I've been back in Cambodia for two weeks now, and am struggling with what to write about. After three extended trips here, everything looks normal to me. I no longer find the thatched homes on stilts, the roaming water buffalo, heavily laden ox-carts or green fields of rice exotic. It all just seems like everyday life. So when Alger asked me when I was going to start writing, I answered "when I get a topic to write about." I knew that inspiration probably wouldn't strike sitting in our guest house room, so I ventured outside for a short stroll.
Turning right outside the GreenPark Village Guest House, I was met by countless tuk-tuk drivers calling "Madaam, you need tuk-tuk?" Trying to explain that no, I really just wanted to walk, was getting old, so I turned down a narrow, muddy alleyway to see what I could find. Two blocks in, I heard the familiar sound of "hello, hello" coming from young voices. And seemingly from nowhere, two beautiful little Khmer girls appeared and attached themselves me, one on each leg. Sensing a great photo opportunity, I pulled out the camera. And just as quickly, the two smiling faces ran off yelling. At first I thought they were upset about trying to take their photo, but then they returned...with a little brother in tow.
I took a few shots of these three faces, loving their excited expressions when they saw themselves on the screen. They ran off once again, this time returning with four more friends. Trying to take a group shot proved difficult, as they jostled each other, vying for the most prominent position in the front row... Trying to make sure they were seen...Making sure their face would be in my photo. I decided to take a video of the group, ensuring that at some point everyone could be clearly seen.
Cambodian children are just like children everywhere..
.they want to be seen. By loving and caring adults, that in an ideal world could provide the protection, nutrition, education and encouragement needed to realize their full potential. But in a nation with such a young population (45% under the age of 15), there aren't enough caring adult eyes to truly see them. To see who God created them to be. To see the potential in each life. To provide encouragement and hope for the future.
Cambodia's economy has grown an average of 8.2 % over the past decade, making it the 15th fastest growing economy in the world. Despite this economic progress, most Cambodians remain desperately poor, and chronic child malnutrition is robbing the people and land of its greatest resource. Forty percent of children under the age of 5 are stunted (short for their age), and twenty eight percent are underweight.
I used to think that Cambodians were just short...a genetic difference. But as the Cambodian-American children that I worked with in Charlotte, North Carolina quickly outgrew their parents, I realized my incorrect assumption. It wasn't just genetics, but nutrition. For poor Cambodian families, diet is limited to rice and a few vegetables.
This has serious implications for the future of Cambodia, because
malnutrition has irreversible effects on health and human development.
The first 1000 days, from the beginning of pregnancy to a child’s second birthday, are considered a critical “window of opportunity” during which poor nutrition can result in stunted growth, diminished immune response, impaired intellectual ability, poor school performance and lower economic productivity.
Early-life malnutrition is also associated with increased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other non-communicable illnesses later in life.
Cambodia will never be able to realize anything near it's full potential until the serious issue of child malnutrition is addressed. Much education and training is needed to provide mothers the knowledge and resources needed to provide a solid foundation for their children's future.
