http://www.myactionaid.org.uk/activities/community-challenge-cambodia Read about our 2007 Cambodia community Challenge! en-us 2010/03/18 19:53:32.603 GMT 2010/03/18 19:53:32.603 GMT http://www.myactionaid.org.uk/activities/community-challenge-cambodia MyActionAid myactionaid@actionaid.org myactionaid@actionaid.org http://www.myactionaid.org.uk/ESlade Hi, my name’s Emily (Em) and I’m one of the 26 (there’s still space for 4 more…!) who will be taking part in ActionAid’s newest challenge, the Cambodia Community Centre build. For more information about the build itself, click on the link on the right. There are a number of reasons why I am taking part in this challenge. I have been aware of ActionAid and their work for a long time as my Mum started to sponsor a child when I was born – and still does today. When I finished sixth form and was looking for some gap year trips, I requested some information from ActionAid along with many other companies, charities and groups. At the time, though, the trips on offer were all hiking or biking, and generally quite short – I was looking for something a bit longer and a bit kinder on my (very weak) muscles! However, ActionAid continued to send me information, and one day a pack announcing the introduction of this challenge came through my door. It is the perfect one for me – it doesn’t focus on fitness (I’m a gym phobic) and has a lot of involvement with the local community (we will be building with locals as well as each other, and being integrated in this way is impossible to achieve in a usual holiday). Plus, though I am lucky in that I have travelled a lot, I have never been to Cambodia or any of it’s neighbours, or in fact anywhere similar, and I am really looking forward to exploring a new and completely different culture. The idea of actually taking part in the building process really appeals to me too (even though I’ve never done anything like it before!), I love the idea that I – we – will leave a lasting impression that will help so many people – who really need that help - in years to come. That, and I like getting my hands dirty! So that’s me! As I put at the top, the link on the right explains more about the actual build, and about sponsorship and donations (please!). http://www.myactionaid.org.uk/ryanli http://www.myactionaid.org.uk/schowdhury Hello, I live in West London and work in television news and have taken it upon myself, perhaps rather naively, to take part in the forthcoming trip to Cambodia to help build a community centre - with my own bare hands! I say naively because I'm told one needs to be reasonably fit to lug around wheelburrows filled with cement and lay bricks, whereas the full extent of my current exercise regime does not extend beyond a gentle stroll to the local cake shop. But hopefully this challenge will be the perfect opportunity to correct my many failings, so here goes. I am very excited about taking part in what is an extremely worthwhile project which will hopefully improve the lives of some extremely disadvantaged people. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this profile and I would be very grateful for any donations. http://www.myactionaid.org.uk/shaonimyer Hello, thanks for visiting myactionaid page. My involvement with ActionAid started when a fundraiser came to my door one day in late Spring 2006 and persuaded me that I should sponsor a child in rural China. I have to say it wasn't a difficult sell as I had been wanting to sponsor a child for some time as it gives communities long-term assistance, and is very different to my monthly giving to the British Red Cross. I completed an MSc in Development Economics in 1993 at what was then Wye College, University of London and is now part of Imperial College, London. I had wanted to work at improving agrarian marketing systems and therefore farmers' incomes in less developed countries. Despite these lofty ambitions, the realities of making a living took over so instead I ended up working in a bank in the City of London. I've never totally given up on the ideal of doing some work in the third world. This November I'm taking part in the Cambodia Build Challenge. It's a diet version of what my younger self wanted to do. Please have a look at the rest of this site, paying special attention to the "make a donation" section at the bottom of the next page! And feel free to be as generous as you like :-)- it's a very straightforward process. http://www.myactionaid.org.uk/skwakeman I am an American who has been living in London for 10 years. I'm married with two children, ages 9 and 6. I work as a residential property developer. This autumn I am participating in the Cambodia Build Challenge. http://www.myactionaid.org.uk/suzyq My name is Susan Frances and I work as a flight attendant for British Airways. I have witnessed first hand how some of the poorer countries struggle to maintain and develop their own identity. This is why I am taking part in ActionAid's Cambodia Community Challenge this year. Cambodia has always been of interest to me since seeing the film 'The Killing Fields' and I'm delighted to be part of this challenge. http://www.myactionaid.org.uk/gordonstobart Born in Bradford, Yorks, I went to university in Manchester and then spent 3 years teaching in Zambia. I have lived in London on & off (including 5 years in America), ever since. My work has been in education, as a teacher, educational psychologist, researcher and now as an academic at the Institute of Education, London. I am looking forward to making what I hope will be a useful contribution in Cambodia. http://www.myactionaid.org.uk/lesgranges Nigel is 62 years old, retired after a career running his own plastics manufacturing business for 25 years. A mechanical and production engineer by training, Nigel is very practical and "hands on" and keen on DIY. Barbara is younger than Nigel, an active artist, ceramicist, and literary reviewer of French books for publication in the UK. They are active parents and grandparents, have travelled widely, and are both fluent French speakers. They are both greatly looking forward to being involved in the construction of the Community Centre and learning about life in Cambodia. http://www.myactionaid.org.uk/lindaandgraham Linda and Graham Hill have just returned from the Community Build Challenge in Cambodia and have witnessed at first hand the good work that Action Aid do in this area. http://www.myactionaid.org.uk/akennedy Hi there, I'm a primary school teacher in the very fortunate position of being granted a term's sabatical, which I am planning to make the most of! The culmination of my time off will be the Cambodia Challenge, something I am looking forward to immensely. http://www.myactionaid.org.uk/andrewmacalpine My name is Andrew Macalpine (no relation as you'll see when I start building) and I live in north London. I still work (just!) as a freelance education consultant. Previously, I worked as a headteacher in two mixed secondary schools and inbetween was an inspector for a couple of years. Last year I spent a week labouring as a builder on an ActionAid sponsored tsunami project in Sri Lanka. You could say I'm an old hand but rather more old than hand. My daughter is a fund raiser for ActionAid which is how I got into the tsunami project. It was a fantastic experience working with the Sri Lankans (including a brilliant 19 year old Sri Lankan foreman) and it is that experience which has resulted in me giving building abroad a second go. http://www.myactionaid.org.uk/cgoubs We're back!!! What a truly amazing experience. I always knew it was going to be a big one for me, but little did I know how big. It started with the fundraising and the almost unbelievable level of generosity & support I have received from family, friends, acquaintances and total strangers. Then the trip itself into a beautiful country with a great bunch of people for company. My thanks to everyone it has enriched my life in ways I cannot begin to explain. If anyone has thoughts and the opportunity to embark on a similar journey I can only advise you to "Just do it!" Enjoy the photos! I've done an presentation and an interview with the local Press since coming home and will also be interviewed by BBC Guernsey at 12 noon on Thurs 3rd Jan 08. Before I went. I'm 53 years old, I work for Investec Trust (Guernsey) Ltd, my job title is Assistant Manager,Technical Training & Development. Well that's what I do to earn a living...I spend a lot of my spare time fund raising for the ActionAid Guernsey Support Group. I love it, we organise all sorts of events to keep the cash rolling in. Which should mean the fund raising part will be easy...except this is personal! With an average of one event per month we pretty much have all the usual ideas covered so I'm thinking I'm going to have to come up with something spectacular to get noticed and I hate being the centre of attention. What will it be? I have joined the Build Challenge Cambodia because I felt the time was right. I have long wanted to be more actively involved, Cambodia is one of the projects the Guernsey Support Group have chosen for this year and I will celebrate my Birthday out there...so if I was looking for signs & portents how many more did I need?