Besides the items mentioned before, everyone received two days of training in making organic compost, compost tea and other aspects of organic gardening. We also hired some local laborers who built a thatched garage to part bicycles and motorcycles. It was fantastic!
For me, Ann Soldner, there were 2 particularly memorable events from the project. The first was driving many kilometers outside of Phnom Penh with shelter nurse, Ms. Sokra, to source such special materials as rice stalk hay, fresh cow dung, and good thatch panels to make a roof! We had only a vague idea of where we might find these items and were so excited to be driving along and see a haystack by the side of the road and find that the villager would bag it and sell it to us for a good price! Once we ordered large bags of hay, cow dung and hundreds of thatch panels, the only delivery service we could find was a kindly old gentleman with a horse and cart. He willingly made the long journey from the outer villages to the Phnom Penh rescue shelter not once, but twice!
The other highlight was purchasing a couple of bags of brightly colored sand toys to add to our little sand pit that we piled up from the construction sand, and ringed with large cut logs for seating. I knew the girls had probably never experienced a sandbox or playing in the sand at the beach, and I wasn’t sure if they’d like it or think it kind of strange or too childish. As it turns out, the sandpit and toys were the source of great joy and the girls have been using it constantly!
We are truly grateful to Lana Campbell, Marty, Jennifer, Chan, Vannary and the “Giving Gardens” team for this most wonderful gift and investment in the future for our shelter girls!
Fun on the slide
Organic farming expert gives a lecture
Trellis maze of passion fruit vines
