Notes from 10/18/2011- an exciting meeting

October seems to be really heating up after an action-packed meeting last night:

1. We got an email from Soknay! He has returned from attending to family matters and has asked for a skype date. Sagar emailed Soknay back with a proposed skype date of Thursday October 20th 8pm (our time) so we eagerly await his reply.
2. In preparation of our skype conversation, the team brainstormed ideas and Sarah created an agenda which includes the following topics: What is the progress with the 3H latrines? Is our partnership still needed for this?; Are there any projects that community currently needs?; Review our mission statement; Inquire into additional contacts in Pursat, specifically among the younger generation.
3. David updated the team on the communication he has had with his Cambodian student friend, Sopheaktra. In his correspondence, Sopheaktra described sustainable energy, clean water, latrines, access to education, and the threat of preventable diseases as the most pressing needs of the Pursat communities.
4. David, Ashley, and Laureen updated the team on their trip to the EWB conference in Jacksonville last weekend. Some points emphasized were the importance of waiting for a project idea to come to us and not pushing any of our own ideas, the benefits of diversifying the team (ie. incorporating different majors/backgrounds apart from engineering), the benefits of partnering with a professional team (which Ashley is looking into), and the correction of vocabulary.

Next meeting: Team mom competition/movie-pajama party, Ashley's house, Tuesday October 25th @ 7pm

Notes from 10/9/2011

The following items were covered at last night's meeting:

• update on communications with Cambodian students (David and Ashley are handling this)
• Soknay emails- still no response
• Rotary Pursat; the 3H latrine project- according to their report, Pursat is included in the scope of their project. Also, the Cambodian government will begin offering 10,000 free latrines at the end of 2011.
• thus, feasibility of our latrine projects looks bleak
• feasibility of other projects in Pursat- Soknay previously mentioned water management projects and teaching engineering to students
• Aleco will contact Joshua Knight/call EWB-USA this week
• Laureen, Sarah, and Briana emailed following Cambodian agencies to inquire about possible project ideas and contacts: Ministry of Rural Development, the Cooperation Committee for Cambodia, and the NGO Forum on Cambodia

Next meeting: Tuesday October 18th - time?

Notes from 10/2/2011

Last night's meeting was a splendid reunion. After being disengaged for the past few weeks, our faithful leader Aleco has brought the team back together. The following topics were discussed:

• Update on the conference call with Joshua Knight
• Reestablishing contact with Soknay (Sagar sent an email to Soknay during the meeting)
• Questions for Dr. Lindner
• Presentations of research by Laureen, Sarah, and Sagar pertaining to water collection and eco-village
• Establishing new weekly meeting time: Meetings will be held on Tuesdays at 7PM except for the weeks of the General Body Meeting. On these weeks, meetings will be held on Sunday night.

Ideas that arose during the meeting:

• Ashley suggested the idea of having an interpreter of sorts at the next Skype session with Soknay.
• Aleco and David will talk to Joshua Knight again within the next few weeks, clarifying our current position and seeking possible guidance.
• The team discussed looking to the Cambodian teenagers for project ideas based on what the villages really need. Ashley will make first contact.
• Eddy reemphasized that our team should wait for a project idea to come to us rather than attempting to create an idea on our own to avoid possible overlap in implementation from another NGO.
• Briana will research more about 3H to find out where they are with their latrine project, specifically if they are in the Pursat region.
• Ashley alerted the team to a fundraising opportunity on Tuesday October 11th during Cirque du Soleil- check your email for more information.

Next meeting: Sunday October 9th at 8:00 PM, 3rd floor Marston