Locals give gift of fresh water

Norman Jones and David Pedicini usually take a skiing trip each year. But last year, the two took off to Vietnam and Cambodia, veering from their usual snow-capped adventure.

When the two landed in Vietnam last February, they expected to enjoy a scenic biking tour and take in some historic sites.

When they arrived in Hanoi, Jones and Pedicini met fellow Sarasotans Allen and Lois Barron by happenstance. As the four traveled with their guide into Cambodia, they found themselves surrounded by impoverished villages. It turned out to be a blessing.

They noticed signs for the Angkor Well Project based in Siem Reap Angkor. The project’s website says its goal is to “transform the lives of poor Cambodians by creating sustainable communities where they have access to safe water.”

The signs gave the foursome an opportunity they said they couldn’t pass up.

Through a $375 sponsorship, Jones, Pedicini and the Barrons gave a family the gift of fresh water for drinking, bathing and watering crops and animals. Their sponsorship paid for a hand-pump water well.

“You can change a person’s whole life with water,” Pedicini said. “Can you imagine just shutting off your faucet for one day? No shower. No toilet.”

Jones, a massage therapist and former bartender at Pattigeorge’s, remembers seeing produce and food on dirt-covered fabric in muddy water. He said the village is a landscape of huts made of palm fronds with no electricity. Dirt roads lead in and out of the village, and the rivers are polluted.

Jones said he often found himself too emotional to walk around the village. He said it was heartbreaking to see people living without the creature comforts he enjoys. Jones and Pedicini stayed at the Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf and Spa Resort, a five-star hotel with posh accommodations in the shadow of abject poverty.

On the day they were leaving, Jones and Pedicini noticed children receiving blood transfusions at an outdoor triage table. It’s the treatment offered for dengue fever, a mosquito-borne viral disease. What stood out to the two was the fact that the children were outside during the treatments, on a dirt road where motorcycles and buses threw dirt into the air.

“It was an eye-opening experience,” Jones said. “We had a good time, but it was sad that in 2016 people still have to live this way.”

For the Barrons, the trip was a reminder to be grateful for the life they have, though Allen Barron doesn’t presume that he’s happier or more content in life because he lives comfortably.

“We’ve seen this before in trips to Africa and Mexico and whatnot, but you know it’s just a reminder of how fortunate we are to live where live and experience the life we experience,” Allen Barron said.

The trip was the first time all four had been to Vietnam and Cambodia. Jones and Pedicini plan to return to Cambodia next year following a trip to Thailand. They want to see the water well and, hopefully, meet the family their sponsorship is helping.

For Jones, there’s excitement for helping the people of Cambodia. He said Cambodians are wonderful, welcoming people who easily offer a friendly “hello” or a smile.

“But I must say, even though people live the way they did, they were very happy and content with what life they were dealt,” Jones said.