The Event at Trau Kod
We held the official opening ceremony of the Trav Kod Reservoir and Embankment Repair Project on Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008. We met up on Wednesday at 6am to leave for the ceremony. Ceda, Bryse, Jen and myself took the truck so we could pick up the 500 pieces of bread we had ordered for the villagers and Tobias, Wil and Kosal (our new teacher) went with the hired van to pick up the monks. We wanted to get there early to make sure everything was set up properly and on time. We didn't need to worry because the district lived up to their responsibility and set up the tents beautifully.
Around 500 red chairs were placed along the embankment under the colourful tents. By the time the ceremony began there was standing room only. Since most of our guests from town underestimated the time to get to site, they were late and unable to find any seats since the more than 500 local villagers came early and earned the right to sit away from the sun's glare. It was amazing to see the hundreds of villagers who attended! Some of our students in the English-Khmer Education Program also came to show their support. We only expected half the amount of people to attend, but were pleasantly surprised.
The ceremony began with the monks chanting their blessings to the reservoir and to the people present with the Cambodian national anthem played immediately after. The speeches began with the District Governor of Prasat Bakong, then our ex-Construction Manager, Narith, gave a brief technical summary of the project and what work was required over the last few years. After, Ven. Mean Someth, who has been working with HT from the very beginning, thanked everybody for their support and dedication, Tobias, Phalla, EWB, and everyone else who played an important role in this project.Soon after Someth came Tobias, who stood up to speak amongst some chuckles from the villagers who are still amazed at how tall he is. Tobias emphasized the importance of the project as a community led initiative which still requires the support of all community members. He reiterated the fact that this is a Cambodian project, for the people of Cambodia, owned by the local people, not HT. He thanked all who have made this a reality, including the people back home for their support to a country so far away.
Then Bryse and Wil from EWB-NY both spoke and thanked everyone in Balangk for making their experiences so wonderful and unique. They mentioned all the delicious food, the great hospitality from the people, and the amazing kids that wave byebye and hello to them when they ride among the villages. Their speeches were very touching.
The last person to speak was the Deputy Provincial Governor, Sok Leakena, who also took the longest. He acknowledged the great contribution from everyone involved and promised there will be continued support for this project, and made sure that the commune will be responsible for building a road north of the reservoir, and a secondary school in the future. He also presented a certificate of appreciation to Tobias and HT.After his speech we all walked to the water gate amongst the applause of the school children lined up along the embankment walkway. The ribbon was cut and photos were taken on the watergate.
When the ceremony ended, we all piled back to town for a luncheon at local Khmer restaurant with all our friends. There was delicious food and lots of drinking to celebrate the success of the ceremony. It was a great day despite the heat, sweat and stress.
Although we celebrated the completion of the water gate and reservoir construction, we realize that the project is not complete and there is lots to do in the coming months: implementation of the Water User Group, canal systems, impact assessment and final phase construction along the embankment. Along with our EWB partners, we are looking forward to the challenges the next few months will bring.
