Champion, Pauline Johns for Cambodia

Pauline Johns, 62, spends half of each year helping children in remote Cambodian villages.

In fact, she has already spent much of the past 12 months helping the developing communities establish and equip village schools, providing hygiene and medical support and supplying many of the people with a means of transport.

It has become a labour of love for Mrs Johns, who has largely relied on her personal funds and the support of friends for the various projects.

“I try to do things bit by bit and focus on one project at a time, but these people need so much,” she said.

Mrs Johns’ fascination with Cambodia began about four years ago while visiting the Angkor Temples during a holiday.

“I’d visited many other Asian countries, but this one kept drawing me back,” she said.

“Each year I went back I would volunteer to help at a school.

“Last year I met Canadian woman Lisa McCoy and my involvement in Cambodian projects has grown since then. I have spent most of the past six months volunteering in remote villages and have also become involved in the Rotary Bike Bank Project with Lisa.

“The project supplies children with bicycles for transport so they can travel the long distance to school. There are many bicycles in the rural areas with a Rotary sticker, thanks to Lisa’s work.”

Mrs Johns said that in some villages the local people had built primitive classrooms but didn’t have the means to equip them.

One of her projects is to help equip the classes and improve facilities within the villages.

“Poverty is horrendous in this country and there are so many people still impacted by landmines scattered across the land during the time of the Khmer Rouge,” she said.

Mrs Johns is involved in “A Mine Free World Foundation”, which helps train landmine victims to support themselves.

“I originally went into the villages to help in the schools, but when I’m there I see so much need for medical treatment and we now spend time taking children to clinics for treatment.

“They often need to be treated for simple things, but hygiene is a real problem and this leads to illness. One of our more recent focuses has been to teach the villagers about health and hygiene.”

Hygiene problems were a major challenge for villages.

“Even basic sanitation needs are lacking, so we do what we can to address this problem and, in particular, the supply of fresh water,” she said.

“It is all worth it to see the smiles on the faces of the people in the villages.

“Despite the challenges these people are always smiling, they never show anger.

“What inspires me most is the dedication of the young Cambodian university students who help me. These girls have been sponsored for their education and are so eager to volunteer their time to help their people.

“They have nothing themselves, but they are eager to help their country toward a better way of life.”

Mrs Johns can be contacted by email: paulinej1@mac.com.

Check her blogs: camparisincambodia.blogspot.com or greentaracambodia.blogspot.com.