Starting off this week's Cambodian news update on the upbeat, an announcement for people who will be in the NYC/Long Island area from the 29th of November to the 1st of December ... a simple online registration process can have 25% of what you pay for any purchases made at either the Americana Manhasset or Wheatly Plaza shopping centers be donated to The Sharing Foundation, a great organization that's been taking care of kids in Cambodia for almost 10 years.

For more information,... more

Continued from the previous post where we've been looking at the Ethopian community of Awra Amba.

According to an Action Aid report men and women in Awra Amba take turns cooking, baking, weaving, baby sitting and anything else that needs doing ... even on days dictated by religions to be set aside from work.

Now Action Aid is looking into ways to "replicate their working habit and other... more

What do you think of when you see 'Ethiopia' in a blog headline? Adoption, of course, since this is Adoption.com and many families are falling in love with Ethiopian kids. AIDS, poverty, beautiful children, great food, tremendous history, ancient culture, diversity, dust, mountains ... those of us who have not adopted from the country have taken bits and pieces from the writings of those who have and developed an image of a far-away, exotic land with amazing people facing desperate challenges.

Mary... more

A 'major human trafficking ring' has been busted by Cambodian police, according to reports.

Run by Sri Lankan and Pakistani ex-pats working in Cambodia ... ringleaders Mariam Pillai Lerins Ranni, the Sri Lankan owner of the Raani Curry Leaf Restaurant in Phnom Penh, Lipton Lerins, the husband of Ranni, and Mohammed Nadim, the Pakistani owner of the Taj Mahal Restaurant in Siem Reap ... the ring planned to shuffle over 200 people through the country to various destinations... more

Elizabeth Mallory of NCLO has announced via e-mail to web groups and individuals that her organization is stopping all operations in Cambodia as of the 26th of this month.

According to the message I've seen posted, one main reason for the shutdown has to do with the children in the NCLO Children's Home being invited into "one of the best facilities in all of Cambodia".

Here, they will attend a top rate school that offers them far more than we could ever imagine offering them.... more

The Organization of American States (OAS) is reportedly pretty happy about the balloting process in Guatemala on Sunday, and is recognizing and congratulating the citizens of the country for, "their great democratic civic spirit, as well as for their orderly, enthusiastic and peaceful participation."

In light of the evaluations and reports received from the observers deployed in the 22 departments throughout the country, the OAS Mission reiterates that the elections were carried out in a satisfactory manner, permitting the will of a great majority of citizens to be expressed in a free, orderly,... more

Mental health is an ongoing issue in modern Cambodia, as the ghosts of the past still walk beside a huge percentage of the people and life is hard.

With only 26 private psychiatrists caring for the ever-increasing numbers of people losing their ability to cope with the horrors of their pasts, there are reasonable fears of what the future holds, especially if the Khmer Rouge trials begin and more ghosts arise. Government health professionals are overwhelmed, and there is a... more

An indicator of optimism, an arrogant ploy or a greedy stretch, Cambodia's plan to start up a national airline is making news.

The costly failure of Royal Air Cambodge in 2001 may have indicated simple bad timing, and now that close to 2 million tourists are pouring in the venture could make sense.

In advance of next year's general election scheduled for July, election watchdog NGOs have determined that 11.2 percent of eligible Cambodian voters aren't... more

Life is unimaginably tough for many Cambodian children, as illustrated in this report that says some 1.5 million Cambodians under the age of 14 are forced to work, foregoing schooling, and often toiling long and hard under hazardous conditions.

According to the World Bank, somewhere around a quarter of a million Cambodian kids work in recognized areas of danger like the dumps, mines and on the streets as beggars. (No mention of prostitutes in this report.)

The Cambodian human rights NGO... more

A story of innovation and determination caught my eye earlier this week, and I'm please to be able to pass along information about this new orphanage in Battambang, set up through the efforts of a young Australian woman who refused to walk away from other peoples' misery.

Tara Winkler came face-to-face with the reality of Cambodian orphanhood and the dire and despicable circumstances that often come with, took a minute to re-think her life; then dedicated herself... more