Many times, when we go out to the villages to interview new students referred to us by local officials or social service workers, we run into situations we did not expect but that need to be addressed. Yesterday was no exception. While interviewing a grandmother who is caring for her grandson, three displaced families, who lived in Thailand until the border dispute, showed up with their children. They did not ask for anything. They told us, however, that they were looking for work in the local garment factories because they did not believe they would be returning to Thailand. Thanks to a SAHAKA emergency fund, we were able to provide each family with a one-time gift of $10.00 and some rice.
We also get requests from local run programs at times. This small pre-school has 24 village children attending. The classroom is well kept; however, there is no playground for the children during recess. We told the teacher that we needed to think about the needs of our students first, but if we happen to come across some extra cash, we might be able to help her out. Education is critical for the young people of Cambodia, and that was reinforced by the fact that just a short distance from the school lived a 15-year-old boy who had never started school, and as a result, could not read or write. His 8-year-old brother is attending this pre-school, but for the 15-year-old, there is not much hope, and as we found out at our next stop, the result of the kind of life he is facing was being cut down from a branch of a large tree in the middle of a rice field.
The SAHAKA FOUNDATION’s funds are limited, and Dara and I must choose which of the children we interview are most likely to succeed in Life. It would be nice to work with all of the children we visit, but experience tells us that fate most likely will win, regardless of how much we try to intervene.
Living in Phnom Penh, it is hard to see the poverty of Cambodia. Luxury hotels, Starbucks, and other expensive franchises are on every corner, and getting stuck in traffic jams with Lexuses, Cadillacs, and Hummers is a daily occurrence. The new highways are lined with fancy gas stations and eateries, and the new airport rivals any of the ASEAN countries that surround it… but off the road, life continues at a much slower pace, as if left behind in a glitch of the Metrics.
Modern medicine has come to Cambodia, as evidenced by the many new hospitals offering expensive treatments for illnesses that were once only available outside of the country, but for those who cannot even afford the transportation to town, these treatments are not available, and families must fend for themselves. The SAHAKA FOUNDATION is doing what it can to break the cycle of poverty by assisting the children of these families with educational opportunities.
Through monthly home visits, Dara keeps track of the progress of each of the children selected for educational support. When funds are available, SAHAKA also provides nutritional and medical assistance.
In addition to the Prey Veng pre-school and the children being accepted for school support, the SAHAKA FOUNDATION is supporting 7 young adults with their University expenses. All of them are working while attending classes.
The SAHAKA donation page is up to date for those who may want to help us in this coming year with a tax-deductible donation. If you live in Cambodia, you can make a QR donation to the SAHAKA FOUNDATION bank account.
We are very appreciative of the support we have already received. Without it, we could not be making these life-changing opportunities available for these children who are dependent on the support of the SAHAKA FOUNDATION.
