Kids coming out of the shadows

It's truly amazing how many NGOs are here in Cambodia, working in just about every sector you can imagine to improve people's lives. One organization, Krousar Thmey, trains street kids to sing, dance, and act with puppets to put on a show for tourists at La Noria Guesthouse and Restaurant.

The puppet show depicts different folk tales, with the kids using shadow puppets beyind a large sheet that's hung in the restaurant. A live band of mostly children provides music, both for the puppet show and the dancing that follows. The kids range in age from about seven to twelve years old, and guests are allowed to get up and wander around and peek at the action behind the curtain as well as in front.









We were on our way out just as the manager of the guest house, Michelle, was waving goodbye the the truckload of kids on their way home; their costumes sparkling and all the props, lights, and instruments squeezed in between them. We chatted with her for a bit about all the options available to street kids in Siem Reap today. The day prior we had visited an orphanage that Krousar Thmey funds, and were so impressed with how nice the place looked. Clean, lovely courtyard where the kids eat, classrooms with khmer, english and french posters on the walls.

I wonder if things don't just naturally balance themselves out. For all the corruption in the Cambodian government, making life harder for the average Cambodian, there are many, many organizations working to build schools, house and feed children, and improve conditions in several other ways.