Cambodia!

Cambodia is a unique place that I have wanted to visit for quite some time. I have finally made it and I am captivated by the rich culture. The quality of life is not great and the prevalence of poverty is evident. 35% of the people in Cambodia live under the poverty line of $.45 a day.(1) $.45 is nothing compared to what we live on a day. This easily explains why I have seen so many slums and the ridiculous amounts of people in these slums. Phnom Penh, which is the capital city of Cambodia, has 564 slum areas. These slum housing areas contain ¼ of the entire cities population, which is about 300,000 people.(2) The amount of people living in these slums is crazy. Due to the low quality of life and lack of resources, the average life expectancy for a man is 58 for a woman it is 62.(1)

A majority of the people in Cambodia rely on farming as their main source of income. Cambodia is a country located in the tropics and it has a lot of thick forests. As I travel I have seen a lot of rice fields. Due to the tropic climate it makes it ideal for growing rice and rice is a major export of Cambodia. Other major exports are fish, timber, and garments.(4) I have thoroughly enjoyed trying the cuisine here and the main staple foods I have been consuming for every meal are rice and noodles. I have also enjoyed buying fresh fruits such as bananas, pineapples, and mangos every morning from the street vendors.(4)

The malnutrition, especially in young children is very evident. Some children have larger heads compared to the rest of their bodies and they look like they might break if you hug them too tight. 36% of the children under 5 in Cambodia are moderately or severely underweight.(5) I have been approached by many children on the streets who were asking for food, which is hard because I want to be able to help all of them.

1.) Cambodian Communities out of Crisis. UNDP Human Development Report 2009. http://www.cambcomm.org.uk/ff.html

2.) Cambodian Communities out of Crisis. Survey by the Urban Poor Development Fund and the Solidarity and Urban Poor Federation, December 2002. http://www.cambcomm.org.uk/ff.html

4.) World Food Programme. (2010). Cambodia. http://www.wfp.org/countries/cambodia

5.) Cambodian Communities out of Crisis. Cambodia Demographic and Health Survey 2005- Phnom Penh, National Institute of Statistics, Ministry of Planning, 2006. http://www.cambcomm.org.uk/ff.html

Photo by Getty Images/Paula Bronstein

Ethiopia Day 7

I have now been in Ethiopia for 7 days. Over the past few days I have learned a lot about disease, housing, crime and education here. AIDS is usually the first thing people think of when it comes to illness and disease in Africa but there is more to it than that in Ethiopia. AIDS is definitely driving the poor into deeper poverty.(1) Other illnesses that are common are malaria, TB, cholera, and typhoid fever. I was told that Tuberculosis will be on the rise because of the spread of HIV.(3) It seems like once your body comes down with one thing it is a lot more susceptible to get sick with something else. It is hard to see so many people suffering and to see so many young children taking care of the sick older adults. When I have traveled through rural villages I have seen many people walking with water jugs to get water for their families. The water that most of them get is not clean water either. Less than ¼ of all Ethiopians have access to clean water.(6) Lack of clean water can be the cause of certain illnesses too, like cholera for example.

As I have traveled from some of the larger cities such as Addis Ababa to some of the smaller rural villages, the housing has generally been the same. There are some wealthier neighborhoods with large fancy houses but the majority of houses have walls made of mud or wood. A lot of people live in slums, and the amount of people that live there is actually very astonishing. Families of 5 or 6 live in a house that is the size of my family room. Seeing families live in these kinds of conditions is a reality check. Sanitation is a big problem in the slums and the lack of it is actually a spreader of illness and disease.

The locals who have been traveling with me and showing me around have also kept me informed of safety precautions I should take. In Addis Ababa I have had to be conscious of pick pocketers or random petty theft crimes. It was never a problem but I was just conscious of holding onto my bag in larger crowds. When traveling from town to town there has also been talk of highway robberies but I have not had to deal with that in my time here either.(4) Overall there is nothing too serious in Ethiopia that poses a real threat to my safety.

During my time I have also learned about the education system in place here. It has made great improvements over the past few years. They have set up the system so that all of the teachers are motivated to do a good job. They are evaluated every few years and if they get good reports than they will get a pay increase. I think it is good they have done this because if the teachers are not motivated than there is no way the students will be motivated. However, just because they have made improvements with the teachers does not mean that the whole problem is fixed. In rural parts of the country children are much less likely to go to school than in the more urban areas. The largest reason that children do not go to school is because their parents could not afford school fees and the second largest reason is because their parents could not afford the basic school supplies such as uniforms, books, and paper.(5) I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here in Ethiopia and I have learned a lot about the people and their way of life.



(1.) Maps of world, (1999-09). Poverty in Ethiopia. Retrieved fromhttp://finance.mapsofworld.com/economy/ethiopia/poverty.html

(3.) USAID Health (2009), Infectious Diseases, Ethiopia. Retrieved fromhttp://www.usaid.gov/our_work/global_health/id/tuberculosis/countries/africa/ethiopia_profile.html#
(4.) Travel.State.Gov (2009), U.S. Department of State, Ethiopia Country Specific Information. Retrieved fromhttp://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1113.html

(5.) Heavens, Andrew (2009), In Ethiopia, better education for a better future. Retrieved fromhttp://www.unicef.org/emerg/ethiopia_34570.html

(6.) WHO/Second Generation Surveillance on HIV/AIDS (2008), Epidemeological Fact Sheet on HIV and AIDS. Retrieved fromhttp://apps.who.int/globalatlas/predefinedReports/EFS2008/full/EFS2008_ET.pdf

Photo courtesy of Liz Dale

First Stop, Ethiopia!

So far I have been in Ethiopia for 2 days. The country is beautiful and has a mix of mountains, forests, and rivers. The poverty here is high with 44% of the population living under the poverty line. (1) The desolate conditions are not hard to miss. When I was reading up on the country before I arrived, I found that 4 out of 5 families live on less than $2 a day.(2) Since I have been here I have been able to try many different foods. The staple foods consist of spicy meat and vegetable dishes and they are eaten with only our hands and no utensils. The first time I did this I felt a little awkward and out of place but it is now becoming a little more natural.

While driving between towns I have seen many farms and livestock along the way. In fact, 80% of the people are dependent on agriculture as their income. Some common foods grown are coffee, beans, sugarcane, and vegetables. I have also been told that Ethiopia raises more livestock than any other country in Africa. However, weather conditions have greatly affected the outcome of farming over the years because of severe droughts and flooding. This has been part of the reason that poverty has been prevalent.(1) The weather ruins their main source of income and then they are left struggling with no other way to make money for the rest of the year.

I have also been informed that Ethiopia is listed in the top 10 countries for the worst human development index worldwide. 16% of all the children are orphans, due to AIDS and other illness and disease.(2) Often times other family members or friends then take them in and care for them. This can make it difficult for families when they get so large and have so many mouths to feed. Due to the lack of health services available, 1 in 13 children die before their first birthday. Also more than 1/3 of children under age 5 are malnourished.(2) It is very upsetting to see so many children by themselves, just wandering around the streets of different villages. I would love to sweep them all up and bring them home with me.


(1.) Maps of world, (1999-09). Poverty in Ethiopia. Retrieved fromhttp://finance.mapsofworld.com/economy/ethiopia/poverty.html

(2.) Wide Horizons for Children, (2010). Humanitarian Aid in Ethiopia. Retrieved fromhttp://www.whfc.org/WHFFC/projects/ethiopia.asp?gclid=CMyDvZ6TiqUCFYfu7QodljcnOA

Photo courtesy of Liz Dale

photo courtesy of David Westfall