Antipodeans

Greetings,

On a fine sunny yesterday Sunday a team of 15 brilliant volunteer Australian teachers from Antipodeans Abroad traveled 50 km into the countryside to visit Kranlanh. This is Kunn's village and the site of My Grandfather's House, being transformed into a small school for local children since last September. 

The teachers' role for two weeks is teacher training with local Khmer teachers in Siem Reap. Thirteen volunteer nurses are busy conducting heath checks and providing medical assistance in local villages.

The teachers stopped in a nearby village and transferred to ox carts. They rolled through villages and into massive open dry and dusty Cambodian fields. Horizons extended forever. Everyone swallowed billowing delicious dust. They were in the center of a huge open plain. Under a blazing sun and turquoise canvas painted with small white clouds they rocked, they rolled, passing villagers harvesting straw for feed. Boys fished in small lotus lakes.

They forded streams as hooves labored, pulling huge mud slicked spoked wheels grinding out a hollow form. They reached the edge of the village and went to the school where they met 50 happy excited children. Teams were formed to collect trash and debris, plastic leftovers, easily discarded. Rubbish, trash and garbage is a real health issue. Everywhere. Rats, vermin and lice prosper. People get sick. 

Anna, a nurse, conducted simple first aid training for some mothers. How to treat open wounds with salt water and protect the wound with a bandage.

After lunch the teachers demonstrated and taught the children dental hygiene; they distributed brushes and paste for the kids to practice - OPEN, brush the top, sides, back, front, rinse and spit. Then they demonstrated and conducted hand washing steps so the kids would learn the importance of simple daily hygiene. They distributed soap, smiles and love.

They gifted kids cloth satchels, pencils and small koala bears. Farewell!

Metta.