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The Mushroom Project in Kampong
Cham, Cambodia and its favorable
delopment
On-site impressions |
 
The venerable Vandong Thorn, Prof Dr. Holger F. Rabenau, Ludger Wenzel
In November/December 2007, Prof. Dr. Holger F. Rabenau and Ludger Wenzel
have also visited BSDA Kampong Cham, Cambodia during their trip through
Asia, in order to inform themselves about the 'Mushroom
Project' or as it is officially called the 'Orndung Chross Thmiy Integrated Development (Mushroom project)',
which is mainly financed through private donations from Germany.
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 An
entire fishermen-village was re-located from the coast into the interior
to make room for construction projects. Because of this, the community
has lost its complete basis of life and nourishment. |
 With
the cultivation of mushrooms, a compensation and a new start for the
village was to be created. The idea for this project came from BSDA -
Buddhism and Society Development Association, Kampong Cham, Cambodia,
located at the historical temple site of Wat Nokor (Nokorbachey Temple)
and lead by the Buddhist Monk and director of BSDA, the venerable
Vandong Thorn. Only the necessary money was lacking, like so often in
this country emaciated by the Khmer Rouge, with its poverty and the
numerous other problems.
In this case, the donations from Germany have been able to help.
Fortunately, also donators from other countries are meanwhile taking
part in the project..
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What has been shown now on-site was indeed astonishing. Not only has
the donated money been used in the right manner, but also an impressive
progress has become visible. |
 During
a collective, active dialogue with the village principals and -elders,
the monks of BSDA, above all the agile Vandong Thorn as interpreter, as
well as the representatives of the German private donators, questions
have been asked and debated amongst each other, but simultaneously also
a personal connection has been established. One knows each other now,
those who are mastering the difficult task on the spot and those - or at
least some of them - which are providing help from far away.
The fact that this all can be observed on a website to which the
entire world has access - rather Science Fiction for people struggling
for bare survival.
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| The local inhabitants call their
mushrooms 'White Mushroom' (actually this is the internationally used English
name for the Champignon mushroom) or 'Silk-Mushroom'. For those who want to
know it more precisely: It is a sort of white oyster-mushroom, known to
us in color-versions from white to brown, hence the 'Oyster
Mushroom' or with its Latin name the 'Pleurotus Ostreatus'.
Well, most importantly the harvest will be successful and sales will help to make this project, which has been started from
scratch, some day self-supporting . The mushrooms are much
favored for big celebrations, for instance weddings.
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Meanwhile two well-drillings and -installations - also financed
through the German donations - are providing the necessary water, which
is also needed for the life in the village.
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The leadership of the village is in the hands of two Cambodian women.
Furthermore, there is a requirement imposed by BSDA, that the children
of the village are allowed to participate in frequent school-lessons,
provided by BSDA in the framework of its principal activities.
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All in all indeed proof of the fact, that in the often non-transparent
and complicated 'jungle' off official donation-aid, largely
un-bureaucratic and spontaneous direct help for a targeted project on
the basis of a private initiative with trustworthy partners not only
reaches its goal, but is also well functioning and apparent
positive effects can be acknowledged in a very short space of
time.
Cordial thanks to all private donators which have made this possible
altogether in the first place!
Frankfurt am Main, Germany, January 2008
(TMM)
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