#save cambodia

[thayvie]

Forgot to mention that I made it as a Raktivist at the end of July!! (Random act of kindness) Yay!

[thayvie]

I haven't been here in a long long long time. I logged on tonight and found the sweetest message forms sitting in my tumblr inbox from a random tumblr friend. It really touched me! Thanks! I have been extremely busy, but there have been a lot of things going on for Save Cambodia, I AM HUMAN, and for the overall organization. But I came onto here just to share this with my tumblr friends! A year ago around this time I started the conversation and process with a trademarking lawyer to trademark and register for I AM HUMAN. But guess what?! This morning I received news that I AM HUMAN has officially been registered!!!! I'm so excited to finally share with you guys one of the things that I have been working hard to formulate for all of you. Luedeka Neely and lawyer Stephen D. Adams has been absolutely accommodating throughout this entire process. Thank you. I AM HUMAN will be Save Cambodia's initiative. VISION and MISSION: I AM HUMAN is a brand created to inspire Cambodians to Stand to Rise by understanding Human Right’s #30 “No one can take away your human rights”.

[thayvie]

yes, we are still moving/kicking.

So much has happened since the last post that I can’t keep track! I mean it is all great things, and it is all exciting news but I definitely wish there were more hours in a day.

One post will not be able to summarize everything that we have done so I will have to break them up into different posts. But here are some of the good news in bullet points both Save Cambodia and personal.

- Starbucks has decided to have a long term relationship with Save Cambodia. - The Christmas gift drive with Starbucks was a success!
 - I was asked to be one of the speakers at a mass rally in front of the White House.
 - Starbucks & Save Cambodia will be having our first collaboration this April encompassing Cambodian New year, Earth month, and Starbucks’ community service month.
 - Planning of Bike For Rights is in progress with the Philadelphia School District kids in June.
 - I’ve been working on being a representative for the Philadelphia Cambodian Community, and recently the Governor’s team asked me to represent the Khmer community here in Philadelphia. This is a wonderful opportunity to broaden the networking community. What an honor! We will still retain our neutrality as an organization while strengthening and bridging our bonds with the Cambodian community here.
 - I got accepted to Western Governor’s University. Starting this March. They’re so accommodating and work well with this crazy schedule.
 - Starting the process of the 501(c)3 to get nonprofit status. Just chose an attorney last Friday.


Look forward to upcoming posts!

[thayvie]

anger is a good thing.

I attended a seminar this past weekend in VA on “How to Save Cambodia.” I do not want to mention the names of anyone, because it is not my intention to put down anyone. However, an idea mentioned referenced Cambodians with PTSD without fully explaining the origin of this disorder. It derived from the Khmer Rouge (KR) genocide, and has continued to plague generations and generations leading to conflict and turmoil.

One of the issues I had with the speaker is that his advice to people angry about the KR was to simply move on. He believes it better for them to focus on other things, which I believe is far from the truth. I believe the PTSD Cambodians acquired has been left untreated for far too long. The lack of therapy for KR victims plays a role in the people living today, and leads to them continually passing it onto their children.

The Cambodian culture is rich and genuine. However, in the past few decades a lot has changed due to a lack of human rights. The people live in fear, have grown to be terrified of the government, and law enforcement. They turn their heads when something is wrong, and become bystanders. Example, one of my aunts has lived here in America for approximately 30 years. Over the years I have brought up the conversation of the KR so I can learn about her experience. But every time I do she panics, and whispers as if she is scared it is going to happen again. Then, blanks out for about 5 seconds and says “It is so bad. It was so bad. Don’t talk about it and bring it to reality.” She never wants to talk about burying her young daughter, her husband’s death, eating bones from dead bodies to stay alive, etc. Every time the police drive by she panics. This, among other things, have effected her children who were born and raised here in America.

So I think the people should speak up and talk about their experiences if they want to. Usually Cambodian people never talk about it, because they are too scared or it is too painful. But this grandma at the seminar voiced her anger very openly, and asked what she should do to appease it. I think it GREAT that she was willing to speak about it, but instead of telling her to rid the emotion she should channel her anger into something positive.

[savecambodia-blog]

The Price of a Human Life in Cambodia

6 years. This is the span of time Boeung Kak Lake residents have been plagued by the thought of losing their dwellings. Human right #17 states: “Everyone has the right to own property, alone as well as in association with others. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.” Yet, these individuals are frantically searching for a way to keep their homes. The developer for the land is the Shukaku Inc., but they are not fully to blame.  

Shukaku Inc. is a private developer run by Senator Lao Meng Khin, a Senator and major donor to the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP). The CPP was formed from the communist, pro-Vietnam Kampuchean Revolutionary Party, and is categorized as a noncommunist party. 2007 saw Phnom Penh courts award this developer a 99 year lease on the property, which in turn severe the land rights of the current residents. The company is planning to replace the land with a residential, commercial, and tourist complex. Originally this land was inhabited by nearly 4,000 families. It was also a violation of Land Laws, which disallow the long term lease or selling of public property.

In August 2008, Shukaku used sand to begin filling the lake which resulted in floods of the surrounding villages. 3,500 families settled for accepting a partial sum of the market value for their home, which has led to their downfall monetarily. These land evictions have forced the evacuation of a substantial amount of Cambodian people. In fact, it may be categorized as the 2nd largest next to the forced Khmer Rouge evacuation in 1975.

2011 saw some major changes regarding the development of this land grabbing issue, such as the World Bank cutting off loans to the Cambodian government. Their purpose in doing so was to force a resolution for some of the remaining families. On August 17th, 800 families benefited from this stand off, and were granted the title to their homes with stipulations. One of the stipulations being they would need to adhere to construction regulations for the building foundation of their homes. Many poor families may not be able to afford the cost of said regulations, voiding the title they received. There were 90 families excluded from the August 17th agreement and 8 were forcibly evicted in September. Chea Dara’s family was one of the 90 excluded, and in November 2011 she committed suicide due to the stress of the situation leaving behind two children. It seems luxury flats, and high-end shops are worth more than a human life in Cambodia. This is an ongoing issue so we urge you to join us in being a part of the solution. 

What the Cambodian people have done:

Petitioned the Cambodian government many times to no avail.  

Attempted to gain the help of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon while he was visiting Cambodia. As a result they were beaten and assaulted by officers with electric batons.

Proposed an alternative building plan which was denied.

What YOU can do: Petition your government and create awareness!

[savecambodia-blog]

Just for you!

We have decided to extend the time frame for ticket purchases just for you so please take advantage of this and buy buy buy! Don't forget, if for some reason you cannot make it to our event this Saturday, we welcome you to support us monetarily by donating on our website, savecambodia.org. 

[savecambodia-blog]

Right now we are working very hard on our fundraiser "Pages to Places". It is in a few short weeks and we are very excited to see everyone there! After doing this we have so much more respect for event planners! If anyone would like to donate or attend our fundraiser visit our website, savecambodia.org. We are currently giving away 1 free ticket to anyone who donates $100, and 2 free tickets to anyone who donates over $100.

[thayvie]

i live, eat, sleep, and breathe save cambodia.

Yesterday I had a meeting with a monk in South Philly on 6th Street where our free water ice social will be taking place: Phra Buddha Ransi Temple from 3pm to 7pm.

I was nervous prior to speaking with him, because I was afraid he wouldn't understand the purpose of Save Cambodia. I told him that when I explain the purpose to Cambodian people they don't seem to understand how big the vision of this organization is. But when I explain it to other people, such as Americans, they understand. So I asked him to help me find a way of verbally expressing it clearly to Khmer people, so that they may understand it and lend their much needed support.

My mom has always tried to explain to me that the reason behind this is because it is a new concept for them to have help globally. Americans are a developed country so after hearing the mission/vision and a few strategies, they understand and can envision the outcome and resources needed.

The monk was also very helpful. I was really happy I met with him yesterday, because he gave me a few pointers to help explain what I need them to understand. I may need to sit and think about it a little more. However, I am ecstatic that the most popular temple in Philadelphia is on board with Save Cambodia, and supports it! The temple is the only place where Cambodians come together. It is a community center for them, and I am happy to work with them, not only to be a part of bringing the community together, but to actually strengthen it, and be a support system for them.

But we did have a great talk. He asked me how much I was willing to dedicate time to Save Cambodia's success. I stared at him, giggled, then repeated his question to make sure that was what he was really asking. And it was. I said, I live, eat, sleep, and breathe it. My friends/members have to tell me to stop and rest, otherwise I won't. I am dedicating all my time, energy, gas, and paychecks to it.

As for the Cambodian community, I want to bring them together, but I want them to understand their culture and traditions. Because, not only did they lose all sense of hope, but they do things everyday without realizing or understanding why. For example, they go to the temple, but without realizing the purpose of doing it. Or enact compassion without realizing the true meaning of compassion. The great thing about the Cambodian culture is that compassion is embedded into it. Many Cambodians don't realize the richness of their culture, which helps them function as a harmonious society. Instead they are doing it without realizing it, and if other cultures realized it, they would be amazed.

In case some of you missed this post, here is "What it means to me to be Cambodian." http://www.savecambodia.org/#!what-it-means-to-be-to-be-cambodian/c1f6a