging football practise or 'Shoe Bowls'...think lawn bowls with thongs.

Beginnings

After months of preparing and days of farewells - the year ahead has begun!

Thank you so much to everyone who helped get things rolling - whether through your encouragement, advice or gifts - I was overwhelmed by the support I received heading off on this adventure.

A special thank you to the wonderful people who helped contribute to the funds raised for Indochina Starfish Foundation (ISF) - I'm looking forward to sharing with you how the money is spent at school. Over $1500 was raised for the foundation and a further $1500 will be donated to projects supporting women and children who are at risk/survivors of sexual trafficking here in Phnom Penh. 

Over $3000 was raised through generous donations - supporting vulnerable children and women at risk of sex trafficking in Cambodia and for new educational resources at the Indochina Starfish Foundation located in Phnom Penh

Thanks team for the send off

I'm hoping I can keep you updated on what's happening here in Cambodia - but it's my first attempt at blogging, so apologies if it's not up to  the standards of 'Tell Her She's Dreaming' or other champion bloggers! 

I'm hoping you've caught onto the idea behind my blog title - I do actually know how to spell and am aware this isn't quite right...but hopefully it will make sense to you in the coming months as I explore this road filled with all sorts of crazy twists, turns and adventures. 

xx Miranda