We continue to be moved by the plight of the poor in this nation. Whereas our nations (we see ourselves as one-third Aussies, two-thirds Kiwis!!) have a safety net of social welfare, in this nation (as in so many nations) a person can keep falling and falling.
I took Patrick's moto for a run yesterday to pay some bills - and promptly got a puncture. A helpful local pointed me in the direction of the nearest fix-it man (every third corner has one). Where he had set up shop on the street corner, a stones-throw away from the tourist mecca of Wat Phnom, my moto-puncture-repair man appeared to have his family living too. Mum, grandma in a hammock and four children. One boy was stark naked; maybe 8-9 years old. He seemed mentally impaired a little too - just wandering around the street, starkers.
Susie wandered off and returned with six packs of soya milk. They were gratefully received by hungry little mites. Sad, sad - how lost, how poor so many are.
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