September Field Trip: Cambodia

In September 2022, myself and a group of our Australian and Vietnamese volunteers embarked on a trip to open the new AHHA community centre at Pho Nam temple, located approximately 30 km from Hue city. The AHHA centre is a resilient two-storey brick building, erected on the hills to endure the wind, storm, and heavy rain during the wet season that frequently occurs each year in Vietnam. The AHHA centre operates as an evacuation centre during floods, and as a hub for education and medical services for the underserved communities in surrounding villages.

During the trip, we facilitated general medical check-ups and supplied medicines, conducted eye checks, and distributed 20kg of rice and cash donations to each of the 600 underprivileged families who arrived at the AHHA centre over the span of two days. Additionally, AHHA donated a motorised aluminium boat, sponsored by Dr Juliana Chong, to be used for rescuing people during floods. The success of this AHHA project can be attributed to the tireless efforts and support of many, including local volunteers,

Pho Nam Temple, local authorities, and our dedicated AHHA volunteers and donors. A special acknowledgement goes to architect Mr Michael Luong and our AHHA director, Ms Thuy Nguyen, who oversaw the project.

During our visit to Vietnam, we also had the chance to witness firsthand the operations of the evening community school named Truong Hoc Tinh Thuong in the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The school, located at the back of a local coffee shop, was founded by Mr Hung Doan more than ten years ago. He runs the coffee shop during the day to fund the evening school for local underprivileged children whose parents are unable to afford regular day school. The school caters to around 70 children aged from 7-17 years old, and the classes are facilitated by Mr Hung and other local university student volunteers from 5:00PM-7:00PM, Monday to Friday. AHHA has been supporting the rental of the school over the years, and it was encouraging to see the school positively impacting the lives of these children.

We proceeded to Phnom Penh, Cambodia to reconnect with our local collaborators, including Prof Meng Nguy, Prof Do Seiha, Dr Long Chhour of Khmer Soviet Friendship hospital, Prince Tesso Sisowath, Prof Callum Durward, Prof Ian Findlay of University of Puthisatra, Dr Huot Cheng of Khmer Sigh Foundation and Mr Sideth Ly of Cambodia National Bank. We discussed our plan to resume our mission in Cambodia in 2023, with a focus on reducing the severe backlogs of cataract surgery and dental treatments, consequences of the COVID Pandemic.

Our trip continued to Tru Noc village in Kampong Chhnang in the Tonle Sap lake region, Cambodia, where we visited Sister Maria at the AHHA community centre. We successfully distributed 20kg of rice to each of the 200 impoverished families. The AHHA community centre, which was completed in 2019, was in excellent condition and is utilized year-round for educational purposes. It also provides medical services funded by AHHA, with a local doctor visiting monthly to treat minor, chronic illnesses and provide preventive health and family planning services to the needy in the villages. Lastly, we visited the proposed site for the future primary school for the poor, with aspirations that the AHHA school will be completed in 2023.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our donors, our volunteers and AHHA management committee members for their continued support and hard work to keep AHHA going to help the underprivileged.