Blue Bird Education Cambodia
Activities 2015
★ The latest article is listed below.
To prepare lunch in the province, we left Phnom Penh at 4am. Lunch will be “curry & bread,” the popular meal in Cambodia. Bakery is not open yet at this time, and we bought bread at a wholesale factory.
To prepare lunch in the province, we left Phnom Penh at 4am. Lunch will be “curry & bread,” the popular meal in Cambodia. Bakery is not open yet at this time, and we bought bread at a wholesale factory.
February
BBE had a hygiene program at Pray Khla Primary school in Prey Veng.
Usually students in Cambodia are divided into morning & afternoon classes. They attend either of a designated class due to the limited number of teachers & classrooms.
At this school also, although there is a washstand, children, belonging to either class, have lunch at home. And so the idea to wash hand before meal is not practiced.
They may wash hands when they get dirty from playing, but we teach that hands are filled with germs although they cannot be seen.
It was a poor area, so we provided lunch, too, after the education.
March
BBE had an opportunity to attend a social welfare ceremony that Minister of Civil Service hosted, at a pagoda in Snoul District near Vietnam border.
Snoul is another remote area with 12 minor tribes , taking bout 6 hrs from Phnom Penh.
The 1st part of the program included recognition of people who had contributed to the community & dedication of buildings to a pagoda. Along the program, BBE also donated shoes to representatives of primary schools in the district.
According to Cambodian custom, it is recognized as good for those who have more to share with those who have less, and through that those who give will receive Heaven’s blessings.
In the 2nd part of the program, monks made a long line and people offered food & money to each one of those monks. People also practice good deeds as much as they can do.
We can often see this scene at the time of Buddhist festivals.
Bought some meat & vegetables for laver soup.
BBE distributed teeth brushes & teeth pastes to the children.
May
Iodine intake is still insufficient at some places in Cambodia. Though the situation was significantly improved through UNICEF’s iodized salt project, still many patients with thyroid disorder were found by a medical team who visited an island in Kratie.
In fact, Cambodian people don’t consume seafood much other than salt and some crustacea. On the other hand, transportation has been developed domestically and from adjacent countries, and today we can see laver at markets inland at low prices.
BBE undertakes a project to improve iodine intake in Koh Chreang island, where an access itself to a market in the main land is difficult.
To start, we visited Phum Wat Village. At the same time, we brought a dentist with us to give a dental lesson to children and check their oral status.
Purchasing laver and other food materials at local markets.
Purchasing laver and other food materials at local markets.
July
BBE visited another village of the targeted island, Chong Koh Village, for hypertension/ iodine deficiency improvement project. Beside the commune chief, the village chief, community leaders, and mothers gathered.
Doctors checked their BP. Once hypertensive people were found, we examined their life style to ascertain the cause of hypertension, and doctors gave them advices.
We explained about iodine and encouraged iodine intake. We provided laver and other food materials, and mothers made laver soup, which were eaten with their family members at each home
BBE also brought a dentist from the provincial hospital. He treated children of the village mainly with filling.
September
There are 5 villages in the island where BBE is aiming to improve iodine disorder & hypertension cases. In September BBE visited the 3rd village, Phum Kandal & the 4th village, Phum Prek.
A young doctor & a medical student joined us from Phnom Penh.
Not only examining hypertensive patients, the doctor was willing to consult all participants of the program and prescribed medicine for them.
We introduced laver & encouraged iodine intake. Before then, local people had thought iodine could be taken from only iodized salt and that laver could be cooked only in a soup for special occasion like New Year’s day. We explained many ways to take laver in their daily food.
A dentist from provincial hospital also joined us. He treated children with filling & extraction.
Local doctors & students had a lesson from the Japanese team, gaining more detail knowledge of disorders of heart sounds, lung sounds, & the thyroid.
Learning how to examine thyroid disorder.
Local doctors & students had a lesson from the Japanese team, gaining more detail knowledge of disorders of heart sounds, lung sounds, & the thyroid.
November
In the end of Nov BBE welcomed medical teams from Japan & Korea and lead them to Koh Chraeng Island. We brought medical students from Phnom Penh at this occasion. Among those who had been cooperating with our activities, 5 had newly become doctors this year and they joined to examine patients.
Through supporting medical tests, witnessing & treating diverse sickness of patients, local young doctors & students got precious experiences.
With the results of the investigation & tests, the medical project in the island will increase the concreteness. BBE is going to support to facilitate the project.
