Meeting Geraldine Cox and Jake
Meeting Geraldine Cox and Jake
14th August 2010
I waited outside the CCT shop, feeling a little nervous, keeping my eyes peeled for a redhead in the passenger seat. Sure enough, a modest Toyota Camry pulled up and out she stepped, dressed in the brightest outfit I think I’ve ever seen in Battambang, with her fiery hair pulled into her signature do, twisted up on top of her head with a chopstick stuck through the middle to hold it in place. Geraldine Cox, also known, quite aptly, as ‘Madai Tom’ (Big Mum) certainly lives up to her name. And not because of her stature, which she carries proudly, but because of her strength of character, striking spirit, infectious conviction and, most of all, because of her big heart. Ever since I first learnt of Geraldine and her work with Sunrise Children’s Villages, after my first trip to Cambodia, I have always had the utmost respect for her. We had been in contact, very briefly, in the past when she offered me some honest advice during a particularly difficult time, which I appreciated. If I am to be honest though, I had reservations before this meeting as to whether we’d actually get on in person. And, as it turns out, she was feeling the same way.
However, to my surprise, we got on famously! She was personable, warm, down to earth and exceedingly generous with praise as I showed her around CCT’s projects. While visiting the Boys Teen transition house, Pearun’s brief demonstration on the piano led to a sing-along that was full of joie de vivre! We were all belting out hits like Hey Jude, When I’m Sixty Four and You Are My Sunshine. When Pearun played Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ Geraldine and I discovered our common love of Cohen’s music and arranged, then and there, to go to his Phnom Penh concert together. We continued to bond throughout the rest of the afternoon but I feel the alliance was truly sealed on the last stop of the afternoon.
I took her to meet a new family that I was also meeting for the first time. When we arrived the mother was very drunk. Her four older children stood by and shyly answered our questions. Our attention, however, was mostly consumed by the malnourished baby, named Jake, lying on the old wooden bench nearby his mother with his head resting on an old plastic bag. He couldn’t have weighed more than 4kg and looked around 9months old. We were shocked to found out he was actually 3 years old. He was so weak he couldn’t even sit up by himself. His stomach was swollen and distended and his breathing was shallow and rapid with noticeable fluid in his lungs. He was burning up too. Geraldine and I decided that it was of paramount importance to get Jake to a hospital in Siem Reap asap. We took him and his mother, who was so intoxicated she could barely walk to the car, with us back to CCT where we immediately arranged for Savenh to take Jake to Angkor Children’s Hospital in Siem Reap.
Savenh stayed with Jake for the first night. He had two blood transfusions to treat his severe anaemia, was also put on treatment for severe pneumonia and was fed high-energy milk through a tube. The following day Savenh needed to return to Battambang, so staff from Sunrise took over the shift for the following two days. This kind of cooperation between two complementary NGOs is very exciting because, as a rule of thumb, that’s not generally how NGOs operate here. This is only the beginning for CCT and Sunrise and I’m certain that this new relationship will yield many rewards, especially for the children in our care.
As I write this, I’m sitting beside baby Jake’s bed, watching him playing sweetly with a toy truck I bought him (quite possibly the first toy he has ever owned), and I think of Geraldine and how, if it wasn’t for our meeting and the bond we shared, this adorable, affectionate, beautiful little boy would, quite possibly, not have survived.
Sunrise and CCT… watch this space!
