In rural Cambodia, a bicycle can make a world of difference. A small donation of US$60 not only buys a mode of transport where the default is to walk many kilometres on foot, it brings hope for a better future to many young Cambodians. By helping them get to school, and motivating them to complete their education, they stand a much better chance of escaping the poverty trap.
Started in 2012 by a group of passionate cyclists, Wheels for Hope is an initiative that brings bicycles to disadvantaged and impoverished rural communities in Cambodia. In close collaboration with Hope Worldwide Cambodia, Wheels for Hope has carried out 3 donation drives, bringing over 300 donated bicycles to rural Cambodian communities over the past 3 years.
Through social media and word-of-mouth, Wheels for Hope receives donations from Singaporeans of all walks of life, with the amounts growing year by year. Donations received are channelled to Hope Worldwide Cambodia for the purchase of bicycles to be distributed to rural communities. As a tangible link between donor and recipient, photographs of recipients and their news bicycles, specially labelled with the donor’s name are taken and shared with the donor in Singapore.
A team of 9 travelled to Cambodia in February this year to bring bicycles to 2 rural communities in Oudong and Kampong Cham. Donated funds were sent to the Hope Worldwide Cambodia office for the purchase and transport of 120 bicycles to the respective communities.
A small step towards a better future
Poverty remains a pressing issue in Cambodia, particularly so in rural areas. 8 in 10 Cambodians live in rural areas where infrastructure is poor and economic opportunities are very limited. Most rural Cambodians are small-scale farmers, practising farming and fishing at a subsistence level, using traditional methods that are low in productivity. Rural Cambodians have limited access to education, health and other public services.
The team drove for hours on dusty laterite roads, passing by wide expanses of brown fields covered by dried-out rice stalks and stacked columns of hay.
“Farmers produce one crop of rice per year during the wet season. Fields are left empty during the dry season,” explained 39-year old Phoung Bunthy, social support officer with the Sihanouk Hospital Centre of HOPE and translator for the team throughout the trip.
Without irrigation infrastructure, farmers are unable to tap on groundwater for rice paddies, a water-intensive cultivation method. The limited income from such single-crop subsistence farming is one contributing factor in rural poverty. Education offers a way out of this poverty trap.
But the harsh realities of day-to-day living takes precedence over education.
“Many pupils will not come to school if, for example, the father used the bicycle to go to the market. The school serves 3 villages which is 3 to 5 kilometres away from here,” explained 56-year old Ou Song, a teacher in Kampong Cham.
This is but one of the many difficulties faced by children going to school.
For most rural Cambodians, the default mode of transport for daily activities such as collecting water, fishing, visiting the market, cultivating the fields and going to school, to name but a few, is by foot. That means some children must walk five kilometres just to go to school.
A
bicycle donation enables the student to go to school and motivates them
to complete their education, an important enabler out of the poverty
trap. The benefits extend to the recipient’s family as well. As 13-year
old Worn Navy explains, the bicycle is also used for making errands to
the market for the family.However, much more needs to be done. For every pupil that received a bicycle from Wheels for Hope, there remains many others who would not be able to afford the fees, uniform and time for basic education.
Every effort counts towards a better future for these rural communities. To be a part of these efforts, please join the Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/wheelsforhope
No comments:
Post a Comment