2002-05 News

Dear friends and partners,

It is the beginning of a new year, and, like all new beginnings, there is an air of anticipation and excitement for what the future may bring. For me, personally, the year 2003 ended in sadness and celebration. My mother passed away in mid-December - she lived to a good age - her life was one of faith and anticipation and excitement - she saw much and did even more. My daughter, Miriam, and I traveled home to Canada to grieve with our family and to celebrate my mother's life and the life she had given to all of us. It was a time of excitement as Miriam discovered snow and all its joys; she discovered what cold is and all its trauma; she learned about grief and that it is okay to be sad; she learned that family is a source of renewal and hope.

(Tabitha staff - Pol, Heng and Som).

 

Read more: Feb 2004 - Newsletter - Janne Ritskes (Tabitha-Cambodia)

The Age recently reprinted a New York Times article on prostitution. Following is Craig's written response:

In his recent article entitled “Bargaining for Freedom”, Nicholas Kristof recounts buying the freedom of two Cambodian women by paying off their debts to the brothel owner. From my own experience as a Director of the Tabitha Foundation in Australia, an aid organization which amongst other development activities works to rehabilitate Cambodian prostitutes back into their communities, I can say that he has succinctly and painfully captured much of the tragedy and moral ambiguity of third-world prostitution.

Read more: Jan 2004 - Staying Free

Tabtiha was pleased to be mentioned in a small article in "Column 8" in the Sydney Morning Herald today.

The article said:

"A colleague used to have a 1935 Morris 8 that he christened Tabitha, from Acts 9:36: Tabitha . . . full of good works.

We tell you this to introduce the Tabitha Foundation Australia, which is also full of good works. It supports Tabitha Cambodia, which works with the poorest in Cambodia.

Doug Quarry, of TFA, suggests www.tabithafoundationaustralia.com to see how you can give a poor family in Cambodia a novel Christmas present such as pots and pans, a fishing net, a bike, or even a simple house.

Peregrine is an Australian-owned adventure travel company with a strong commitment to responsible tourism. For nearly 30 years Peregrine has been a leader in providing employment for local tour leaders in the third world and the company now supports a number of community projects. Recently the company formed an association with Tabitha Foundation Australia with the aim of increasing awareness of Tabitha's activities in Cambodia and to make a physical contribution.

Peregrine has been running tours to Cambodia for some time and next year the company will be running a special 'housebuilding' departure, in conjunction with Tabitha.

So, if you'd like to see more of Cambodia and at the same time 'put something back', have a look at Peregrine's website on Peregrine Adventures Tabitha trip or give them a call on (03) 96622700.

In addition, Peregrine is also working with various Australian high school groups that wish to tour Cambodia and make a physical contribution to Tabitha activities. This is a great opportunity for school children to experience both the cultural and artistic heritage of Cambodia AND engage in a social project that will help relieve suffering for people who have already endured so much. For more information call Kellie Primmer, at Peregrine, on 03-9652 0111

Richard Mole 
Product Director 
Peregrine Adventures 
Gecko Adventures

Johm riab sua, Sok sabay’… ‘ Hello’ and ‘Happiness.’ Such was the warm greeting as we arrived to build within Kandal province. The plan was to construct six houses over two days. ‘No problem’ was our response (whether we actually believed it or not is another question!) These were the first houses to be built within the village of Srei Ampok, so naturally there was a great deal of excitement mixed with fear as the vans rolled up to the building sites. The Tabitha staff had been working hard with the villagers – convincing people that giving their savings over to this program could mean that their dream of a family home could come true. A lot of hard work on both sides got them to this point. The significance of the program was brought home to me when we allocated our ‘site’ on day two and in front of the frame was a neatly laid out vegetable patch.

Six houses in two days became a reality. The Tabitha staff - Heng, Somme, Pom, Thali, Sim and site manager, Nari, set the scene for us all. They were the ones to learn from, they knew the way to make it happen. This was Thali’s region and it must have been a satisfying moment to hand over these houses to the new owners. Hopefully now she can work with more families to develop their dreams.

The international team was largely a Singapore-based crew led by Craig Ower. I came across as an Australian ‘ring-in’ and, on day two, we were joined by a group from the British Embassy based in Phnom Penh. Thanks to Craig, Deepa, Sharon, Janice, Christiana, Gwen, Jaimie, Ben and William (Singpore crew) and the British Embassy crew for your part in this building program. The job looks daunting at the start but it always impresses me to see what a team working with the same end in mind can achieve. It was a good team and thanks for being part of it.

So Kandal province now has its first Tabitha-built homes. The message from the families was: ‘All the families say thank you - they are very, very happy. Say thankfulness to Tabitha and to the team because without Tabitha programs they cannot have a good life and future’

Next time we go back into the region I look forward to seeing the faces of the people that we built for as they show us the additions that they have made to these homes. The new homes are usually just the start and our journey into neighbouring villages showed us the changes that are possible with wells and the purchase of livestock such as pigs and ducks. We look forward to seeing the next steps towards your future.

The families that were involved in this building program were:

• Kha and Sok Me, with three children and auntie
• Heng and Ra,with three children and auntie
• Vong and Chek, with four children and grandma
• Yin, a widow with six children and grandma
• Soth and Sourn, with five children
• Chhor and Peach, with five children

Sometime ago the Australian Foundation for the Peoples of Asia and the Pacific (AFAP) accepted Tabitha Foundation Australia as one of their "programs"; it is through this relationship with AFAP that donations to TFA are tax deductible in Australia.

Another significant benefit of our relationship with AFAP is that it receives a 1:10 AusAid grant in proportion to funds raised, which they, in turn, pass on to us here at TFA.

TFA was very pleased to recently receive $5,000 as a bonus on funds raised this past year. That amount has already been forwarded to Tabitha-Cambodia.