One of the collaborations that we did in Cambodia was with the NGO Karuna Battambang that belongs to SAUCE, an association also linked to the Apostolic Prefecture headed by Monsignor Enrique Figaredo, an Asturian Jesuit who is currently Apostolic Prefect of the Battambang diocese and President of Cáritas Camboya. Kike has dedicated his life to work for the most needy, especially refugees, the disabled and children living in poverty, which has earned him the nickname of “the bishop of wheelchairs.” This NGO is mainly dedicated to the schooling of children in conditions of poverty that are normally found in rural areas. They build schools, commit to teaching staff and monitor the students’ level with periodic exams.

On this occasion, the collaborators of the NGO, with our contacts Thea and Phut, went to several schools to perform level tests to ensure the correct evolution of the schooling of the students. On the way, they took us to Phies school.

This school is located 10 km from Battambang, in a remote area in the middle of rice fields. In the time of Pol Pot, these paddy fields were extensive fields of work, where the crazy ideas of increased production of the leader of the Khmer Rouge were put into practice … almost nothing … you could still hear the earth scream …

The school building had been a barn for animals that was on a lake. Some local teachers had used it to teach some students in the past but due to the lack of resources they had to abandon the idea and close it. Karuna Battambang had opened it again, had conditioned it and provided aid to the teachers who taught there. In addition, to ensure children’s attendance, families receive a quantity of rice for the schooling of their children. In the case that the child does not attend school, the aid to the family is withdrawn, thus ensuring that the child is the main beneficiary.

We arrived in pick up at the school, the building is composed of 5 classrooms. This one is completely made of wood, a platform suspended over a dry lake, painted brown. The floor was made up of planks, just like the walls. We were received by two teachers and they made us pass. There would be about 50 students in total, from 3 to 8 years old. The children crowded in the window to see us, with huge eyes, watching us closely. In the first classroom the teacher had left, so we took the opportunity to sneak in and greet the children. They were about 8 years old, and as they were already smiling, we started playing the fool, pointing out the words written in Cambodian on the blackboard and making them repeat them aloud …

Everyone entered the game, while we made gestures of approval comically, laughed, and began to play with us. They were very grateful! Any comic gesture we made laughed out loud !! They loved it, when we left the class we were already playing hide-and-seek and walking silently, they all kept going at the same rhythm, until one broke into laughter and became uncontrolled … very funny. Suddenly, the teachers began to organize the children, taking them out of class to be seated in the place where we would act. And we went to prepare for the show … with this audience the fun was assured.

The children were impatient, so we had to leave now !!! And so we did … we went out and they started to laugh …

The wooden floor, the wooden bench, the decoration were the rice fields … an idyllic theater!

precious, accompanied by the song of the birds … And a giant smiles public … Soon after asking for volunteers, I knew that they would lend themselves quickly to the game … And so it was, we could share together the whole imaginary of the number, laughing together and falling in love together … What a love of children!

When we finished we left the stage to get our noses out, and when we came back they were ready, almost nervous to get the moment right, to applaud us … a beautiful moment … Everyone wanted to keep playing, that could not end there !!!

Impossible to forget these little laughing creatures with their little shirts, their jagged teeth and the desire to bite, laugh and roll around on the floor …

I do not understand when we stopped doing it … We took a part of your simplicity and the ability to enjoy with total delivery. A corner of the world that we carry in our hearts …

And we left the same way we arrived, back to Battambang full of hope and with the heart stolen by these beautiful and funny people … See you soon!