Realizations!

Hmmm....

I've realized after my very beautiful and kind friend of mine (!) brought to my attention, that I am bringing a skewed view of Daughter's of Cambodia. I agree with her.

I want you all to know that Daughter's has made leaps and bounds since it's infancy as an NGO working in the brothels of a poor area of Phnom Penh! Starting out with Ruth and her husband driving to brothels to invite the girls to come for the day to visit, paint, and learn a trade...has snowballed into a major NGO with major achievements and major amounts of change in the lives of those they minister to!

I seem to be a bit distraught lately...as I muddle over my latest blog entries I realize how narrow my scope of Daughter's is. I enter into my little clinic and stay there...not realizing that possibly the reason behind all my depressing thoughts working with these women is b/c i deal with the sick, and do not usually see the changes in those who were sick!! Usually a healthy girl with happiness won't just drop in to the clinic just to say thank you or prove that her life has improved. Just doesn't really happen.

Do you understand?

I want you all to know that my eyes do not only see sadness, pain, trauma....no! My eyes see new moms bringing their tiny babies to work everyday...and these babies have a safe, clean place to thrive!! I see little kids getting love, attention and vitamins daily when they visit! I see girls learning a trade, earning good money working in a clean place. Money that is earned respectably and with honor.

I see women come to me in pain and after I refer them to our counselling staff, she comes out with a goal, a dream, a plan, a hope! I see girls who had no hope in hell and have come up to earth again! Living again!!

One of the counsellors at Daughter's just did a psychological assessment on a girl that has worked for us for about a year. The woman was asked about her previous situation before Daughter's and to compare it to after she was given employment. She stated that her depression and anxiety and her worthlessness has decreased drastically!! She said that she beats her children less, her use of alcohol has decreased 100 percent, her hope for the future is tangible! She sees how Daughter's has assisted her and I am so thankful for that.

So, you see. The evidence is there! I just need to take the time out of my crazy wired brain to not just focus on the awful. Sure, those things will happen to these girls seeing where they live or what they deal with at home. BUT there are happy changes and lives that have been turned around. I see it!