YES WE CAN

 Hello Everyone,

We hope your summer is going well. It is great, that for many of us, the COVID restrictions are gradually falling away. For the children and families that K.I.D.S. works with and supports in Cambodia things continue to be difficult with case numbers rising exponentially just as vaccinations are starting up.

Since March 2020, thanks to K.I.D.S. donors, we have been able to support 92 students and their families. Our efforts have kept over 500 people going for the last 16 months. We hope that as the vaccines take effect, economic activity will start to resume, so people can get back to supporting themselves and their families. The 45 children who would normally attend K.I.D.S. kindergarten cannot, as it has been closed due to covid restrictions. The children and families are now under increasing threat of hunger and food security.

Soooo if you and your family want to join KIDS FIRST INTERNATIONAL BOTTLE DRIVE please read the details in the poster below and donate the money on the link provided and if you are living in Canada you will receive a tax receipt.

Please feel free to pass this along. Thank You!

 Till next time,

Adrianne and Rick 

To Donate: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/m/62879/donation

K.I.D.S. Projects and Covid Update

 Dear Friends,

We hope all is well with you and yours. Summer is here in Canada and restrictions are lifting and vaccines are available, so this is all good news. Unfortunately in Cambodia most of the families and communities we work with are living in fear, still have very little if any work and COVID numbers are going up and most do not have access to vaccines. However thanks to K.I.D.S. and your support we can continue our family support and education programs.

We are doing everything from bringing solar power to families so they have a fan and children can study and read at night, to providing medical assistance to those who cannot afford medicine or medical treatment.

K.I.D.S. continues to provide monthly support to over 500 people. A 50kg. bag of rice, food and hygiene supplies, and a cash stipend is helping these families just get by. Each month our great team of people buy, package and deliver these much-needed supplies to families living in the villages we work in. Even though this is just the basics it is getting them through this pandemic, thanks to everyone's support.

Many student's K.I.D.S. supports continue to study at post-secondary programs online. We do not want them to lose all their hard work, so we continue to provide living expenses, books and tuition. Some of them live together with one of K.I.D.S. managers and his family, others are sharing accommodation or living at home.

 

We have also started another clean drinking water system, however, we had to temporarily shut down the construction of the project as the school is now being used to quarantine those who have tested positive for Covid. We will resume the project when we can

 

 

 

 

We would also like to extend our appreciation to Sumalee Martinflatt (K.I.D.S. youngest ambassador) and the Ecole Quarterway Elementary School students for doing a school fundraiser "Readathon". The students raised funds by getting pledges for reading in french for 17 minutes each day for a month. We were overwhelmed by the amount they raised. Thank You Kids from K.I.D.S.!!! We will use the funds for a clean drinking water system for a Cambodian school.

 

In closing, we want to thank you for your continued support, generosity and caring. We wish we could pass on all the messages we get from students, families and community members. You are assisting them to get through yet another incredibly trying time in their lives. Your kindness will never be forgotten.
Until next time,
Adrianne and Rick

Support and Sewing

 Dear Friends,

We hope this finds you all well. It has been a year now that everyone has been dealing with Covid but it appears there is good news on the horizon. Although for many, this has been a very difficult time, in Cambodia and other developing countries, this pandemic has brought much loss, including a loss of livelihood for a large part of the population. Thanks to K.I.D.S. donors like you, we have been able to continue to help the children and families that are in our education sponsorship programs. Once again we were recently able to bring needed supplies and some funds for families living in rural villages. Mostly everything is again shut down in Cambodia, so this is a huge help to these families. 

The children and families are extremely grateful for the support and we pass on their heartfelt gratitude for your kindness and generosity.

We are happy that once again K.I.D.S. is able to support WELNepal by funding another sewing program for women in southern Nepal. This great program, founded by David Walton from Toronto, Canada, supports women's literacy and education. After visiting the program sites, KIDS jumped on board to support literacy initiatives and training programs where women learn a trade to generate income and reduce poverty.

On behalf of all of us at K.I.D.S., we wish to thank you for improving and changing the lives and futures of so many people. We wish you and yours all the very best.

Until next time,
Adrianne and Rick

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

Hygiene and Health

Dear Friends,

We hope you are keeping well and we know everyone is looking forward to spring. As many of you know, K.I.D.S. is dedicated to improving the health of those living in very poor areas. A huge issue worldwide is the lack of hygiene.

The World Health Organization states that "Poor sanitation is linked to transmission of diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid and polio and exacerbates stunting. Poor Sanitation reduces human well-being, social economic development due to impacts such as anxiety, risk of sexual assault, and lost educational opportunities".

It is a fact that "6.6 million people in Cambodia don't have access to a decent toilet and 81 percent of the poorest rural Cambodians practice open defecation" (Unicef).

Each year, thanks to your generosity, we are able to build toilets for families who are identified by the school principal who resides in the brick factory and fishing area. Our team of great builders help us to construct houses, classroom and bathrooms. The good news is that, not only are we able to improve the community, but we are also able to provide employment for this team of builders, paying them a decent living wage. They are very thankful to have the work, especially during COVID when so many are unemployed.

 

The team is busy building toilets for a number of families, another good part of providing toilets/bathrooms is that the families can often share their bathroom with their extended family or neighbours so one bathroom can serve many people.

These simple bathrooms bring dignity, hygiene, safety and are used to wash clothing.

Most of the schools in this area also lack first aid materials for the students. KIDS recently provided eleven schools with these essential supplies. The children help each other by cutting each other’s nails and washing each other’s hair with a lice treatment. The teachers tend to children’s wounds and scrapes to prevent infection. The school staff and children expressed their deep gratitude.

The simple truth is sanitation saves lives!!
Thank you for helping us bring sanitation and care to so many.

Here is a little video of gratitude!!

https://youtu.be/VUolqmE-m0s

Take care and we wish you and yours all the best,
Until next time,

Adrianne and Rick

Today is International Day of Education

 Dear Friends,

We hope you are all doing well. Today is International Day of Education. As we all know education has been challenging during this pandemic with schools closing, on line learning and children/youth having limited interactions with schoolmates and friends. In lower-income/developing countries there have also been some school closures and lack of access to online studying. The global economic slow down has sadly devastated poor family incomes and more young people are at risk of dropping out of school due to lack of funds.Education transforms lives! As many of you know a large part of what KIDS does is giving young people the opportunity to get an education.

We have been able to continue all of our education programs and education support by providing school supplies for students, which the schools, kids and families are very happy to receive.

 

K.I.D.S. recently delivered more bicycles to students, so they can get to school.

We also continue to fund the kindergarten program in Stung Treng province for 45 children, they are very happy to go to school, as there is so little to do in their village and early childhood gives them a head start.

 

K.I.D.S. English programs are going well and we are able to provide food for some of our school programs, during these hard times as many families are facing food shortages.

K.I.D.S. vocational training program continues and another 10 young people have come to live with K.I.D.S. Smart Kids manager Hak and his family in the city. Some students will attend vocational hospitality training school, while others will study electrical trades and computer technology. The young people are very excited to come to the city and have this opportunity to change their futures. We continue to fund computer programs and sponsor young people who are pursuing degrees in education, accounting, computer science and business management.

 

And finally just this week we had seven students (2 have found employment and could not make the ceremony) who have graduated from the Paul Dubrule hospitality training institute. They have pedaled thousands of kilometres through scorching heat, pouring rain and muddy rutted roads on their bikes, they moved and made tons of bricks as child labourers to get to hold those certificates. For the most part they are the first in their families to graduate from elementary school, high school and post-secondary education. K.I.D.S. has been supporting their entire education since grade 6...watching their commitment and determination has been humbling. 

 

Thank You for giving children wings
through education to take flight on
their own

This is all made possible by
your generosity of kindness.

Till Next Time
Adrianne and Rick