Drop by Drop: jobs

This is a painting done by an employee of DOC

Daughters of Cambodia (DOC) was created by a British psychologist in 2007. She was studying the effects of the sex-industry on young women in Cambodia at the time and wanted to offer an alternative employment option that women could choose instead of working on the street, thus Daughters of Cambodia was born. Nine years later, DOC runs a cafe and a hotel, along with many production businesses. These businesses offer employment to those who have been working in the sex trade as alternatives. Though it was clear in speaking to some of the women working at the cafe that they will never make as much money at these businesses as they did on the street, DOC offers an option for those who choose to leave the sex trade.

DOC also has expanded to working with male sex workers in a partner program called Sons of Cambodia. They offer many amenities including medical care, counseling and day care to all their employees and made it clear that taking part in any of their programs is voluntary. They are not a shelter and do not require their participants to live outside of their community in order to take advantage of what DOC can offer. They provide education opportunities and creative classes. The photo here is one that an employee painted herself. I have chosen not to picture an employee on this post due to the sensitive nature of this work and to respect their privacy. DOC is also a faith-based organization and offers religious classes based on Christianity to their employees. It was unclear if the people working at DOC’s establishments are required to attend these classes. It was also not obvious if the resources and classes are run and managed by Cambodians or foreigners.

DOC works directly with the Cambodian community and is offering an alternative lifestyle to those who do not want to take part in the sex trade any longer. This is particularly important for children who are trafficked or pressured to work on the streets in order to help support their families. DOC cannot provide the same financial compensation that women or men may find as sex workers, but this may not matter to those who are abused and/or mistreated in this line of work. Though DOC’s mission to spread Christianity may not be culturally comparable to this area of Asia, it is important that these people are being given other options for employment.

This is Ratanak, pictured with school children in Siem Reap

After multiple trips to Cambodia, founders Chris and Scott Coats decided to move to Siem Reap, Cambodia to dedicate their lives to improving the water quality for local Cambodians. They began Trailblazer Foundation (TF) after seeing that some basic needs were not being met, such as clean water. Their first project was the building of a school but quickly shifted their focus to well digging and water filter installations once they saw they could serve more this way. Now they do branch out to things such as appropriate agriculture projects and micro financing, but it all started with water. Weekly, they are still installing up to 14 filters in one of the 3 provinces in they work in Cambodia.

The onsite staff for TF is made up of 12 Cambodians and 1 American. Although the foundations members of TF are all American, they have been intentional of hiring local staff to run their Angkor location. This way they can continue to reach rural communities through local Cambodians who know the culture and NGO landscape.

Ratanak has been working for Trailblazer for 5 years as the field manager. Here is oversees the many projects that TF Angkor take on. He is responsible for the over 200 volunteers that come to TF to help assemble the water filters for as short as just a day or as long as multiple months. They rely on this volunteer support to ensure enough water filters can go out to the many villages they serve. Ratanak says that he not only enjoyed the work but the compensation allows him to provide for his family. Ratanak along with the other employees at TF Angkor have dedicated individuals that are trying to answer the needs of their community and continually giving back.

Started by an American couple, TF’s on the ground crew is solely made of Cambodians. They are a passionate group of young people that feel empowered to work with local communities on the group to make their daily lives better. With guidance from their founders, Ratanak, and his crew have autonomy to manage their projects in ways that are fit for the community. With the high intake of volunteers and interns, they also create a space for voluntourism to thrive. The volunteers work for both the benefit of themselves as they experience a new country and also the communities that receive TF’s services.