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Kicking goals, new kids, reverence and fresh eyes |
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step 1: rem on top of the world |
step 2: taking shape |
step 3. wonderful & watertight! |
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roomier than they look |
view of the mezzanine level |
detail of the construction work |
It's been a couple of months of goal kicking,
from every angle and by everyone. Rem and the construction boys have done an awesome job with the new education
block; the slab is down and the roof is up and rainy-season-worthy. Meanwhile
the Gecko boys have made some weatherproof constructions of their own - all the
lunch huts now have mezzanine floor sleeping quarters! Constructed from planks
of wood, bamboo, old whiteboards, bottoms of go carts, mats - you name it – they
are resourceful and creative to say the least!
Academically, the kids did really
well in their Khmer school exams and excelled in their English classes at ACE. We
are talking marks of up to 96%, top-of-the-class awards, merit awards and, most
important to us, excellence in motivation and participation. 11 new high-achieving
Geckos have been enrolled into ACE this week; excitement is at a fever pitch!
Claire kicked off our Gecko child sponsorship program, dear friends put on
awesome fundraisers in Australia
and we have received some humbling and bighearted donations to bring the Geckos'
education and facilities to the next level.
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award winners! |
94 percenters! |
all passed to next level |
Yes, even though
we said it wouldn't happen - and many of you suspected it would - it has … our Gecko
family has expanded, by just two. We have a new little one-year-old
girl, her mother a victim of severe domestic violence rendering her incapable
of taking care of her baby. Very cute, our youngest Gecko hangs out with the
gang all day, being squeezed and squished and smothered with love and
boisterous Khmer affection. The other, a little 10 year old boy was brought to
our attention through a child protection agency. To be honest when the request
came, both Rem and I had mixed feelings, a baby was one thing, but as for an
older child - fresh from the streets and all that that entails - we hadn't had
any new additions to the family for 2 years now. Rem and I agreed instantly
that it was not our decision to make. We sat down with all the kids and
explained the situation, we told them that we hadn't given the agency an answer
yet as this decision was theirs. After all Gecko was their home, their school
and their family. Bringing in a new member was a big thing that needed thorough
consideration. We asked them to think of possible problems and then suggest
possible solutions. "Well, he won't
be able to speak English… but we could translate for him and help him with his
homework, he won't know about the Gecko rules and about our chores… but we
could teach him, he might feel shy about being in kindergarten… but we can make
him feel comfortable about that by saying we started in kindergarten too, he
might feel left out… but we can welcome him and invite him to sleep in our
mosquito net…" The problems and
solutions kept flowing, nothing seemed insurmountable. It was time to vote, the
decision was unanimous and one that filled my heart with awe and my eyes with
tears. "The streets are dangerous,
we need to get him off the streets, we welcome him to Green Gecko, tell them
yes, he can come today." Could we be any prouder? No, we think
not. A month on, our latest Gecko has
adapted like a duck to water. Today he wrote the complete alphabet for the
first time and read it out loud at assembly. The rest of the kids roared with
an encouraging round of applause.
On a sad note, a close friend of mine and a son of one of
our beloved volunteers died prematurely of a perforated ulcer. The eldest of
the Gecko kids insisted they join the cremation ceremony to show their respect
and support. They made a goodbye banner, dozens of sympathy cards and beautiful
posies of flowers. They wore the traditional Cambodian white cloth – headbands
for the boys and over the shoulder for girls – and they even made one for my
friends mum. They prayed and they held incense and when the cremation began
they sat quietly in front and sang in a whisper, the Beatles song, "You
say goodbye, I say hello". Here are
some words from my friend's mum upon her return to England: "Having the kids from
Green Gecko at my son's ceremony meant so much to us, their support and love
was abounding - they were absolutely marvellous, a truly fantastic example of
what you have given them. One little boy in particular was absolutely amazing,
he showed me so much love - wiping my eyes and staying close most of the time
and then after the cremation saying "no more crying". Thank you again for all you did that day, we
will never forget it."
A few months ago
when I was in Australia, I
had a friend visit Cambodia
and Gecko, a friend that had also visited us two years before. She sent me a
simple text to say,"If I could wish one thing for you,
it would be for you to see this with fresh eyes". Like anything, when you see it daily,
changes are gradual and they often go unnoticed or unacknowledged. This month
we have been blessed with the presence of one of our original Gecko volunteers,
after almost 2 ˝ years she has returned. In the words of her own blog, here is
what she sees through her fresh eyes …
"The Green Gecko Project is where I volunteered
for much of my previous stay in Cambodia
in 2005-2006. The founders, Tania and Rem, created a safe place for Siem Reap's
street kids to come and learn and play and get away from the negative begging
environment. I just glossed over a whole lot of issues there in the interest of
space, but trust me when I say the kids were in a bad place. All the kids are
now in Khmer and English school (and earning top marks and awards), some of the
parents have been given jobs at the center, and on this visit I have seen a
HUGE difference in the kids' behaviour. I keep saying,my god, they're just not the same kids. I mean, they are, their personalities are as
strong and beautiful as ever, but their behaviour is so much healthier
than when they were begging. It's an incredible transformation. What
strikes me the most is how much they act like a cohesive family. They look out
for each other, they share (!), and they encourage each other. I think their street life was so unstable and
unpredictable that they never really invested
in each other, and certainly not in themselves. Now, that sense of identity and
self-worth that we worked so hard to instill in the beginning has really taken
root. Not only are they invested in themselves, they're investing in
their own FUTURE.
We went to an end of term party at the kids' Khmer school, where they cranked
up the speakers and had dancing and singing contests and raffle prizes. The
school is an "International
School", meaning
it's a private Khmer school with high educational standards, and there are 50+
Gecko kids enrolled there. During one dancing contest, 3 of the 4 kids
competing were Gecko kids. They got the music going and our kids started
flailing their arms and gettin' down with their bad selves. They were a
huge crowd pleaser, with everybody screaming and laughing. Tania
turned to me and said, tongue in cheek and smirk on face, "You know, we
really must teach these kids some self-confidence". Needless to say they
won first and second place by popular vote.
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get down and boogie |
get down even further |
get down & get the winners prize! |
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big crowd to please |
brothers dressed to impress |
gecko wins the bicycle raffle too! |
At a party for some donors who were
visiting, the Geckos had a quick assembly to say hello and thank you. We
all sat inside an open-air concrete and thatch roof structure- the new school
building and sleeping quarters before its walls have been installed. In the
beginning of the assembly, Tania sat with the kids while they meditated
silently for five minutes. And I mean the children were completely silent. I felt myself getting very emotional,
tears welling up. I looked over each of these children and thought of how many
times I had seen each of them in the streets at 2 am, or worse, at 8am after
having been in the streets all night; how their eyes had looked so old, their hair ratted,
their clothes filthy, their faces unreal and plastic as they learned
what emotional expression would bring in the most money; the home life where
their parents encouraged them to take part in a lifestyle filled with disease,
heartache, and hopelessness rather than one with opportunity and
achievement. And now these kids, they were about to sit down at real
desks, in real classrooms, in their
classrooms and with their own books, and you know what- I think for the first
time ever these children have the sense that they DESERVE it.
It's been a huge pleasure to come back and see the program so successful, as
evidenced by these amazing children and their ability to make something so productive and
inspiring out of something so dark".
Through fresh eyes
that was written, and through my welled eyes it was read. These children ARE absolutely awesome and we are most proud and grateful to know and love them. As always there are
so many wonderful people who have made remarkable contributions to Green Gecko;
without you these opportunities and results would not exist. You know who you
are and we hope you know how appreciated you are.
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playing house |
mini furniture made from mud |
more beaks to feed |
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pipe-cleaner art |
new swing in action! |
gecko sisters |
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Puppeteers |
group effort |
home made speakers! |
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the fabulous fundraising family |
biggest Gecko event ever |
mumma tania |
:: HANDY LINKS
BY POPULAR DEMAND
Sponsor a child: For those of you who have been waiting endlessly for child sponsorship
information… it has finally arrived! Thank you for your patience. www.greengeckoproject.org/flex/the_green_gecko_project_sponsorship/109/1
Donations: www.justgiving.com/greengeckoproject
Gecko Wish List: www.greengeckoproject.org/flex/green_gecko_wish_list/203/1
Green Gecko Gift Shop: http://www.greengeckoproject.org/shopping/green_gecko_gifts/92/1
Until next time,
Much love and gratitude,
Tania, Rem and the whole Gecko
Gang.
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