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	Updates from Cambodia 1998 Home » News & Events » Current News » News Archive April 1998 And life there is. Let me share just an example. I have learned all I want to know about ducks. A gosling cost about 500 riels (about 13 cents). They start laying eggs after 2 month and if fed properly they lay eggs daily. It cost 25,000 riels each day to feed 204 ducks, but their eggs are worth 30,000 riels per day, so it is good profit. How do I know? Chourn Hourn told me. She is a group leader in Siem Reap. We were sitting companionable in the shade of her thatch house after working hard all morning. The temperature was in the low 40's. Chourn is 45 but looks much older, she has 7 children and lives in a broken home on a farm that is to small. We talk about dreams to come true of cornfields and houses, latrines and wells, bicycles and motorbikes, kids school uniforms, pots and pans. Ani and Sarouen my staff sit and listen to us talk. Chourn puts her hand on my arm, a sign that she has something important to say. "You know, I think with this program, that in 2 years there will be no more poor people in Cambodia. Ani and Sarouen are deeply touched, I just smile. I know she means in her neighbourhood and I agree. Each one of them is a miracle worker in their own right. DARA'S NIGHTMARE Deth Dara is a relatively new staff. He's been with us as a development person in Siem Reap for the last year and a half. Dara is a serious man, he is full of integrity and passionate in his work. His community is called Kok Chork, a community of 5000 families who have come from all areas in Siem Reap province. They come because they were and are displaced by war and land mines. They are the unsung victims in a society where so very many are the victims. They are destitute, no money, no food, no clothes, no hope. Dara was dismayed when I chose him to work in this community. "They are so poor" he said. I said, "It is your job to help them out of their poverty." In the past year and a half, Dara has transformed the lives of more than 250 families and each month he adds another 15 families. He is untiring in his efforts. Every month I come and every month he shows me more. I met the woman with three children who had nothing and lost all hope. She told me how Dara forced her to get off the ground and begin a business. He has done that with many and they have built a bustling market. They have bought land and have built simple homes. They have given birth to healthy children and their children go to school. In my visit last June, he waited until the end of our busy day and asked me to see a family with him. My heart was torn with what I saw. There was a family of 9 children, the youngest was nothing but skin and bones. She was beyond the strength to even whimper. The other children were gathered in a huddle, too numb to respond. The father was working the land around his house, he had planted rice but the rains hadn't come. The mother was totally spent, her body bent in desperation. I asked Dara what he had done to help this family. He had given a loan for the father to buy a cart and bicycle so that each day he could work on the fishing docks carrying loads. The father proudly held up that day's earnings for me to see. 2 kilos of rice was all he earned but it was enough to feed the family one small meal that day. He hadn't been able to feed them for many months. In his hand he clutched the 1000 riels he needed to pay back the loan each day and 500 riels was for his savings. He broke my heart. I could not speak and walked away. Dara knew it would touch my soul. We stood under a nearby tree and I asked him if he knew what was wrong with the child. He would not answer me. '' She is starving, you see, and she will die. We cannot let this be." He nodded his head and we stood in misery. "We must buy food and do it now." I took all the money I had in my pockets. It was enough to buy 3 months of rice. Dara never flinched but searched his pockets and he had enough to buy fish and eggs for one week. Ani, Apo and Sarouen all searched their pockets and we had enough to buy oil and medicine. We brought the food to the family. The mother's face shone with relief, the children gasped at the riches before them. "We must feed the little one, " said I. She ate a banana and asked for more. I was fearful it was too much but she was so very hungry. We went back to the office and I asked Dara why he needed to help these people. And he told me his story. In 1975 when Pol Pot came to Phnom Penh they shot his mother in front of him. He cried for days. They took his father away and left him with two young sisters to care for. They slowly starved to death despite all he could do. "Oh, Janne, how very terrible it was to watch them die like that. For many years after, I pretended not to remember but I carried a big ball within my chest . Sometimes I thought that ball would choke me to death. And then you asked me to work with these people. Each day I see my sisters and my family over and over again in these families. Each night I dream of what happened. Many times each day, my head feels very light with what I see and I want to faint." I am stunned by his words and said gently to him, "But you don't have to do this." Dara's eyes welled with tears and he said to me, "But I must. You see, I could not help my sisters but I can help these people. I can stand with them and work with them and plead with them; and we can have hope together. The ball in my chest is getting smaller each time I work with another family. That little girl today is my sister. Do you remember Janne, when we had the war last July and we were all so very frightened that you would leave. Do you remember what you said to us that day? You said God had called you here to help the poor, to comfort all who mourn, to bring gladness and to bestow on them a crown of beauty. (Isaiah 61 the first 3 verses). Do you remember how I cried that day? It is the same answer for me, God has called me to help these people. One day they will suffer no more and the ball in my chest will be gone." The little girl died three days later. We mourned for her. Her family is doing better. Her brothers and sisters are active in their play and work. The rains came and the rice is growing. The father continues to carry his loads. They have finished their loan and got a new one. They saved enough to pay for school fees for three of the children. They walk with hope. One by one, Dara's nightmare is turning to dreams of joy. October 1998 We are at the end of our fourth year and the beginning of our fifth. This past year has been a one of extreme difficulties and wondrous miracles. It began with the aftermath of the fighting in July of 1997. The uncertainty surrounding the issues involved left the general population confused and very frightened. It affected the foreign community in a similar fashion. Many were disheartened and discouraged. This had a direct impact on our work. Local sales dropped to a minimum; foreigners unsure of their future and the future of this country stopped making homes for themselves and stopped buying. It has affected us deeply and continues to do so. The past six months with the elections and unresolved aftermath have deepened the levels of despondency. The Cambodian people hoped for a pluralistic government that would mean everyone had to get along and thereby bring peace. But old habits are hard to break and those who are called to serve still want to be served. It would have been easy to fall into this general dismay and despondency if miracles hadn't occurred. These miracles came in many forms: Our volunteer distributors, especially in Singapore and Canada, worked very hard to increase their sales. They are very successful for they enabled us to maintain sales and work for our workforce at increasing levels. They enabled us to open new volunteer systems in other countries, namely the USA and expansion in Canada. It is their spirit and their willingness to stand with these people, that makes the work a privilege to be a part of. Many people became shareholders and responded in wondrous fashion. So many individuals gave their own money to stand in partnership with us here. So many families joined with a family here and it made the difference between feeling alone and isolated to being strong in the support of others who stood with us. The people we worked with showed unbelievable courage. Despite all the doom and gloom, they stood fast. They kept their dreams intact; they kept their businesses despite being told by others to close and run; they placed their children into school; they built their homes, little by little. They gave us what we needed, courage. The staff worked so very faithfully, despite their intense fear. They never failed the people. They witnessed atrocities, they helped bury the dead. They saw several little ones starve to death and were devastated. It made them more determined than ever that it would not happen again. Where there was fear, they gave courage, where there were tears, they wiped them away; where there was hope, they rejoiced; where there was faith, they built a church. They developed faith in themselves and the people they reach. They have faith in their country despite all attempts to destroy that faith. They teach me so much. We have been given a Board of Directors in Canada, people who are volunteers. They share our vision; our hopes our fears. They hold us in their thoughts and prayers; they keep us accountable; they struggle to raise funds. They have faith in what we can do and rejoice when we do it. They give us our moral support and keep us honest. We were privileged to have four teams of volunteers come for a week to build a house for one of our people. They came eager yet fearful for all the rumours they had heard. They left transformed by the gentleness of the people; by the horror of their poverty; by their strength in adversity. They taught us humbleness. We have been privileged to work with 1319 families this year, directly impacting 10,552 people. We are not sure how many people we have impacted indirectly for many of our families reach out to their extended families. They start others in their own businesses and encourage them to have their own dreams. We have been invited to see so many of these indirect results. It is amazing. I begin to marvel at how wondrous this all is. People who don't know us, stand beside us in donations and sales, in talking of us to others; holding us in their prayers and thoughts. We reach out directly to the people here and they in turn, reach out to others that we do not know or cannot see. And then, I do know how it all works for we serve a living and compassionate God, a God of miracles who delights when we open ourselves up to Him and to His people. He has been faithful even when we fail to be faithful; He has been compassionate when we feel pain; He brings hope when there is despair. It is to Him that we give our thanks and praise. In His service, Janne Ritskes Director BACK TO TOP Home » News & Events » Current News » News Archive

Tabitha Foundation Canada

Updates from Cambodia 1998

Home » News & Events » Current News » News Archive

April 1998

And life there is. Let me share just an example. I have learned all I want to know about ducks. A gosling cost about 500 riels (about 13 cents). They start laying eggs after 2 month and if fed properly they lay eggs daily. It cost 25,000 riels each day to feed 204 ducks, but their eggs are worth 30,000 riels per day, so it is good profit. How do I know? Chourn Hourn told me. She is a group leader in Siem Reap. We were sitting companionable in the shade of her thatch house after working hard all morning. The temperature was in the low 40's. Chourn is 45 but looks much older, she has 7 children and lives in a broken home on a farm that is to small. We talk about dreams to come true of cornfields and houses, latrines and wells, bicycles and motorbikes, kids school uniforms, pots and pans. Ani and Sarouen my staff sit and listen to us talk. Chourn puts her hand on my arm, a sign that she has something important to say. "You know, I think with this program, that in 2 years there will be no more poor people in Cambodia. Ani and Sarouen are deeply touched, I just smile. I know she means in her neighbourhood and I agree. Each one of them is a miracle worker in their own right.

DARA'S NIGHTMARE

Deth Dara is a relatively new staff. He's been with us as a development person in Siem Reap for the last year and a half. Dara is a serious man, he is full of integrity and passionate in his work. His community is called Kok Chork, a community of 5000 families who have come from all areas in Siem Reap province. They come because they were and are displaced by war and land mines. They are the unsung victims in a society where so very many are the victims. They are destitute, no money, no food, no clothes, no hope.

Dara was dismayed when I chose him to work in this community. "They are so poor" he said. I said, "It is your job to help them out of their poverty." In the past year and a half, Dara has transformed the lives of more than 250 families and each month he adds another 15 families. He is untiring in his efforts. Every month I come and every month he shows me more. I met the woman with three children who had nothing and lost all hope. She told me how Dara forced her to get off the ground and begin a business. He has done that with many and they have built a bustling market. They have bought land and have built simple homes. They have given birth to healthy children and their children go to school.

In my visit last June, he waited until the end of our busy day and asked me to see a family with him. My heart was torn with what I saw. There was a family of 9 children, the youngest was nothing but skin and bones. She was beyond the strength to even whimper. The other children were gathered in a huddle, too numb to respond. The father was working the land around his house, he had planted rice but the rains hadn't come. The mother was totally spent, her body bent in desperation.

I asked Dara what he had done to help this family. He had given a loan for the father to buy a cart and bicycle so that each day he could work on the fishing docks carrying loads. The father proudly held up that day's earnings for me to see. 2 kilos of rice was all he earned but it was enough to feed the family one small meal that day. He hadn't been able to feed them for many months. In his hand he clutched the 1000 riels he needed to pay back the loan each day and 500 riels was for his savings. He broke my heart.

I could not speak and walked away. Dara knew it would touch my soul. We stood under a nearby tree and I asked him if he knew what was wrong with the child. He would not answer me.

'' She is starving, you see, and she will die. We cannot let this be." He nodded his head and we stood in misery. "We must buy food and do it now." I took all the money I had in my pockets. It was enough to buy 3 months of rice. Dara never flinched but searched his pockets and he had enough to buy fish and eggs for one week. Ani, Apo and Sarouen all searched their pockets and we had enough to buy oil and medicine. We brought the food to the family. The mother's face shone with relief, the children gasped at the riches before them. "We must feed the little one, " said I. She ate a banana and asked for more. I was fearful it was too much but she was so very hungry.

We went back to the office and I asked Dara why he needed to help these people. And he told me his story. In 1975 when Pol Pot came to Phnom Penh they shot his mother in front of him. He cried for days. They took his father away and left him with two young sisters to care for. They slowly starved to death despite all he could do. "Oh, Janne, how very terrible it was to watch them die like that. For many years after, I pretended not to remember but I carried a big ball within my chest . Sometimes I thought that ball would choke me to death. And then you asked me to work with these people. Each day I see my sisters and my family over and over again in these families. Each night I dream of what happened. Many times each day, my head feels very light with what I see and I want to faint."

I am stunned by his words and said gently to him, "But you don't have to do this." Dara's eyes welled with tears and he said to me, "But I must. You see, I could not help my sisters but I can help these people. I can stand with them and work with them and plead with them; and we can have hope together. The ball in my chest is getting smaller each time I work with another family. That little girl today is my sister. Do you remember Janne, when we had the war last July and we were all so very frightened that you would leave. Do you remember what you said to us that day? You said God had called you here to help the poor, to comfort all who mourn, to bring gladness and to bestow on them a crown of beauty. (Isaiah 61 the first 3 verses). Do you remember how I cried that day? It is the same answer for me, God has called me to help these people. One day they will suffer no more and the ball in my chest will be gone."

The little girl died three days later. We mourned for her. Her family is doing better. Her brothers and sisters are active in their play and work. The rains came and the rice is growing. The father continues to carry his loads. They have finished their loan and got a new one. They saved enough to pay for school fees for three of the children. They walk with hope. One by one, Dara's nightmare is turning to dreams of joy.

October 1998

We are at the end of our fourth year and the beginning of our fifth. This past year has been a one of extreme difficulties and wondrous miracles. It began with the aftermath of the fighting in July of 1997. The uncertainty surrounding the issues involved left the general population confused and very frightened. It affected the foreign community in a similar fashion. Many were disheartened and discouraged. This had a direct impact on our work. Local sales dropped to a minimum; foreigners unsure of their future and the future of this country stopped making homes for themselves and stopped buying. It has affected us deeply and continues to do so.

The past six months with the elections and unresolved aftermath have deepened the levels of despondency. The Cambodian people hoped for a pluralistic government that would mean everyone had to get along and thereby bring peace. But old habits are hard to break and those who are called to serve still want to be served.

It would have been easy to fall into this general dismay and despondency if miracles hadn't occurred. These miracles came in many forms:

Our volunteer distributors, especially in Singapore and Canada, worked very hard to increase their sales. They are very successful for they enabled us to maintain sales and work for our workforce at increasing levels. They enabled us to open new volunteer systems in other countries, namely the USA and expansion in Canada. It is their spirit and their willingness to stand with these people, that makes the work a privilege to be a part of.
Many people became shareholders and responded in wondrous fashion. So many individuals gave their own money to stand in partnership with us here. So many families joined with a family here and it made the difference between feeling alone and isolated to being strong in the support of others who stood with us.
The people we worked with showed unbelievable courage. Despite all the doom and gloom, they stood fast. They kept their dreams intact; they kept their businesses despite being told by others to close and run; they placed their children into school; they built their homes, little by little. They gave us what we needed, courage.
The staff worked so very faithfully, despite their intense fear. They never failed the people. They witnessed atrocities, they helped bury the dead. They saw several little ones starve to death and were devastated. It made them more determined than ever that it would not happen again. Where there was fear, they gave courage, where there were tears, they wiped them away; where there was hope, they rejoiced; where there was faith, they built a church. They developed faith in themselves and the people they reach. They have faith in their country despite all attempts to destroy that faith. They teach me so much.
We have been given a Board of Directors in Canada, people who are volunteers. They share our vision; our hopes our fears. They hold us in their thoughts and prayers; they keep us accountable; they struggle to raise funds. They have faith in what we can do and rejoice when we do it. They give us our moral support and keep us honest.
We were privileged to have four teams of volunteers come for a week to build a house for one of our people. They came eager yet fearful for all the rumours they had heard. They left transformed by the gentleness of the people; by the horror of their poverty; by their strength in adversity. They taught us humbleness.
We have been privileged to work with 1319 families this year, directly impacting 10,552 people. We are not sure how many people we have impacted indirectly for many of our families reach out to their extended families. They start others in their own businesses and encourage them to have their own dreams. We have been invited to see so many of these indirect results. It is amazing.

I begin to marvel at how wondrous this all is. People who don't know us, stand beside us in donations and sales, in talking of us to others; holding us in their prayers and thoughts. We reach out directly to the people here and they in turn, reach out to others that we do not know or cannot see.

And then, I do know how it all works for we serve a living and compassionate God, a God of miracles who delights when we open ourselves up to Him and to His people. He has been faithful even when we fail to be faithful; He has been compassionate when we feel pain; He brings hope when there is despair. It is to Him that we give our thanks and praise.

In His service,

Janne Ritskes Director

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