There are only a few days left until our volunteers arrive in Phnom Penh. More than two hundred of them are preparing their trip from their country of origin: Spain, France, United Kingdom… It’s time to pack, organize the gifts to fit as many as possible, purchase the kit, sleeping bag, mat… And something that I’m sure they will not forget: the illusion.
Cambodia is a distant country and unknown to the vast majority. And there’s no better way of doing it than collaborating with PSE For a child’s smile, which has been improving the lives of the inhabitants of this Asian country for more than twenty years. “When they told me the history of Cambodia and the work that PSE does in that country, it seemed to me something admirable and incredible. I strongly felt that I also wanted to do my bit and help with everything I could. Everything is aimed to help children have a better life! ” says Elena Fabero Benito, who is volunteering for the first time this year.
What the new monitors do not know is that they will not only contribute with their effort, but they will also return home with new values, knowledge and experiences that will change their lives. “When you’ve been to Cambodia, you obviously open your eyes to a poverty that you’ve only heard about on the news, sitting on your couch with your glass of Coca-Cola on the table. PSE gives also to each monitor a lesson of life: we are all part of a team. In Cambodia, and here (in Europe). Each of us contributes and together we make a mountain. “When I get home, both when I return from Cambodia, and whenever there are PSE events, I have this feeling that small actions can change the world, making sure they are put together in the right way, “says David Alonso Beliën , who was a monitor last year in the Aranh project.
The experience becomes secondary when there is so much desire. “I hope to transmit all the illusion that I have,” says Sonia Rozalén, prepared for her first summer as a volunteer in Cambodia. But there is something that all veterans suggest: leave fear behind. “Open up from the beginning, try to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the PSE, its dances, but also its rules and values, “advises Olivia Dubern, a former NGO volunteer.
Veterans have no doubt that next year they all would like to return to continue improving children lives, as they have done year after year. “For two reasons: I feel like a member of the PSE family and a family needs each and every one of its elements to work, even the smallest. Coming back means also to know that the new monitors this year will be veterans next year and so on. And that is vital for the projects to be successful. And then, a slightly selfish wish about a problem where I feel really useful on a daily basis: improve the daily life of children, help teenagers get out of poverty! “explains Tristan Derrien, veteran of the Continuity Program School.
Paula Sánchez López, coordinator of the OBK project, recommends squeezing every minute to get the most out of this new experience. “PSE has made me who I am and met wonderful people that will accompany me in my life and children who have taught me much more than what I have learnt in school. It is a family and Cambodia is like a big house that welcomes us, all the people that arrive there. I’ll be back and would go back all my life if I could.”
