Diary

2008-01-31 - Volunteers

Jan 6th 2008 -

My name is Camilla Jofs and I am 24 years old. I come from the archipelago in Maxmo, outside of Vaasa in western Finland. I have been living in Turku 4 years now, and I have been studying Folkloristics, Swedish linguistics and Intercultural communication at Åbo Akademi University. In December 2007 I got my bachelors exam and in the fall I began to write my Master’s thesis, which I am writing about volunteers and the drive behind their voluntary work. I am collecting my material while being in Cambodia through interviews with other voluntary workers. I have quite a lot of experience in the area of humanitarian work. I have been working as a substitute in several different kindergardens in Turku and around. I have also been working in a home for severe disabled people for 3 years, and also at summer camps for people with different kinds of disabilities. In my leisure time in Turku I am singing in the female student choir of Åbo Akademi University, Florakören. Singing, music and travelling are my greatest passions in life. It will certainly be interesting to explore the vivid life of the Khmer people and the stunning culture and sights of the Kingdom of Cambodia. On top of that, and most of all, it will be a great pleasure for me to get to work with the children of Cambodia.


Feb 21st 2008 -

I am Anna-Mari Voutilainen, 31 year old Bachelor of Social Services from Helsinki. I will work as a volunteer of Children of Cambodia NGO in CPCDO orphanage Love House for six months. I came here in Phnom Penh in the end of February 2008 through Finnish Volunteer Programme. Before coming here I worked as a kindergarten teacher in several kindergartens in Helsinki. I am interested in different kind of people, mind-body-thinking, dance and movement and different cultures. Working with children is close to my heart. I was a little anxious for going far away to a place that was unknown to me but it was a thing I had been dreaming of for a long time.I believe that small things matter and I think I can give these children my attention, time and affection. I also know that these children and this period of volunteering time in Cambodia will teach me very much as a person.


Jan 8th 2008 -

I am Oili Sprinkel, 66 years old nurse from Finland, just retired in the beginning of this year. The past ten years in Finland I worked in a Home for Elderly, before that I lived in England and United States. During these, whilst raising my family, I participated actively in different kinds of voluntary work. Three years ago I took a leave from my work and went to Ecuador, Quito, through The Finnish Volunteer Programme. In Quito I was teaching in a school for indigenous children. This experience working in a developing country with the children, was very rewarding and it gave me this inspiration to do something like that again when I really have time – and that time has just begun. I am happy that I have this opportunity here in Cambodia to work for children, who are in need of our help.


Nov 29 2007 -

My name is Ville-Veikko Pitkanen. I am 28 years old student, studying at the moment in Australia at the University of Queensland. I came to Cambodia with my wife, Liisa and my son Luukas. I am very happy to spend my summer holiday (3 months) working as a volunteer for the Children of Cambodia (NGO).

We became interested of working for this organization immediately when we found its websites. This was the right place for us, who had been looking for organization to work together within development issues. Working together within children in need is something we have always dreamed about.


Nov 29th 2007 -

My name is Liisa Pitkanen. I am a 28 years old occupational therapist from Finland. I came to Cambodia with my husband Ville-Veikko and my son Luukas (2 years old) five days ago.

We have lived in Brisbane, Australia since January 2007, since Ville got a scholarship to study international studies in the University of Queensland as a Rotary World Peace Scholar.

I have worked as an occupational therapist in a hospital at children’s neurological department and –clinic, as well as, with adults in a rehabilitating center and –clinic, for neurological patients. In Australia, I have been working in a local daycare center.


Sep 20th - Dec 21st 2007

I am Anna Halttunen, 23-years old and coming from Jyvaskyla. I am a signlanguage instructor. I came to Phnom Penh about two weeks ago and I'll go back to home just before the Christmas.

I have dreamed to go somewhere far away from Finland for a very long time. I have traveled a lot and I thought that I have seen the Europe already. My other dream has been to go somewhere to help kids in their daily life by myself. Kids and their health has always been very important thing to me. I graduated in the end of last May and I didn't have work place. I decided that now it is time to make my dream come true. I found the sites of Children of Cambodia from the internet. I read the diary of the other volunteers and I thought that, that would be just my thing. "To that place I want also go and give arms and care to the children." After about two months, I left. Before leaving I had to take some vaccinations and assurances and of course to found the tickets. In the airplane I was thinking that what is going to happen to me. But I was quite peaceful because I had read something about Cambodia and the orphanage. I was also took contact to the other volunteers.

Now, I have been here almost two weeks. Before I went to the orphanage I was exited. But the first day was quite easy. At the doors of the children's rooms there were some kids who gave their hands with asking face "could you take me to your arms". I realized that now I am there where I need to be. My volunteer time is now starting, but I already know that it is going to be hard to go back to home and leave these kids here. I try to think that now I give as much of me to them as it is possible and lately I keep them in my dreams and in my hard.


Aug 24th - Dec 25th 2007

My name is Lea Jantunen, 57 years old, and I have worked earlier in southwest Finland for health care services. I arrived here one month ago as a volunteer and planned to stay about four months.

I have worked for several years with the elderly people and I wished to be able to work sometimes with the children. I have also been interested in working in developing countries. I was often browsing various net pages trying to find info about children related volunteer work. The pages of Children of Cambodia repeatedly popped up and stuck immediately in my mind.

I followed for several weeks the writings of the organization and volunteers. The daily matters of orphanage started to feel familiar and own. I noticed I have found what I have been searching! There was no doubt - any help is really needed. Although it is not a simple task to start arranging the journey, I felt that the practical work in the orphanage would be the most suitable helping method for me. Since I heard that I can work with C.O.C. I started the travel arrangements. I followed the diary of the organization and I was communicating with local volunteers. I borrowed some books to be able to study a bit of the history and the culture of the destination country.

I am familiar with institutional health care organizations from the past. urprisingly often you meet here similar things as in Finland. However the circumstances are here even more bare than I expected. It is good to realize, that each and everyone of us volunteers are needed here.

We can give our time, attention and nearness to children. The feedback and salary for this work is immediately received as a sparkle in the eyes, a smile or a touch of a slobbery hand.

I hope to be able to give back to children even a small bit about what they have given me so far. Back to Finland I would like to take with me a touch of local atmosphere, kindness, cheerfulness, peacefulness and relaxness. There
are so many different ways to do things and think about them. A thing, which you think is a minor one, can be important here. Sometimes it goes opposite way also. Although the everyday life here, seen by foreign eyes, is bare or even poor, the people seem to be happy.


Jul 9th - Dec 21st 2007

I am Sanna Backman, 36-years old free lancer journalist from Finland and I came here about one month ago. I will stay and work here all together about five and half months.

I wanted to do something for the children, who needs to be taken care of and somebody to hold them. It was really difficult to find to way to help children in practice back in Finland. Then I found the web site of Children of Cambodia and I knew this was something I wanted to do. The more I found out and saw pictures about it, the more I wanted to come here. I wanted to give my attention and love to these children by coming to Cambodia and by being with them at the orphanage.

When I was accepted to work for Children of Cambodia, I started to organize everything in Finland so I could leave and come to work as soon as possible. I quit my job in the advertising agency, found new lodgers to my apartment and so on. After about two months I was on my way here.

It made everything little easier to know, that there was one girl already from Finland here and she would come to the airport to pick me up. I would get all the information about local living and the job in the orphanage from her.

Now, after about one month working, I can really see how important the work we are going, is. Most of the children just need somebody to hold them and be there for them. The best thing is to get them smiling and see them happy.
I´m sure the next four and half months will give me a lot and I´m happy to make these children life little easier and happier.