Today is World Water Day

Hello Everyone,

 

The goal of the annual World Water Day, celebrated today, is to acknowledge the benefits of clean water and to raise awareness of the 2.2 billion people without access to safe water. The theme for this year is “Valuing Water”.

 For those of us who have clean drinking water, it is easy to take this amazing gift for granted. Not only can we drink safe water directly from our taps, but we can also bathe, flush toilets and water gardens with drinking water. Sadly, some communities in our own country of Canada lack safe water, an abysmal situation requiring immediate rectification. 

Our work in Cambodia has put us in touch with thousands of children and families who lack the basic human right to access clean water. Together with all of you KIDS supporters, we have just completed our Twentieth Water Project at a primary school in a rural Cambodian village.

The water we test is often very high in arsenic, coliform and iron, as many people get their water from ponds that are contaminated by animals, mosquitoes and chemicals used in farming. These bacteria and chemicals cause illness, absence from school and sometimes death. Over 3.4 million people do not have access to clean water in Cambodia.

K.I.D.S. water projects provide close to 16,000 children and teachers with clean safe water daily while attending school. The children and community also have access to the water systems and can take water home for their families. With a national average of close to five people per family, we are now providing over 60,000 people per day with safe water.

We also continue to monitor and test the water at all K.I.D.S. water projects to make sure all systems are working. Recently we completed upgrades on three of our older systems and we are hoping to launch at least two more projects this coming year.

It is uplifting to see the difference it makes once the water projects are up and running at these village schools. Water is truly life-changing and improves health, education and economies.

So next time, 

before you drink, 

think!!! of the value, 

you hold in your glass.

Cheers!!!

Until Next time,

Rick and Adrianne

 

International Women's Day

 Dear Friends,

Today is International Women's Day, a day to celebrate how far women have advanced and to acknowledge the social, economic, political achievements of women globally. K.I.D.S. works to improve the lives of girls and women, through education, training and support.

An example of this is the Story of Sen.

Sen was born in 1984, just after the Pol Pot regime, which launched one of the world's worst genocides. The country was engaged in the civil war when Sen was sent to a refugee camp, Site 2, on the Thailand border, her parents had abandoned her before she can remember exactly how old she was.

She lived in a bamboo shack with an old woman, going to be hungry, tired and scared, and trying to sleep while listening to bombs landing around the camp. As she grew older, she would escape to the forest to hunt for mushrooms and plants to trade for rice.

In 1990, a Cambodian Social Worker named Sinat helped her and other children by bringing them food. In 1991 Sinat offered her the chance to live in an orphanage they started in the camp.

In 1993, Sinat and the UN organized the first group of children to be repatriated back to Cambodia by train so they could live in Krousar Thmey, one of the first orphanages set up inside Cambodia. Sen's life improved: she had a bed, food, education and the opportunity to learn traditional Apsara Dancing.

 

 

When we met Sen in 2005, we encountered a lovely, smart, kind girl. We learned of her dream to attend University. After she finished grade 12 K.I.D.S supported her to fulfil her dream. Sen studied to get her Bachelor degree in English literature, doing extremely well in her studies. Upon graduation, she got a job teaching English at a private school, and also became a dental assistant for an NGO, in addition to teaching Apsara dancing. With these three jobs she worked very hard.

In 2012, she wanted to keep her culture alive and open her own Apsara Dance School, teaching dance to Cambodians and Foreigners working in Phnom Penh. For five years, her students put on traditional performances hired staff and paid everyone a fair salary, all the while providing good working conditions. It was through this work she met her husband Benoit, who worked for an NGO that provided emergency service for foreigners working with the UN and other NGOs.

 

 

 

 

 

Today Sen and Benoit now have two beautiful children. Benoit was transferred back to France by his company, where they all live happily together. As Sen says, "she has a good life while she never forgets her past". She is very grateful to K.I.D.S. donors for making her dreams come true and helping her to turn her tragedy into triumph, as have many of the women and girls with whom we work. 

K.I.D.S. is committed to supporting girls and women by providing education and vocational training. Many of the young women we have all supported have changed their futures, are healthier, happier, and so successful they will also most certainly change the futures of their children

So here's to Women around the world!!!
Happy International Women's Day.
Thank you all for your life-changing support.

 

Until Next Time,

Adrianne and Rick