IMPROVEMENTS AT THE PRESCHOOL

I had not been out to the Prey Veng preschool for a while, and so when Dara said he wanted to make some improvements for the children, I decided to tag along. We went out on a Saturday when there was no school scheduled, and Dara said he had an idea for some playground equipment.…

SAHAKA HOLIDAY UPDATE

On the last day of the Khmer New Year, we took some of the Wat Opot children to the beach in Kep for a day of swimming. It had been a while since we had gone on an outing, and Dara and the children had a good time in the water; however, like times before,…

SO WHATS HAPPENING?

I will be honest and tell you that, at this point, no clear direction is being taken for the future of the SAHAKA FOUNDATION ORGANIZATION (SFO). That is not to say that we are not doing anything. The day school in Prey Veng is doing great. The cement work has been completed under the new…

SAHAKA UPDATE

Charities Aid Foundation of America The SAHAKA FOUNDATION ORGANISATION (SFO) is pleased to announce that it has been accepted by the Charities Aid Foundation America (CAF America) and has received its first payment from a grant submitted to it for this year. The funds received will help with the preschool program in Prey Veng, and…

FIELD TRIP WITH SECONDARY STUDENTS

In the past few weeks, I have met three former Volunteers of the Wat Opot Community, all expressing their sadness at the closing of the Residential Care part of the Organization. Kate, who holds the record for times volunteering, was visiting Cambodia for a few days and wanted to meet as many of the former…

FIRST STEPS FOR SECOND STAGE

We are happy to report that the Preschool in Prey Veng is doing well. We are very grateful to those who helped fund the start of this new project. The parents are very pleased with the progress their children are making, and for those parents who have been able to find employment while their child…

AN INVITATION

As we work toward mapping out the future of the SAHAKA Foundation, we decided to revisit the old Wat Opot Campus, since we were already in the area doing home visits. We found the girl’s dorm, which once stood on both the Temple property and the private land that now belongs to the PC Organization,…

POSSIBILITIES

I thought it was time to update everyone on the progress of the SAHAKA Foundation. The future is not clear yet, but doors are being opened, and we are checking out the possibilities as we continue to make home visits with the children who were transitioned after Wat Opot closed its doors. The day-care center…

A FULL WEEK

This has been a busy week for me. I have moved into my new, comfortable, airy, 3rd-floor apartment at 102, 456 Street, Phnom Penh. It feels like home to me and a good place to meet with Wat Opot alumni and old friends. On Tuesday we handed out toothpaste, donated by the Sun and Moon…

A FRESH NEW BEGINNING

It is good to be back on the road, with nothing planned and an open mind to the future. The only problem is that getting out of one’s comfort zone can get pretty uncomfortable. Living a carefree comfortable life for three months in the States convinced me that I was not ready for retirement, however,…