Children Living Next To Garbage Dumps

As I catch up on my blogs from Cambodia now that I am back in Canada the one thought that keeps coming back to me is of the young children I met in Poipet living amongst garbage in filthy slum shacks. I keep seeing their faces, their smiles, their large questioning eyes. How can children live like that? How can you grow up in that world? Even with loving parents that level of poverty has to damage your soul in some kind of long lasting way.

Four or Five children living in one slum home, open cuts on their feet, walking in the mud amongst the garbage with no shoes but still able to smile, still able to laugh and make toys out of the things they can scavenge. Their faces haunt my thoughts, what will their futures be?

Hopefully some of the photos I made of these children will have enough power to show others what I saw and felt, maybe the photographs can raise awareness of these forgotten lives, and promote compassion and understanding.

My one main hope is that the photos will lead to positive change, that people will react to the images and help in some way. Maybe they go to Cambodia and work with HIV orphans, maybe they donate some money to a Cambodian charity, or maybe they just spend a thanksgiving in Edmonton dishing out food at a local shelter, its all good!