Rotarians & Friends Distribute Bikes, and Rice and Mosquito Nets in Battambang

Lisa McCoy photos

Jan 20, 2013 Phnom Sampov, Cambodia photos: 34 – 352 MB Public on the web (edit)

The alum at the top, left of this page contains videos and photos of our Rotary Wheels for Learning Teams distribution of 111 out of 1,231 bikes distributed throughout rural Cambodia. 

 

Bag of 'Rotary Rice'

Richard Augustine provides a bag of rice and mosquito net

We visit Bei Dum Rum Primary School in the morning in Banan district and Phnom Sampov village in the afternoon. Thanks to the Rotary Foundation and the Rotary Club of Battambang - with their support we were able to not only distribute bikes, but also provided 2 tons of rice and 200 mosquito nets to 200 elderly people. 

 

Our distributions also included a dental hygiene lesson taught by Norak, our Cambodian dental student, after which each child received a tube of toothpaste and a toothbrush. 

Norak, our dentist , Clare and Kelly teach Dental Hygiene

 

 

Team Member Kelly Nesbitt Provides a Rotary Bike

We also visit a free education English School supported by the Rotary Club of Battambang.

First 200 of 1,230 Bikes Distributed/Paul Harris Presented to Aki Ra

50 Bikes Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Barrie Presented by Rotary Wheels for Learning Team Members and Battambang Rotary Members

Past President Nouv Saroeun Battambang Club, Bill Obee, Minden Club, Jim Goodwin Gravenhurst Club

Our 2013 Rotary Wheels for Learning Bicycle Distribution Team from Ontario Canada begins it's efforts to provide bicycles for transportation to school for rural children in Cambodia. In Battambang province, we distributed at total of 556 bikes in an amazing four days! These bikes were funded through the Rotary Foundation and sponsored by Rotary Clubs including: Barrie, North Bay, Sudbury Sunrisers, Barrie-Kempenfelt, Barrie-Huronia, York, Brampton Heart-Lake, Brampton and Washago and Area Centennial. This video taken on Day One, sees our team assembling the accessories and fine tuning 200 bikes with local Rotary Club of Battambang members. Many Thanks to Battambang Rotary Past President Nouv Sarouen and members from her club for all their efforts in this monumental feat.

Lynda Valcourt and Sharon Foley affix bike accessories

Along with giving out bikes, our team provided mosquito nets and two tons or rice to children and impoverished families.

A special thanks to Khmer Dental student Khlaing Norak for giving all the children dental hygiene lessons  before the bikes were given out.

One of our distributions in Battambang were filmed by Cambodian television and telecast the next day.

Watch a video of these first 200 bikes at the following link:  http://youtu.be/dlOMwZKmXzw

After our team's efforts to distribute 556 bikes in several districts throughout Battambang province, we took a three-day excursion onto Siem Reap to see the famed temples of Angkor Wat.

There, we also had a very special tour of the Cambodian Landmine Museum given by Bill Morse. Our team had the honor of meeting Aki Ra and presenting him with a Paul Harris Fellow.

Watch a video of the presentation at:

http://youtu.be/7kKJ4u1mmOE

Richard Augustine, Aki Ra, Steve Hayhurst

Since the end of the Khmer Rouge era, former conscripted Khmer Rouge child soldier, Aki Ra, has made it his mission to 'Make my Country Safe for My People'. As a child soldier, he was forced to lay landmines throughout the Cambodian countryside. Since the war, Aki Ra risks his life daily to remove many of these estimated five million landmines that still plague the Cambodian countryside.On these demining missions, Aki Ra has built schools and has taken in orphaned and landmine-afflicted children to his home, museum and relief centre located outside of Siem Reap. Aki Ra's passion and perseverance has earned him a 2010 CNN Top Ten Hero Award. The Gravenhust Rotary Club, District 7010, is proud to present this courageous man with the Rotary Paul Harris Award. The award was presented to him by Gravenhurst Rotary President Steve Hayhurst and Richard Augustine during a 'Rotary Wheels for Learning' bicycle distribution trip to Cambodia. To support Aki Ra, see: cambodianselfhelpdemining.org/

First 51 Rotary Wheels Distributed at PIO Phnom Penh Children

Lisa McCoy photos

Jan 24, 2013 Phnom Penh photos: 93 – 83 MB Public on the web (edit)

What a fantastic day our team of 21 Rotarians and Friends from District 7010 and our contingency Of Cambrian College Students had at the People Improvement Organization's School and Orphanage at their Steung Meanchay location at the outskirts of Phnom Penh's main garbage dump. Founder and CNN Top Ten Hero founded this school a decade ago, which now teaches government curriculum and English classes to over 400 children daily! This is the second year in a row that our Rotary Wheels for Learning Team has distributed bicycles and mosquito nets to these needy children. Many of them need these bikes to move on to secondary schools.After our tour of the school, our team was entertained with Traditional dances by the students. Cambrian College students and myself enjoyed giving the children a dental hygiene lesson after which, we distributed toothbrushes and toothpaste to all. We have yet over 1100 bicycles to distribute over the next 3 weeks. http://rotarywheelsforleaning.blogspot.com/

View complete album at link on left.  REad more at: http;/cambodiabiketeam2013.wodpress.com/

Our team has just arrived in Battambang where we will distribute 556 bikes over the next 4 days!

Cambrian Students and Rotary Sudbury Sunrisers with Phymena Noun

Phymena Noun - PIO Founder and CNN Top Hero with Lisa McCoy - Gravenhurst Rotary

Four Days Until Rotarians and Friends Arrive in Cambodia to Distribute 1,221 Bicycles!

Members of our 2012 team distributing bicycles in rural Battambang province

In a matter of days, 21 Rotarians and Friends from across the province of Ontario, Canada will begin arriving here at Phnom Penh airport. Their mission: to distribute 1,221 Rotary Wheels for Learning Bicycles to children lacking the necessary transportation to get to school.

Rotarian team members hail from clubs in District 7010 in Ontario.

They are coming armed with suitcases filled with donated items for schools and the needy. They will also be bringing over enough toothpaste and toothbrushes for each child who receives a bike. 

You can watch a video of bikes being delivered to Battambang, Cambodia at: http://youtu.be/PhFrW-O4EYc

This year, each child’s family will receive a treated mosquito net as well.

Some of the Hundreds of mosquito nets stored at the Battamabang Rotary Club Women's Centre

Battambang Children Receiving Toothbrushes and Toothpaste

We will have Cambodian dentists and dental students accompanying our team. At each bicycle distribution, a dental hygiene education session is provided, with our team distributing toothbrushes and toothpaste to the children.

Battambang Rotarians & Ontario Rotarians Distribute Bikes to Hundreds of Children in 2012

Bicycles awaiting our distribution at the Battambang Rotary Women's Centre

Here in Cambodia, bicycles are now arriving at the Battambang Rotary Club’s Women’s Centre. They are being stored here until our team arrives to spend 4 days preparing and distributing 556 bicycles and mosquito nets throughout several districts in the province. These bicycles are funded by a Rotary Foundation Matching Grant. Grant funding will also be providing 2 tons of rice to needy families here as well. Many thanks to Past President Nouv Saroeun and all members of the Rotary Club of Battambang for all their efforts towards this mass distribution. Our team will have a great time working side-by-side with members of this club.

The remaining 665 bicycles are funded by generous individuals, Rotary Clubs and organizations from across the province of Ontario. These bicycles will be distributed to children in target locations in the provinces of Takeo and Siem Reap, and to children living in Khan Dangkor, just outside of Phnom Penh.

We will also once again provide bicycles to children living on the outskirts of Phnom Penh’s largest garbage dump. These children are being cared for, and educated through, People Improvement Organization founded by CNN Top Ten Hero Phymean Noun.

A Big thanks goes to Director Om Chamnap and his team from Banyan Learning Tree organization here in Cambodia – they are all busy now making sure all bikes reach their target locations at the same time our team does! A monumental task!

Two of our distribution ceremonies will be recorded for Cambodian TV – helping spread the work of Rotary across the nation.

Thanks to Everyone who made this year’s distributions possible. Here are just some of the many who contributed to the cause:

John Chow of Toronto - $2,000.00
Rotary Club of Washago & Area-Centennial - $750.00
Sudbury Sunrisers Rotary Club - $1,500.00
Rotary Club of North Bay - $2,000.00
Rotary Club of Barrie-Kempenfelt - $500.00
Toronto RBC Global Banking Diversity Committee - $559.85

Rotary Club of Barrie - $2,500.00

Rotary Club of Mississauga Lakeshore - $2,000.00

Rotary Club of Barrie-Huronia - $500.00

Haliburton Easy Riders - $300.00

Rotary Club of Bracebridge - $1,000.00

Rotary Club of York -$1,000.00

Rotary Club of Brampton - $400.00

Rotary Club of Brampton-Heart Lake- $600.00

Our team members will be posting their activities and photos at: cambodiabiketeam2013.wordpress.com

Be sure to follow along and give the page a ‘Like’.

There is a distribution trip already in the making for January 2014. For more info contact Lisa McCoy, rotarywheelsforlearning@gmail.com

Rotary Wheels for Learning is an international program of the Rotary Club Of Gravenhurst, District 7010. www.gravenhurstrotary.com