Helping
Hands in Cambodia
This past February,
“Kindness in Action” found my
wife and I traveling to Cambodia to provide
dental care to the less fortunate. It was
another fantastic and heart-warming undertaking.
We had a group
of about seventeen volunteers from Canada
with a great team spirit and unity. There
were many similarities to our previous “Kindness
in Action” trip to Honduras, but also
some new adventures.
Cambodia is
a country which has been through many hardships
over the past half century. While these people
are very friendly, there is a feeling of gloom,
oppression, and scepticism that is very evident.
It was truly a heartbreaking experience to
see the Killing Fields, S21 prisoner camp,
and hear the first-hand story of a survivor
of these horrific times.
The country
has many scars that are slowly being healed
and there is a lot of development that is
going on. It was such a contrast to see the
vast array of human capabilities. On one hand
you have the mass torture and genocide, and
on the other, you have a group such as “Kindness
in Action” donating time, talents, and
love to try in a small way to take away some
pain and suffering, and give these people
something to smile about.
One of the
most heartbreaking situations in the country
has developed because the citizens are so
poor they can not afford to feed their children.
It was commonplace
to find two or three year old children left
on the street to fend for themselves, or teens
being shipped off to other countries being
exploited in the sex trade, as well as others
being left at the monasteries to be raised
by the Monks.
There are fortunately,
some wonderful non-profit organizations and
orphanages that are able to save many of these
children. We were privileged to work with
some of these organizations and orphanages
to assist many children. Infections were prevalent
due to multiple abscessed teeth, oral hygiene
was almost non-existent, and many smiles were
scarred by extensive dental decay.
We worked without
suction, dental lights or chairs. We were
hot and our backs were sore. But in spite
of all this, it was such a great feeling knowing
that we were making a small difference in
their lives. It was rewarding to hand a young
girl a mirror after restoring six or eight
front teeth and witness the smile that radiated
from her face.
After completing
four days of treatment at one orphanage the
kids put on a traditional Cambodian dance
and music festival. At the end, they invited
us up to dance with them and wanted us to
sing for them.
We chose to
sing “O Canada,” and although
we would not have won any competitions for
our rendition, it did send goose bumps down
my spine and truly made me proud to be Canadian.
We are very fortunate to be living in this
great country. It is an amazing feeling to
be able to “pay it forward.”
If you would
like to help any of these great causes feel
free to contact
me.
Sincerely,
Dr. Troy Michelson
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