No Trickle-Down the Road

All three Room to Read computer labs I visited in Siem Reap lost their electricity while I was there – despite the fact that all of the hotels in the area were humming with air conditioning and satellite TV. So I decided to meet with my hotel manager to ask if he would consider putting a program together to ask tourists to donate to a generator for the schools, and the hotel would match it.

“You see, tourists will want to give. Many tourists come and want to help Cambodia, you could ask them to donate to the school to buy a generator,” I tried to cajole him out of the blank stare.

“Yes, yes. Schools are dark at night without a generator but no problem during the day,” blank stare now moving to confusion.

“Yes sir. But it is important to have the computers work in the day when the students are there.”

“Angkor High School has computers?” confusion now moves to doubt. The government doesn’t provide computers, they have it slated on their agenda for 2010 – in the meantime its up to the NGOs to provide them, and from what I can tell, only Room to Read does.

“Yes, that is what I said earlier. That is why a generator is most important. More up-time for the computers will give students more access and thus increase their employability for you –”

“I don’t think Angkor High School has computers.”

I tried to invite him to come to the high school with me, adding “If you have a program for schools, your hotel will be set apart. You see, I don’t have loyalty to your hotel. I will go to other hotels. But if I know you are giving to the community and helping by a generator, I will recommend you to other Americans. You can put the program on your web-site and let travel agents know and –“

“You want to help us redo our web-site?”

I knew this couldn’t be that much of a language barrier, so after ten more minutes I gave up and thanked him for his time.

Later that evening over dinner I relayed the conversation to Ratana, the Room to Read Computer Director. He was most amused.

“What did he say in response?” Ratana asked.

I tried to do my best to explain the concept of “giving me a run around.”

Ratana laughed, “Yes that is what I thought. I don’t think the hotel or business help. This is up to government to do.”

But the government isn’t doing it. And the students at Hunsen Wat Svay High School, who now have 3 months of computer training with four to a computer (as the 3,512 students – only 815 are female – all need a turn), who’s province is declared the poorest in Cambodia where families subsist on less than $1 per day, won’t have the skills to work in the fancy hotels that line their streets.