One Year On

Well old blogging buddies its very hard to believe but I have now been in Cambodia for a year and it seems like only yesterday that I said my tearful goodbyes to David and Sally at the airport and so much has happened to me since.
I have managed to negotiate a short extension to my placement although VSO Cambodia thought I was there for two years any way so that was not difficult the Council wants me to stay another year and in many ways I would love to as they do need help to really develop into a more confident and fully functioning organisation but sadly I must return home by Christmas but VSO has agreed to consider another volunteer for them next year which may actually work by then as I hope by that time they will have got the ministerial approval for the standards that have been developed by the Council for essential competencies and a code of ethics for midwives without these its hard to see how the Council will be able to move forward in the future.
A donor proposal is now ready to be presented to some major international donors by the President on the 14th October my colleague Pros and I are helping her and the other midwives on the exec committee to build their confidence so that they can put their case with conviction and passion.
securing resources to accelerate their progress is vital
In addition I am helping them to write some basic policies and guidelines for dealing with complaints and disciplinary issues

Our new hemacue HB analyser in use at clinic

We had a Council meeting last week and someone always brings lovely food the time before we had banana fritters this time we had 'cadow K'ti' which are sweet rice dumplings and coconut milk wonderful! how I have lost 15 kilo's I do not know by the way did I say I have lost 15 kilo's and am now a size 12!.......................
On the clinic front all the new equipment donated and or purchased is now being put to good use last week the staff were very distressed as one of our women sold her baby for $50 to a complete stranger in another part of Cambodia fortunately the woman returned the baby as she found it to be sick so the NGO has placed the baby in a place of  safety with Cambodian foster parents whilst they support the mother in making a decision about the baby's future. Child and baby trafficking is rife here and who knows what could have happened to that baby had it not been returned it makes me shudder to think but these are the realities and the outcomes of severe poverty. Baby Jinnie is doing as well as she can she has quite severe problems including blindness probably although her mum thinks that she can see a little and my money is on her as she is devoted to that baby.
Lea Howie
Next time what makes me smile and cry in Cambodia...............................

This is my most loved photograph taken in Mondulkiri Cambodia I was sitting on a log not 10 feet away from this beautiful creature