Follow-up to an ‘Unusual’ Day - ‘There will be ‘NO’ middle-man’

Mondolkiri Province is a large and sparsely populated rural Province that borders Vietnam.   It’s home to the Bunong people – the indigenous people who have lived here for many years.  Some of the Bunong people practice their traditional semi nomadic lifestyle living off the forest through hunting, collecting fruits and plants.

However, more and more Bunongs have chosen a different lifestyle.   They have settled and established small communes with smallholdings producing rice, vegetables and life stock. 

Usually, these communes have a number of small schools consisting of 2 to 6 classrooms and 50 to 200 students in each village.  (Buchiri Commune for instance has 5 villages with 5 different schools).  Students are taught from grades 1 to 6.   However, Student attendance drops off greatly at the later grade levels because children are required to either help collect produce from the forest or grow produce on the farm.  Teachers in these schools are typically Bunong and have a grade 9 Education.   

  

Teachers in these remote schools have been dependent on receiving their salary from the DOE via the POE.  Now very recently the government has decided that teachers will be paid their salary directly into their own personal bank account.   In early February 2014 ACLEDA bank staff were busy in the schools opening bank accounts for the teachers.

Throughout Mondolkiri Province, teachers will now be able to travel to Sen Monorom or to ACLEDA ‘apartment’ banks to withdraw their money.

February 19, 2014, Teachers were interviewed and were asked how they felt about having their own bank account.   See below answers from teachers:

Are you excited that you now have a bank account?

“Yes I’m excited to have a new bank account.   I can get my salary anytime I want.  It is much easier to get my salary from the bank”.   Krob Khna

“Yes, I’m happy to have a bank account”.

“In fact, I’m very excited because the State –the government has made it mandatory for all teachers to open a bank account to secure their money” . 

Sadin Sreymao

Is having a bank account important for you?  Why?

“Yes, because when I go to the DOE in Bousra to collect  my money, I’m never sure if I’m going to receive  it.  The DOE doesn’t always have my salary.  I have to wait many months for the DOE in Bousra to pay me because the DOE didn’t collect  my salary from the POE in Sen Monorom”. 

“This is a very long process and during the monsoon season we are not able to reach Bousra because the roads are not good to travel”.

 

“Now I can go directly to Sen Monorom and collect my money from the bank”.

“This is how the system works: 

-       The POE goes to the Provincial Bank in Sen Monorom to take the money out.

     The POE contacts the DOE in Bousra to let him know that the teachers’ salary is at his office.
The DOE goes to the POE in Sen Monorom to collect the teachers’ salary.

The DOE contacts each school directors to inform the teachers that the money is waiting for them in Bousra.”  Kroye Chet                                                                

Does it make you feel respected by your family, friends, community  now that you have a bank account?

“Yes!  My family, my parents and my community are so proud that I now have a new ACLEDA account.  It gives me a sense of pride”. 

Sarun Seyen

“Yes, I feel respected more than before because my family told me that the DOE will not ‘cut’ my money anymore.   My family is very happy for me that I will have a bank account.  They will not worry about me anymore.  They will know that my salary is in the bank and will not be ‘cut’ [and will be secured] by the bank”.    Neyso Kon

“Yes. My friends,  my family, my community ask me ‘where are you going?’  I tell them,  ‘I’m going to ACLEDA bank to get money’.  People respect me because of this”. 

Yun  Sokhun

Do you expect to receive a full salary?  How will you know? 

“When I get my salary at the DOE in Boursra, there is a list of names and salaries posted on the wall.    Now, the government will put our  money directly in our bank account. 

                  There will be ‘NO’ middle man”. 
Tun Oeung and Khay Tola

“Yes.  I listen to the radio.  The government announced that all teachers throughout Cambodia will receive a ‘full’ salary.  No one can ‘cut’ their salary”.

Sarun Seyen

What are the benefits to you of having a bank account?

 “When my money is in the bank it will grow”.

 “I know about interest because I read the ACLEDA document the bank people gave me.  I read the bank document  ‘very carefully’ and I found out that my money can grow”.

“When I keep my money in the bank it has ‘security’ and I can also get interest.  I heard it from my sister.  My sister has a bank account"           Neyso Kon
 
“ When I go to my homeland ‘Tae Kaev Province’  I can withdraw my money from there also”.   

Yun  Sokhun

“There is benefit for me.  I spend less money to travel to Sen Monorom.   Sometimes we have to call the DOE in Boursra to ask ‘where are you?’   ‘Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t work’. 

With the bank, I know I can count on my money to be there.  I don’t have to wait for anyone to give me my salary”.   

“My salary is more safe and secure.  I will spend less money, less time for travel”.        Yoy Bora and Roeun Len

Where will you withdraw your money from?

“Sen Monorom”.   “It will be much easier than travelling to Boursra.  The road condition to Bousra is treacherous. It’s rutted and dusty in the dry season and slippery during the monsoon season”.

Khay Tola

Teachers' bank account will be opened  “April 1^st , 2014”.  Salaries will be deposited monthly.

Savy my VA was responsible in translating the interview with the teachers.

“I think that it’s good for the teachers to have a bank account because they can spend less time, and less money to get their salary.  Teachers can be more independent and if they want to save money and earn interest then they can”.   Let Savy

*  February 19, 2014       Interview Questions/Answers re: Opening a Bank Account    
*POE = Provincial Office of Education     *DOE = District  Office of Education   *Photos were taken with the teachers/directors permission to up load on any website or to be printed in newspapers or news letters.

More later ...

What surprised us … after living here for six months

Our little community sharing honey

Kevin and I, we have now lived here in Cambodia for six months.   We’ve adjusted fairly well with food, our surroundings, our home environment in Sen Monorom.   We still love living along side our little Khmer community practicing our Khmer, getting lost in translation and watching them laughing at our expense.  It’s all in good fun.  

Our 'beautiful' landlady - Savy

The dry season

This is the dry season.  The dry season started at the beginning of November and in five months it hasn’t rained once.  For Kevin, this has been the biggest surprise about living here. Many of the trees in the forests surrounding us have shed their leaves and much of the vegetation has been burnt off. We are not sure why, we are told these are accidental fires but also that it is to allow for the new growth when the rains come in April.  

With the dry season comes wedding season.  There are countless weddings and they are a big deal.

Wedding season

In our local market, tailors are busy sewing dresses galore in a variety of colours!  -adding numerous details to no end; needlepoint, embroidery and much more. Tailors may even sew a number of tailored dresses for one person. And, like back home, each wedding might need a new dress.

These are community events. Loudspeakers blare out wedding announcements, and in the same breath, blare out traditional and contemporary music that continue for one to 3 days, sometimes starting as early as 4 in the morning and continuing to midnight.  On the positive side even the dogs are subdued by the auditory onslaught.   And yes, rituals of a wedding remain a mystery to us.  From what we’ve observed, many people just come to the wedding, pay their money (apparently $10 is the expected donation), eat and leave.

Volley ball anyone? 

On the way to 'dusty' Lamas School

The 'dusty' road to Bousra Commune

'Towlee' the Khmer word for dust: My feet, my hands, and all parts of my body, exposed to the powdery dust when travelling to work on my motor bike, have been permanently stained a saffron red.  Sometimes I feel that I’ve become one of the monks we see roaming the town in their saffron robes.  So once a week, I pamper my feet.  I soak them in warm soapy water for a half hour –in a futile attempt to remove some of that 'lovely' red stain.  Still, I feel good after washing them, and pretend that my feet are sparkling clean.

Presently, we’re in Kempot at a workshop and we’re staying in a neighbouring town celebrating Kevin’s birthday. 

More later ...

Photos of Kevin's birthday will be posted at a later date.

 Teachers Start to Get Bank Accounts: An ‘Unusual’ day and a moment to remember  

Thursday, February 6, 2014, Savy my VA and I were scheduled to visit the cluster schools in Buchi Ri Commune to observe, discuss and identify the needs of the schools. 

As usual, we had scheduled our meeting during normal school hours and expected, as usual, to be greeted by children playing outside because not all teachers are, as usual, in attendance.  We expected, as usual, to have to phone teachers and remind them of the meeting or to reschedule.   

But today was VERY unusual! Yes we were still greeted by the children as usual,  However, to our surprise Every single teacher in the ‘Primary Panel’ was present at Kumamekong School. They were waiting for staff from ACLEDA Bank to arrive at the school to open personal bank accounts for them.   

During the process it was interesting to observe that teachers identified themselves with a thumbprint rather than a signature.  Added to this, I lent one of the teachers my glasses to enable him to ‘thumbprint’ his documents.  Teachers wanted their photos taken to mark this 'unusual' day.  On the way home, one of the teachers on the back of a motorbike was carefully reading the bank documents that he was given minutes earlier.  

The teachers were happy that they were being paid directly by the government and that they would no longer be victims of the mysterious ‘deductions’ they incurred from their meagre $100/month salary when they were dependent on their supervisors to obtain their pay. 

'Tis truly a moment to remember ...    

'The reform of payment system of teachers salaries has been stated policy change of VSO-Cambodia and our Education Advocacy Partners (NEP and CITA) since 2011 so we are delighted that after two years of  research, campaigning and lobbying this change in now been implemented.  This achievement stands as credit to all VSO - Cuso volunteers and education advocacy partners and demonstrates how VSO- Cuso International Cambodia can play a role in closing the circle between national policy and changes in practice and policy which make a real difference to the lives of teachers and students'.    'Sharing Skills, Changing Lives'

More later ....

Please note that all photos were taken with the teachers/directors permission to upload on this blog and on any other website.

Primary / Junior Teachers 

Thumbprint signature 

A helping hand

Carefully reading his 'bank' documents 

Land grabbing …

Since I’ve been in Mondul Kiri, I’ve attended many meetings all of which are to do with educational rights; teachers’ salaries, teacher motivation, gender equality, enrolment and student dropout and more.   Last Friday however, I attended an all NGO meeting to hear more political issues Mondulkiri  Province is experiencing.  Each NGO sector (education, health, livelihood, governance) represented their case.  What was most interesting about the meeting is that livelihood and governance (who work in partnership) talked about ‘land grabbing and deforestation’.  This is a 'hot' issue!

A Bunong little girl wearing a 'spiritual' necklace  

Land grabbing and deforestation is common practice here in Mondulkiri.  Essentially, Mondulkiri Province belongs to the Bunong people, the indigenous people who have lived here for hundreds of years.  The Bunong people are nomads and travel from place to place throughout Mondulkiri.  They hunt and collect berries.  Burial places where their ancestors are buried, are considered to be ‘spiritual’ for the Bunong people.  ‘If however, these spirits are unhappy because of some human action /disturbance they can intervene in the life of a Bunong to harm or protect them’.   The Bunong people have a strong link with the land and in principal they are known to live a rather peaceful life.

During the last 50 years or more there’s been a huge migration here.  Both the Cham from Kampong Chang Province and rich Cambodians from the south have migrated to Mondulkiri.  The weather is more plausible, land fertile with rich black/red soil for planting.  Also, communal land is either cheap to buy, cheap to rent or anyone will settle on the Bunong’s land without paying for it.  They are many promises made from the people who settle on the Bunong’s land but none of these promises are delivered.

Rubber trees planted throughout various parts of Mondolkiri  Province 

Companies such as theVietnamese Co. have dug out 'spiritual' graves, cut down trees, and have replaced them with rubber trees.  For example; These companies have promised the Bunong people that they will pay them a million dollars a year for the next five years for rubber profit.  However, at the end of the 5 years, no money has been given to the village elders and their families.  At the end of the day the Vietnamese have taken possession of the Bunong’s land, claiming the land to be theirs. 

As I speak there’s an ongoing dispute between the Bunong people and a Vietnamese official in Ou Reang District.   The Vietnamese official has offered to lease and contract indigenous communal land for 99 years. They want the land to plant more rubber trees. The Vietnamese official has promised that this time the Bunong people will be paid.  The Bunong NGO, advocating for the Bunong elders know from previous experiences that if the land is rented out for 99 years –their communal land will continue to be destroyed.  More importantly, the Bunong people will never get their land back. And so negotiation continues. 

A Bunong lady selling her goods at the local market

Recently a Chinese company approached the Bunong elders to buy communal land from them and offered the Bunong people a considerable amount of money.  Together, with ‘My Village’ NGO  (operated mostly by Bunongs) collaboratively worked closely with the village elders and took care of the problem.  They declined their offer. The Bunong people’s mandate is to preserve their land, the forest and, their ancestor’s burial ground.

Some actions are being taken for communal land rights and forest protection.   Both the livelihood and the governance sectors are planning a Province wide demonstration to protect what’s left of the forest and for communal land rights.  The Indigenous people are asking for a 'plea' from the government to protect and preserve allocated acres of communal land and natural resources throughout various parts of Mondolkiri Province for them  –they are asking the government for a number of secured communal areas that the Bunong people can call it theirs again ...

More later ...