Here is an example of a pit toilet.  

I have not heard from anyone about the last contest (identify the item in the photo).

Regards,

Leonard 

     Today was our last day to be split into multiple groups. Five of our group ( the on that didn't go to the village) went to work with "Doctors without Borders" today. They seemed to have had a great time working with the Cambodian doctors in the gov't hospital and western doctors in the private hospital. The rest of our group learned about a CRWRC supported organization that works with people living in the slums here. In the morning we sat in on their saving group meeting. community families voluntarily join and agree to contribute at least 500 riel(~12 cents) per month. The CRWRC trains local Cambodians to lead the project and from there its all Cambodians leading/helping Cambodians. I was shocked by the conditions in the slims. All the (tiny) homes were built on stilts and constructed of corragated metal and scrap wood. the path between the homes was a rickety boardwalk that I constantly worried was going to collapse beneath us. the worst part was that the boardwalk and stilts were there because there was a lake/rive of open sewage beneath them, so there were bugs everywhere.

After an interesting lunch, we went to another poor area to join a gender issues group meeting. they organized roles into essential useful and not useful (I'm changing the titles because I can't remember the original ones they used). the mone-earning (male) roles were useful and the ones that did not bring money into the household often went into the other category. After the discussion wrapped up they allowed the Cambodians and Americans to ask one another questions through the translator. We covered a wide range of gender topics in cultural, and legal areas and found many similarities in the gender issues we face.

I just got back from an incredible immersion experience into the culture of rural Cambodia.  We hopped a van about two hours away from Phnom Penh and endured the bumpiest dirt roads yet to get out to a remote village.  We were welcomed by the community church, which is being partnered with the CRWRC to develop sustainable resources in the village.  We visited nearby villages and learned about new rice farming techniques that can double production with less effort put into the crop.  We also tasted delicious sugar that was handmade in the village from the palm trees.  Some of the other things going on for development are raising poultry and swine.  We ate rice three meals a day and slept in a bungalow on rattan mats inside mosquito netting.  That was quite an experience.  The first night I woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom(fortunately there was one!) and got to see the most incredible display of stars.  It was truly amazing.  We woke up to roosters crowing at dawn after not much sleep on the floor ( a cool experience, but not that comfortable).  I rode on the back of one of the local's dirt bikes to another village where we sat in on a CRWRC seminar for small business owners.  After a few days in the bush, our hotel is practically five star! I would have to say the most shocking thing in the village was the dances at night in the church building.  Nearly the whole community gets together for dancing to Cambodian MTV and karaoke!  They fire up the generator and blast the speakers and it was a blast.

-Jonathan Cooper