2018 BUILD CAMBODIA TRIP A Volunteer Adventure for High School Graduates

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Adele Bennett
6 years ago
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1 2018 BUILD CAMBODIA TRIP A Volunteer Adventure for High School Graduates

THE TRIP Schoolies has become a rite of passage for school leavers, but the well-trodden options of the Gold Coast, Byron Bay, Lorne and Victor Harbour have become known more for their boozy culture

2 THE TRIP Schoolies has become a rite of passage for school leavers, but the well-trodden options of the Gold Coast, Byron Bay, Lorne and Victor Harbour have become known more for their boozy culture than for providing a positive environment to mark the end of thirteen years of schooling. Grad Trips has set out to provide something different, a way to celebrate the end of your schooling with a combination of fun, service and adventure. The 2018 Build Cambodia Trip is centred around a 5-day building project near Siem Reap where you will build a home for a needy Cambodian family. The trip also offers the chance to explore the amazing Temples of Angkor Wat, the unique Tonle Sap Lake, the history of Phnom Penh and relax in the sun on the beaches of Hua Hin. The trip will provide the chance to take an independent step into the wider world, leaving a lasting impact and forming bonds with graduates from across Australia. Trip Features Cambodia House Building Project Temples of Angkor Wat Sun, sand and waterparks in Hua Hin Floating village of Kompong Phluk Exploring the rich history and culture of Cambodia Life long bonds Grad Trip Leader guiding you along the way Activity Options white water rafting, snorkelling, waterfalls, Monkey Island, Elephant sanctuary

3 THE PROJECT Your Service project will involve building traditional wooden Khmer-style houses for some of Cambodia's poorest people. Based in Siem Reap, in Cambodia s north-west, the homes built are in rural areas surrounding the popular tourist city. In many cases the housing is rudimentary at best and many homes are fragile structures with palm frond walls and dirt floors. Many do not survive the severe rainstorms. In contrast, the houses you will build are solid and designed to last. The houses are four metres by five metres, with concrete footings, wooden sides and floorboards and a tin roof. They include one enclosed room and one room with open sides. The space underneath the house is often used as a daily living and cooking area.each house takes about four days to build and on the fifth day a Khmer house blessing ceremony is held before the family moves into it. The impacts of inadequate housing can take its toll on families. We see children who don t go to school and many health problems through lack of sanitation or secure housing and sleeping arrangements. We access the poorest families with the help of our social worker, who conducts thorough assessments are conducted on families with the help of a social worker. The social worker works with village and commune chiefs and checks referrals from other NGOs. We require the families we support to own their own land and to be free of debt to ensure there is no chance they can be evicted by the landowner or have the house taken by debt collectors. In addition to building homes, toilets and wells are additional building projects that are undertaken to improve the lives of selected families. About 80 per cent of the Cambodian population lives in rural areas and UNICEF estimates only 16 per cent of them have access to adequate sanitation. A lack of clean drinking water is one of the most pressing issues facing Cambodians living in rural villages. Many source their drinking, cooking and bathing water from pools of standing water, streams or canals. The water is often contaminated with bacteria and pollutants and can lead to ongoing illness or, in extreme cases, death.

THE ORGANISATION Volunteer Building Cambodia is a locally run, community-driven NGO (non-government organisation), focused on helping poor Cambodian families improve their living conditions.

4 THE ORGANISATION Volunteer Building Cambodia is a locally run, community-driven NGO (non-government organisation), focused on helping poor Cambodian families improve their living conditions. Founded by local Khmer man, Sinn Meang in 2014, Volunteer Building Cambodia provides poor families in rural Siem Reap with housing, wells, water pumps and toilet facilities. VBC builds solid houses for extremely poor families who lack the resources to build their own liveable homes. VBC do thorough assessments to ensure those most in need receive our houses. About 80 per cent of Cambodians live in rural areas where a staggering 85 per cent of people do not have access to adequate sanitation and 35 per cent cannot afford to access safe water. Where possible VBC provide wells and toilets to improve living conditions. Many families in rural Siem Reap still live on less than $1 a day. TRIP LEADERS Grad Trip groups will be accompanied by experienced Australian Trip Leaders. From the time, you arrive at your departure airport our Leaders are there to ensure that all participants are safe throughout the trip and all elements of the trip run smoothly. Our Trip Leaders are also a key communication point between group members and parents, whilst overseas. Trip Leaders are all experienced dealing with the logistics of groups and are veteran travellers. Trip Leaders all undertake working with children and police checks and have completed first aid courses.

MISSION & VALUES OUR MISSION To offer school students a fun and meaningful way to commemorate the end of their school journey, whilst exploring and contributing to the global community.

5 MISSION & VALUES OUR MISSION To offer school students a fun and meaningful way to commemorate the end of their school journey, whilst exploring and contributing to the global community. OUR VALUES Grad Trips had set out to provide a different schoolies experience, an experience with a higher purpose. We have a set of values that underpin and reinforce this higher purpose. We present these core value below and invite those of you who share our values to join us in exploring and contributing to the global community. Fun! Safety Contribution Achievement WHAT THESE CORE VALUES MEAN Fun! After thirteen years of schooling we believe fun is the number one priority for participants. Even when sweating it out on a building site we want a fun environment. Safety. Ensuring the safety of our participants whether swinging a hammer or sitting by the pool is our number one concern. Qualified trades people provide supervision, training and guidance on the build site whilst experienced staff provide supervision, support and communication throughout the trip. Contribution. Grad Trips is passionate about fostering a desire in participants to contribute to the world around us. Seeing firsthand the conditions that those less fortunate in the world live under and contributing to bring about change is life changing for all involved. Achievement. Creating something with your own hands, by pouring your sweat and effort into it, provides a sense of achievement that is rarely matched. Being able to cap that achievement by handing over the keys to a house to a family in need magnifies that achievement tenfold.

THE ITINERARY DAY 1 PHNOM PENH Depart Australia for Cambodia Arrive in Phnom Penh and transfer to your hotel DAY 2 PHNOM PENH After breakfast visit The Royal Palace, the royal residence of the Kings

6 THE ITINERARY DAY 1 PHNOM PENH Depart Australia for Cambodia Arrive in Phnom Penh and transfer to your hotel DAY 2 PHNOM PENH After breakfast visit The Royal Palace, the royal residence of the Kings of Cambodia, Followed by a visit to the National Museum, the countries largest museum of cultural history. Housing over 14,000 items of Khmer art. After lunch at a local restaurant you will visit Wat Phnom Penh, a buddhist temple built in 1372 and the Central Market. DAY 3 SIEM REAP After breakfast you will visit the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek. The site of a mass grave of 17,000 civilians the Museum the Killing Fields Exhibit can be disturbing, but it provides an insight of the atrocities visited on Cambodia and its people. Depart for Siem Reap. On arrival in Siem Reap you will transfer to your hotel and have a briefing from the Project team about your building project. DAY 4 SIEM REAP After breakfast, your will transfer to the building site to begin construction of your house. Your construction work will start commence with sawing and chiselling of support beams, as well as cutting additional support beams and wall boards to size. You will have a team photo before heading back to your hotel to freshen up and then head out to explore Angkor Wat, Angkor Tham and Ta Promh temple. DAY 5 SIEM REAP After an early breakfast, you will depart for the build site where you will begin raising the support beams to provide the houses structure. You will then begin laying the floor boards and start the construction of the stairs. After lunch you will get a taste of rural Cambodia. You will cruise around Tonle Sap Lake, gliding through the flooded forest amongst the stilted houses of Kompong Phluk village and the floating markets, fish farms and rice paddies.

7 DAY 6 SIEM REAP After breakfast return to the build site where you will begin construction of the walls, door and window. After lunch you will stretch your legs and take a bike ride around the temple complex. DAY 7 SIEM REAP After breakfast you will head to the build site, where you will finish the build. You will make shutters for the windows and an door as well as adding the stairs with a cement base. After lunch, you will take part in a cooking class to cook and sample some Cambodia dishes. In the evening, you will take in a Cambodian Cultural Show performed by artists from the Phare Ponleu Selpak Artistic and Cultural Center. DAY 8 HUA HIN After breakfast, you will return to the building site to present the family with the keys to their new home. You will participate in a blessing ceremony of the home followed by a home cooked meal provided by the family. Depart Siem Reap for Bangkok. Once you arrive in Bangkok you will transfer to the beach resort of Hua Hin and check into your hotel. DAY 9 HUA HIN After your hard work enjoy some downtime at one of the local waterparks. Enjoy some free time in the evening to explore Hua Hin DAY 10 HUA HIN Day at leisure to explore Hua Hin, options include a visit to Monkey Island, White Water Rafting or just enjoying some beach time. DAY 11 HUA HIN Day at leisure to explore Hua Hin, options include a visit to Monkey Island, White Water Rafting or just enjoying some beach time. DAY 12 IN TRANSIT After breakfast transfer to Bangkok for your flight home. DAY 13 HOME Arrive home

8 TRIP DATES In 2018, we have three separate departure dates running to coincide with the different state calendars. TRIP 1 16 NOVEMBER 28 NOVEMBER 2018 TRIP 2 23 NOVEMBER 5 DECEMBER 2018 TRIP 3 30 NOVEMBER 12 DECEMBER 2018 TRIP COST The Travel Package costs are listed below based on the point of departure. The Travel Package includes Flights, Accommodation, Transport, Activities and Building Costs. DEPARTURE POINT PRICE PER PERSON Adelaide $3,300 Sydney $3,190 Melbourne $3,190 Brisbane $3,190 Perth $3,090 For any other departure point please contact us so we can provide a specific quote. NEXT STEPS Express your interest in the 2018 BUILD CAMBODIA TRIP by completing an online form via the below link: INSERT LINK We will then provide a comprehensive Travel Package with further details on the trip and details on how to join.

CAMBODIA TOUR BOOKLET

CAMBODIA TOUR BOOKLET The gang at Angkor Wat OVERVIEW Group size: Transport: Accommodation: Starts in: Ends in: 12 people maximum per tour group Private Bus, Public Bus, Tuk Tuk 11 nights in 3 local Hotels