Wrapping up 2009

It's been a while since our last update, so here's what's happened so far!

The Spring 2009 semester concluded soon after Cambodia Week, which occurred the week of April 13th, the Cambodian New Year! We had events such as a Sharples Takeover, a showing of the documentary New Year Baby, a Cambodian New Year Party, a Tropical Fruits Parlor Party (people who attended got a whole coconut!), a Tropical Paradise Paces Party, a wasabi eating contest, and
more! Overall, it was quite a success.

Over the summer of 2009, I (Jen) went to Cambodia for two weeks to visit family (above) and join one of the Tabitha Foundation's housebuilding groups!

I happened to attach to a rather large group; about 25 in all, pictured to the left, along with the homeless families who we built houses for. You can see some of the houses behind us.

The houses aren't much; they amount to some wood held together by nails, sitting on four small stone pillars for support, a silver tin roof, and green tin sides. Our job was to nail the wooden floor in (the easy part), then nail the green tin siding in (not as easy as it seems! In fact, it was downright difficult. Only the two buff farm boys we had could manage to work the entire time). Each house only costs about $1000.

The schedule of a housebuilding group usually runs like this:
Day 1: Group meets up briefly to talk about schedule; get over jet lag
Day 2: Orientation at Tabitha (in Phnom Penh), visit The Killing Fields and Toul Sleng prison (S21)
Day 3: Drive to the build site; we built in Battambang province, which is about a 4-5 hr drive from Phnom Penh
Day 4: Wake up early to build; we built 7 houses in five hours.
Day 5: Finish up the houses; built 3 more, and then had a ceremony to give away the houses. Visit various communities in different stages of development, then head out to Siem Reap
Day 6: Visit temples (Angkor Wat is amazing)
Day 7: Visit more temples, or floating villages, markets, etc
Day 8: Group disbands; head back to Phnom Penh or do whatever you want

As you can see, the housebuilding doesn't take all that long...but what does last is the impression that the homeless families make on you.

They sit in the shade and watch with hopeful eyes as you steadily nail their house together. Families who have essentially nothing finally have a home.

The mission of the Tabitha Foundation (and part of SwatCambodia's own mission) is to bring hope to and empower Cambodian families, by teaching them about savings, and helping them realize that their hard work really can pay off, in the form of finally receiving pots and pans, having the ability to purchase a pig or cow, and to have a roof over their heads. These families don't receive these things for free, but must earn them.

For more information on the Tabitha Foundation, please visit http://www.tabitha-usa.org

To see more of my photos from my trip this summer, visit http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2022158&id=1464390009&l=65669db427

Feel free to friend me on Facebook :) And join the SwatCambodia Facebook group!

Happy holidays!

BiMonthly Bake Sales

Every other Sunday from 10 PM to 1 AM SwatCambodia sells baked goods at Cornell Library...

So come get something good to eat and help us make a difference!

The next Bake Sale will be on Sunday March 29th!!!

Be there !

Kicking off the Spring Semester

SwatCambodia has many upcoming events and blogs that will not only focus on the Cambodian genocide but open up cultural venues. So be on the lookout!

This is our tentative calendar for Spring Semester (It will be updated constantly so keep referring to it).

March

• March 29th- BiMonthly Bake Sale @ Cornell Library
  

April

• April 3- Tropical Paradise Party @ Paces (10 PM- 2 AM)
  
• April 13- Cambodia Week begins with Cambodian New Year Party
  
• April 14- Cambodia Games @ Parrish Beach (Time is TBA)
• April 15- Paces Takeover
• April 16- Sharples Take Over: Delicious Cambodian Food and fun and knowledgeable Trifolds @ Sharples (4-7 PM)
  
• April 18th- Parlor Party
• April 19th- Swarthmore Fun Fair (1-5 PM)
  

May

Other Tentative Plans

• Bring Socheata Poeuv

Buy a Case? Build a House?

Jennifer Trinh at Swarthmore College is selling self-made crocheted cases for cellphones, calculators and cameras. She takes donations from $5 and up for these cases. You're free to give more than $5. All sales made are to help fund raise the group's trip to Cambodia to build houses. If you want a specific case she charges accordingly.
Interested? Please contact Jen at jtrinh1@swarthmore.edu. (The pictures to sides are just two examples of her work.)

Cambodian Genocide

So you are probably wondering what exactly happened during the Cambodian Genocide and what were its causes. The following is a clip from YouTube that summarizes the three horrible years of the genocide in a few minutes. It is very touching and paints the horrors many faced during 1975 to 1978.

The Killing Fields - December 4th

On December 4th SwatCambodia will be showing the film "The Killing Fields" from 7 to 9 P.M. in Science Center 101. Below is a short clip of the trailer. Please come see the film and support our cause.

New Year Baby: Documentary

This amazing documentary is not only available in McCabe but highlights the mission and goals of SwatCambodia. Below is a clip from the astonishing documentary:

Welcome to SwatCambodia!

Mission Statement

SwatCambodia seeks to help address Cambodian-related issues both locally and abroad. We hope to promote awareness about the genocide in Cambodia and the culture in the country today.

Meetings and Events

SwatCambodia holds weekly meetings. We host events to raise awareness of the genocide that occurred in Cambodia, and also events to raise money for a summer trip to build houses for the homeless in Cambodia. All awareness and fund-raising events are open to the campus, but the housebuilding trip is closed to group members only.

Membership

SwatCambodia is an open group, and anyone in the Swarthmore College community is welcome to join. Members are asked to participate in and help plan fund-raising activities and/or awareness events.

Organizational Structure

SwatCambodia has a treasurer, a manager, and a travel planner. The duties of the treasurer are to arrange the budget proposal and approach SBC for money, as well as to keep track of raised funds. The manager keeps records of events and fund-raising activities that the group engages in, thus ensuring institutional memory. The travel planner is in charge of planning the house building trip to Cambodia. The group calls for volunteers to fill these positions, but if multiple people wish to be in a position, they may choose to share the responsibilities. Underclassmen are encouraged to fill these positions to ease the transition of duties each year.