It's time to ... - SE Asia Foundation

It’s time to …

January 24, 2022

Normally I don’t write a newsletter in January. But this year I just couldn’t help myself. I simply had to do it. Why? Because I’m compelled to celebrate the amazing things YOU – YOU know who YOU are – did to provide so many blessings to literally hundreds – even thousands – of marginalized families and their kids in Cambodia.

Remember those “packages” we offered last month? I’m sure some of you do. Well . . . take a look at the results YOU achieved. Here’s a quick rundown along with some prime numbers.

150

150 Girls can now safely travel to and from their secondary schools, often 5 to 8 kilometers distant. They will receive bicycles, a few essential supplies, and some training so they can take care of their new means of transportation.

550

550 girls will now attend school safely with their feminine hygiene needs fully met with washable, reusable kits provided by a local chapter of Days for Girls. This will also provide meaningful employment for the local women who sew these kits.

415

415 Kids will now begin their school year with fresh new uniforms along with a backpack to carry the books, supplies, and study materials they need. All of those uniforms will be made by local women, graduates of local sewing training programs.

120

120 village families will receive six chickens and one rooster, along with the necessary training and supplies they need to successfully raise chickens and eggs for personal consumption. They can also sell eggs and chicks in the local marketplaces as a source of additional income.

100

100 Village families will receive training, tools, seeds, fertilizer, and coaching so they can grow organic vegetable gardens to feed the family, and as a source of income by selling any surplus in the local markets.

100

100 village families hit hard by the devastating unemployment in heavily tourist dependent regions received nourishing food packages to help sustain themselves through the worst of the pandemic. You dealt with their hunger.

20 families will now be raising pigs – both for their own consumption and for selling in the local marketplaces, thanks to the training and coaching they will receive from two of our partner organizations.

12 village schools will receive new libraries so the kids – hungry for reading material – will have vastly more opportunities for reading – in their own Khmer language and in English as well.

8 Village secondary schools will also have a new supply of books to provide more resources to their students. Most will be in their own Khmer language, along with some others to help improve their English skills.

By my reckoning, that’s nearly 3,000 direct beneficiaries, plus the 6,000 – 7,000 kids that will use the 20 new libraries.

If you’re interested in reading more about these special gift packages – and seeing the cumulative amount provided as we continue to fund these packages, just click here for that information.

That’s it. That’s my entire newsletter for January. Now you see why I couldn’t help myself and had to write it.

I hope you agree that the wonderful assistance YOU provided to those most in need in – especially as we begin a new year – was certainly something to celebrate.

Life is good . . .
At least for some of us it is
Others need a bit of help
And, together, we can provide exactly that