Rotarians Will and Brian will be sharing information on their experience on the bicycle distribution in Laos with us today, also Carol and Gerri. This highly successful program began with the Rotary Club of Gravenhurst and it has expanded greatly.
Will took over the mike and showed slides of the bike presentation. They would arrive at a site fairly early in the morning and would take all the tools and spare parts they would need from the bus. At each distribution site, there would be just over 100 bikes, in various states of repair, waiting to be fixed and ready for distribution to the children.
Every morning, a pep talk was given, and instructions on who would be working on what parts of the project that day. They were always looking for some shade, as it would be 35 degrees C by noon every day. Gerri was on the hydration crew, and they would mix up electrolyte drinks so they wouldn’t get dehydrated.
First thing every day, they had to prepare the baskets to be attached to the front of the bike. The handlebars had to be straightened, and the pedals put on, as they were delivered flat to the site from all over south-east Asia. They also installed the bells and checked the brakes.
Food would be delivered for their meals. Some days they were given authentic Cambodian fare.
Carol and Gerri were lucky to be able to go into some classrooms to see what the students were working on and to see what life was like in a classroom in Cambodia. There were approximately 50 children in that classroom. The children go to school for 4 hours in the morning and then another group goes for 4 hours in the afternoon. They had fun with the children and gave little toys to those who were not receiving a bicycle. The children were fascinated to see themselves in pictures on cell phones. Some had probably never seen themselves before.
Each bike had a lock to go with it, and a light. Tooth paste and toothbrushes were included with each bike. They gave a demonstration on tooth brushing. Huntsville Public School donated school supplies to be given to the children and at every school, they dropped off a water filter. The children had to make a commitment to look after their bikes. Carol was the official photographer and she took pictures of each bike and the child. The children were all very happy with their bikes. The team was all very tired by the end of the day.
Carol then spoke on the touristy part of the trip, where they went to other areas and saw many fascinating sights, such as Mekong River Cruise, Dragon Dances, Floating Village, Silk Weaving Factory, Cooking School, Temples at Angor Wat, the Land Mine Museum, Lotus Blossom Lake, Bat Caves, Pepper Farm, Rabbit Island and on to Thailand and Taiwan where they met up with Tae and Eric,
Rotary Exchange students from previous years.
Questions:
Jennifer asked how the children were chosen? Answer: by financial need or distance they lived from school.
Brandy asked if there was a problem with bikes being stolen? Answer: In some cases, the family members all share the bicycle, and smaller children grow into them. The bikes are kept in the family and handed down.
Rob asked if they had any sense of Covid-19? Answer: At that time, it was a Chinese thing, and gradually they started to become concerned. They were glad to get home.
Tim asked how depressing it was to go through the Killing Fields? Answer: Very depressing.
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