PHNOM PENH – We have just returned from a wonderful trip to Cambodia, where a group of Missione Possibile volunteers from Italy and other countries welcomed Inter Campus coaches Paola Balconi and Gabriele Raspelli in Roong, approximately two hours from the capital Phnom Penh.
Paola and Gabriele have been become very important figures for our school and education project project which brings together 460 children from five nearby villages at the Mission Possible primary and middle schools.
There have been a number of changes in this rural area of Cambodia since their last visit. All the students now do something that is almost unheard of in this part of the world: they wash their teeth twice a day. Incredible but true – none of these boys and girls had ever brushed their teeth before! We gave them all a cup, a toothbrush and some toothpaste and after a brief ‘training course’ they now all understand how important it is to clean your teeth.
Another special moment was the eye test that all the primary and middle school students took with a fair amount of enthusiasm. To everyone’s surprise, the eye tests revealed that only 50 pupils will need to wear glasses – just over 10% of the total number.
Our school also has the privilege of hosting the Inter Campus Cambodia project, which offers 175 boys and girls the chance to take part in sports activities, and football in particular.
Getting straight to work despite the torrid head, Paola and Gabriele could see that the kids taking part in the project had made considerable progress with their football skills – both their technique and more significantly their ability to work together as a team.
We would like to say a heartfelt thank you to the Inter Campus staff who put so much passion into offering hundreds of Cambodian kids hope for the future.
Gerry Testori
Founder and director of Missione Possibile onlus, partner of Inter Campus Cambodia
12.06.2015