Hope all is well with you and yours. We thought we would send you a few stories of some of the people we encounter and are able to assist.
Sarah,
While visiting the Smart Kids program we noticed there was one new girl, when we asked about her, Hak, the program coordinator, said she had asked to come to English tutoring on Sundays, even though she was not part of the Smart Kids program. When we went to visit her house, we realized she did not have a house as it had fallen down in a wind storm. Her mother died and herfather had left she and her two older brothers to fed for themselves. Sarah and her brothers were living on a platform on a piece of land that belonged to their aunt, who had no room for them in her poor, tiny house. We decided we needed to help Sarah's situation and so directed funds for the brothers and Sarah to build a small tiny house (as we did not have the funds to build much more). So they did! Thanks to K.I.D.S., Sarah is now fully funded for both English and Khmer school, she has a bicycle and she and her brothers have a place to live, protected from the extreme elements of sun and rain.
Om,
You Vath, director of the girl's home that K.I.D.S. funds, told us
about an elderly woman living on her own in the countryside. We went to
visit her and found her working around her small plot of land and her
house which is really just a shack. She warmly welcomed us. Om has
children but they live a ways away and are very poor so she fends for
herself without electricity, a toilet or any real comforts; she takes
care of what little she has and even grows a small garden. Om is 85, very frail but incredibly flexible. You Vath takes her out rice and other essentials once and a while. When we asked her what she needed she 
told us all she really wanted was a clock with big numbers so she could know what time it was. Om has a small battery operated radio and likes to listen to a certain radio program, however, she does not know the time it is on. We brought her out a mattress and pillow, mats for the floor, some pots and pans, a solar light, clock and other essentials... she was very thankful. We also brought a couple tarps for her roof for the rainy season. An amazing woman who has survived the genocied, starvation and years of poverty. Her wonderful smile shows her strength and her spirit.Reaksmay,
Reaksmay is one of the girls in the Smart Kids Program.We heard she was in a very difficult situation. Her mother died and her father is paralyzed and they lost their home and land due to medical costs. They were forced to live in a small community hall in Kompong Kleang, the fishing port and brick making area where we work. Her housing situation is only temporary. Reaksmay has two younger sisters and is the sole caretaker of them all and yet she still manages to work very hard in school and English... she is only 15. We were hoping to find a little piece of property and build them a small house, however, so far this has been difficult. We had not been able to find a solution to this issue, but we are still pursuing possibilities. For the time being we will provide a small stipend for rice and food to assist the family. We also went out and bought the children and father some clothes as they did not have hardly any. The village commune council will allow them to stay for a few more months. If you met Reaksmay, you would never dream she faces such challenges in her young life. She cares for her family is hardworking and has a beautiful nature. Although we have witnessed her tears, what she demonstrates is a will to go on and make a better life for herself and her family.
These are a few short stories of how K.I.D.S. addresses some situations that are placed on our path. Although our focus is often education, healthcare, computer training and clean water for large communities of children and families, it is hard to walk past those that we meet who are facing very challenging individual situations. Your support makes it possible to also change one child, one family or one desperate situation in a significant way.
All the best,
Adrianne and Rick