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WAT OPOT (Wat surrounded by creeks)
Many years ago, before the Viet Nam War and before the Genocide that followed, when Cambodia was considered the “Jewel of the Orient” and a favored place for Holiday... Opot was an active teaching Buddhist Wat. During the Khmer Rouge Era however it became a place of interrogation and death.
The Temple was in ruins and the surrounding area unkempt by the time we looked at the place in 1999. In my mind it ranked at the bottom of the list of possible Wats we could have built our hospice on. As we investigated other more suitable Wats however we found the neighboring communities to be less then enthusiastic about our plans to bring in dying AIDS patients and in the end, Wat Opot was the only place we felt welcomed.
The spelling “Opot”, I am told by many, is not correct. Some say it should be Opoat and others spell it Oport. “Opot” came about on the day Vandin and I decided to build our project here. Vandin’s English was not so good at that time and my Khmer was even worse. Verbal communication was not however what brought us together, it was our co-commitment to helping those we saw suffering from the effects of HIV and AIDS. Neither one of us, at that time, thought it would make that much difference how we spelt it.
We have gone through a lot of changes in the past few years and we hope you enjoy reading about our progress in WAT OPOT STORIES
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The Wat Opot Community 2007 |
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The first picture was taken in 2001 and the second taken 6 years later in almost the exact same spot. |
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On a rice field behind a run down Buddhist Temple, 47 Kilometers South of Phnom Penh, The Wat Opot Project started out in 2001 as a refuge for dying victims of the Cambodian AIDS Crisis. Some 500 deaths later and with the help of Anti Retro Viral drugs, it has developed into a vibrant community of Survivors, many of whom are children whose parents died at the Project. One third of the 65 children presently living on the campus are HIV Positive as are all but two of the 20 adult residents who help with the care of the children.
In January of 2007, because of the improved conditions at the local hospital and the success of ARV Medicines, a decision was made to close the Hospice to adult victims of AIDS and the name was changed from Project to The Wat Opot Children’s Community. Emphasis is now on the development of a permanent community for our children to grow up in. Education and skills development are a key element of the new direction we have taken. |
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The Wat Opot Community is unique in that it does not segregate those children who are HIV Positive from those who are not. All children are treated as equals and expectations are the same for all. Spirituality is considered essential for development and each child is encouraged to participate in nightly meditations at the Crematorium and weekly services at the Buddhist Temple or local Christian Church. As we look to our future, we envision a growing population of orphans and vulnerable children with the possibility of reopening a small care facility for children with terminal illnesses.
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From the darkness of our beginning, We now can see a brighter pathway into that which lies ahead.
Wayne Dale Matthysse Co-Founder / Advisor PARTNERS in COMPASSION / Cambodia
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