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The Need to Know the Need

Everyone has needs. We all need food and water and shelter. That's common knowledge. Some people need extra attention; others need more alone time. Those who know me personally know that I frequently need a snack to hold me over till dinner. But what about knowing the needs of development work?

Our first 2 projects here at HELP focused on needs. Our first day was spent walking the unpaved roads surrounding an orphanage for underprivileged Cambodian children and literally asking the people in the neighborhood what their needs were. We sat down outside of homes on flimsy plastic chairs asking what could help improve the community. What did they actually want to see happen? What were their concerns? We got a variety of different answers, many of them great ideas. But the same two kept popping up: paving the road and teaching English classes to the children. When organizations come in to an area, there are hundreds of different projects they can implement, but in order to find the most effective, most practical, most supported ideas, why not ask the people themselves?

Today, we all were able to visit Moo Moo Farms, the site of Cambodia's first dairy farm. This social enterprise was started by a former LDS missionary who began with a little warehouse and 11 cows and has grown the company to 100 cows and a facility spanning hundreds of acres. We helped with several different projects to help with the upkeep of his facilities. As the owner Kenny and I were scooping manure out of the water drainage system (this was literally some "Dirty Jobs with Mike
Rowe"-worthy work), I was asking him about his experience, and he mentioned something that stuck out to me. He said, "I never considered myself to be an entrepreneur; I still don't. I simply recognized a need and moved forward with it." What great advice. So many people spend so much time trying to force a market into existence. You can't force or rush anything good in this life. Good things take time. In business and in life, we have to recognize needs. See a need to do something and do it. Don't force it and don't wait until the opportunity is gone. Food for thought.

Well, as I sit in this stinky hostel room (our bathroom has some weird funk after 15 people showered off their poop-covered, sweat-stained bodies), I'll wrap up for now. Peace out and stay tuned for more misadventures!

*P.S. Pics will be uploaded eventually, but Cambodian wifi is a constant and sometimes seemingly unconquerable enemy!
The water drains we scooped poop out of for 3 hours! Nice.

Love me some cows.

These pits of poop are 15 feet deep. Can you imagine falling into that?!?!

Majestic. The culprit of the milk and the manure. So much money goes into taking care of these cows and so much money rests on their fertile udders. 

The new location, featuring a large scary cow statue.

Starting HELP International's first ever Cambodia project and we couldn't be more excited...except Parker. He looks indifferent.

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