It took a little bit of time before people got used to this sort of foreigner wandering around.

那邊的居民花了一些時間，才習慣有像我這樣的外國人晃來晃去。

Initially, I was here to search for a remedy to a problem: anemia, caused by lack of iron in the blood.

一開始，我來到柬埔寨是想要解決一個問題：貧血，因為血中缺鐵而造成的。

It causes dizziness and weakness.

缺血性貧血會造成暈眩和身體虛弱。

It breeds complacency and lethargy. Kids can't concentrate in school.

會使人變得慵懶疲憊、不想做事。小孩子在學校無法專心讀書。

It also causes premature births and problems during pregnancy for women.

也會造成婦女早產，或是在生產過程中帶來其他的問題。

Nearly two out of three children are anemic.

幾乎三個小孩中就有兩個有缺鐵性貧血。

But this piece of metal has the power to stop it all.

但這個小鐵塊有辦法阻止這一切。

My challenge was to find a way to supplement the typical Cambodian diet of fish and rice.

我的挑戰是要找到一個方法，讓柬埔寨人從他們典型的餐點（魚和飯）中，補充鐵離子。

I knew that iron pills and other iron treatments weren't really affordable by many people in the villages.

我知道當地村民負擔不起鐵劑和其他鐵離子的補充品。

In my search, I found that cooking in a cast iron pot can release iron into the food, and that iron is then absorbed in the diet.

在我的調查當中，我發現用鐵鍋煮飯時，鐵鍋會釋放鐵離子到食物中，藉由飲食讓村民攝取鐵離子。

But I realize that most Cambodian women use aluminum pots because they're cheaper and lighter.

但我後來發現柬埔寨大多的婦女都用鋁鍋，因為鋁鍋比較便宜也比較輕。

And then I got to thinking: what if I could get them to put this chunk of iron in their pot?

後來我就想到：如果我能讓他們把這塊鐵丟到鍋子裡面一起煮呢？

It would be a simple, cheap and accessible treatment that even remote villagers could use.

這將會是一個簡單、便宜又容易取得的治療方法，連偏鄉村民們也能做到。

But my simple solution had one big problem:

但是這個簡單的解法遇到了一個大問題：

I found that the women were hesitant to add this sort of ugly piece of iron into their pots.

我發現，當地婦女們對於要把這塊醜陋的鐵塊放到鍋子裡，感到相當猶豫。

I found that the iron blocks came in very useful, but just not in the pots.

我發覺這些鐵塊對她們來說非常實用，但就是沒有出現在鍋子裡。

And so I realized I had to dig a little bit deeper.

於是我意識到，我必須再探討得更深入些。

I searched for everything. I looked at sayings and beliefs. I looked at rituals,

我搜尋了所有資訊，我開始看柬埔寨的諺語、信仰、習俗，

anything that would give me a better understanding of Cambodian culture.

任何可以讓我更了解柬埔寨文化的東西。

And then, I landed this: a symbol of good luck.

後來我找到這個：好運的象徵。

I think I was a little bit shocked when I found out how positive the findings were.

當我發現效果非常正面時，我覺得我有點訝異。

In the test areas, anemia has pretty much disappeared altogether, which was absolutely astounding.

在測試區域，缺鐵性貧血的問題幾乎消失了，這是非常驚人的。

It has far exceeded what we had expected.

這遠遠超乎了我們原本的預期。

We're hoping that this little fish holds the key to treating anemia across the region and beyond.

我們希望這隻小魚能解決當地及世界上缺鐵性貧血的問題。

It's definitely one lucky fish!

這絕對是隻幸運的小魚！