Sachit ShahJournal #1
While in Cambodia, Jake Goldberg, a peer of mine, and I contacted various people working for NGOs that we had met in Phnom Penh over the summer and were presented with options as to how best to utilize the remaining 4 weeks of our summer in Cambodia, we decided to join Pepy.
Pepy is an organization Jake, a peer of mine, and I had heard of prior to coming to Cambodia and we were pleased to meet a number of their employees this summer. They were motivated, smart and cared about the organization’s mission.
The project with Pepy is in collaboration with another NGO named Daughters who strive to give women an option outside of the sex industry by training and providing employment to former sex workers. Pepy have asked us to design a business and marketing plan for a moneybelt designed as a fashion accessory. The product is called the ‘Hipster’. The cloth originates from Cambodia, the buttons are from the provinces and the basic design is based on the traditional Khmer scarf, the Khroma.
We have successfully approached a number of local stores in Phnom Penh to carry the product, outlined our ideas for a focus group, designed a questionnaire and a conjoint analysis to narrow down on the product attributes our target customers are looking for. In the last week, a major US online retailer has approached us to carry the product.
The project has been exciting to see—two NGOs working successfully together on an idea that can put funds back into their target programs. We have been able to add our business experience and ideas to the Hipster and we truly believe this could be a long lasting revenue generating project for Pepy and Daughters.
As part of our time here in Phnom Penh we decided to join one of the many volunteer trips. A bar that I frequent regularly (60c beers!) has established a project which gives food directly to the adults and children who work and live in the city dump here on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.
We are asked to donate a small amount of money which is used that very morning to purchase bread, fruit and vegetables that are handed out directly to the children who live in the dump. We left the meeting point to purchase 450 Baguettes before proceeding to the wholesale market where we learned about the Khmer bargaining mentality together with seeing the craziness of a local market. We purchased fruit as diverse as rambutans, oranges, mangoes and guava.
After a 30 minute drive we were stuck in a traffic jam entering the dump and due to the monsoon rains the normal parking spot was occupied and we had to make an ad hoc adjustment with bricks used to make sure the truck didn’t roll down the ‘road’. Immediately upon entering the dump, swatches of children surrounded the truck running after it as we proceeded to our parking spot.
We enlisted four of the local girls to help sort the food and hand it out to the children. Two orderly lines were formed and a first aid station set up to treat minor infections the inhabitants are unable to treat themselves. Whilst many would line up more than once to get their feed, it was plain to see that although this project only had a short term impact, there was no money wasted and everything went directly to the people who needed it most. If there was ever a surplus of donated funds to what was required to feed 450 people, the money would be saved to pay for hospital treatment when the situation arose.
This had been one of the most rewarding volunteer experiences that I have taken part in. The people were visibly happy with what we were doing and it was obvious the organizers had developed a genuine affection for the people that have to endure these torrid conditions day in, day out.
The project is run by English and Kiwi expats who will visit the dump as often as they can (3-4 times a week) – they need a certain number of volunteers to ensure everything is safe and to buy the amount of food necessary to feed this many people.
Journal #2
As part of our time here in Phnom Penh we decided to join one of the many volunteer trips. A bar that I frequent regularly (60c beers!) has established a project which gives food directly to the adults and children who work and live in the city dump here on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.
We are asked to donate a small amount of money which is used that very morning to purchase bread, fruit and vegetables that are handed out directly to the children who live in the dump. We left the meeting point to purchase 450 Baguettes before proceeding to the wholesale market where we learned about the Khmer bargaining mentality together with seeing the craziness of a local market. We purchased fruit as diverse as rambutans, oranges, mangoes and guava.
After a 30 minute drive we were stuck in a traffic jam entering the dump and due to the monsoon rains the normal parking spot was occupied and we had to make an ad hoc adjustment with bricks used to make sure the truck didn’t roll down the ‘road’. Immediately upon entering the dump, swatches of children surrounded the truck running after it as we proceeded to our parking spot.
We enlisted four of the local girls to help sort the food and hand it out to the children. Two orderly lines were formed and a first aid station set up to treat minor infections the inhabitants are unable to treat themselves. Whilst many would line up more than once to get their feed, it was plain to see that although this project only had a short term impact, there was no money wasted and everything went directly to the people who needed it most. If there was ever a surplus of donated funds to what was required to feed 450 people, the money would be saved to pay for hospital treatment when the situation arose.
This had been one of the most rewarding volunteer experiences that I have taken part in. The people were visibly happy with what we were doing and it was obvious the organizers had developed a genuine affection for the people that have to endure these torrid conditions day in, day out.
The project is run by English and Kiwi expats who will visit the dump as often as they can (3-4 times a week) – they need a certain number of volunteers to ensure everything is safe and to buy the amount of food necessary to feed this many people.
