Initially it was quite odd to see rubbish dumps and slum areas surrounding pagodas. But if you go deeper into the matter it is easily understood how this phenomena has developed. Like churches or poorhouses provide food and drink or even a roost, people in need can come into the pagodas. However,  as these serve only monks, nuns and people who decicate their lives to buddhism as a living area, many homeless people started to settle along the street that leeds to the temples.  

Near to our house was also a pagoda ghetto that was right between the Norodom Boulevard and the Samdech Sothearous Boulevard. From there quite a few children visited us day after day.

Also Kily Heng lived with his well advanced in pregnancy partner in this very slum area. Heng was a coworker who was specifically engaged for the production of wooden house models. One morning he appeared and told us laughingly about his last dreadful night. As it had been raining heavily all night long he had tried in change with his partner to get a little sleep on the only chair in a sheltered corner of their housing space. On – site we got to know about not only of his life situation but also of an entire ghetto. The people there were very pleased to see our sympathy.

After a spontaneous narrative about his situation many helping hands offered to support Heng and consequently we could help him with a construction of a sweet little house. On the 1st of May this year we were able to start with constructions work. The pictures of this page tell the stories to this event. Incidentally Heng’s daughter was born during the construction time and, as we heard, is safe and sound.

Before we finally left Phnom Penh behind we gave everything that was necessary for the continuation of the wooden house models to Heng so he could start anew with an alternate way of income.

At this point we would like to thank cordially everyone involved into this great aid in the name of Kily Heng and his family and in particular a very special thank you to Sabine, Bernd and Bernhard.

Our mailing from March 2007 (pdf file)