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How Green Gecko began |
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Responding to an article she read in a Virgin in-flight magazine, Australia born Tania Palmerwalked off the plane and into a travel agency to book a flight. The Article was about an orphanage in need. The destination was Siem Reap, Cambodia. The date was Augaust 2004.
A month later, Tania, co-director of hugabub.com - a baby sling company located in Byron Bay, Australia, found herself among the stifling heat and humidity with eyes, arms and heart wide open to the plight of the Cambodian children. A month later, she was back home, in body but not in spirit. By February 2005, Tania had packed up her life, home and office desk to return to Cambodia. No plan, no goal and no idea of what the future would bring. She described 'the calling' as being so strong that it defied all reasonable logic. |
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Her attentions were immediately drawn towards the street kids. Beggar children, who were often tiny themselves, were laden with babies on their hips in slings to attract more sympathy and... more money from rich foreign tourists. The children never held onto money for long. They certainly did not benefit from their hard work as there was always a desperate parent or older sibling lurking in the shadows ready to seize their earnings. More often than not, it was to subsidise their famalies' gambling, drinking or glue sniffing habits. Tania wanted to help. She wanted to give them something that could not be taken away from them. The simplest solution was to feed them.
The children had stolen Tania's heart and so had a lovely local man named Rem, who was soon to be Tania's husband and the other half of the Green Gecko team.
What started as a single table of six on the pavement at a local restaurant grew to many tables being joined together to feed sometimes more than 30 street children. Sadly the prejudices towards the children by their own people, made it more and more difficult to find places for them to dine. Besides that, Tania says “feeding the kids on a nightly basis was one thing; it was nice to know their bellies were full, but it was not really contributing to their future, not really. It was like the old fish versus the fishing rod story”. So with these two factors in mind, Tania and Rem decided the only sensible solution was to find a place where they could learn and eat without people shooing them out of sight. |
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| They approached a local English school and asked if she could pay for the children to go to the school. They refused on the basis the children were dirty, stinky and noisy and that the parents of ‘normal’ children would not like it if they were in the same class. Despite the truth of the comments, it was, unknowingly, the catalyst that planted the seed for the GREEN GECKO Project. Fuel to the fire. “OK FINE… so let’s just start an exclusive class for ‘stinky’ kids only then, shall we?” Tania retorted. And that’s exactly what happened. Tania and Rem hired one room and one teacher for one hour per day. |
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"We didn’t have high expectations initially… but the kids proved us wrong. We expected about 12 to come, but 25 did. We expected the numbers to fall but instead they grew, sometimes up to 42 per day! It was evident, after the first week that we needed to split the class into two".
"What started as a small token gesture to get the children off the streets for an hour or two turned out to be more successful that imagined. The children enthusiastically participated in learning English and enjoying the hot meal they received after class. It was so amazing to watch it unfold" Tania said. However the more successful it became, the more evident the limitations became. "There was no running water, there was nowhere to bathe them, feed them properly, brush their teeth or receive medical treatment... or even a place to just hang out and play" she said.
After three months of high attendance and dedication, it was time for the next step. On 1 October 2005, a small ex-police station was leased, which looked exactly like a schoolhouse. Named GREEN GECKO HEADQUARTERS the children moved in the next day, elated with their new abode. The doors to the Headquarters opened with no teacher, no resources, no desks, no chairs, no mats and no whiteboard. What the kids had though was a place they could feel safe and call their own - a place to play and learn. They also had a shower, toilet and running water. It was a place where the children had a lot of pride, passion and enthusiasm. |
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"I am a strong believer that with the right intention you can make things happen… first you have to think it, secondly say it and then write it down. If you have the right intention anything is possible. I did all three and the ball is rolling faster than I can run. The response has been amazing, absolutely overwhelming. Out of seemingly nowhere has come an abundance of specialised volunteers, advice, support and brilliant ideas. It has blown me away - the generosity of peoples’ spirit - together it seems all the more achievable".
"The greatest idea offered was to create a 'Street kids street circus' by teaching the kids juggling, acrobatics, dance and performance skills so eventually they could busk instead of beg". The solution could not be more perfect. The sad reality is these kids are the principal breadwinners for their family and they need to earn money. With the circus they can expel their abundance of energy, build their self-esteem, achieve goals, work as a team, learn a multitude of skills, discover self-discipline, earn money, entertain tourists and last but not least… actually have some good old fashioned fun. |
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| The possibilities are endless, so are the tasks at hand to get this project off the ground. "The project is just in the embryonic stages of development and we have a lot to learn and a long way to go" she says. When asked about funds, Tania responded, "I am sure they will come, how could they not… it's such a wonderful project and the kids are such incredible human beings. They inspire us daily with their strength, courage and their innate ability to roll with the punches and come up with a beaming smile. We love them like crazy... and they are crazy about our love… I feel very positive that everything will fall into place". |
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