Kouprey Express Will Travel to the Southern Islands of Koh Rong to Spread Conservation Awareness to the Villages There.

June 11.  My love of visiting marine life through SCUBA took me to the southern island of Koh Rong Samloem.

My dive instructor is Antonella Lavorato from Italy, seen here giving the universal dive signal, "Are you OK?"  Antonella was very patient with me during my dive refresher course and made sure that I mastered buoyancy with my breath.  She also does corral restoration on the island with Save Cambodian Marine Life.

I explained to her the Zero Waste and Recycling program that I implemented with Sophany and Wildlife Alliance in the eco-tourism village of Chi Phat, and Kouprey Express.  She was very interested in the program and in Kouprey Express educating the children in the local village, and asked for me to introduce her to Amy Van Nice, Mobile Environmental Education Project Manager of Wildlife Alliance.

The small village of May Pay Bay on the island.  Four hundred Khmer villagers live on the Island, of which 100 are children.

Many of the children are not in school, especially as they get older, as they help their families with fishing, restaurants, guest houses and other jobs.

Via email, Amy was also introduced to Theresa Kienitz, Project Manager for Save Cambodian Marine Life and also living in May Pay Bay.  She requested a Kouprey Express program focusing on waste disposal and Reduce, Reuse, Recycle; as that is the main problem on the island.  Amy said that Kouprey Express will visit the island for community awareness sometime in September.  Villagers from surrounding islands will also be boated in for the program.  I feel very proud to know that I initiated this meeting!

My last day on the island was very sad.  Myself, Jenny and Antonella.