The gift that keeps on giving.....

On Christmas eve my camera was taken by a moto driver when it fell out of my bag & with it all the photos from the epic PTC course & my sister's family visit. It was a little annoying but clearly not the end of the world.

When I went back to the UK the following month for my Grandmother's funeral my Parents bought me a new camera for my birthday (the third since coming to Cambodia) & like VAs I wonder how long this one will last. 

But because I am blessed with good friends & family - my oldest friend's husband (by this I mean the friend I have known longer than any other - she's not that old!), after reading my blog about having my camera stolen, looked out the first digital camera he ever bought to give it to me. I already had my early birthday present by this time so explained I no longer needed it. But he insisted that he no longer needed it either & perhaps I could find a better use for it than sitting in his garage - the resting place of many of his discarded gadgets. 

Simon is definitely an early adopter - always at the front of the curve for purchasing new technology. The camera has less mega-pixels than my current telephone but in its day, if know Simon as well as I think I do, I'm pretty sure it would have been top of the range & state of the art. 

So I packed it along with another 20kgs worth of presents I had acquired & took it back to Cambodia. I mentioned to G - husband of WWJD? & photographer - that I had a second camera & he could think of exactly what would be a better use for it.

He volunteers once a week with a school for children affected by HIV, teaching then photography with three of his SLR cameras & he thought that an extra camera would be great to give the children more opportunity to practice, learn & take more photos.

Below are some of G's photos of the children using the camera & some of the photos taken by the children using the camera.

I'm sure you all have things packed away in garages & lofts which you don't use or need anymore. These things instead of gathering dust could be making a difference to other peoples lives.

Thank you Simon & Kirsa - you gave the perfect gift, 'the gift that keeps on giving'.........