When we hire someone from abroad to work in Cambodia, people are unaware of how challenging it's going to be for them. We’ve had people who haven’t lived abroad before and it’s been very hard for them. And we’ve had people who have taken on the challenges really well and adapted and matured. So I'm often very hesitant to hire someone who hasn’t had experience being abroad before—or if someone tells me they’ve only been to Europe, it doesn’t give me confidence that they are going to be prepared for some of the cultural challenges they will face.
It’s so hard when you’re watching something in front of you and you can’t do anything about it. You realize I can’t save everyone, I can’t do something for everyone. That makes you feel hard, on the one hand, but on the other hand, you need to be okay with what you can and can’t do, and what you should do and what you shouldn’t do.
When a woman has economic freedom and when she has a support system, it’s amazing how she can pull herself out of bad situations. I’ve seen people get out of abusive situations that they weren’t able to before because of the job they have with us. It’s not me saying “You should do this” or “You should do that”. They know what to do, and they know what’s right for them. They need the tools to be able to do it.
Surround yourself with the right people…you need a support network and you need to understand what skills your skills are—and what they are not.
First of all, identify what your strengths are, what your talents are, and what you’re lacking—and, really, what you’re going to need to accomplish this goal of starting a social enterprise. Also learn from people in the community first, before you decide, ‘Oh I’m going to go do this project.’ Listen to what people actually want, and actually need.
When people approach me and want to ask me something or ask me a question, I really appreciate it when they do two things. One is to make the ask really concrete. If it’s something I can do for you in 10 minutes that’s really going to make a difference for you, great, I can do that. But if you message me and say "I just want to pick your brain and can we talk," I’m probably going to be less likely to respond to you. The second thing is, if there’s something you can offer that person in exchange, it’s a nice way to acknowledge that they are helping you and giving you their time.
