Today is our last of four days in Cambodia, specifically Siem Reap. After many decades of war and conflict, Cambodia has only opened up to welcome visitors since the late 1990's. Therefore, its a fascinating mixture of unspoiled natural and man-made wonders and the struggles of extreme poverty. Presently, it is an agricultural-based economy with a growing tourism industry (tourism is Cambodia's 6th largest economic sector). As is typical with most developing countries, there are many problems to solve and issues to refine, especially in regards to expanding its infrastructure for tourism, but at the same time saving its cultural traditions.
Siem Reap is the country's number one tourist destination because of the temples of Ankgor, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992. This area is an amazing junxtaposition of the old - ancient ruins, dirt roads, rice fields, swamps - and the increasingly modern - motor bikes, hotels of every description, tour buses, and internet cafes. Look to one side and you'll see a farmer driving a cart pulled by a bull past a group of children frolicking in a small pool of muddy water; look to the other side and you may see a giant resort hotel with a huge tour bus.
This contrast of poor and comparative wealth creates an overwhelming emotional reaction from me. As you stop at one of the dozens of temples or roadside stands, you are quickly inundated with local children selling things - scarves, books, bracelets. But they aren't just selling objects as I (and most Westerners I suppose) are used to, but desperately begging you to buy these items as if their life depends upon it. And as you spend more time in Cambodia and see the living conditions of many (most?) of the people there, you do start to believe that their lives do depend upon, for the most part, forcing tourists to buy. A typical pitch starts like this: "Would you like to buy a scarf? $1, 3 for $5, A bracelet?, 10 for $1?, We are very poor. we want to go to school. Please Lady, help us we are very poor. Beautiful scarf - $1, 3 for $5." And this is repeated over and over and over again from the time they see you until you drive away, regardless of what you say. If you do buy something then you are inundated with many more children relentlessly repeating the same desperate pitch - many pairs of beautiful, big, sad, desperate eyes. So my first thought is to empty out my wallet to the first child, but then I quickly realize that that is not the answer for either of us, not even in the short term. So I just shut down and try to just endure these heart wrenching situations. (The ironic thing is that if they were not so persistent and aggressive, they would definitely sell more and make more money - no one likes to buy things out of feelings of guilt, obligation, or pressure.)
I wonder what is the best way to bring lasting change? Is it education? Our guide says its mandatory that children go to school and that schooling is one of the few social programs the government provides the people. We did find a program, Artisans D' Angkor, (www.artisansdangkor.com/) that offers locals six month apprenticeships in traditional arts like stone carving, wood carving, and silk weaving which is a great thing because it teaches marketable skills and keeps traditional cultural arts alive, but of course its limited in how many people it can help and how quickly help will come. Another philanthropic option is the Trailblazer Foundation (http://www.thetrailblazerfoundation.org/helpus_donate_urgentneeds.html) which gives cows, mosquito nets, flip-flops and other needed resources. The guide tells us of a program that many tourists have participated in to build pump wells for individual families - only $300. But when I asked him what the number one need is, he says, food. So at this point I'm very conflicted about how to help in a longer term, meaningful way - there are so many basic needs and so many, many people in need!
