ACTS Mission Trip to Phnom Penh, Cambodia
ACTS started as an initiative of Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace in Singapore in 2007, to share the joy of Christmas with other less fortunate in Cambodia. ACTS is a year round program, a mission outreach that involved some 180 to 250 participants from different parishes as well as non-Catholics. ACTS participants have come from as far away as Mauritius and include Malaysians and Australians amongst other and some have moved on to start their own projects to assist the less fortunate.
After months' of preparation for the art and craft curriculum and the mural wall paintings, I finally embarked on these 8 days mission trip at Cambodia on 7 December 2012. As the resources are very limited there, I faced difficulty even at the initial stage of planning my eco-craft curriculum. Recycling trash like milk carton and mineral water bottle etc. is a immoderate request there. A visit to their living quaters will prove you that we are all far more than fortunate to be born in Singapore. It is just like how Singapore was in the early 50s and 60s. It's disheartening to witness the living condition and how hard life could be for the Cambodian.
While I was quite constraint and somehow stressed by the resources I can get there and did my best to do with that limited budget, one of the sister there told me that there are some left over paints in the backyard, but unsure whether they can be used. For a recycle enthus like me, how can I loose this opportunity to? The mural wall painting team managed to use these rusty canned that were left for years to refurnish a wooden shelter for the kids! Yeah!!! On top of that, 4 other wall murals were painted, the whole place looks livelier than ever now! It's such a stretch to juggle both the Art and Craft curriculum and the mural wall painting team during the 8 days challenge...
Nevertheless, I was greatly blessed to be given the opportunity to give the kids an extraordinary crafting experience with paints! It was to my surprise that the children do not have the luxury to play with paints there. Sadly, to a teacher or parent, it might be just a reason that kids will mess around with the paints, but to a kid they are being kidnapped from being able to mix and paint their world. Thus when they were given the brushes I brought there, you can see the anticipation and excitement through their eyes. They had great great fun!!
Below, are the pictures of the crafts I proudly brought with me to Cambodia. Something I created using egg cartons. Can you imagine collecting some 700pcs of a 30nos egg cartons for 600 kids in Cambodia? Have to really thank a NTUC uncle working at the carton boxes collecting area, he contributed in collecting these; the sales representative from Lycra Asia who sponsored so much extra stationary for the kids, compared to my little sales order for their acrylic paints supply; and lastly, the teenager volunteers who lead the art and craft lessons, they rushed out to cut the egg cartons in the hotel late at night for the younger kids in their classes just to make sure everything goes well within that 4 days.
Everything happens for a reason, and by trusting the process things will fall in place. Thank you everyone for their contribution! Looking forward to more wonderful moments...
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