However, he added, since 2002 there
have been no adoptions from Cambodia to the United States due
to allegations of child trafficking. What this means, Primm
explained, is that there are many children in Cambodia who
were slated to
be adopted, but who are stuck in Cambodia. Their adoptive parents
are frustrated, and the children are relegated to the unfortunate
status of permanent orphans.
Primm visited one of the orphanages/schools
which was created to take care of these children, so that they
would not end
up on the streets where they could easily become involved
drugs
and prostitution or worse. Called the Palm Tree School, it
had about 50 children living there.
“
I fell in love with these kids immediately,” Primm said. “Their
warmth, openness, and innocence just melted my heart,” and “I
wanted to figure out a way I could help them. Teaching and
research can be ‘in your head’ experiences. This
was a ‘hands-on’ opportunity
where I could actually see that a little direct help could
have a life-change effect.”
Returning to Hawai‘i, Primm persuaded
Mid Pacific Institute to donate 10 computers to the Palm Tree
School. He was able
to return to Cambodia in August, thanks to another HPU faculty
development
grant, to personally deliver four of these computers to the
school.
“
You should have seen these 50 children gathering around the
computers and fighting to get on them to learn and to play.
It was and
incredibly rewarding experience,” said Primm.
Currently Primm is trying to figure out
ways to get the rest of the computers to the school, and he
also is in
the process
of creating his own nonprofit organization so that he can
solicit funds to help the school with books, food clothing,
etc. One
of his long-range goals is to create scholarships to bring
some kids to Hawai‘i to study at Mid-Pacific and at HPU.
“
I am just doing this on my own,” Primm said. “I
am going slow and feeling my way through. I have talked to
the principal
at Mid-Pacific and with President Wright, and they have
been very receptive to my efforts. I see this as a way of ‘internationalizing’ community
service, which is one of the responsibilities we have
as professors at this university. But in fact it is really
a labor of love.”
Anyone interested in learning more about
what Primm is doing, or who wants to join him in helping the
children
at the Palm
Tree School should e-mail him at jprimm@hpu.edu or call
544- 1470. "Your efforts will change lives,” Primm
said: “yours
and theirs. And it will demonstrate that HPU ‘walks
the walk and talks the talk’ in its commitment
to internationalism.”
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