Reaksmey's Dream

 Dear Friends,

We hope all is well with you and yours. Today is International Women’s Day. A day when we celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women around the world.

Many years ago Rick and I volunteered at a street children’s shelter in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The shelter helped orphaned, abandoned, very poor, and abused children. Each year we volunteered and worked there helping to paint, fix things, buy clothes, and through K.I.D.S. fund their education and cultural dance programs, etc.

After a few years, the shelter was going to be closed and You Vath (the house mother) decided that she wanted to take in the girls. So we went to her house, and thanks to K.I.D.S., we were able to do a renovation to make it bigger and started K.I.D.S. Girls Home. We had up to 23 girls at times of all ages who lived and grew up there.

Fast forward to today! We recently heard from Reaksmey, one of the girls who lived at the girls' home since she was a young child. Reaksmey is now 21 years old.

K.I.D.S. funded Reaksmey through school and when she graduated high school we enrolled her in a great hospitality training program. Reaksmey’s dream, from a teenager, was to one day travel and work in another country, she especially wanted to go to France. Along the way, with K.I.D.S. support she became fluent in English and French.

Reaksmey recently phoned us to tell us that she had received a scholarship to go to France for her final year of training. Needless to say, she was beside herself with joy and so were we. Recently the French ambassador came and met the graduates who were chosen for this wonderful opportunity.

This month Reaksmey will travel with some other students to work in France at a beautiful resort.

K.I.D.S. helped her to buy a piece of luggage, as she had never had one, and we also bought her a laptop for her work and continuing studies. She leaves Cambodia on the 27th of this month. 

This is just one story of many stories that we have witnessed over the years. Thanks to K.I.D.S. donors, we have helped many girls to get an education and find decent-paying work as teachers, accountants, electrical engineers, hotel and restaurant managers. Where many of these young women would have started having children at young ages and lived a life of poverty, they are now focused on their self-esteem, education, careers, and changing not only their futures, but the futures of the next generation of girls and women. So today, please join us in celebrating all these amazing young women who have worked so hard and for being a part of changing their futures for the better. Reaksmey promised us she would send us a picture of herself in front of the Eiffel Tower and when we receive it we will send it along.

Reaksmey's dream will soon come true.... Thanks To You!!

Until Next Time,
Adrianne and Rick