Girls Taking Flight

 Dear Friends,

Today is International Women's Day, a day we recognize the achievements of women and how far they have come in the fight for their rights within the political, cultural, and social spheres. It is also a day to recognize how hard women have worked to overcome, abuse, poverty, gender inequality and to honour how they have worked tirelessly to break the cycle of poverty and strive for a better future.

Bringing education to girls and young women is essential to breaking the cycle of poverty. K.I.D.S. has helped many girls and young women to get an education through our K.I.D.S. Education Programs and supported them with post-secondary education. Most of the mothers of the girls we have supported, over the years, have never had the opportunity to go past primary school if they even had the chance to go to school at all, many are illiterate.

Phai and Sophorn grew up in orphanages and came to live at K.I.D.S home for girls when they were young. They are sisters and are now in their last year of university, they have both held good jobs while going to school. They are happy and their futures are bright! 

We met Vanna many years ago. He is a landmine victim and until Covid sold books on the streets of Siem Reap, his wife hand-washed laundry to help support their two daughters. K.I.D.S. has helped his daughters with their education and this year it was a happy day for the family when we registered the twins for accounting college. In the future, they will help their parents and ease their difficult lives.

All the girls we have supported through K.I.D.S. education programs have worked very hard and never taken their education for granted. They know that this is their opportunity to break free of a life of toil and hardship.

Sara and Yen are two of many girls and young young women who are in our Smart Kids education program. Their parents work very hard laboring in brick factories for very poor wages. They had already started working as young girl's till K.I.D.S. sponsored them for primary school, high school a vocational training program and now for university business management. They would be illiterate and more than likely be mothers few times over by their early twenties but not for your generosity and support.

These are just a few examples of how collectively we have brought education to girls and women. Over the years we have witnessed the difference we have all made in the futures of these girls. It is heartwarming to hear and see them becoming teachers, managing restaurants, working in companies and now having of their own children by choice.

This picture was drawn by one of the girls in K.I.D.S. Farm School education program, it was on the wall of the classroom under the teacher’s house where 60 kids come to study English each evening. Thank you for making many girls' dreams of education come true and helping girl's and women take flight through education.

Until Next Time,

Adrianne and Rick

Classrooms for kids from K.I.D.S.

 Dear Friends,

We hope all is well with you and yours. We recently had the pleasure to be able to visit the kids at Wat Sela school and see them happily studying and learning in the new classrooms that K.I.D.S. was able to build over this past year.

When we were here last, we often met students in our Smart Kids English Education program in an old run-down wooden classroom.

The principal, Mr. Sokha, and K.I.D.S. Smart Kids program manager Hak were telling us that the school was overcrowded and that they could really use more classrooms and a library so more children could attend school and children could have a place to read books at their pleasure.

We had the old school torn down and hired the local builders we always use to build three new classrooms.

It was so heartwarming to visit the kids in the new classrooms and see them studying and reading books in the new library.

Now more children can work at getting an education rather than having to labour in brick factories. Education changes lives forever and builds better futures. Thanks for making this dream come true for the teachers and the students!!!

Until next time,
Adrianne and Rick

Back in the Saddle

 Dear Friends,

We hope that you are well.

Not sure how many of you know that we have returned to Cambodia, we had a good but tiring trip here and managed to test negative through the PCR test, rapid test on arrival, and after a voluntary 5-day quarantine, another negative rapid test on our own to make sure we were not a threat the people of Cambodia and our friends due to covid.

We have been working post quarantine for 10 days and have connected with many friends, families, kids and contacts here. K.I.D.S. work has continued throughout the pandemic with infrastructure projects, ongoing programs, and helping families with food and supplies to survive, which we will update you on soon. It has been great for us to get back in the saddle, so to speak, and to put students back in the saddle…of bikes that assist them to have easier access to schools and education.

We have purchased 180 bikes this past week and delivered half of them with the rest to be put in the hands of students in the coming days.

A bike is a key component of a Cambodian student's access to education, which is dependent on having a bicycle due to the distance from school. We purchase reconditioned second-hand bikes from Japan. These one-speed bikes are real workhorses for Cambodians not only for students to get to school but for going to market, work or transporting just about anything it seems. Over the years we have met many students and adults who never had access to education because the $70 cost of a bike was too much for the family to bear.

We have also started to deliver school supplies to students at a few schools. The budgets at schools for notebooks, pens and other school supplies are very limited in the rural areas and for poor families, the purchase of school materials is often difficult to achieve. So students and teachers are always happy to receive any materials that K.I.D.S. can supply.

Thank you for your donations and for extending kindness to these students to help them access education.

Till next time,
Rick and Adrianne

KIDS Post

 Dear Friends,

WE hope all is well with you and yours. Two years ago this month, we had a group join us in Cambodia to help paint a rural school that K.I.D.S. supports. Healthy Role Models (HRM) is an online woman’s health, wellness and fitness program founded by Sarah Gilks, who is a creator, trainer and coach.

The 12-week program provides assistance to create healthier lifestyles through workouts, nutrition, mindset and a great supportive community. HRM also believes in philanthropy and for the past ten years has been dedicated to supporting K.I.D.S. by fundraising for classrooms, clean drinking water systems and our ongoing education programs.  

https://www.healthyrolesmodels.com

 

Sarah, her husband Alec Watson, their daughter Sophia and ten HRM women and a board member joined us to visit some of the projects they have supported as well as paint three run-down classrooms.

They were able to come and see what their kindness and generosity has done to help others. Sarah’s husband Alec Watson, is a multidisciplinary media artist. As a photographer, his work includes: filming movie posters and taking photos of many famous people. Alec has also filmed for large companies and made many award-winning music videos. His work is renowned all over the world. 

https://www.alecwatson.com 

He came on the trip to take some photos with the HRM team. Little did we know he also wanted to make a short video about KIDS work in Cambodia.

Recently Alec contacted us and gave us the video he created. The video is only 8 minutes long and is very creatively done. The photos are moving and his interview with us tells and shows the story of K.I.D.S., and of those that we assist. We want to thank Sarah, Alec and all the HRM women for their ongoing support. 

https://vimeo.com/667881803?fbclid=IwAR1EBJi81p3xjj5sGDD_kq_IFNRju8li-vwnGG_88XVsy8RVD7FFRYXpB_4

Two years have passed and we are finally heading over to Cambodia in about one week. We are really looking forward to seeing the kids, programs and great people we work with and seeing all the families that KIDS have been able to assist during Covid, thanks to our generous and kind donors. We look forward to keeping you posted from there. Our fingers are crossed we will get there.

Please take care and we wish you all the very best,

Adrianne and Rick

Home for the Holidays

 Hello Everyone,

We hope all is well with you and yours. At this time of year many of us value our homes, we decorate them for the holiday season, we have family over to share love, laughter, meals and gifts and many people come home for the holidays. We thought we would share some good news home stories at this time of year. 

 

 

We have been tracking a couple of students' families in our Smart Kids Education Program. They have been living in very challenging situations. Leng’s family, pictured above, was not allowed to live in their shack on brick factory land after the family broke up, so the mother and four children became homeless. They are now living with another student and her family in our program. The village chief and council recently granted their family a small plot of land and gave the single mother legal title to it. We never build houses for families until they have legal ownership of the land, so unscrupulous landlords cannot evict them once their homes have been built. Since she has the land we are able to start construction of their new house and toilet.

 

 

Reaksa and his brother, grandmother and single mother (absent from photo) also live in challenging conditions. Last year K.I.D.S. built them a toilet and we are happy to say this year we will be able to build them a new house. The work has already begun.

We at KIDS are very grateful for your support to help provide a place of home for these families. Your generosity will forever change their lives. 

At this time of year, even though we cannot all be together as much as we would like, we know that we carry our loved ones in our hearts and work together to create a safer and better world for everyone in different ways. 

We recently had our annual fundraiser online again. Thank you to everyone who contributed and supported KIDS to bring positive change to so many children and families. Some of you have mentioned that you did not get the link; if you have not and would like to watch our update/presentation, here it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXP81Hsfy3M

 

 

 

We widh you and yours happiness, good health, peace and joy.

Rick and Adrianne

Giving Thanks at Thanksgiving

 Dear Friends,

Thanksgiving is a time to think about all that we are grateful for and appreciate. Even during these difficult times, there is much to appreciate...Our friendships, family, community and how we reach out to others in need and how others reach out to us in our need.

Over this past year, we have been incredibly moved by the support that KIDS has received and in turn, we have been overwhelmed by the gratitude of those that collectively we have been able to help.

Each year we watch a beautiful short film called "Gratitude" by Louie Schwartzberg.

 https://vimeo.com/44131171

If you have not seen the film before, it is definitely worth watching. On behalf of all of us at K.I.D.S., we wish you and yours all the very best and a Happy Thanksgiving 

With Gratitude
Adrianne and Rick

 

August Update

 Dear Friends,

We hope all is well with you and yours. As summer comes to a close, the world continues to wrestle with COVID and all its complications. We are pleased to say that Cambodia is now getting vaccines and the Government is working to get everyone vaccinated.

 

Things there continue to stay shut down and communities, villages, neighbourhoods are closed while unemployment, food security and poverty are worsening every day. Thanks to K.I.D.S. supporters, we continue to help children and families with necessary supports for survival, especially food, medicalcare and medicine, which the families are so grateful to receive.

Many people who have tested positive must go to stay at high schools, which are being used as isolation centres. There are 10 people in a classroom and only a mat on the floor to sleep on. The families must drop off food for them daily.Many people who have tested positive must go to stay at high schools, which are being used as isolation centres. There are 10 people in a classroom and only a mat on the floor to sleep on. The families must drop off food for them daily.

Some families live in very difficult situations. Each year we try to build decent houses for the poorest families. We recently had our building team build a house for a mother of four. The woman's husband left her when her fourth child was born and, since then, she has worked labouring at the brick factory while her eldest girl is in our Smart Kids program

 

 

They were living in a sub-standard shelter and we are pleased to be able to ease her life by providing them with a new house. Now the mother works part-time at the brick factory and, since school is closed, the eldest daughter picks mushrooms most days to help with the family income. Through such building projects, we continue to be able to provide work for the village team of builders.

 

 

We are always moved by the resilience of the people we work with and meet. We are also incredibly grateful for the support K.I.D.S. received from donors. Together we are bringing the basics to those in need as well as continuing to support education for young people.

 

All the very best,

Until Next Time,

Adrianne and Rick