LOCATION:  Siem Reap, Cambodia

DATES:  April 30 - May 11, 2008

Click on map for larger view.

Visit our Cambodia photo gallery.

Emergency Contact Information

Families should try to contact team members in the evening at the hotels listed below (subject to hotel change).

For extreme emergencies, your family may try to reach Kelly Ramsland via the following contacts:

1. Kelly’s Cellular: 480-250-7183

2. Kelly’s UK world phone: 011 4478728514 (direct dial from the US)

3. Email: kellyrams@cox.net (email will be checked periodically.)

Please register your travel with the state department before your departure, the link for Arizona is as follows: https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/

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Cost

$2100-$2300 USD – Price varies with airfare purchase price and room occupancy.

This total includes all flights, hotel, uniforms, taxes, food, transportation, laundry, all in country hires and expenses. All incidentals such as long distance calls, etc. will be the team member’s responsibility. Travel Insurance will also be provided for emergency medical care.

Note: Price subject to increases until airfare is booked and confirmed and deposit received;

Note: Airport meals on travel days and desserts are generally not included, unless otherwise informed by team leaders while on the field.)

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Cancellation Policy

If you cancel after airfare has been secured then the $300 non refundable deposit will go toward what loss is acquired in refunding the ticket. If the loss exceeds the $300 deposit, you are responsible for the difference. If at the point of cancellation you have sent in your trip funds, they will be returned to you minus anything you may owe for the canceling of your ticket above the $300. If a paper ticket has been obtained for you, your ticket will be mailed to you and it is up to you to contact the airline and preserve any potential value of your airline ticket for future travel. The same applies for an electronic ticket. It is the traveler’s responsibility to preserve any future value of the e-ticket. We generally secure low cost restrictive airfare so you do risk loss of part or all of this value

If you cancel less than 2 weeks prior to departure, then a $250 donation will be recorded for Medical Mercy and a tax receipt mailed to you. Then the balance of your funds will be returned to you.

• minus the $250 donation
• minus the $300 non refundable deposit
• minus any added difference lost in airfare cancellation

Keep in mind that after departure your entire trip is tax deductible and a tax receipt will be issued, therefore no refunds are possible after departure.

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Trip Itinerary

Wednesday April 30, 2008: Team departs Phoenix
Friday May 2, 2008: Team arrives in Siem Reap
Saturday May 3, 2008: Angor Wat and shopping
Sunday May 4, 2008: Church and get organized for the week
Monday- Friday, May 5-9, 2008:  Medical clinics: 8am-5pm

6:15am Breakfast in hotel
7:15am Depart for daily site
7:45am Arrive at site, set up, prayer
8:00am – Noon: clinic
Noon: lunch and devotionals
1pm – 4pm: clinic
4pm - 5pm: clinic clean up
5pm Depart for hotel
6:30pm or so: dinner

Saturday May 10, 2008: Depart for the USA
Sunday May 11, 2008: Arrive home

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Target Community

In 1980, after 4 years of tyranny under Pol Pot, the education system was totally destroyed. Teachers were killed or exiled. Schools and Colleges were destroyed. Books were burned. In 1980, there were very few teachers left to train a new generation of teachers. In 2000, 50% of the teachers had not completed middle school. Today, many children don’t go to school. They work at home…or in the rice paddies…or at the garbage dump.

Out of 1,000 Cambodian children:

• 290 will never go to school

• 390 will fail kindergarten

• only 27 will go on to receive a diploma

Mission of Mercy, along with partners on the ground, work to bring education back into the lives of these forgotten children. To bring the hope of Jesus to a desperate and searching generation. Through child sponsorship these children have a chance to hear the gospel, get an education and have a hope for their future (Jeremiah 29:11). Medical Mercy is committed to bring medical care to these children, their families and communities.

We have made any trips to Cambodia before, and have an excellent relationship with the community and with our hosts. We have established and built a medical clinic in the Salaa Hope School in Battambang. This clinic currently houses our supplies and is used when medical teams go into that community.

In addition, there exists much poverty. We see parasitic disease, malnutrition, vitamin deficiencies, and dermatological issues. Of the patients that we saw, vitamin deficiencies continue to be the mainstay of healthcare issues. Chronic infections such as bronchitis and chronic illnesses such as asthma and infectious rashes continue to be prevalent. These are secondary to vitamin deficiencies. The relative degree of anemia is small and can be addressed by giving adequate iron support through vitamins. The recommendation for using iodized salt was made in the past. This will prevent the formation of goiters and even though there were not a large number of goiters seen, there is significant potential for that to occur.

Our goal is to provide a practical demonstration of Christ’s love using medicine, in order to open the door of their hearts for the evangelistic counseling that will take place on site during the outreach.

The Lord saw their suffering, and showed His Compassion on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned, a generation was ruined, but a new generation is rising up out of the ashes. This is just one aspect of Mission of Mercy’s work in Cambodia.

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Departure

Medical Mercy will be securing all flight arrangements and your specific itinerary will be sent to you once arrangements are made. You are responsible for your seat selection. You can do this by contacting the airline on your itinerary.

We will depart on April 30, 2008. You must arrive at the airport at least 2.5 hours before scheduled departure; this is 5pm for those leaving from Phoenix. Please meet at the United counter at Sky Harbor Airport. Please do not check in until all members have arrived and you have received your luggage tags. For those leaving outside of Phoenix your luggage tags will be mailed to you along with your uniforms. For those not departing from Phoenix, we will meet you in L.A.

Please make sure you wear your Medical Mercy Polo shirt.

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Luggage

You may bring 2 bags to check in and one carry-on bag plus a purse or briefcase (airlines call this a “personal item”). 1 bag should be for your personal belongings and the other bag will be for medicines, equipment, supplies etc. This will allow us space for Medial Mercy clinic luggage and space on our vehicles in country. If you are not departing from Phoenix and are bringing extra supplies for the team you may bring 2 bags, if you are not bringing extra supplies for the team, please bring only one bag.

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Hotel

Kingdom Ankor Hotel
Town:	Siem Reap
Telephone:	+268 4042781
Fax:	+268 4045393
Email:	info@mountaininn.sz
Site:	www.kingdomangkor.com

Medical Mercy has made reservations as a group. Please note that phone calls from Cambodia will be expensive, and you should plan buy a phone card to use. We will have a local phone to use that we can call the US with, and the cost will be determined by how much it is used.

The hotel has a business center. We are looking into internet availability. The Mission of Mercy office is across from the hotel, we can use the computer there if needed.

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Time Zone

Cambodia is 14 hours ahead of Phoenix time

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Voltage

220 volts. Note that a special plug adapter is needed. Cambodia's voltage is 220AC, 50HZ. The plugs in Cambodia are not standardized and due to imports from Vietnam and Thailand, all sorts of variations exist. The most common are two pin plugs. A universal travel adapter kit is recommended.

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Climate

Local temperature will be 85-98 for the high and 75-82 for the low. 75% humidity. Chances of rain and thunderstorms.

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Attire

In the clinic, scrubs should be worn. These have been given to you, and have our logo and names on them. We try to look as professional as possible. Your scrubs and travel polo will be mailed to you prior to departure. Outside of the clinic casual attire is acceptable. Women may also wear slacks, modest jewelry and make-up (do not take valuable jewelry or watches with you and ladies should not bring valuable wedding rings but opt for a simple band instead). Dress or skirt is suggested for women for church service on Sunday and possible mid-week service and nice button up shirt for men though short sleeves are okay.

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Currency

Riel is the official currency. 1 USD=4,016.10 Cambodian riel (KHR) USD are recommended, bring clean small bills, ones and fives are best for shopping at the market. Credit Cards may be accepted by some better merchant shops and will secure the best rate of exchange on the international banking market for that day. Cash is still recommended as ATM machines are often present but not guaranteed. Travelers Checks are not recommended. It is often difficult to find a place to cash them.

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Safety

Team members should not travel without a buddy and should not travel apart from the group without special arrangements with the team leaders. All currency, credit cards and the like should be carried in safe fashion such as in an over-the-neck/under-the-shirt travel wallet. Pickpockets are quite good at getting to pockets, belt-packs and over-the-shoulder purses or cameras.

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Packing List

Please pack all items into one carry on and one piece of luggage to be checked. This allows all team members to check a second Medical Mercy bag with medications and supplies. Extra baggage is very expensive and not included in our budget. Plan to pack at least one change of under clothes in your carry on as sometimes luggage arrives late.

Medical Mercy Polo Shirt - to be worn for travel
One set of church clothes
Casual clothes that are neat in appearance
Medical Mercy Scrubs 2 sets
A light jacket suitable for rain and a travel size umbrella
A warm sweatshirt or pullover
Neck pillow for airplane, change of clothes in carry on
Toiletries
Personal medications for chronic medical problems
Bible and Notebook
Camera, film and batteries
Passport and one copy of the photo page
Airline Tickets or e- ticket itinerary
Wallet and cash (usually $100-200 U.S. is adequate for souvenirs)
Credit card for emergencies
Secure carrier for cash/credit card, etc.
Alcohol Gel Hand Cleanser 1 bottle to share at clinic, one small purse size for personal use
Set of earplugs in case your roommate snores!
Travel alarm clock
Reading material for flights
Sunglasses
Small bottle of mosquito/bug repellant
Sunscreen
Kleenex (pocket variety)
Safety pin or two
Plastic kitchen trash bag for wet/dirty clothing/shoes and general purpose
Snacks-protein bars, nuts and crystal light mixes to add to a H2O bottle, it is up to you
1 large bag of dum dums for the kids

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Medical Equipment (if you are an Examiner)

Stethoscope
Sphygmomanometer (B.P. Cuff)
Oto/Ophthalmoscope with tips (battery powered are best but not mandatory)
Scissor
Reflex Hammer
Anything else packable that you use often in your practice

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MEDICAL

Vaccines

All travelers should be up-to-date on routine immunizations including Tetanus and Hepatitis A. Hepatitis B should be up to date for all examiners. Consult with your doctor about other potential exposures which are possible but less likely. Dengue fever has been a problem at times though no recent outbreaks are known.

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Sunburn

We will at times be exposed to some fairly intense sun particularly on our free day outings so wearing a hat and sunscreen is highly advisable.

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Dehydration

Working in hot, tropical climates makes it easy to get dehydrated. Bottled water will be provided for the team and you should make a conscious effort to stay hydrated during the week even when things get busy in the clinic. Signs of dehydration include nausea, loss of appetite, muscle cramps, lethargy, decreased urine output and dark/concentrated urine that may burn. Later more ominous signs include decreased sweating and hot dry skin. Please report any ill feelings to a team leader immediately.

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Food Borne Illness

We take all precautions to select “safe” restaurants and if local churches are cooking meals to follow our strict guidelines on hygiene and appropriate food preparation. Please follow team leaders advise while on the trip. Keep hands washed and use the alcohol gel cleansers frequently and particularly before meals. Avoid artificial nails and keep fingernails clean as well. At times illness does occur despite the best efforts of prevention so be sure to report any fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain or diarrhea to the medical director.

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Illness

Please inform the team physician if you are feeling ill during the trip. The team medical officer will be well equipped to deal with any acute illness among team members. Insurance will be provided for accident, illness and/or emergency evacuation.

If after arriving home you experience any illness, but particularly fever, chills, nausea and vomiting, excessive diarrhea, please seek immediate medical attention from your physician and inform them that you have been overseas and to which country. This will greatly aid in rapid diagnosis and treatment.

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