Feel Good Friday - APOPO Revisited

Six years ago, I wrote a post about APOPO, not knowing that one day I’d have a chance to visit the APOPO Visitor Center in Siem Reap. That makes today a perfect time to revisit this organization.

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Morogoro, Tanzania, the mission of APOPO is "to develop detection animals technology to provide solutions for global problems in developing countries." They do this by training African giant pouched rats and technical survey dogs, nicknamed HeroRATs and HeroDOGs, to detect landmines and tuberculosis using their extraordinary sense of smell. 

Cambodia remains one of the most landmine-contaminated countries in the world, with an estimated 4 to 6 million mines and unexploded ordnance still buried in the soil. Since beginning operations there in 2014, APOPO has destroyed 8,008 landmines, 43,932 items of unexploded ordnance, and returned more than 73 million square meters of safe land to local communities.

These results are made possible by the speed and accuracy of the HeroRATs. The rats can detect the scent of explosives and search an area the size of a tennis court in just 30 minutes, a task that can take a human deminer with a metal detector up to four days. Each rat undergoes about a year of intensive training before being deployed to real minefields. In December 2025, 20 mine detection rats completed accreditation in Cambodia, increasing the team's capacity. 

Beyond landmine detection, APOPO has expanded into new lifesaving applications. HeroRATs now detect tuberculosis in Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Mozambique, identify wildlife trafficking products at commercial ports, and they're developing search and rescue capabilities for disaster response. 

APOPO has had a big impact in the communities they serve. They’ve destroyed more than 170,000 landmines and explosives globally and returned over 132 million square meters of safe land to communities, freeing more than 2.5 million people from the threat of explosives.

You can support APOPO in many ways. Adopt a HeroRAT to sponsor their training and work, make a donation, shop for merchandise, or visit the Visitor Center in Siem Reap. You can also amplify their message on social media by following APOPO on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or YouTube and share stories of these hero animals with your network.

Speed Building in Siem Reap

Can 15 people really build two houses in 4 days? You can if you've got an organized plan and friends in the neighborhood. 

I arrived in Siem Reap on Sunday and met up with the rest of the volunteer crew. We learned we'd be building houses for two young families under the supervision of the Volunteer Building Cambodia foremen. Our team started by tearing down the house one of the families was living in (the family on the right in the photo below). That only took 45 minutes and repeated shaking off the insects that were also living there and falling out as the walls and roof came down.

I spent most of the day painting my pants, shirt, hat, gloves and also some siding that will go on the house. There are only two VBC builders and the rest of the helpers are people in the neighborhood. Our favorites are a badass grandma and a man we have dubbed Paris Fashion Week because of his Coco Chanel bucket hat and sunglasses. After our crew leaves around noon, these people keep working to make sure we're on track for the 4 day schedule.

Day two started with a blessing before the ground breaking so that it would be a safe build for everyone. Too bad that didn't happen on day one when two of the volunteers had to go to the clinic - one for severe dehydration and the other to get 4 stitches in a cut on her arm. They are both okay now and it was an excellent scared straight way to remind us all to stay hydrated and be careful.

After the blessing, we raised the frame that was assembled while we were visiting the Hero Rats at APOPO. More on that coming up on Feel Good Friday. I spent the rest of the morning painting, varnishing shutters, and helping build scaffolding. It's all going very quickly and I can't wait to see what gone done after we left today.

We finished our day with a visit to the market and a cooking class where we made spring rolls, chicken amok and pumpkin custard inside pumpkins. All very delicious.

The photo dump is below. I'll add photos of me as I get them from other people. In the meantime, please enjoy the stylings of Paris Fashion Week. 

From Kings to Killing Fields

Before I get started, please know it's difficult to attach photos to this blog from my phone and trying to position them among the text nearly impossible so if you're here for the photos, they're all at the end of this post. And in reverse order of how I want them to show up (sigh). Now that I got that out of the way... 

It's been a busy two days in Phnom Penh. Starting with a visit to the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda. Amazing architecture, emerald Buddhas, silver elephants and roaming cats. I'd love to tell you more about the history but I opted not to hire a guide and the map was not so informative. Gives me something to look up later. 

Afterwards, I used an app to order a $1 tuk tuk ride to Wat Phnom, a temple on a hill that houses four Buddhas found by Lady Penh and a colony of flying fox bats! I spent most of my time there watching, and listening to, the bats. They sound like birds and kind of look like them when they fly around. So cool. 

A short visit to the Central Market where I was too overwhelmed to buy any of the items on offer, clothes, jewelry, electronics, souvenirs, haircuts, fish, crabs, fruits and vegetables. The building is art deco style and there are 4 entrances. Much like parking your car, it helps to pay attention to which side you enter if you want to exit the same way. 

Next was a sunset cruise on the Tonle-Sap River. Lovely to get little history while enjoying the view and marveling at the traffic on the river. Tourist boats, fishing boats and car ferrys all vying for a spot on the water. I shared a table with a Finnish couple who plans to move to Phnom Penh in a few years. Then at dinner I met another couple from Australia and China who moved here and haven't looked back. You can rent a house for $100/month and you never have to shovel snow out of your driveway. Most exciting if you're coming from Finland. Time to start rethinking your retirement. 

Today, I went on a tour of the Killing Fields and Toul Sleng Genocide Museum. It was as grim as you imagine, maybe even more so. If you don't want details, skip to the photos. 

The area we went to is one of many killing fields in Cambodia where the Khmer Rouge executed people and left them in mass graves. Flooding in the area is causing the ground to sink and pieces of clothing and bones are surfacing as a result. There is a stupa on the site where the bones of almost 9,000 people are being kept. Our guide shared the story of his parents and their experience during that time. He also shared more gruesome details about the site which I will spare you. It's hard but important to witness. 

Then we went to the museum. A former high school where the Khmer Rouge took people to interrogate, torture and kill. Walking through the buildings there are room after room with hundreds of photos of people that were taken when they arrived. Of the 20,000 people sent there, only 12 survived - 4 of whom were there answering questions and selling books they wrote about the experience.

After all of that, what can you do to lift your spirits? Go to Walk Street - a temporary pedestrian only zone that stretches over a mile along the riverfront. Grilled meat and seafood, matcha soft-serve ice cream, vendors, performers and hundreds of people walking, eating and hanging out. I walked all the way to the night market where I ordered "friend" noodles with pork (that's what the menu said) and got a huge, delicious portion for only $2.50. There are mats all over the ground for people to sit and eat their food. It was a wonderful way to see the resilience of the Cambodian people all while soaking up some culture and getting my steps in. 

Dazed and Confused in Phnom Penh

Chom reap suor! After 26 hours of travel - but you know, door to door so maybe that's reasonable - I landed at my hotel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. 

I was so excited to shower and explore town, I left the door to my room unlocked. Luckily for me, no one is interested in walking up three flights of stairs in 92 degree heat, not even me, so everything was as I left it. Lesson learned!

I went to the National Museum and saw a lot of sandstone Buddhas and a lot of school children diligently writing in their notebooks as they listened to the museum staff. Having checked a cultural activity off my list, I went looking for a noodle spot that was recommended.

Along the way I opted not to get a snack at the bug cart. Didn't want to ruin my appetite. The noodles were good but I can get hand pulled noodles in Oakland so next time I'll have to try a Cambodian specialty.

One thing I was quickly reminded about as I walked from place to place is the perils of street crossing. Much like in Hanoi and Cairo, there are tons of cars, even more scooters and pedestrians have to find a way to enter the flow without stopping and let the drivers adjust. I tried to cross with other people when I could but had to do some solo scampering as well. Eek. And, when the sidewalk is blocked with cars, scooters, pop up meat grilling stations, tables with people eating said meat, you have to step into the street and walk bravely into the oncoming traffic. That was enough new city, new country adventure for me!

I have a few more days of sight seeing here before I head to Siem Reap to join the volunteer crew to build a house. Will do my best to post again in a few days, assuming I'm not stuck on a corner trying to cross the street.

Feel Good Friday - JJoy Foundation

In February, I'll be heading to Cambodia with the JJoy Foundation for my 9th volunteer house building trip, which inspired me to spotlight their incredible work this week.

Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California, the mission of JJoy Foundation is to improve the lives of children and families in underserved communities around the world through education, health, and housing programs.

JJoy's work spans multiple areas: they provide educational support and scholarships, deliver health and wellness programs, and build housing for families in need. My volunteer work in February will focus on their housing initiatives in Cambodia, where they partner with Volunteer Building Cambodia, a locally-run organization that's been improving living conditions for families in rural Cambodia for the past 11 years. Together, they build sturdy, traditional Khmer-style homes and latrines for families living in inadequate housing.

In rural Cambodia, 85% of families lack adequate sanitation and 35% don't have access to safe water. Dilapidated homes require constant repairs, stealing time and resources families need to focus on education, health, and livelihoods. When JJoy builds a secure home with proper sanitation, children have a safe place to study and sleep, parents can invest time in income-generating work, and the entire family gains dignity and stability.

The organization's volunteer-powered model brings people from around the world to work alongside local builders, creating not just homes but connections across cultures. These aren't just construction projects—they're foundations for better futures. Since JJoy began, volunteers have completed 104 project that have benefited more than 2,000 people!

If you'd like to support JJoy Foundation, there are many ways to do so. You can make a donation through my personal fundraising page (my goal is to raise $1,000 by December 17th), or amplify their message on social media. Follow JJoy on Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to their YouTube channel. I'll also be sharing photos and stories from my trip on my Hey Miss K blog—stay tuned!

Feel Good Friday - Touch*A*Life

We spent last Feel Good Friday in San Francisco, California. So, in an effort to provide variety, today we go to Siem Reap, Cambodia!

Touch*A*Life is, as stated on their website, "an international humanitarian organization that embodies the principle of loving kindness to serve the world's poor and displaced." The organization was started in 2004 by Mavis Ching after being inspired by a man in Indonesia who had been feeding the poor for over 30 years. You can read more about her and TAL's beginnings here.

While Touch*A*Life keeps some basic medical supplies on hand to distribute and connects people with other aid organizations, the main program of TAL is their Free Meal Program. From the first batch of 52 egg sandwiches, they now serve almost 6000 vegetarian meals a month to people living in and around Siem Reap. The program is "driven by the belief that people in need deserve, and would welcome, a helping hand that also lifts their spirit."

In this 3:24 minute video, Mavis explains the origins of TAL and you can see many of the children and volunteers involved with the program. If you are planning a trip to Cambodia, you too can be a volunteer! If Angkor Wat is not in your future, you can support the children of the area with a donation.

There are lots of photos posted on the website and you'll find the most current ones by liking the Touch*A*Life Facebook page.

Feel Good Friday - Stitches of Hope

It's Feel Good Friday and once again I've spent my Thursday evening in search of a story that will put a smile on your face. What inspires me is how many of the organizations I find began with the good intentions of one person. Today is no exception.

Stitches of Hope is a group founded by Kay Eva with the simple goal of "Bringing hope to Cambodia".

In 2004, Kay traveled from her native Australia to Cambodia on an awareness trip. During that time, she met parents who sold their baby for $20 to buy food to feed the rest of their family. Deeply affected by this story she wanted to do something to support the community but was unsure of what she had to offer. After discussing it with a friend, she returned to teach underprivileged women and young girls how to sew so they would be able to earn an income. As stated on the website, "Since Kay's first trip to Cambodia, she has returned more than 20 times, working tirelessly to help Cambodian mums and dads, boys and girls to gain a better way of life."

A lot has happened in those 20 visits and Stitches of Hope has expanded well beyond the original sewing center. The program now includes housing and education for children, monthly food packs for the elderly, an agricultural project that supports HIV widows and funding for the medical treatment of cancer patients!

You can learn more about Kay and Stitches of Hope by reading this article on the Daily Good website and find details about the various programs offered at this link.

Program fundraising events take place in Australia. If that's where you live, you should go! If not, consider making a contribution or liking their Facebook page to support the people of Cambodia.