Cindy McCain, wife of Republican U.S. presidential candidate John McCainPR-Inside.com
2008-06-23
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - Cindy McCain, wife of U.S. Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting Sen. John McCain, visited the Cambodian capital's garbage dump Monday and met with impoverished children who scavenge there.
McCain visited the sprawling Stung Meanchey dump, a depository for the refuse of Phnom Penh's 1.5 million people, said Pen Kosal, an official with For the Smile of a Child, a French aid group that helps feed children who scavenge the dump.
McCain toured the aid group's office, which is located near the dump, and spoke to several children as they ate breakfast, he said.
«She was very simple and liked the children very much. She even hugged some of them regardless of their dirty clothes,» he said.
The aid group receives rice donations from the U.N's World Food Program to feed some 6,000 boys and girls, most of whom live with their families near the dump and scavenge discarded bottles, cans, plastic and other scraps to sell for a living.
Jeff Daigle, the U.S. Embassy spokesman, declined to comment on Cindy McCain's trip, saying it was private and organized by the World Food Program.
McCain, a philanthropist with a long experience in humanitarian assistance, was in Cambodia on the last stop of a three-nation tour. She also visited Vietnam and Thailand.
An official at the WFP also declined comment and said the trip was not open to media coverage.
After visiting the dump, Cindy McCain was scheduled to travel to an orphanage for children with HIV/AIDS in Takeo province, 40 miles (65 kilometers) south of Phnom Penh.
2008-06-23
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - Cindy McCain, wife of U.S. Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting Sen. John McCain, visited the Cambodian capital's garbage dump Monday and met with impoverished children who scavenge there.
McCain visited the sprawling Stung Meanchey dump, a depository for the refuse of Phnom Penh's 1.5 million people, said Pen Kosal, an official with For the Smile of a Child, a French aid group that helps feed children who scavenge the dump.
McCain toured the aid group's office, which is located near the dump, and spoke to several children as they ate breakfast, he said.
«She was very simple and liked the children very much. She even hugged some of them regardless of their dirty clothes,» he said.
The aid group receives rice donations from the U.N's World Food Program to feed some 6,000 boys and girls, most of whom live with their families near the dump and scavenge discarded bottles, cans, plastic and other scraps to sell for a living.
Jeff Daigle, the U.S. Embassy spokesman, declined to comment on Cindy McCain's trip, saying it was private and organized by the World Food Program.
McCain, a philanthropist with a long experience in humanitarian assistance, was in Cambodia on the last stop of a three-nation tour. She also visited Vietnam and Thailand.
An official at the WFP also declined comment and said the trip was not open to media coverage.
After visiting the dump, Cindy McCain was scheduled to travel to an orphanage for children with HIV/AIDS in Takeo province, 40 miles (65 kilometers) south of Phnom Penh.
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