Work at ODOV and Home

Before I started my SALT assignment, I didn’t really know what my work would look like and had even less idea how I could be helpful in a workplace where I didn’t speak the first language of all my coworkers and the community I would be working with. I have been in Mesang now living with my host family and working for ODOV now for almost 2 months, though I have actually worked less than that (time off for Pchum Ben festival holiday, Covid, Strep throat, and now in the midst of another national holiday, Water Festival, that gives everyone the better part of a week off). I will talk about Water Festival activities in another post so I can focus on my work-life and other ways I am attempting to contribute to my community in this entry. I’m also planning to visit Siem Reap (the city with Angkor Wat) at the end of this week, so there will be plenty of activity for me to write about in another post soon.

For anyone confused about how SALT/YAMEN positions work (because it can definitely be confusing!), I am employed as a short-term service worker through MCC, and seconded to ODOV for the majority of my time here. MCC Cambodia and in much of the MCC’s global work operates through a partner system where MCC does not implement most projects itself, but rather supports partner organizations to conduct work that aligns with MCC’s values and goals. ODOV used to be an MCC office in Mesang, but was localized in 2005 as part of MCC’s transition to the partner model. Providing short term service workers to some of these partner organizations, including ODOV, is one of the ways MCC is able to support the organizations where this is possible.

As a brief aside, MCC has a very positive history in Cambodia that I will briefly mention for some additional context. MCC was one of the many organizations to begin working in Cambodia after the fall of the Khmer Rouge in 1979. However, during the 1980s, MCC became one of the only NGOs to continue working in Cambodia under Vietnamese occupation when doing so became politically challenging due to the nature of working in a communist-occupied nation in the closing decade of the Cold War. During this time, MCC was directly implementing relief aid, and as one of the only NGOs continuously operating in the country, was at some points responsible for a significant share of the international relief aid being provided. More locally, the MCC office that became ODOV was established as the Mesang Integrated Development Project in 1993. It has been really cool to see how familiar people are with ODOV and their work in this area. My host mom introduces me to people by telling them I work there and they almost always know what ODOV is and have a positive view of it’s work (and she introduces me to a LOT of people :)). It really reminds me of my time at EMU working on a number of projects in Bergton, VA where my grandparents have lived and until recently operated a medical clinic for numerous decades. The respect they have earned from the Bergton community for their years of selfless work and involvement in the community was passed on as positivity towards me just simply by being their grandson. ODOV feels like my grandparents here in that regard, having such a positive impact on this community for so long.

ODOV is a local NGO that works in rural development. Their mission statement is “to work with communities, government, donors and other organizations to increase community food security and incomes through better agricultural practices, promote peace, improve health, build community and local organization capacity and promote local democratic governance where all sections of the community are valued.” The two ODOV projects MCC supports are one for improving food security, positive livelihoods, and household nutrition, and the other is vocational training for teens and young adults. Because ODOV has been established and working successfully in this area for such a long period of time, their work has touched this community in a real way. As a local NGO, it has the ability to really see and understand the needs of the place they are located in a way that sometimes global NGOs are less capable of doing. Cambodia in general, and specifically Prey Veng province, and in some ways especially Mesang district is highly vulnerable to climate change and are already feeling the effects of warming temperatures, inconsistent rainfall patterns, and extreme weather events. Flooding and drought are seasonal facts in Prey Veng, and are important to the practices and traditions for people living here; however, these have become more inconsistent and more extreme in the past several decades, as is the case in many parts of the world.

When people ask me about what kind of work I do, even after almost 2 months I am still sometimes unsure how to answer that question. As my official title is “climate change resiliency assistant,” and my educational background is in environmental science, my efforts are generally focused on the food and livelihood security side of ODOV’s work. The best short summary I have been able to think of so far is that I provide support for ODOV’s regular work using whatever skill sets I have to offer that can be of use for that particular situation. Recently, my time has been spent mostly working closely with my supervisor and the director of ODOV to update regular reports for grant donors. It can be really helpful to have a native English-speaker involved with putting together the lengthy reports required of grant-funded projects. I also go out into the field to visit project sites relatively frequently. These projects range from home fish ponds, to poultry raising productions, to gender discussion forums, to village bank meetings, and others. When I go on these visits my job is to be present and take photos for ODOV to use for various purposes. Here is a selection of some of those photos so far.

From top to bottom, left to right: ODOV staff training with Peace Bridges Organization, another MCC partner based out of Phnom Penh (first 5 photos); community gender discussion form (next 3 photos); field visits to fishponds (next 2 photos); village bank meeting (last photo)

This range of responsibilities and some days lack thereof has been both rewarding and challenging. Most mornings when I go to work I really have very little idea of what I might be doing that day. I really love to have routine, so that is lacking in this arrangement, but on the other hand, it certainly helps me to stay engaged to consistently have something different or unknown to do during the day. My boss speaks good English, and a number of my coworkers speak some English as well, which has been really helpful for me to get oriented, but the informal opportunities to learn about office dynamics and the work schedule are less available to me as a result of the language barrier.

Another way I have tried to contribute in a non-work setting is through fishing. I have long enjoyed fishing as a way to spend time outdoors, connect with my dad, and find a challenge, among many other reasons. I expected to put this hobby on hold this year, but have actually been able to pick it up to a much greater degree than I have for much of the past several years. My fishing rod hung in my college dorm room for almost every semester I was on campus, but the number of times I used it at school were pretty few and far between. Since buying a collapsible rod and some basic tackle in Phnom Penh last month, it has been a source for connection and food many times. Fishing has helped me to develop relationships with a lot of my neighbors’ kids who like to come fishing with me when I fish around the house, and a friend from my workplace has also invited me to go with him numerous times as well. When I need to get out and have some more independence, it has become a vehicle for taking me exploring and connecting with something I am familiar with. And all these times no matter who I go fishing with or where I go, if I catch anything, I have the opportunity to contribute that fish to my family for adding into the meal for that night. Sometimes what I catch is enough for a side dish of fried fish, and sometimes it is enough for the main meal, but for reasons both outwardly and selfishly, I have been thankful for the ability to occasionally tangibly show my appreciation for my family that has so generously hosted me thus far.

From left to right: two carp I caught, those same fish fried up later that day, a catfish I caught, the results of a nighttime rice paddy spear/hand fishing session with my host brother, a smaller catfish I caught at my house

Another surprise highlight recently has been a friendship starting between me and a number of the monks who live close to my home in the compound of the village Pagoda. Again, the language barrier limits some of the conversations we have, and our interactions are often brief, but having people to wave and smile at that know who I am and a little bit about me has been really life-giving. This is happening with a lot of people, especially my neighbors and relatives, but I decided to highlight the monks because they have been kind enough to let me photograph them a number of times and I want to share those photographs here with a bit of context. Mostly children under 18, some as young as 10, there are approximately two dozen monks who live in the Snae Ben pagoda (my village name as well). They all share in the responsibilities involved with some of the upkeep of the facility, and these photographs mostly document them in that setting.

One of my goals for this year, especially for the first part of my assignment has been to stay in Mesang for a full uninterrupted month without leaving to spend time in Phnom Penh. The purpose for this goal was to be present with my host family and community to build relationships that will be supportive for the rest of my term. The first three weeks of orientation in Phnom Penh helped me develop really cherished relationships with the other members of the YALT team, and I knew that I would be tempted to come visit them frequently, maybe at the sacrifice of relationships in Mesang, if I wasn't intentional. This past month I was able to accomplish this goal, and I feel both more comfortable in my host home setting, and more confident in my ability to be involved in the Mesang community for the remainder of my term.