Photo credit: Frances Northeast
By Frances Northeast, MAGG
Chum reap Suor!
Knyom Chhmuas Frances, and at the beginning of September, I left Canada—the only place I’ve ever really known—to move halfway across the world to Southeast Asia for a six-month placement with the United Nations.
It has been a month since I started my internship with the World Food Programme (WFP) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and so much has happened during these past four weeks. I am working in the school feeding unit, where the program that we focus on is the distribution of free nutritious meals to pre-primary and primary school children. The School Feeding program has been in operation under WFP since 1999 in the country, and since 2020, the Royal Government of Cambodia has gradually taken over responsibility for the school meals programme from WFP. Within the 5-year period, 62% of the program is now managed by the national government, with the goal to have the program entirely managed by the Cambodian government by 2028.
This past school year, the program still managed by WFP has provided 70,484 children with meals. By providing these meals in schools, the program incentivizes children to go to school and parents to send their kids to school. Food insecurity is prevalent, particularly in rural areas, and for some kids this may be their only meal. The meal also helps children stay focused and concentrate in their classes, allowing for a more sustained absorption of knowledge. This leads to higher completion rates and better and longer retention of information. I truly believe that education is one of the most accessible forms of increasing one’s social mobility, and to be able to contribute to something that resonates with me is an amazing opportunity.
I am working as a Programme Reporting Officer and for the foreseeable future, I will be drafting reports for the donor countries and agencies that help fund this program. Through writing these reports, I am very quickly learning about the program and its wide-reaching social benefits. It provides children with a meal, but it also supports the livelihoods of local food suppliers and the larger communities. I am also learning how complex this area is and the number of actors that have to come together in order for the program to function.
While this is a very exciting opportunity, I must acknowledge the privilege I have in being able to support the program. Throughout history, there have been instances where foreign intervention has been associated with colonialism, often framed as assistance. I acknowledge my perspective as someone from the Global North and consider this context in my work. I know I have the responsibility to ensure that I am accountable to the people whom my work is impacting. As much as I am contributing the knowledge I have gained to support this program, I am learning from the communities that are directly affected to ensure that my work supports and is reflective of their wants and needs.
While I have been reflecting on the ethical complexities of this work, along with working a lot, I still have had time to relax. I have been spending my free time seeing different areas and learning about the history and culture of both Cambodia and other Southeast Asian countries. Before I began my placement, I went to Siem Reap province to see Angkor Wat. The temples I visited were beautiful and learning the history of the UNESCO site was fascinating. I also took a spontaneous trip and traveled to Thailand during the Pchum Ben holiday. Pchum Ben is a religious festival where Cambodians honour their deceased relatives by offering food and performing rituals. This is a very important holiday in Cambodia and people travel back to their homes to be with their families and ancestors. During the holiday I decided to visit Ananya, a fellow MAGG, who is doing her internship in Bangkok, Thailand. It was really nice to see a familiar face half a world away and to visit a new country.
While this transition has not been without its share of challenges (renewing my visa, finding housing, opening a bank account) or bumps (see every other dispatch from Southeast Asia talking about trying to cross the road and the heat), the WFP team in Cambodia being so supportive and welcoming, along with the meaningful work has made this major life change worth it.
Frances
P.S. If anyone has any specific questions about my experience or the work I am doing, please do not hesitate to reach out!
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the BSIA, its students, faculty, staff, or Board of Directors.