Since the inception of MAP in Cambodia in 2010, a range of evolutions and program successes have colored it’s history. We’ve advanced our existing MAP school there, from an early successful collaboration with UNICEF to our more recent leaping ascension into global press via our heavy metal boy-band, Doch Chkae, comprised of alumni of our Music Wellness program. Here, we review our impact and sustainable philosophy of self empowerment in the slums of Cambodia.
A few of our troubled kids struggled with extreme anger and behavioral issues. This sparked several discussions between Timon Seibel (MAP Cambodia Program Director) and Ladan Judge (MAP’s co-founder and COO). Soon a Music Wellness Program was formed that allowed for the children to express themselves through music and arts, and to learn how to positively channel their emotions through their music. MAP’s mission, to empower every child to reach their fullest potential, meant, in this case, giving the band instruments and tools toward success. “Timon tried everything to ease the boys’ anger – football, art classes – but nothing worked. Running out of ideas, Timon, a fan of metal music, took them to see Cambodian hardcore pioneers Sliten6ix perform at a bar in Phnom Penh. Finally, something clicked.” – Excerpt from a recent BBC article. Watch this short clip aired on German TV that recaps the evolution of Doch Chkae.
Seeing continued musical success, MAP further enhanced its musical program by forming a record label, Yab Moung Records with Mrs. Ganiva. The label has successfully produced and performed various concerts in Cambodia. Yab Moung represents Doch Chkae, comprised of Ouch Theara, Ouch Hing, and Vichey Sok .
In 2018, Doch Chkae was invited to perform at Wacken Open Air, the world’s biggest heavy metal festival, but denied a visa by German authorities due to their financial situation. The following year, a petition, signed and circulated by fans, secured visas for the band. Just this past summer at Wacken festival, our boys bedazzled the crowd and continue to bloom global momentum.
Vichey Sok (guitarist & song writer of Doch Chkae) says “MAP is like my mother… giving us what we want and what we need to release our anger inside of the heart… thank you so much Mom Against Poverty, for everything. I love you.”
Vocational training has been a focus of ours for some time, from computer science, literacy, weaving to Music and Arts . At MAP, we try to see people as individuals. This means that every person has a unique situation, often requiring unique solutions to help them to discover their hidden potential. Some find this adaptivity daunting, but we find it enriches our experience as well as the lives of those we come in contact with.
Doch Chkae have a unique skill set. Their approach is to make Metal Against Poverty.
It’s difficult to teach anyone anything when they feel that they themselves aren’t being heard. This has always been a stumbling block in sociology and anthropology. People barging into towns and villages with a miracle panacea. We don’t do that here.
Band Bio
DOCH CHKAE is a death metal band hailing from the renowned Flying Shit Town Slum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The band was birthed in a music incubator program created and sustained by Moms Against Poverty (MAP), a US-based NGO. The members met in MAP's orphanage where they were also raised. DOCH CHKAE, which translates to “like a dog”, is a widely used pejorative term in Khmer. It portrays how the band members felt society perceived them - orphans and waste pickers from a dump site slum. In 2011 Vichey Sok and half brothers Theara and Hing Ouch were taken into MAP’s care. Between gigs, the band works to break the cycle of poverty by empowering the next generation of orphans and underpriveleged youth with musical tools of self expression under the counsel of Moms Against Poverty.
Long accustomed to finding pearls in the trash, their music brings new life to death metal. Classic metal transitions and super chug rhythms meld into a unique Khmer language style. The result? Highvolt stompers with relevant, honest lyrics: “One day we will fight each other like dogs!”