I'm back from Cambodia!! I had a great time on the trip - the first half being my honeymoon :), the second half spent with a team from Ratanak International finding out about the various projects they support throughout the country. It was both very challenging and very inspiring!

Cambodia & Its Recent History

The legacy of Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge and the Killing Fields is still very evident in many aspects of contemporary Cambodian society - perhaps, as I began to realise more and more while away, no more so than within the sex industry and prostitution of young girls.

Killing Fields & S-21

During our time in Phnom Penh we spent time at the Killing Fields, located about a 30 minute tuc-tuc journey from the city centre. It was chilling to see bits of bone and teeth and clothing at our feet - we could touch them - a direct link to the people and the awful atrocities that were committed there.

At S-21, the genocide museum, we went into the torture rooms and cells in which almost 21,000 Cambodians were sent, tortured and killed by the Khmer Rouge. Interestingly, each victim was photographed when they arrived at S-21 - often this is the only record that the person ever existed.

Glimmers of Hope

We visited many projects during our time in Phnom Penh seeking to provide help and hope to girls rescued from prostitution. Hope was a theme I wrestled with a lot while away. It was a huge and awful situation, yet there were shinning glimmers of hope visible through transformed lives - young girls who had been in brothels for many years 'servicing' as many as 10 men each night, now living lives and getting help to deal with the past that stood them in good stead for a much better future.

The above image is of a 'rape cubicle' inside a building that once was a brothel but is now a thriving community centre providing health, spiritual, recreational and educational services to the local community.

One example of a project we visited was Bloom Training & Cafe in the heart of the capital. It trains girls rescued from brothels in how to make cupcakes, cookies and probably the best cake I have ever tasted! :)

Other projects we visited included Hagar International, Daughters of Cambodia, Elder Care & NewSong.

Exhibition

The trip was a great opportunity to get to know the country, the culture and to make contacts with those involved in trying to help. The next stage is to go back out again to Cambodia around Easter time next year to make work that will be displayed in the MCAC in Oct/Nov 2012. Before then lots of effort will need to be put into processing the above, planning and raising funds for my return visit. Ideas are bubbling away in my head... looking fwd to how project will resolve... may take a while! ;)

Final thought... just heard that I will be receiving a SIAP Award from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland to help fund project - thank you!!! :)