Tabitha Foundation Australia

Testimonials

Cubit Family Foundation,
Mark Cubit,

Tabitha Foundation Australia has received a donation of $30,000 from the Cubit Family Foundation. Mark Cubit has provided the following testimonial:

At the Cubit Family Foundation we have been fortunate in being able to travel the world extensively and visit a varied range of projects that help those less fortunate than ourselves. We visited Janne Ritskes (founder of Tabitha Cambodia) in Phonm Penh in April 2008 and were immediately struck by her can-do attitude and desire to make a difference to 1000’s of Cambodian families.

We don’t view our contribution as a donation but rather as an investment - and we were left with the feeling that Janne and her team were well placed to invest our contribution in an efficient and productive manner. In particular we expect Janne’s 14-plus years experience in Cambodia means she has learnt much of what there is to learn about doing business in the country in an effective and culturally empathetic way.

Phil Baldock,
Managing Director, Asia Pacific Region,
Beam Global Spirits & Wine

As Managing Director of an international spirits company responsible for the Asia Pacific region, I have seen my fair share of Government and non-Government help programs, all of which are well intentioned and have high hopes of introducing change, but when I compare these organisations to the Tabitha Foundation, there are noticeable differences.

All funds raised are poured back into family development, the cottage industry, house building or the wells program,

Tabitha have a very simple model which offers help to Cambodians who have taken the first step towards helping themselves by building a long term sustainable future for generations to come.

These two stand-out distinctions are what attracted me to the Foundation, so much so that I felt compelled to get involved and apply the many resources we take for granted in the business world. So I sent a team of 16 staff members on a house-building mission. While concerned for my team as I knew this would be a stretch for some, I was also excited for both them and myself as I knew this would be a exceptional opportunity and experience that would be remembered for many years to come.

Now having returned, the truth is that it was so much more than just a group corporate experience; simply put, it became personal. We left knowing Cambodia is a beautiful country, and that while it has faced some of the most horrific challenges, it’s people continue to smile and deal with it’s harsh ways, despite what many people would describe as a hopeless situation. Our team worked alongside the Cambodians with no common language, yet things got done and goals were achieved. Trust was built and shared experiences meant that my team left Cambodia knowing that they had made a difference to the lives of 20 Cambodian families.

As a business we are certainly better for our experience and all those who went - although deeply saddened by what they saw - were also elated with what they accomplished. I would strongly recommend that companies get involved with the Tabitha Foundation. They are a unique organisation that put their heart and soul into creating real change and making a positive impact on the lives of thousands of Cambodian people.

Learning & Development Manager,
Johnson & Johnson Medical and Janssen-Cilag,
North Ryde, NSW, Australia.

"I came along on my first house build a little bit unsure of what to expect. The aim of my visit was to check out the program so that I could bring other managers from our company for a week as part of a leadership program. After my time on the house build, I had no hesitations about the program. The trip is highly organised, executed most professionally and, most importantly, creates the most wonderful level of social responsibility. It would be great for corporate groups to, not only have a team build and learn more about themselves, but also to understand about the human condition and how connected we all are."

Tony Kevin
Australian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia 1994-97

"Tabitha Cambodia assists the people of Cambodia to develop skills and resources within themselves resulting in work that brings dignity and respect, which in turn brings about a tangible and visible improvement to their lives.
Through the work of its dedicated staff, Tabitha Cambodia has had an extraordinarily positive impact on the lives of 50,000 people to date.

I recommend Tabitha Cambodia as an organisation worthy of support."

Gordon Longmuir
Ambassador of Canada to Cambodia 1995-99

"Not long after I was appointed Ambassador to Cambodia in 1995, I encountered a struggling grass roots non-governmental organization called Tabitha, directed, seemingly effortlessly, by an unlikely Canadian saint, Janne Ritskes. The ambitious purpose of this project was to give hope to some of the most destitute of Cambodia's people in achieving sustainable and dignified livelihoods. Janne was a member of the advisory committee of our Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, and brought to it her own irreverent counsel, often refreshingly at variance with official aid doctrine, drawing on her unique experience with Tabitha. Tabitha has helped Khmer families establish productive lives with jobs, land, homes, better health and sanitation. This has been realized in large part through the imaginative use of credit and savings, generated initially by the production of cottage industry products to be sold to visitors or exported to expanding markets abroad.

Tabitha emphasized then, as it does now, self help and confidence in the future. Its work in 1995 was concentrated in and around the capital, Phnom Penh, with one outlet for its products. With a little help from the Canada Fund, the organization set up its second branch in Siem Reap, near the ancient Angkor ruins. Today, Tabitha has expanded remarkably, with a popular handicraft outlet at Siem Reap Airport and broadly based programs in Prey Veng and Kampong Som. Aside from Janne (who has herself recently acquired Khmer citizenship), its staffing is entirely Cambodian, and, unlike numerous Cambodian NGOs, it maintains a remarkably modest demeanour. The Tabitha Foundation, from a small support group in Ottawa, has blossomed into a multi-country operation. In addition to growing international monetary support, it has attracted scores of enthusiastic volunteers from Canada, Australia and elsewhere for village building projects.

I warmly commend the extraordinary work that Tabitha has accomplished over this past decade, both in its own program and as a fresh example to others of what hard work and visionary management can accomplish in a developing country."

Cubit Family Foundation, Mark Cubit,
	Tabitha Foundation Australia has received a donation of $30,000 from the Cubit Family Foundation. Mark Cubit has provided the following testimonial: At the Cubit Family Foundation we have been fortunate in being able to travel the world extensively and visit a varied range of projects that help those less fortunate than ourselves. We visited Janne Ritskes (founder of Tabitha Cambodia) in Phonm Penh in April 2008 and were immediately struck by her can-do attitude and desire to make a difference to 1000’s of Cambodian families. We don’t view our contribution as a donation but rather as an investment - and we were left with the feeling that Janne and her team were well placed to invest our contribution in an efficient and productive manner. In particular we expect Janne’s 14-plus years experience in Cambodia means she has learnt much of what there is to learn about doing business in the country in an effective and culturally empathetic way.
Phil Baldock, Managing Director, Asia Pacific Region, Beam Global Spirits & Wine
	As Managing Director of an international spirits company responsible for the Asia Pacific region, I have seen my fair share of Government and non-Government help programs, all of which are well intentioned and have high hopes of introducing change, but when I compare these organisations to the Tabitha Foundation, there are noticeable differences. All funds raised are poured back into family development, the cottage industry, house building or the wells program, Tabitha have a very simple model which offers help to Cambodians who have taken the first step towards helping themselves by building a long term sustainable future for generations to come. These two stand-out distinctions are what attracted me to the Foundation, so much so that I felt compelled to get involved and apply the many resources we take for granted in the business world. So I sent a team of 16 staff members on a house-building mission. While concerned for my team as I knew this would be a stretch for some, I was also excited for both them and myself as I knew this would be a exceptional opportunity and experience that would be remembered for many years to come. Now having returned, the truth is that it was so much more than just a group corporate experience; simply put, it became personal. We left knowing Cambodia is a beautiful country, and that while it has faced some of the most horrific challenges, it’s people continue to smile and deal with it’s harsh ways, despite what many people would describe as a hopeless situation. Our team worked alongside the Cambodians with no common language, yet things got done and goals were achieved. Trust was built and shared experiences meant that my team left Cambodia knowing that they had made a difference to the lives of 20 Cambodian families. As a business we are certainly better for our experience and all those who went - although deeply saddened by what they saw - were also elated with what they accomplished. I would strongly recommend that companies get involved with the Tabitha Foundation. They are a unique organisation that put their heart and soul into creating real change and making a positive impact on the lives of thousands of Cambodian people.
Learning & Development Manager, Johnson & Johnson Medical and Janssen-Cilag, North Ryde, NSW, Australia.
	"I came along on my first house build a little bit unsure of what to expect. The aim of my visit was to check out the program so that I could bring other managers from our company for a week as part of a leadership program. After my time on the house build, I had no hesitations about the program. The trip is highly organised, executed most professionally and, most importantly, creates the most wonderful level of social responsibility. It would be great for corporate groups to, not only have a team build and learn more about themselves, but also to understand about the human condition and how connected we all are."
Tony Kevin Australian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia 1994-97
	"Tabitha Cambodia assists the people of Cambodia to develop skills and resources within themselves resulting in work that brings dignity and respect, which in turn brings about a tangible and visible improvement to their lives. Through the work of its dedicated staff, Tabitha Cambodia has had an extraordinarily positive impact on the lives of 50,000 people to date. I recommend Tabitha Cambodia as an organisation worthy of support."
Gordon Longmuir Ambassador of Canada to Cambodia 1995-99
	"Not long after I was appointed Ambassador to Cambodia in 1995, I encountered a struggling grass roots non-governmental organization called Tabitha, directed, seemingly effortlessly, by an unlikely Canadian saint, Janne Ritskes. The ambitious purpose of this project was to give hope to some of the most destitute of Cambodia's people in achieving sustainable and dignified livelihoods. Janne was a member of the advisory committee of our Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, and brought to it her own irreverent counsel, often refreshingly at variance with official aid doctrine, drawing on her unique experience with Tabitha. Tabitha has helped Khmer families establish productive lives with jobs, land, homes, better health and sanitation. This has been realized in large part through the imaginative use of credit and savings, generated initially by the production of cottage industry products to be sold to visitors or exported to expanding markets abroad. Tabitha emphasized then, as it does now, self help and confidence in the future. Its work in 1995 was concentrated in and around the capital, Phnom Penh, with one outlet for its products. With a little help from the Canada Fund, the organization set up its second branch in Siem Reap, near the ancient Angkor ruins. Today, Tabitha has expanded remarkably, with a popular handicraft outlet at Siem Reap Airport and broadly based programs in Prey Veng and Kampong Som. Aside from Janne (who has herself recently acquired Khmer citizenship), its staffing is entirely Cambodian, and, unlike numerous Cambodian NGOs, it maintains a remarkably modest demeanour. The Tabitha Foundation, from a small support group in Ottawa, has blossomed into a multi-country operation. In addition to growing international monetary support, it has attracted scores of enthusiastic volunteers from Canada, Australia and elsewhere for village building projects. I warmly commend the extraordinary work that Tabitha has accomplished over this past decade, both in its own program and as a fresh example to others of what hard work and visionary management can accomplish in a developing country."

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