Newsletters

With our regular newsletters, we aim to keep you posted on all the interesting and important news and updates of our programs and various activities. Enjoy reading! 

June 2, 2004

            	
Dear friends and partners, One of the best parts of my job is the privilege of visiting the project sites. These visits are about having time to talk one on one with all the development staff and seeing what they have done. Nari often accompanies me on these visits so that we are both up to date on what is happening. On our first site visit we went with Srei, Tharry, Pon and Heng to our new project in Kampot province. There was lots of time to talk with each of them and time to talk with all of us and even some time to meditate for the roads to Kampot vary in degrees of horribleness - on a scale of 1-10 - with 10 being the best - we started on a 6 and rapidly decreased to a 2 - I am a seasoned traveler - but this time, even I was beginning to fade with the bouncing and jouncing and the terrible snail's pace we kept up for hours at a time.
                
The seven of us were delighted to finally arrive and meet our new staff, Sokha. He is a gentle and unassuming man and took all of us in stride. The people kept finding us and pulling us to come and see what they had done. Within 6 weeks of beginning, 320 families had joined our program. The poverty was ameliorated by the enthusiasm of the people. We went to a number of homes - our driving finally ended as we ended up in rice paddies in mud up to the axels. We left the boys to free the van - us girls went off to see the wonders of the wells. We met a group of 5 families - they had plowed several hectares of land and had planted cucumbers (about 6 cm high) and lettuce. There was such excitement as they showed me scrub land that had been like theirs before - and then they showed me more hectares that other families were tilling to plant their vegetables. "We have water, we can do so many things,"-they all said. I was a bit dubious about it all - and asked - did you not plant before - no, they chorused - no one ever came and talked with us - no one ever shared ideas with us - we couldn't think anymore - but now we can think of so much that we can do." A few days later, we went off to Prey Veng to visit with Pat, Ponluck and Choeun. We arrived at our office and I was delighted to see how Pat had fixed his house into an office for Tabitha. Our travels brought us to new areas - once again I was appalled by the poverty and touched by the eagerness of the families to show us what they had done. In one small village of 30 families stood a well donated by Pat, Ponluck and Choeun in memory of my mother - there were 8 new houses built by a team of volunteers. The people had so little yet they were full of enthusiasm for all they could now do - once again, I heard the refrain - we couldn't think anymore, we had no ideas - until Tabitha came - now, come see what we can do. We went off to see 70 families in another village - they had just completed their first cycle of savings - each and everyone had bought water jars - we stopped at the a house where a well was being dug - it was fascinating to watch the drill as it hit water and it came up the spout - Chouen's desire was that we see each and every water jar for it was the first time that the 860 families in this village had their own well. There is only so much one can say about water jars. At the end of the day I asked the staff if they wanted to ask anything or say anything. Pat spoke, its so good to have you come - you tell us our mistakes without us feeling bad and in a way that is easy for us to do - you show us all the good things we do and it makes us want to do more. It is good that you come - you must come more often. A few days later, we were off to Kompong Som to visit with Vonn, Peu and Seyha. Seyha and Peu were anxious to show us their new communities - the car could only go so far and then we started to walk. I asked how far - they said, just till the end of the village - the end was a long ways away. It was good to be in the countryside - it was good to share and it was good to see what all they had done. We all went off to see the new communities Vonn wanted to expand to - another new province. The trip was wonderful - along the roadside we stopped to buy fruit - the staff went crazy - 50 kilos of rambuttans - I said, can't you buy these in Phnom Penh - they all laughed and said, Cambodian fruit is the best - there is no medicine used and its fresh. I started to laugh - it had taken so many years to hear them say that Cambodia was number 1 in something. Nari and Srei went for a week to see our work in Banteay Meanchay and Siem Reap - Kameak is doing well but oh the poverty, Janne. They saw Mari and Sarouen's new communities - and the same report - they are doing well but oh, the poverty. In between the site visits, we were very busy with finishing the orders from our second Silk Show in Singapore and preparing our first set of products to be sold in Australia. There was and still is silk everywhere - the office is full of colour and chatter and laughter - many of the workers actually slept in the office for several nights - trying to put it all together. The weavers are weaving in a season that is traditionally slow - there is no hunger for our workers this year. Its been a month of miracles, a month of grace - so many people - so much accomplished - so much more to do. No matter where we went or whom was talking - there was thankfulness and excitement - a deep awareness of how God has surrounded us with His grace and how each of you have been a part of that grace. Thank you all. Janne