Pene Turnell
On Sunday 3 December, Pene Turnell will participate in the 21-kilometre Angkor Wat International Half Marathon, outside of Siem Reap in Cambodia. Pene, Resolutions’ Signs of Safety Practice and Learning Methods Coordinator, will run alongside Tara Winkler and Pon Jedtha, the founders of the Cambodian Children’s Trust (CCT) in Battambang, and others in the CCT team.
This event raises relief for victims of anti-personnel mines in Cambodia and will include participants who have artificial limbs and are in wheelchairs. The event is internationally recognised and this will be the 22nd time it has run.
Running a half marathon has been on Pene’s bucket list for some time. While working in Cambodia earlier this year Tara suggested she run the event with Tara and her team of passionate, dedicated and enthusiastic workers. Pene checked her schedule, took a deep breath and registered!
Image from the Angkor Wat International Half Marathon Facebook page
Pene said her motivation for participating is to raise awareness of the work she is doing with CCT and other organisations in Cambodia to end the era of orphanages.
Tara, Jedtha and others in the team at CCT work tirelessly in Battambang and in the wider Cambodian and international context to raise awareness of the dangers of orphanages, return children to families and communities to whom they belong and to equip those communities to be able to raise their children safe, strong and happy. Resolutions is actively supporting CCT to do this by working alongside their management and staff as they develop their skills in applying Signs of Safety in their daily work.
We know that institutions are damaging for children; they are always traumatising and often times abusive. Until recent times the dangers of supporting orphanages have not been well known and there is much work to do so that the broader community and well-meaning supporters of orphanages gain a deeper understanding of the problems and can therefore be part of the solution.
We urge everyone to watch Tara’s TED talk and raise awareness about this issue wherever they can.
In the meantime, Pene is training hard, creating the perfect motivating playlist and ensuring her active wear is on point! Watch this space for some post half marathon photos.