The reflections that commence this post are from Kelly:
The highlight of the day for me was going to the Footprints Farm. We walked with the Geckos to the Footprints Farm and once we go there we immediately split into groups and began work. I was assigned to the mushroom hut first. Our group was led by Chon, and all of us, even the youngest of Geckos was ready to work. Everyone had a part and did it with enthusiasm, making the jobs so incredibly fun. From Geckos getting piggyback rides on Zara and Phoebe, to the little Geckos climbing to the top of the bamboo frames. We had a quick break where we ran up and bounced on the giant hay stack. After some dances and Khmer, more like calling each other names (eg. Souvai – monkey and muan – chicken), we rotated our work. We went onto removing weeds amongst the banana trees. The highlight was when one of the little geckos decided to turn on the SPRINKLER!!! Today I learnt that true happiness can come from the smallest of things, from being around friends that become family.
After a weekend of immersion in the local history and culture, the students were keen to get back to our core purpose here, which is to engage with Green Gecko and the social enterprises they have founded. This meant an early start so that we could beat the heat and do some work on the Green Gecko Footprints farm. A chemical free permaculture site, the produce from the farm feeds the Geckos, and any excess is able to be sold at market. All of the Geckos have the opportunity for practical work on the farm, which is managed by a Khmer farmer. We got to work assisting with weeding, laying compost in new garden beds, and adding shadecloth inside the mushroom hut that our September group worked on.
After lunch, we made our way to the Silkscreen Printing Lab, which employs many Gecko parents. Here, items are printed for a range of Siem Reap clients, such as uniforms for local hotels and restaurants. The lab also runs workshops for tourist groups like ours, and profit from these is channeled back into providing workshops for young local children. At Silkscreen Printing Lab, we printed our own tour t-shirts which we will wear when we complete our lessons with the Geckos.
Tomorrow is a public holiday in Cambodia, which means we will take the chance to visit Lake Tonle Sap and another fabulous organisation called APOPO. More updates tomorrow…
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