High School teacher wants to make permanent difference to Cambodia

ផោមក្លិនស្អុយ · Post by **ផោមក្លិនស្អុយ** » Mon Jul 31, 2017 5:46 pm

Meh, I've seen some people do good stuff here, I've seen some be a waste of time and others actually potentially do harm.
This guy seemed to me to have a decent chance to do good, in that he had clear goals and was working in the area he is qualified in.
Albeit he needs someone to write his press releases for him.

Kachang · Post by **Kachang** » Tue Aug 01, 2017 8:51 am

LexusSchmexus wrote:So you're now a broke method addicted whoremonger?

Yeah, kind of.

But if shit really hits the fan there's GoFundMe, so Carpe diem.

YaTingPom · Post by **YaTingPom** » Tue Aug 01, 2017 10:58 am

Kachang wrote:
ផោមក្លិនស្អុយ wrote:
lordofmisrule wrote:He is well intentioned, but so are the gap year students building orphanages, it does not make what they do any more effective but hey I guess its the starfish syndrome, it may make a difference to some and that may be enough.
The difference is that he is a professional and is volunteering within his professional sphere.
Not sure many gap year students are qualified or experienced builders.
Well.... Everyone has the right to have his/ her dreams and ideals, but the chance this teacher is going to make a change in Cambodia while being here is nearly zero.

I came to Cambodia as a professional in education, I tried as hard as I could for 25 months to make a change for the good in local education, but Cambodia changed me more than I changed Cambodia.

Whoa. That's going to trample on your ego somewhat!

That's like telling someone to not bother doing something, like setting up a business or building a shed, because you tried it and failed.

I say good on this bloke.
Can't believe the bitterness sometimes.
Well actually I can as I live here amongst all the pisshead expats.

the chicken · Post by **the chicken** » Tue Aug 01, 2017 11:18 am

I regularly drink 3 cans for lunch, around 7 for dinner. Am I a qualified pisshead?

YaTingPom · Post by **YaTingPom** » Tue Aug 01, 2017 11:26 am

the chicken wrote:I regularly drink 3 cans for lunch, around 7 for dinner. Am I a qualified pisshead?

Not even close.

Regularly isn't everyday.

Playboy · Post by **Playboy** » Tue Aug 01, 2017 12:42 pm

the chicken wrote:I regularly drink 3 cans for lunch, around 7 for dinner. Am I a qualified pisshead?

Oh, how cute

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Joon · Post by **Joon** » Tue Aug 01, 2017 1:37 pm

Marmite wrote:Lovely. I'm sure he will make a huge difference and solve the teaching problems in this war-torn country, once he gets over his concerns about being so far from home.

And once you've crowd-funded him, of course.

http://www.middlewichguardian.co.uk/new ... _Cambodia/

He might mean well and he has experience as a qualified high-school teacher but making a "permanent" difference in Cambodia's education system or even at an individual level over at most 2 months during summer holidays?

That's a bit of a long, long stretch honestly.

I'd give a break on the teacher's well-meaning intentions, but he's a paid teacher and he even has got his flight, food and accommodation paid for. Now he's asking for USD700+ to travel locally and for "equipment"?

And this:

junior reporter at local newspaper wrote:The civil war in Cambodia that ended in the 1990s resulted in the killing of educated people and left the country without anyone to pass down vital skills.

Where did they pick that up from? Do White people really have to make Cambodia sound like a God-forsaken, backward, deserted shithole country to raise funds?

But to put things in perspective, the article is written by a "Junior reporter," so someone young and with little experience and for a local online newspaper/magazine, to make the teacher's little paid-for holiday volunteering project more interesting than it really is so that he can rack up USD700+ for tuk-tuk and unspecified "equipment".

EDIT: Just visited the LRTT Cambodia page. So, of course, it is in Siem Reap... https://lrtt.org/fellowships/cambodia
Also telling that they got reviews from the Fellows who go there to coach but they don't have testimonials from the Cambodian teachers who are receiving the coaching.

ផោមក្លិនស្អុយ · Post by **ផោមក្លិនស្អុយ** » Tue Aug 01, 2017 1:57 pm

I think that's a tad unfair Joon.
Where does it say that he has his flight accommodation and food paid for?
It says 'Michael has funded' - suggests to me that he has paid for it himself.
But we shouldn't let that inconvenient sentence get in the way of a good grumble.

PS I'm not Michael - nor so I know him.

Post by **Alexandra** » Tue Aug 01, 2017 2:02 pm

Well intentioned or not, why would somebody donate to someone to start something afresh and fly here rather than donate to an established organization that is already here and has a good reputation? Donor funds are limited. There is the possibility that by hindering donor funds from going elsewhere, by directly competing with established NGOs, that he does more harm than good.

Why doesn't he just raise funds for an organization? He couldn't be personally interested in visiting the country and staying here and not having the means to do so without external funding, could he? Or are established organizations not doing as much of a permanent change that this man could alone?

Bless

ផោមក្លិនស្អុយ · Post by **ផោមក្លិនស្អុយ** » Tue Aug 01, 2017 2:18 pm

But he isn't coming alone. He is coming with the organisation LRTT. They work with locally established partners - this could be the ministry of education, but more likely an educational NGO.

Seriously, did no one read the article before they started complaining?

Post by **Alexandra** » Tue Aug 01, 2017 2:20 pm

ផោមក្លិនស្អុយ wrote:But he isn't coming alone. He is coming with the organisation LRTT. They work with locally established partners - this could be the ministry of education, but more likely an educational NGO.

Seriously, did no one read the article before they started complaining?

Fair enough. I admit, I didn't read it. I first thought it said "High School student wants to make permanent difference" and thought meh.

Bless

scobienz · Post by **scobienz** » Tue Aug 01, 2017 2:45 pm

Joon wrote: a God-forsaken, backward, deserted shithole country .

Playboy · Post by **Playboy** » Tue Aug 01, 2017 2:48 pm

scobienz wrote:
Joon wrote: a God-forsaken, backward, deserted shithole country .

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Joon · Post by **Joon** » Tue Aug 01, 2017 2:48 pm

ផោមក្លិនស្អុយ wrote:I think that's a tad unfair Joon.
Where does it say that he has his flight accommodation and food paid for?
It says 'Michael has funded' - suggests to me that he has paid for it himself.
But we shouldn't let that inconvenient sentence get in the way of a good grumble.

PS I'm not Michael - nor so I know him.

Fair point. I read "Michael has funded flights, food and accommodation" as Michael has got "funded flights, food and accommodation."
And a look at LRTT website shows that the "package" costs from USD1,645 (£1,245) and this includes, according to the website:
Accommodation
3 meals a day
All transport in Cambodia
Team Leaders
Airport pickup and drop-off
LRTT conference costs
24hr support in Cambodia
Pre-departure training

My "grumble" is not aimed at his intentions but at the way he chose to present Cambodia in absolute words to make his summer holiday project sound more altruistic than it really is. White Savior complex is one of my most detested pet peeves.