Fundraising Developments

The $420 US comprising the school funds, plus private donations were given to Vuthy on 15th December and he was able to purchase the uniforms, 3 bicycles and school supplies (see left).

ALSO we have been able to open a dedicated account for Help for the Poor and other childrens projects that come to hand in Cambodia so are able to fund them directly on a monthly basis rather than via another organisation. Highnotes Ltd is our business who will cover the fees and be providing funds and fundraising events.

The account is Highnotes Limited (Help for the Poor),
National Bank 06 0433 0394869 20

Thank you Omokoroa No1 School!

I approached the school regarding the flooding at Help for the Poor and they kindly agreed to do a fundraising mufti day at school - with the gold coin donations they were able to give just over $300NZ which was enough to provide the uniforms for the children for their new school year which has recently started. YAY!! Well done guys. So appreciated.

In Cambodia children are refused admission to public schools without a uniform, they also must "pay" their teachers a daily fee to be taught, pass exams and graduate up a year etc - this occurs because the teachers are paid so poorly. Having to pay bribes is unfortunately a common occurrence in Cambodia.

Flooding News October 09

Received an e-mail & these photos from Vuthy not long after Greg returned showing us flooding at Help for the Poor and how it is affecting the children with several getting sick & requiring medical treatment. No doubt the water was very unsanitary and contaminated. You may recall in the slideshow earlier in this blog that the toilet & shower facilities are not good. As the weather warms up this will be a breeding ground for mosquitoes too. Also heading into rainy season. Those are small fish in the floodwaters above.

I am hoping to be able to send some more donations soon and have investigated an option of setting up an account here in NZ that will be able to be accessed by Help for the Poor by ATM in Cambodia - watch this space.... and thanks to Denise Arnold from the Cambodian Charitable Trust for the know how on doing this.

Greg Visit Update

Greg was able to visit the orphanage & hand over the gifts and money which was great. They went & purchased 8 big sacks of rice plus some veges & clothes for the children. Vuthy, the manager, was also able to take Greg for a look around the neighbourhood, including visiting people who lived in a cemetary near by. Will hopefully have some more of Gregs photos to put up at some stage. Thanks Greg for taking the time & interest it was awesome timing.

Sept 09 Update

Have heard from Vuthy Lim recently via e-mail after a long time of no response and he said that the orphanage is surviving, they haven't got any significant income streams to support the orphanage so they have had some tough times , the children not having any rice to eat & having just porridge. They receive smaller donations at times but nothing big & ongoing. I know Mission outreach is still forwarding donations for education purposes. It has certainly been a challenge since Tear Fund discontinued their support at the end of 2007 (as is their practice after 10 years).
Thankfully we have the cool opportunity to send some cash & gifts over this month with a friend of ours Greg who is heading to Asia tomorrow & will be a week or so in Cambodia - he is going to meet with Lim in Phnom Penh & might be able to go visit the children on our behalf.

Thanks very much to Ang & Russ who have kindly donated to the cause!!