Went to see Aaron Cohen tonight at Book Soup on Sunset Blvd in LA. He was reading from his new book ‘Slave Hunter‘. His rehearsed delivery notwithstanding, one is struck by the sheer bravery of the dude, and the enormity of what he is trying to undertake.
Aaron Cohen reading at Book Soup
In any case, seeing Mr. Cohen speak reminded me to remind you to support, if you can, a non-profit in Cambodia called the Cambodian Children’s Painting Project. It’s run by a heroic young Spanish-American fellow (and a friend of mine) by the name of Felix Brooks-Church, and serves young Cambodian kids who spend their days selling trinkets on the beach.
Naturally, small children selling stuff to tourists in a rough and tumble beach town has its dangers- which I’ll leave to your imagination (or this website). CCPP takes the kids off the beaches and gives them a safe place every day, teaching them art and language classes. Then, CCPP sells the paintings the kids make in art class to the tourists and backpackers coming through for $4 a pop, giving the kids money to help support their poverty-stricken families while gaining an education. Pretty brilliant, and worth a donation, dontcha think?
So: The website for Cambodian Children’s Painting Project is here, and they can use your help.
And, if you wanna meet some of the kids, here’s a video I made when I was there…
Filed under: Travel, an obsession, subverting dominant paradigms , Aaron Cohen, cambodia, Cambodian Children's Painting Project, Child Slavery, Felix Brooks-Church, Slave Hunter
