Eyes Wide Open: Cambodia & Vietnam Pilot Tour

We are sitting at KL airport feeling pleased with what we have accomplished over the past 10 days for Eyes Wide Open and Rotary. 

This research trip has confirmed in my mind the impact Rotary can have on current and future generations of people all over the world through Eyes Wide Open trips. 

Rotary has an opportunity to educate people by giving them first-hand humanitarian experiences and hopefully inspire them to contribute in some small way to those living in need in developing regions of the world. By introducing more people to the outstanding work of Rotary, we can spawn the next generation of humanitarians and Rotarians and see more people join the organisation as a result of a compelling and meaningful experience with Rotary.

Our group managed to touch the lives of many in an albeit small amount of time. In return, we were all touched by the bravery of these people whose daily struggles we can't begin to comprehend. Having read the team's blogs, hopefully you have some idea of how this trip has started to affect their perspectives on life and desire to become more involved in service-orientated work. 

There have been countless positive outcomes from this trip; some which will reveal themselves in time as our youngest team member reaches her adult life. 

I hope those who have read our blog along the way can see the value Eyes Wide Open will bring to those communities we visit, to Rotary and its future relevance and to participants who immerse themselves in Rotary's humanitarian work. 

Thank you to the Rotary Club of Melbourne South for being so far-sighted as to see the long-term benefits of Eyes Wide Open. It's time to start engaging more people in the work of the world's largest humanitarian organisation and Eyes Wide Open is one way to achieve this. 

We are looking forward to showing you the photos and documentary from this trip. 

-Lena