Reading Provides Lifelong Learning

 Dear Friends,

We hope all is well with you and yours. We have been visiting some of the schools we have built and support as well as some other schools that are in poor rural areas. One thing we have noticed at many rural schools is that the students do not have access to reading books. In our countries our schools usually have a library and many books that students can use to learn to read. 

This year while visiting four rural schools we noticed that the schools had lesson books but did not have many books for the children to read. The families also cannot afford to buy story books or any reading material for their children. After talking to the teachers and principals we were able to tell them that we could supply the schools with fun and interesting story books for the children. Needless to say the students were incredibly happy to have books to read. As we walked through the libraries or reading rooms it was heartwarming to see so many young people reading and enjoying the books and stories. We were also able to buy teaching materials to help the teachers with the education of the students which they were very grateful for.

Thank you for bringing joy to the children and helping the students happily learn to read and the teachers to have good materials to help them teach. Needless to say the students, teachers and families were thrilled that the children could read interesting and fun books and stories. 

All the best to you and yours.

Until Next time,
Adrianne and Rick 

Helping Babies Breathe

 Dear Friends,

We hope all is well with you and yours. As many of you know we were recently up in Stung Treng province visiting the preschool/kindergarten and computer lab we support. While we were there we went to visit the hospital in Stung Treng. The hospital is a referral hospital for the whole province serving a population of 180,000 people. It is the only hospital in Stung Treng Province. Last year we helped the hospital by providing a permanent, plumbed in oxygen system, for the emergency ward. This year we once again met with the director and the neonatal intensive care staff as well. 

 They asked us to help them again by providing a permanent oxygen system and purified air system for the children’s ICU ward. We visited the ward and it was very moving, there were so many small babies and the old oxygen bottles they were using were problematic due to transport and dirt infiltration. There was also no way to supply the children with purified air due to the constant dust in Cambodia in the dry season, they needed a solution. Seeing the very small ill babies was incredibly moving and we felt we had to help these poor children, their families and the hospital.

 

Thanks to our wonderful donors we were able to provide these two life saving systems. Needless to say the staff, parents and the Hospital Director were incredibly grateful that K.I.D.S. could assist with this much needed infrastructure.

Thanks to our donors these beautiful children will achieve a strong start to life. The Director, Doctors and Nurses asked us to pass on their huge gratitude for helping the hospital help these children get a healthy start in life. We also want to Thank You All for your support, kindness and generosity.

Wishing you and yours all the very best,
Adrianne and Rick

Homes for Hope

 Dear Friends,

We hope all is well with you and yours. As many of you know one of KIDS focuses is to provide decent houses to very poor families living in the brick factory area. Many families live in terrible conditions due to poor wages. Even the children have to work in the factories to help their families make a living.

Each year, thanks to K.I.D.S. donors, we are able to help some of the families, who's children attend our Smart Kids English Education program. The principal of the school and our coordinator of the Smart Kids program decide on which families are the most in need of a decent place to live. We also visit the houses that the families have to live in and are always moved by the terrible conditions they must endure.

This past year, thanks to our donors, we have been able to build five new houses for the poorest families. One family had to live inside the brick factory in the corner of the open building without walls, a dirt floor and not a private bathroom. Needless to say the families are thrilled to have a decent home to live in.

Recently we went out to deliver some basic needs for the homes, like: mats, cleaning supplies, blankets and mosquito nets. One of the mothers cried and as we gave her a hug; she deeply thanked all of us for helping she and her family live a decent life.

It is truly heartwarming to visit the families once they have moved into their new homes, it will change their lives for the better and they are incredibly grateful.

There are many children who live, work and play in the brick factories. 

Thank you for improving the lives of some of them and for helping us create better futures for the children. 

Wishing You and Yours all the very best, 
Till Next Time, 
Adrianne and Rick

Kindergarten to Computers

 Dear Friends,

We hope all is well with you and yours. We recently went up to the northeastern province of Stung Treng to visit the projects we have been helping for many years. Stung Treng Province is one of the poorest provinces in Cambodia. After a long bus trip we arrived and the next day we went to see programs we are supporting. For many years, thanks to our donors, KIDS has supported a daycare/preschool for very poor children, as well as a computer lab for older students to learn how to use computers, We arrived and 40 kindergarten children came running toward us, they gave us hugs and the teachers were very happy to see us.

This past year we partnered with Kindred Hearts Cambodia, another Canadian organization and together we built a new playground for the children, which they love!

We also visited the computer program we fund and talked with the students, they are very excited to learn computer skills which will assist them with finding decent employment. The teachers are very happy to teach the young people these skills. Chan the director is very grateful for everyone's help and support.

As always, we like to upgrade the toys and learning materials for the preschool, so we went with the teachers to buy new toys and educational materials. When we brought them back to the centre the kids were thrilled and immediately started to play with everything...so fun to watch such joy.

If you would like to see a short video of the kids; please click this link.

https://youtu.be/bISijmRB7Rc 

"Nothing lights up a child's brain like play"

Thank you for your kindness and generosity to help improve the lives of all these wonderful kids.

Wishing You and Yours All the Very Best,

Till Next Time,
Adrianne and Rick

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A New Year and New Hope

 Dear Friends,

We see that the New Year is upon us! A time we often reflect on what has been and what will come. Also, a time to be grateful for all our friends and family and all we have been through together. We are very grateful to have you all in our lives and we wish you and yours a HAPPY NEW YEAR that brings good health, happiness, new adventures, and love.

K.I.D.S. funded another medical mission with the children's hospital to another refugee camp sheltering a 1,000 families escaping the war with Thailand on the border. We once again joined the team of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and support staff.The good news is that Thailand and Cambodia have signed a peace agreement which seems to be holding. However, there are still thousands of people who still need help to get home and rebuild.

When we arrived, it was difficult to see how thousands of people were living under tarps at the pagoda and trying their best to get by. Everyone was very happy to see the medical team and we immediately began setting up the tables for the clinic and the doctors and nurses began seeing patients.

While we began to organize people to receive blankets, mosquito nets, toys and snacks for the children. Everyone was very happy, especially the kids who were soon blowing bubbles and playing badminton and eating goodies. We also set up a station where families could receive blankets and mosquito nets which they were very grateful for. Thank goodness for the medical team from Angkor Hospital for Children...they were able to give out medication and help to those that were struggling with medical issues.

Even though there is a peace treaty right now, many of these people have lost their homes because of the bombing and some land will not be habitable due to unexploded bombs. So, it will be difficult for some of them to return but hopefully there will be some help there. We said goodbye to everyone and wished them all the best. They were all very grateful!!!

We packed up the vehicles and headed back to Siem Reap. On the way we saw two families living on the side of the road in a field...they were also displaced from the border so we stopped and gave them materials that would help them....very sad...the kids were so excited to have some treats and toys.

Thank you for supporting K.I.D.S during this very tragic time. Your kindness and generosity has helped so many to survive a very difficult period in their lives. Let's hope the New Year will permanently end this terrible situation and help these people reclaim their lives. If the peace treaty holds, we will use our contacts at the children's hospital to try to help some families rebuild their homes and lives.

If you would like to see a short video and more pictures of the day, please click this link:

 https://youtu.be/b0T-WfgHJN8?si=4NdlZ7lxSIOa26nW

"The flowers that bloom tomorrow
are the seeds
you planted today" 

Indian Proverb 

Sending Love and Gratitude to you all for your support.
Here's to a Happier, Healthier, Hopeful New Year.
Love
Adrianne and Rick

To Unsubscribe, Please Email: rlad.kids@gmail.com