Good News

Newsletter di New Humanity

E d i t i o n 9 , J u n e 2 0 1 1

Summar y
Introduction - A great daily commitment Social perception of disability - NH Cambodias research Chicken, pigs and determination: a brand new start - The story of Nean Rohn A new fashion trend directly from Cambodia - Krama ends up in fashion boutiques Brother Felice Tantardini Orphanage - The fantastic work of the saint with the hammer Fresh food? Yes, but transformed! - Start up of the community based food processing centre

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Save the date For those who are in Italy we have a double appointment on Saturday 25th June In Milan, Via Mos Bianchi 94, a seminar about education will be held. The seminar will begin at 9.30 and it will foresee the intervention of various professionals in the sector of education. Lucia Wong, education advisor of New Humanity in Cambodia, will also be present and will give her contribution. For further information: www.camtome.it For those who love rock, well meet at 16.30 at Vimodrone (Piazza Vittorio Veneto) in occasion of Rock for Mission, non-stop live music. For further information: www.newhum.org Both the events are free!

Introduction - A great daily commitment

Visiting and living a Country as Cambodia is a Enjoy your reading!! unique opportunity, a privilege you must be fully aware and happy about. I just came back from a 3 Gabriele Destefani, NH projects responsible weeks visit in Cambodia, the Country where New Humanity was born in the early 90s. Its extremely exciting seeing with your own eyes the results achieved, sharing the daily life with our colleagues committed in the management of the activities. I had the chance to confront myself with them, to observe how they work and how they relate themselves with local communities. All of this has made me grown both on the professional and on the personal point of view. Also the sharing of problems and difficulties enables the mutual understanding and contributes to create that fundamental sense of ownership, needed in order to comply with New Humanitys mission. Putting aside rhetoric and pleasantry, I just would like to thank all New Humanity staff, both expatriates and locals, who work in Myanmar and Cambodia. My thought and my fraternal gratitude run to them. Without their daily commitment and dedication it would be impossible to do all our activities.

Association New Humanity

Edition 9, June

2011

Social perception of disability - NH Cambodias Research

During many years spent working with persons with disability, with a special attention towards intellectual disabled, we had the opportunity to meet many families, to talk with people in the villages and to observe how the disabled lives within his community. The idea of conducting a research on social perception of persons with disabilities came out almost spontaneously. Ren Ayala Moreira, deputy director of NH and social researcher, studied how intellectual disabled is considered within Cambodian society. Its the first research on this argument in Cambodia. On May 25, 2011 New Humanity Cambodia released a research report on Intellectual Disability in Rural Cambodia: Cultural Perceptions & Families Challenges. The Research Report Launching was held at the Korean Cultural Center in Phnom Penh. National and provincial authorities were invited at the event as well as all the stakeholders working in the sector of disability. This research study was conducted by Mr. Ren Ayala Moreira, in Boribor district, Kompong Chhnang Province, with the approval of the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation (MoSVY). The study aimed at having a better understanding about the situation of people with intellectual disabilities and their families within the context of rural Cambodia. The research included quantitative data in addition to ethnographic information on cultural beliefs and its impact on health-seeking behavior and contemporary perceptions of Intellectual disability. With the launching of these research results on intellectual disability in Cambodia, we hope to mark a new milestone in the awareness of the challenges faced every day by people with intellectual disabilities and by their families. The research puts under the spotlight people who so often live in the shadow and contributes to the creation of a better understanding of their living conditions among policy Poverty is both a cause and consequence of disability. For instance, as makers, government officials, a result of poverty, pregnant women may become malnourished and are development partners and more likely to have malnourished children, putting them at risk of develNGOs. We strongly believe oping intellectual disabilities. In addition, poor families will have limited and expect that this will access to health services, because they cannot afford doctors fees or to strengthen the still shy in- forgo the income lost in going to see a doctor. As a result, conditions volvement of development which are preventable or easily treated become lifelong disabling condiactors for the well-being and tions. Despite research indicating that conflict and war in Cambodia the full inclusion into Cambo- have resulted in high incidence of disabilities, according to VanLeits dian society of this very specific study, 40% of the 500 household surveyed, reported that "their child had segment of population.
Download the research on www.newhum.org

something wrong at birth (congenital condition) and 46% reported sickness as the main cause. Most of the parents do not have basic education on health care so they do not know how to prevent their children from being seriously sick and eventually becoming disabled. Some parents do not even know that there are some services available that can help treating their children at the first stage, and sometimes the cost of that service is the barrier for them to bring their children to receive basic service. While poverty is seen as the general cause of disability, the evidence also supports that in some cases, poverty is the consequence of disability due to the amount of expenditure assigned to special care and medical treatment for children and people with disabilities. Besides, one member of the household, in most of the cases, has to remain permanently at home, especially mothers, who are expected to take care of their children. This role limits the mobility and accessibility of women to attend trainings on life-skills in order to improve their chances to generate some income for the family.
Identified Causes of Disability, abstract from the NHs research

Association New Humanity

Edition 9, June

2011

Chikens, pigs and determination: a brand new start

The story of Nhean Rorn
My name is Nhean Rorn and Im 38 years old. Im widow and I live with my 3 sons. I make a living through animal rearing in my village, Kbal Thnal, in the province of Kompong Chhnang. In 2008 I attended a training about pig rearing provided by New Humanity's mobile agriculture training, and my son as well attended training about poultry rearing in 2009. I think training courses related to agriculture are very important here in the community. I am always eager to learn new things and get new experience. After each training NH selects 2 families that are provided with free material to start up the activity and that commit themselves to handle a small model farm, to allow all the farmers in the area to visit them and to teach them the good practices learnt. We were not selected to handle the small model farm project, but I used my own resources to apply what I learnt. First of all I built a henhouse and a pen for the pigs. During the training I learnt how to produce forage mixed of rice, water, and morning-flower to feed my chickens. This method made me save some money and I got better results. Nowadays my chickens are growing very fast because I feed them 3 times a day. We are now getting much more benefits than before. At the beginning, I had only few hens and I got little benefits, but later on the number of chickens increased and I sold over 10 Kg per month. I obtained an extra income of around 100.000 200.000 Riels (25 - 50 US Dollars). Thanks to this income I can better support my childrens schooling and my family's daily needs. One of my children is now studying in the city of Phnom Penh and when he comes home, it is a time for me to sell some chickens in order to get money for his studies. Besides my chickens I got meaningful results raising pigs at the beginning, but I sold all of them to send my son to Phnom Penh for studies. Right now I do not have enough money to buy piglets, however, I believe that from selling chickens next time, I will be able to buy piglets and I will start all over again.

Did you know?

Krama is the traditional Cambodian cloth, used since the reign of Preah Bath Hun Tean, in the first century. Khmer rouge used the Krama as a distinctive sign: the red one was part of their informal uniform.

A new fashion trend directly from Cambodia

Krama ends up in fashion boutiques
In the last newsletter we talked about a famous Italian fashion house that decided to produce a new clothing brand using the fabrics obtained by the Lotus flower, as in Burmese tradition. This time fashion is inspired by Cambodian tradition, or more specifically by the traditional cloth of Cambodia, the Krama. The Krama is a large and robust scarf, used as bandana to protect from the sun, to cover the face, as a skirt, as a towel, to transport weight or as an ornament. We can say that it is an accessorize for every occasion. Its used by men and women of every age, in the rural areas and in the cities, and it can be made out of cotton or silk. It can be decorated with elaborated drawings, but the most commune is the vichy, red and with lines crossing forming little squares. Kramas fabrics is resistant, it dries up fast and is particularly awesome and bright. A famous French fashion house decided to use the Krama to create bathing suits, beach robe and other beach accessorizes. The original idea was of a journalist who, after one of her frequent visits to Cambodia, proposed to the fashion house to produce a brand using this fabric. The idea was immediately welcomed. The Krama, that can be easily found in all Cambodia markets at the cost of few dollars, ends up in high fashion boutiques, becoming an exclusive article of clothing. The project has also an ethical side: the designer dresses are produces by 2 Cambodian NGOs, whose mission is to hand now traditional Khmer handcraft and to support the professional integration of Cambodian women.

Association New Humanity

Edition 9, June

2011

Brother Felice Tantardini Orphanage The fantastic work of the saint with the hammer
This time we would like to tell you about a special place. Its Brother Felice Tantardini Orphanage, in Taunggyi, funded, as the name itself suggests, by Br. Tantardini, a PIME missionary. Br. Felice was born in Italy and can be defined a out of the common person. He suffered of inguinal hernia, that he cured wearing a leather belt and a wooden fastener built by himself. He brushed his teeth using an old tooth brusher and ashes (and at the age of 85 he still has all his teeth). He slept on the floor, beside the bed, on a straw mat, without sheets and without pillow. When he felt he had flue or some intestinal disease, for 2 days he used to eat just old bread with salty water and he felt better. He lived for many years in malaria areas and he never got malaria (and he used to say: mosquitos dont pick me because they know they would die). He always went around on foot, walking 50 km per day. He soon became popular in Myanmar and after his death many persons started to invoke him ad the saint with the hammer, remembering his skills as blacksmith, art that he also taught to many Burmese boys. During the 70 years he spent in Myanmar (from 1922 to 1991, year of his death) he made a bit of everything: smith, carpenter, farmer, nurse, master builder. He built many schools, hospitals, seminars and orphanages, including Brother Felice Tantardini Orphanage. Currently the orphanage is directly managed by the diocese, and it hosts 60 orphans or abandoned children. New Humanity has been collaborating with this centre since 2004, contributing to the payment of school fees and to the provision of food and stationery, ensuring the access to medical care. How you can easily imagine, boys and girls in the centre work hardly and, taking the founder of their house as an example, they always search new ideas in order to make their centre grow. In order to ensure the economic autonomy of the centre and the entrance in the work sector of those who finish to study, they started up a fishery activity, building a pond where they raise fishes. They would also like to start up a pig rearing activity and a service of transport by boat on Inle lake. Inle lake is one on the main tourist destination in Myanmar and the transport by boat could be useful both for tourists and for local villagers. Why not? New Humanity decided to support the centre in the start up of this activity. We seize the occasion also to thank all the people who supports the centre: the 44 foster parents, the group of Introbio parish, and all donors.

Fresh food? Yes, but transformed! Start up of the Community Based Food Processing Centre
We are always happy when a new project starts and a new adventure begins. Especially when the project is ambitious, like the idea of starting up a community based food processing centre within the mountains of Eastern Shan State, in the province of Kyaing Tong. New Humanity has been working in Kyaing Tong area for several years, supporting activities in the field of agriculture development, focusing on farmers training. At the end of year 2009 the idea of starting up a food processing centre raised, in order to offer better opportunities to the farmers. In the month of may the construction of the centre was finished. The centre will be used for the production of tomato sauces, dried tomatoes, filters tea, liquors and strawberry jam. The products will be sold in the local market and to restaurants in Yangon. Since the beginning local communities wanted to collaborate and to share every resource they had, contributing to the centres construction. They gave the land where the centre was built, they asked all necessary permits to in charge authorities, they worked as volunteer repairing old streets, building a new one, building the centre and all the needed works. They are still waiting for the hydroelectric turbine, that will ensure the regular provision of electricity to the centre, but farmers already started to produce the tomato sauce. And as soon as all the machineries will be ready, the centre will begin to run at top speed. Will it be a success? We will keep you up to date...

A woman preparing tea in the traditional way

New Humanity is a volunteer, non profit and apolitical humanitarian organization, founded in 1992 in order to work in SouthEastern Asia. New Humanitys vision is a society where everyone, according to his needs and capabilities, can receive the appropriate education and assistance and can contribute to the development of his own community, whether rural or urban. New Humanitys main commitment is the promotion of education as a fundamental weapon in the crusade against poverty and social exclusion, thanks to the affirmation of the dignity and the rights of every man. Currently New Humanity works in Cambodia and Myanmar through the implementation of programmes aimed at promoting the social and human development of the whole population. New Humanitys activity focuses on education, rural development, health and professional training. New Humanity works in the respect of the principles of subsidiarily, reciprocity, joint responsibility and cooperation, promoting local capabilities and implementing its programmes in step with development plans of local authorities and international agencies.

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