“Money is numbers and numbers never end. If it takes money to be happy, your search for happiness will never end.”

Money has two sides. It can transform people into “monsters” which don’t care about anything else, but money. It can make you greedy, selfish. It can become like a deity, more important than other people and relationsships, leisure activities, formerly important values. Money has power. Power to destroy…

…and power to create and restore. it can lead to generosity. Money can change lives in a positive way. Not only is it a means to buy food, water, electricity, clothes. It can also be invested in people and organisations helping other people helping themselves.

100 Riel = USD 0.025

Financial situation in Cambodia

Cambodia is a poor and underdeveloped country. You might not realise it when you only go to the sights and stay in the relatively modern town where they have lights, music and stone houses. They sure don’t like to show their poverty. Everything is made as nice as possible – mostly for the tourists.

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There they stood in a huddle in front of the entrance from the restaurant Tonle Mekong. Some had already arrived before 5 pm and since then, the group had grown obviously and uncontrollably. It reminded of an ant colony where an ant had found a delicious piece of banana and now the whole colony would gather there. Latest music hits boomed, mixed by our DJ. On the often used main road which leads past the restaurant, other locals stopped their motorbikes and Tuk Tuk’s to observe curiously what was happening. From above, the sea of people looked huge but relaxed. However, when you tried to get to the entrance, you had to realise how close together the crowd stood. A friendly “sorry” wouldn’t help, to fight your way through was more effective. Suspense was in the air. Not many could imagine what they would get to see soon. Excitement was written all over their faces. Excitement for an enormous spectacle, a different, unique celebration. Something, which they’ve never experience. Excitement for the Grand Opening of the ICF Cambodia.

Three weeks earlier, we were holding freshly printed tickets/flyers in our hands. In a meeting we discussed distributing strageties. We attached a certain value to let them know that it was something special and that the receiver should really come. Some doubted that we could give away 3600 free tickets at all.
Ten days later we ran out of tickets. None was left. A team of about 60 people had handed out 3600 tickets within a few days! Needless to say, that especially the expats asked how this could have happened. From the locals we wanted to know, who gave whom how many flyers. It came to light that everybody would give it to friends who would give it to their friends and so on. However, the question remained, will enough people actually come and fill the hall?

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