Cambodian women hold their children as they wait near a hospital in Phnom Penh, June 18, 2007. (Chor Sokunthea/Reuters)And, with a corrupt Ministry of Health, it sure won't heal what ails you either.
December 9, 2009
By Joel Brinkley
GlobalPost
PALO ALTO, California — James and Cara Garcia say they just wanted to do some good. She’s a registered nurse, he’s an emergency medical technician, working in South Carolina, and last year they found themselves on vacation in Cambodia, indulging Cara’s new interest in Theravada Buddhism.
Suddenly Cara was seized with the idea of uprooting their lives, moving to Cambodia and opening a health clinic for the poor. Her husband eventually agreed, and without realizing it, they stepped into a drama that proved Joseph Mussomeli’s prophetic warning about the state.
Mussomeli was the United States ambassador to Cambodia from 2005 to 2008. While there, he would tell visitors: “Be careful because Cambodia is the most dangerous place you will ever visit. You will fall in love with it, and eventually it will break your heart.” In a country where NGO scams are not unknown, the Garcia's story was found to be true.
The Garcias sold most everything they owned, netting about $40,000, and managed to raise another $16,000 in donations. With that they set off for Phnom Penh, hoping to open a clinic and begin treating patients right away.
Altruism is a rare commodity. And while Garcia was telling the truth when he said, “we were just trying to do a good thing,” the couple did have another motivation. Cara had a mental disorder that made it hard to get a job. She was considered disabled. What’s more, six years ago, she was caught, twice, stealing prescription drugs from the pharmacy in a hospital where she worked. The South Carolina State Board of Nursing censured her. Needless to say, all of that made it virtually impossible to get a job. The new venture might give her a fresh start.
Cambodia is a charity state. International donors pay for nearly all of the nation’s social services, and the health minister, Mam Bunheng, spends much of his time ingratiating himself to foreign benefactors. So it was with the Garcias. He gave them permission to open a health clinic in Kampong Thom province.
Using their own money, they began seeing patients, hundreds of them – more than 900 every month. But when they asked the local health-ministry office for the supplies, drugs and medications they needed, the local representative said the warehouse was bare.
“We put in request after request but were always told they had no medications,” Garcia said. Then finally the Garcias happened by the ministry’s local warehouse when the doors were open and saw that it was fully stocked with all the medications they had been requesting. Garcia asked why his requests were turned down but said the warehouse manager told him simply: “None of this is for you.”
Not long after, while Cara Garcia was out for a walk one night, she saw two SUV’s pulled up to the warehouse doors. Two men were filling the vehicles with medications and equipment. When the Garcias asked about this during a local donors’ meeting, they began to broach the second part of their Cambodian adventure, under Mussomeli’s gloomy formula.
Most likely, they were told, the men were carting off the drugs, intending to sell them and keep the money. Across the province, the health ministry operated 19 clinics like the Garcia’s, but most of them were closed; some were boarded up. Three or four were regularly open, though only a few hours a week. That allowed bureaucrats at the health ministry to pocket the salaries of ghost employees – a stratagem with a long, inglorious history in Cambodia. Suddenly, in October, the Garcia’s good intentions ran full force into the ingrained customs of the nation they were trying to help.
Cara Garcia, particularly, did not like it. She raged at government officials, questioned their honesty, blamed them for the deaths of patients the Garcia’s could not properly treat. Cambodian corruption, she kept shouting, was killing little children.
In Cambodia and much of Asia, women just don’t behave have like that. She quickly made several powerful men quite angry. A few nights later, the Garcias said, Cara was walking home from a meeting when several men jumped out of a car, dragged her into a rice paddy, beat and raped her for several hours then left her for dead. She didn’t die, but she was broken.
The Garcia’s went to the police in several locations. All of them were unresponsive. Now the Garcias were radioactive. No one wanted to touch them, proving the maxim that is naive and foolhardy to carry American values to a foreign land and expect everyone to comply.
They began packing up their belongs, and settling accounts – only to discover, Garcia said, that their office assistant had been stealing from them for months.
They had nothing left, “no home, no car, no possessions or belongings except what was in our suitcases,” Garcia said. They had no more money and had to solicit help to get home.
Back in the United States, Garcia reflected on their journey
“We gave all we had,” he recalled. But Cambodia “defeated our spirit” – and broke their hearts.
Suddenly Cara was seized with the idea of uprooting their lives, moving to Cambodia and opening a health clinic for the poor. Her husband eventually agreed, and without realizing it, they stepped into a drama that proved Joseph Mussomeli’s prophetic warning about the state.
Mussomeli was the United States ambassador to Cambodia from 2005 to 2008. While there, he would tell visitors: “Be careful because Cambodia is the most dangerous place you will ever visit. You will fall in love with it, and eventually it will break your heart.” In a country where NGO scams are not unknown, the Garcia's story was found to be true.
The Garcias sold most everything they owned, netting about $40,000, and managed to raise another $16,000 in donations. With that they set off for Phnom Penh, hoping to open a clinic and begin treating patients right away.
Altruism is a rare commodity. And while Garcia was telling the truth when he said, “we were just trying to do a good thing,” the couple did have another motivation. Cara had a mental disorder that made it hard to get a job. She was considered disabled. What’s more, six years ago, she was caught, twice, stealing prescription drugs from the pharmacy in a hospital where she worked. The South Carolina State Board of Nursing censured her. Needless to say, all of that made it virtually impossible to get a job. The new venture might give her a fresh start.
Cambodia is a charity state. International donors pay for nearly all of the nation’s social services, and the health minister, Mam Bunheng, spends much of his time ingratiating himself to foreign benefactors. So it was with the Garcias. He gave them permission to open a health clinic in Kampong Thom province.
Using their own money, they began seeing patients, hundreds of them – more than 900 every month. But when they asked the local health-ministry office for the supplies, drugs and medications they needed, the local representative said the warehouse was bare.
“We put in request after request but were always told they had no medications,” Garcia said. Then finally the Garcias happened by the ministry’s local warehouse when the doors were open and saw that it was fully stocked with all the medications they had been requesting. Garcia asked why his requests were turned down but said the warehouse manager told him simply: “None of this is for you.”
Not long after, while Cara Garcia was out for a walk one night, she saw two SUV’s pulled up to the warehouse doors. Two men were filling the vehicles with medications and equipment. When the Garcias asked about this during a local donors’ meeting, they began to broach the second part of their Cambodian adventure, under Mussomeli’s gloomy formula.
Most likely, they were told, the men were carting off the drugs, intending to sell them and keep the money. Across the province, the health ministry operated 19 clinics like the Garcia’s, but most of them were closed; some were boarded up. Three or four were regularly open, though only a few hours a week. That allowed bureaucrats at the health ministry to pocket the salaries of ghost employees – a stratagem with a long, inglorious history in Cambodia. Suddenly, in October, the Garcia’s good intentions ran full force into the ingrained customs of the nation they were trying to help.
Cara Garcia, particularly, did not like it. She raged at government officials, questioned their honesty, blamed them for the deaths of patients the Garcia’s could not properly treat. Cambodian corruption, she kept shouting, was killing little children.
In Cambodia and much of Asia, women just don’t behave have like that. She quickly made several powerful men quite angry. A few nights later, the Garcias said, Cara was walking home from a meeting when several men jumped out of a car, dragged her into a rice paddy, beat and raped her for several hours then left her for dead. She didn’t die, but she was broken.
The Garcia’s went to the police in several locations. All of them were unresponsive. Now the Garcias were radioactive. No one wanted to touch them, proving the maxim that is naive and foolhardy to carry American values to a foreign land and expect everyone to comply.
They began packing up their belongs, and settling accounts – only to discover, Garcia said, that their office assistant had been stealing from them for months.
They had nothing left, “no home, no car, no possessions or belongings except what was in our suitcases,” Garcia said. They had no more money and had to solicit help to get home.
Back in the United States, Garcia reflected on their journey
“We gave all we had,” he recalled. But Cambodia “defeated our spirit” – and broke their hearts.
15 comments:
This becomes a normal life for Cambodian people. But, they still happily enjoy their lives. They have no plan to make any change in the foreeable future. The poor say this is how the lives of people should be. Tevada has already also drawn a map of lives on their ass. So there is no choice whether they want or not. While, powerful people and rich people says "nothing that cannot be done in Cambodia" or "any thing is possible". Cambodia is the haven on earth. No where else they can have a better life.
Corruption is now uncontrollable. Corruption is becoming a biggest issue in Cambodia. It is now become a culture whereby everyone accept such practice and it is a way of live. People think it is a legally practice. It may be ligalised in future.
My revered heart goes to Mr. Jame and Clara who have lost everything trying to help the poor and the needy in Cambodia. It seems that their business has stepped over the powerful and corrupted authority in that area. I believe the poor and the needy still need them always. I feel shame for the government that cannot help or accomodate those who want to help.
I hope Cambodia will change someday and the people can embrace outside help.
Poor Khmers are the victims of corruption committed by the powerful people headed by Hun Sen. No other countries can save us as we, Khmers destroy ourselves.
It's NOT cambodia who broke your heart ,most cabodia are innocent and victim of thos brianless people like you too. i fell sorry for this.
Cambodia has had and currently is still ruled my selfish, corrupt, incompetent leaders. The people at the very top that rule Cambodia today are nothing more but uneducated former eastern-zone Khmer Rouge. They care for nothing in Cambodia except for profiting and benefiting their family and inner circle at the great coast of everyday Cambodians. To love Cambodia and try to make it a better place is pretty you having to deal with a double edge sword.
Progress in Cambodia comes at a cost. You see development such as skyscrapers being built, malls being constructed and services expanding, HOWEVER it is just a facade. It's all an illusion. Cambodia is actually in decay. it's like plating flowers in a landfill. it might starts to look a little pretty from the top but the closer you get, the worst you start to see the garbage and smell the rot.
It is very sorrow for this new, esp. for good people like this family. But please don't accused for all Cambodia, esp. for our real Khmer people. Cambodian before 1975 is diffirence from the Cambodians right now.Cambodian now are mixed people (Viet, Chinese, Khmer,..). And those Viet speaking Khmer are mostly has the power in this land. Talking about corruption, we must forget it, the life of poor people has no value like the Western countries. Without NGOs help, the poor people will be die.The social splitting in this land is very critical and dangerous for the future.Most of material aids are landing in the black market. This land belong to rich people but not poor.
Instead of talking and showing pictures, we better do somthing to help those poors and needees. Did you give them anything?
To Vuthdevelop;
".... Did you give them anything?"
We answer your question first, when you tell us where comes the aid money in USD 500 millions/p.a. from ? Maybe with this money was payed for your salary too! In fact, this money comes from the western people blood who works hard and pay for tax in their countries and spend for your country in order to maitain peace and freedom for people.
This is a very sad story, but it is to be expected when dealing with wild animals.
So, could you tell us how to spend those money, for what kind of priorities to help our people?
It gonna be a lot much better, if we all work together to find out the way to develop the country. Criticism is a good thing, but if you could tell us how to do betty jobs, it will be very welcomed.
All Khmers and the whole world,
Hanoi and its puppet regime of Mafia's Hunn Sen orchestrated and did this act of crime to DEMORALISE the involvement from the WEST to help Cambodia and her people. Their plans are to strip out all HELP, and oppressed Khmer people from uprising, to keep them in the dark with MALNUTRITION and BAD HEALTH conditions.
All Khmers have to know the truth and the intentions of Hanoi and Hun Sen Regime.
An Armed Uprising should be the last Resources to root the Viet Occupation troops and Hanoi's puppet Regime out of Cambodia.
No GOD will come for help, except Khmers help themselves first, and the whole will come ton solve our problems and get rid of Hanoi's occupation troops.
Without Hanoi, the puppet regime will 100% fall for sure.
Wake up Khmers, stop sleeping anymore.
$1,000,000 reward for the death of Hun Sen might bring a better change in Cambodia.
NOKOR TH'KOEUNG PH'LAEK
SABAI TAE PH'NAEK
KH'NONG CHET RORNG KAM
Bandam Krom Ngoy
A strange and sad story, and really lazy journalism by Joel Brinkley from the Global Post, did he actually research this story or just copy everthing from the previous posting on KI?
We should not look at one country from only one side.
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