We're here! After 3 days of sight-seeing in Phnom Penh, we are onsite with our partner Buddhism for Social Development Action (BSDA) in Kampong Cham. Vandong, the Executive Director and one of the seven founders of BSDA was our very own tour guide. It was great spending time together and getting to know him after communicating over the last two years. We had the privilege to tour the National Museum, the Royal Palace, Tul Sleng and the Killing Fields. We learned a lot about Cambodia's tumultuous history. It was a very powerful experience.

Streets of Phnom Penh:

The National Museum:

 
The Royal Palace:

Tul Sleng:

Pits left from mass graves at the Killing Fields:

Abi and Micah with BSDA's director Vandong:

Our last night in Phnom Penh we met up with the GROW team from the University of Washington. They have been in Phnom Penh with their partner for a month already! It was great to meet them and hear about their experience.

 Upon arriving at BSDA we received a very warm welcome from the entire staff! They were full of smiles and continuously thanked us for all of the work we had done. So far we have had 2 presentations on BSDA. We heard a lot about the Mekong Kampuchea Kids project (MKK) that trains Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVCs) so they can start their own businesses with loans from BSDA.

Today we got an extensive presentation about the progress of our project of livelihood improvement and capacity building for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV). With the $8,000 we have raised in the last two school years, 64 families have been affected. The money is being loaned to them to build chicken coops and get trained on how to raise them. Others are receiving loans to begin small enterprises selling cakes and other goods. The PLHIV are able to make a profit off of these projects. Because of this, they are increasing their community involvement. The presentations stressed the importance of accountability and complete transparency, ensuring the money will be used responsibly and the loans will be payed back.

The food is great, the temperature is hot, and we are learning a ton about our partner with every moment!