On 9 December 2015, Operation Orion 2015 went on an overseas expedition to Prey Veng province, Cambodia! In a span of 13 days, the team managed to build a house with a water catchment installed, and also refined the education curriculum at a local orphanage, Hope Village Prey Veng. Towards the end of the trip, a Christmas party was also held with the orphanage. The trip was mainly focused on the planning and management of the construction of the house and the water catchment in the village and the programs and Christmas celebration with the orphanage nearby. The team learnt a great deal from liaising with the different organisations and NGOs to get supplies or information about the situation there in Cambodia. Dr Chew Soon Hoe, our student advisor from the Civil Engineering club, also assisted in the planning process of the project. A great amount of interaction was also done with the locals, be it the villagers, the orphanage staff or the children in the orphanage. This encouraged mutual learning as we gain valuable insights and perspectives on life in a different country as well. We hope that through this project, many more NUS students will be inspire to embark on further overseas community projects. Last but not the least, this project would not have been possible with the help of the National Youth Council’s Youth Expedition Project.

Watch the following video to meet the people who led Orion 2015 and find out more about what we did.

The summary of our journey in Cambodia:

A short interview/documentary about the project:

Here is a reflection by a member of Orion 2015, Mark Chang.