Updated: Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Though the dictatorship of Pol Pot is over, the negative consequences of his regime still affect Cambodians today. To help improve the quality of life in Cambodia, student members of the Human Rights House of Douglass College traveled there in January, where they stayed for two weeks.
House members shared experiences from their visit with about 100 attendees at the Human Rights Open House, sponsored by the Associate Alumnae of Douglass College, Monday in the Commuter Lounge of the Douglass Campus Center.
During their trip, students worked alongside a non-profit organization called A New Day Cambodia, which seeks to improve living conditions for the children of the country, according to the event program.
“We’ve talked about genocide before and I think it just affected us. We knew what we were getting into now but it was still shocking once we got there to see it,” said Ana Madon, a Human Rights House member and Douglass College junior. “I don’t think many of us have been to countries where we saw the aftermath of genocide. You can see that [the Cambodian people] are trying really hard to restore their pride.”
Throughout the open house, various Human Rights House members demonstrated what they had learned from their experience on the trip. To kick off the presentation, students spoke about the history of Cambodian genocide and pointed out that the country, which suffered for 15 years under dictator Pol Pot, still shows signs of the aftermath of his administration and the economy relies heavily on tourism.
“The Human Rights House presentation was eye-opening, in that the information they shared concerning Cambodia’s history of genocide and its current situation [is] upsetting,” said Mona Chothani, a Douglass College junior.
Many house members said working with the children from A New Day Cambodia was the highlight of the trip because of the great enthusiasm they showed them.
Danielle Gougon, director of Global Programs and assistant dean of Douglass College, accompanied the group of 18 female students on the trip.
“[The trip] was wonderful,” she said. “It [is] a life changing experience to see students take what they learn in the classroom and apply it to a real world context.”
For the past five years since its inception, the Human Rights House has traveled to a different country each year, Gougon said.
School of Arts and Sciences first-year student Misha Bernier said the open house was really interesting.
“The women in the Human Rights House were able to portray their experience with working with young children in Cambodia,” Bernier said. “Their experience seemed very inspiring because they had an impact on other people on a global scene.”
House members shared experiences from their visit with about 100 attendees at the Human Rights Open House, sponsored by the Associate Alumnae of Douglass College, Monday in the Commuter Lounge of the Douglass Campus Center.
During their trip, students worked alongside a non-profit organization called A New Day Cambodia, which seeks to improve living conditions for the children of the country, according to the event program.
“We’ve talked about genocide before and I think it just affected us. We knew what we were getting into now but it was still shocking once we got there to see it,” said Ana Madon, a Human Rights House member and Douglass College junior. “I don’t think many of us have been to countries where we saw the aftermath of genocide. You can see that [the Cambodian people] are trying really hard to restore their pride.”
Throughout the open house, various Human Rights House members demonstrated what they had learned from their experience on the trip. To kick off the presentation, students spoke about the history of Cambodian genocide and pointed out that the country, which suffered for 15 years under dictator Pol Pot, still shows signs of the aftermath of his administration and the economy relies heavily on tourism.
“The Human Rights House presentation was eye-opening, in that the information they shared concerning Cambodia’s history of genocide and its current situation [is] upsetting,” said Mona Chothani, a Douglass College junior.
Many house members said working with the children from A New Day Cambodia was the highlight of the trip because of the great enthusiasm they showed them.
Danielle Gougon, director of Global Programs and assistant dean of Douglass College, accompanied the group of 18 female students on the trip.
“[The trip] was wonderful,” she said. “It [is] a life changing experience to see students take what they learn in the classroom and apply it to a real world context.”
For the past five years since its inception, the Human Rights House has traveled to a different country each year, Gougon said.
School of Arts and Sciences first-year student Misha Bernier said the open house was really interesting.
“The women in the Human Rights House were able to portray their experience with working with young children in Cambodia,” Bernier said. “Their experience seemed very inspiring because they had an impact on other people on a global scene.”
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