Volunteer blog from Richard and Camilla

This was our first volunteering experience and we didn’t really know what to expect when we arrived in Siem Reap. However, on arrival at the MaD House we were really pleased to find we had lovely accommodation and great food and all set in a fantastic rural location.

Having done a lot of travelling in the past we were rather tired of the whole ‘tourist experience’,

which usually involves booking into hotels, looking at menus and endlessly wondering around temples and other tourist sites. Fun and interesting as this is, you never really get to grips with the place, instead always seeing the shop window and never really knowing how the country ticks.

Our stay with MaD has given us some insight into the real Cambodia. We worked very hard in extreme heat (think of the average Squaddy in “Bridge over the Rive Kwai”!) Every morning we left early with 4 local guys, and travelled to work on a trailer pulled by a small motorbike, much to the amazement of all the other locals. We came back at night through scary and busy rush hour traffic with our trusty driver, Soth, at the helm. A shower, a cold beer and a good meal ended the day.

The work was hard but coming home each evening to 8 truly delightful children was something really rather special. We will certainly miss them and would recommend other volunteers to give it a go.

By Richard & Camilla from the West Country, UK