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	Updates from Cambodia 2003 Home » News & Events » Current News » News Archive February 3.2003 There is nothing like a couple of good nights' sleep to restore equilibrium. WE had an APC in front of our house shooting to dispel rioters - kept us awake until early morning - rather it kept me awake - thank goodness Miriam thought it was firecrackers and slept through most of it. The weekend was quiet except we received one of our 2 teams - they are building 10 houses this week without me - I get to keep the city quiet and the staff feeling safe because I will be in town. Some of us were joking over Xmas that things had been so good it was time for another coup - we will no longer joke about it - the riots came as a shock to everyone - demonstrations are quite common and easily managed but this got out of hand - seemed to be well orchestrated and Thai businesses were all destroyed - who ever is behind the orchestration knew the emotions and the people well enough to expect this. Rather sad, I think. Janne Wednesday February 5, 2003 Dear friends and partners, It is hard to believe that the first month of the year 2003 has already passed. So much has happened since I last wrote to you. Our Christmas holidays were a delight for my little family. It was our first holiday in our new home - complete with a yard and trees and room to ride bicycles. Miss Miriam received an outdoor fish pot, complete with fish from friends. She was dismayed to see several little bodies floating the next morning. I tried to explain to her that she couldn't keep catching the fish in the net and taking them for a walk. She was a bit puzzled by this - then what do I do with them? Well, said I, talk with them and feed them. The next morning - more little bodies. Miriam was a bit put out - the fish were very put out. I asked her what she had done - I talked to them Mom, I caught them in my net and talked to them one by one - more explanations about how to care for the fish. We now have a number of baby fish and one big one left, but they are no longer being walked or taken out for a talk For my staff, holidays are difficult. Too much time to remember, too many sleepless nights. For Nari, this holiday was a time to finally lay her parents to rest. She found out where they had been murdered by the Khmer Rouge. Her travels took her back to the jungles to another killing field and there she had ceremonies for her parents. It has been a month - the nightmares are less - her parents no longer visit her in her dreams. Despite all this, Nari is drained and so very tired. We had tremendous response to our wells appeal - so let me give you an update on how far we have come - 193 wells have been dug to date - currently, there are 5 more in Prey Veng, 7 in Siem Reap, 3 in Takeo and 3 in Kandal being dug. Thank you to all of you who have made this possible. We made a trip to Prey Veng to look at the wells - it is amazing what water will do for people. As we walked from one family to another - looking at newly dug gardens and ingenious irrigation systems , I turned to Pat and Ponleng - I asked them if they remembered our conversation of 2 years ago, when I asked why the people in Prey Veng did not grow vegetables. Pat looked rather sheepish and had a wry smile - he answered: "we said they didn't know how to grow vegetables. We were wrong", said he, "we have learned it is more important to ask the people themselves before we say they cannot do things". In the middle of this month, we had a volunteer team come from Australia and build 9 houses in Kompong Som - it was very good - after which the team presented us with a new computer and all its magic - this too, they tell me, will be very good. If you don't get this newsletter, you know that I am still working out the bits and pieces of making it work. If you do get it - well, its a good day. I often wonder if it is right to get these new gadgets - to spend money which could be spent on our families - people who often are unable to eat 3 times a day. And as I struggled - I was comforted. A number of my staff joined my family for a meal. As is our custom, we gave thanks to our God for our blessings. This time was Tuit's turn to pray - she had seen the new computer and all the effort it took to put it into working order - and then she prayed: " thank you God for the new computer - for it will help Janne to help many more families in Cambodia - for this we are so very happy because so many families need our help" Thank you God for all of you - for your support and encouragement - for standing with us in the good times and the bad times - for showing us new ways of doing things - for your willingness to do things the old ways. It is so very good. Janne Wednesday, April 09. 2003 Dear friends and partners, It is hard to believe that another month has passed - April and the hot = weather have arrived alongside pestilence and war. All have their own impact on our work here The past few weeks, we have had the privilege of having Jude Quarry from Tabitha - Australia join us. Jude's work has focused on helping me put = together several information tools to be used by our different = supporters. I asked Jude to share with all of you some of her insights = into our work here. She kindly consented to do so. Here are her impressions. Good-day mates, Since we adopted our gorgeous Khmer son, Hansa, in 1996, I've lost count of the number of times we've visited Cambodia - I think it's eleven. Of those visits, five have been with building teams and three of those trips have been to Kompong Som Province. Each visit I have got to know Janne and the Tabitha staff more and have learned a little more about Tabitha-Cambodia and how it works. Like most people, my visits have been short and my exposure has been only to specific aspects of Tabitha: cottage industry and house building, in particular. However, slowly, slowly the penny is dropping and I believe I'm beginning to understand the big picture - the breadth and depth of Tabitha's programs and their enormous effect on thousands of the poorest people of Cambodia. Although I can honestly say I didn't have any preconceived ideas of what I might be doing when I decided to volunteer at Tabitha, I also have to admit that I didn't know exactly what talent it was that I was bringing with me. I've spent most of my life working independently at a job that basically required me to write very fast - I didn't see at first - and I still don't - how that particular skill would be of much use. I confess I was secretly horrified at Janne's first request: to produce a document describing the importance of the Tabitha Savings Program - how that program can enable the poorest people to break a cycle of poverty and debt and empower them to take charge of their own lives. I would have to put the living situation of these people under the microscope and isolate many of the day-to-day obstacles they have to overcome. "Sure. Easy, Janne." Even after so many visits to Cambodia, I still find myself confronted by the poverty endured here. I roll along in my own existence believing that I understand and recognize what that poverty means in everyday terms to the people here. But I don't really. Sometimes I get some of it. How does an average middle-class Aussie dame really grasp the fact that, if a person washes, they have only the one set of clothes to dry themselves off with, and wear; that a family of eight may have one container from which they will all take a turn to drink; and that one small meal of rice a day is the norm. Do I really understand how difficult it is for people that dirt poor to manage to find 500 riel (USD0.12) each week to save with Tabitha? That is the amount we are talking about that people save when they first join the savings program Where do these same people find the trust to hand that money over to the Tabitha staff member collecting those savings? I don't have the expression or writing skills to answer that last question adequately; you really have to meet these remarkable Tabitha people to begin to understand their level of commitment to the poor in their communities and to the Tabitha Program. To grasp the size of the Tabitha Saving's Program, you have to consider the amount of USD256,000 - that is the total savings for the period October-February - and realize that that is made up of weekly deposits ranging from as low as USD.012 up to USD5! Tabitha pays 10 percent per ten-week cycle on those funds. Where does this money come from? It comes from supporters such as yourselves Like myself, I'm sure many of you were attracted to Tabitha because of its "lean" nature - no new four-wheel drives running around town, no staff perks and no big salaries. I was also attracted because support did not mean handouts, which do not allow respect for an individual's pride and disregards their dignity. Money is tight around Tabitha because all funds that come in are absorbed pretty quickly. Extra money translates to expanding projects! No extra funds sitting in the bank here. I am reminded of that most day's, when I see or hear Nari and Janne juggling this or that amount to pay expenses. Tabitha operates in a rather unpredictable financial environment - sometimes it's not known where or when money is coming in; on a month-to-month basis, the financial situation can often be described as precarious and unpredictable to say the least. A solid support base and revenue stream would make life here so much easier. Week after next we have our Aussie building team arriving - and in that = description I include our honorary American member. We originally committed to build four houses on this trip, but due to a disastrous fire in one of the communities, Vonn (Tabitha's manager in Kompong Som) has asked us to build ten smaller houses. She has managed to source some very cheap materials, so our USD3,200 is able to stretch that far. Usually, when we bring a team over to build, we bring the funds with us and present them to Janne sometime during that week, oblivious to the fact that materials for the houses have had to be purchased well in advance and staff have had to travel to the chosen province and village to do the preliminary hard work, requiring them to be away from home for some time. What a difference it can make to Tabitha's financial worries, if that money is received in advance! I suppose because I came in here with no expectations, I have been surprised and delighted by the unexpected pleasure and privilege of working alongside the women here at Tabitha headquarters - strong, proud, determined, funny women. I have been made to feel so very welcome and spoiled with gestures of undeserved kindness - Nari keeping my son in the "best quality" dried fish; regular cups of coffee from Sina and Pisette; inquiries into the well being of my family from Vonn on her weekly visits from Kompong Som, and much, much more. However, I believe I received the best compliment last week when Nari relayed to me the comments of some of the ladies working here that I am "like a Khmer lady, not like a foreigner", because "she speaks quietly and dresses like a lady, not sexy" (I'll take that as a compliment - and those of you who know me will be guffawing about the word "quietly"). Finally, I feel very fortunate to have met Janne Ritskes and privileged to be allowed to play a small part in this incredible organization. I think I can anticipate that Tabitha-Cambodia will not stop here - I get the feeling there is plenty of energy left and many ideas still to come. Of course. What else would you expect? Jude Thanks to all of you. our suppoters and friends for making all of this happen. God is so very good in and through each of you. Janne Friday, 9. May 2003 Dear friends and partners, I was asked this week to compose four short stories for children attending a Sunday school class. They had raised some money for wells and wanted to know about children involved in our program. The teacher suggested I include a story about Miriam. I wrote the stories and as I was re-reading them, I thought I should share these snippets with all of you. Do enjoy them and remember why they were written. SINO Sino is a ten year old boy and he lives with his parents and 6 brothers and sisters in a small house. The size of the house is about 2 meters by 2 meters - at night time Sino and some of his brothers sleep outside because there isn't enough room inside. It's also very dark because they don't have electricity. Sino does not go to school - he can't because it is his job to get water everyday. Every night, Sino must get up at 3:30 am to fetch water. He walks about 3 kilometres and then he must wait in line with many others to wait his turn to fill his cans. Then he carries it home. He has a long pole with 2 cans on each side. His shoulder has a big callous from where he carries the water. If he is careful on the way home. Sino doesn't spill any water and it is enough for the day - if not, he has to go back for more. Usually Sino is home by 10 in the morning and then he must help his parents work in the fields. Only a couple of people in his family get to wash each day. Sino's family needs a well - if he had a well; Sino would be much stronger for now he often has diarrhoea because he cannot keep himself clean. If they had a well, Sino could go to school. Instead of waking early and missing school he could sleep longer and go to school and still be home at 11 to help his family. School is only half day in Cambodia because many of the children must help their parents or they will not have enough food or water for the day. It would be so good if you children could help Sino and his family. A well costs $100.00 US to dig - and that well would not only help Sino's family but would help 9 other families who are his neighbours THARRY Tharry is 13 years old and lives with her 4 brothers and 3 sisters in a small house - she is always carrying a small child on her hips. Last month when I visited, Tharry came out with her head shaved and her hands folded. She kept saying thank you, thank you. I asked her why she was thanking me. She said, her father had died last year and this year her mother had got very sick. Tharry, at 13 years of age, had started saving her little money with us a year ago - when her mom was sick, she = was able to use her savings to buy her mom the medicine she needed. Her mother got better because they could go to a doctor. Her father died because they did not have the money. Tharry shaved her hair to say thank you. I thought she was a very brave girl - but she made me ashamed when she said thank you because she was the one who did all the hard things like saving her money instead of buying treats - she was the one who took care of her mom. She made me thankful that God would let her be a part of my life and teach me how to care for others. MIRIAM Just before Christmas 5 years ago - a little girl was born - whose name was Miriam. Miriam's mom was very sick with AID's and died shortly after Miriam was born. Miriam's mother had written a letter asking for someone to take care of her baby girl because she knew that she would die soon. She new her tiny girl was also sick. Miriam was put into an orphanage run by Sisters of Mother Theresa. They phoned me about her. When I came to see her she was so tiny, wrapped in a towel and covered with purple gentian because she had some bad rashes. She cried a lot. The sisters asked me to find a parent for her, Miriam was positive for HIV and so no parents would take her because they are afraid of this illness. The sisters could not keep her because they were afraid she would make the other children sick. As were talking about her - a choir was singing: Away In a Manger - no crib for a bed - and I felt like Jesus was talking to me. "Here is my child", He said, "She has no crib either." I told Jesus that I would not be a good mother because I was so busy; I said my house was too small; I said I did not have enough money to raise her - I had so many reasons why I should not take her - but Jesus did not listen to my excuses - He kept saying in my heart "What you do for the least of these you do for me." Miriam was a least one - she was born tiny and sick and to a mom who had a sad job - she was a prostitute. I took Miriam home with me and Jesus said "don't be afraid." Over the years, Miriam has become a miracle child - she is no longer sick - she can hear and she can speak - the doctors said she was blind and deaf - Miriam is now 4 and half years old - she speaks to Jesus every night - she tells him: "I love you because you put me in my mommy's heart - I love you because you are in my heart. Jesus gave me the gift of life". KIERAN Kieran is 15 years old - he lives with his family of 7 children and parents in a small house just outside the city. Kieran had a dream - he had a dream of going to school. He couldn't before because there was no money for school and he lived a long ways from school. He had to help his parents on the farm because he was the oldest child. 2 years ago Kieran started to save money with us - it wasn't much but every week it added up - after one year he had saved enough to buy a bicycle. Now he could bicycle to school and still have time to work on the farm. Then 6 months ago he saved enough to pay for school fees for himself and 2 of his brothers. He went to the school and he asked to be enrolled. The school said he could come but he would have to start in the first grade because he had to learn how to read and write. Kieran is a big boy - he is 16 - this meant he would have to sit with the little kids. I thought this would be too hard for him but Kieran taught me a lesson - he said that if he did not sit with the little kids, then he would never learn about everything and that would mean "'his mind would always be hungry for food" - I marvelled at how he said that and he had given me food for my mind. Kieran can now read a little bit and he can sign his name - he now sits in the grade 3 class - he is still the biggest boy and he still gets teased - but not much - because Kieran is teaching all of us that being different doesn't mean very much - what others think doesn't count for much - Kieran thinks more about what is important for himself and for his family. Kieran has courage and strength and he knows what he believes in. He has become my teacher. I do want to thank all of you - especially the children, for making so much possible for so many others here in Cambodia. Janne Saturday June 28 2003 Dear friends and partners, Today is the beginning of the election campaign for the national parties and the city is noisy with the sounds of promises and challenges. The favourite methodology adopted by one and all is to load party members and sympathizers on trucks and roar down the city streets - yelling and singing. There are 23 parties vying for seats in the national assembly - so often campaigns cross each other in the highways and byways - then the noise trebles - mostly, its good fun. Those on the trucks are given free T-shirts and 10,000 riels for their day of yelling. Its a good way to earn a few dollars. Many switch between parties -one party in the morning and another in the afternoon so that they can receive double the pay. For many in Cambodia, elections are a time of stress and worry - the past has shown that it is often the time for violence and recriminations - what makes this year different is that there are no longer private armies attached to private campaigns - the army is now one and the threat of violence has been decreased dramatically. For the past three months, we have been severely affected by the SARS scare - no tourism and many house building teams did not come. Now the elections pose another hurdle - in several of our projects it is difficult to get to our communities as all the parties come and line up to give their speeches. The families are bewildered for it is only at election time that these people come. Most make promises of money, free T-shirts and caps - the people are not adverse to taking all - problem is how to hide what they have received - how not to miss out on all the gifts yet to be given What is also clear is that each one will vote the way they want - elections is about speaking their minds - it is done in the ballot box where there is privacy and very few will divulge who they will vote for It is power and it is a power they take seriously. We do like elections for it also the time that many roads are fixed. We have expanded to Kirivon, a project near the Vietnam border in Takeo province. The trip becomes a test of endurance - the first 100 kilometres are relatively good roads - it is the last 38 kilometres that take 3 hours to traverse. The people have come out in throngs to meet us - our program is well received and within a month - 160 families have been enrolled. Then came the election campaigning and the party members stamina rejected the "road from hell" and repairs have begun. Unfortunately, we now must take detours through rice paddies on patches being fixed. We hope that it will be completed before the elections take place. We visited Bati, a project where 6 wells were dug for thirty families. They are too busy to be concerned about elections. Each family has a 1/4 hectare (about 1/2 acre) plot for vegetables. A year ago, the annual income for these families was a little over $100 per annum. The wells were dug in January of this year. Since then, each family had grown and harvested 3 crops of various vegetables - bringing in an average income of $100 per harvest - or $300.00 - they all bought 2 pigs - for water is very necessary during the hot, dry months. These pigs were bought for $25.00 a pair - they were sold 2 weeks ago for an average of $250.00 a pair. The families like it when we come - there is so much to show. Last year, when we came, the men, women and children all gathered around - this year, only a few women and small children came. The men were in the vegetable patches working; the women were harvesting and getting things ready for the market - the children, well, the children are in school - for the first time. There is money for school fees and savings had bought bicycles. One family had bought a water pump - they were not only growing vegetables and raising pigs - they were growing a second crop of rice - there is no hunger for them this year. Keep us in your prayers over this month as the election fever grows. Pray for safety for our staff and our families, pray that peace may reign - pray that the people speak loudly and clearly for those they want in power. Thank you for enabling us to be here in times of stress as well as the good times. Janne Monday September 29. 2003 Dear friends and partners, During the past two months, so very much has happened. We had our annual staff meetings and made plans for our up coming year - beginning in October. Our vision is to reach out to 16,000 families with128,000 people - a vision that is reachable and manageable. The decision came after we reached a milestone in August when we had over 11,000 families in our program. It came after the elections took place - a very peaceful and well run election. The opposition did not win and as is their norm, they take defeat very badly. But there was no violence. The decisions came after the community development staff spent 2 weeks travelling to each other's work sites - learning about how we are all the same and learning how we are all different. Some of the excitement was in variety of impacts on families who had been saving for 2 years - did you know you can grow vegetables a meter up from the ground on bamboo platforms? Did you know that a family can do 4 pigs instead of the usual 2? Did you know that people with secure housing can earn double the income as all the adults are able to work? Did you know the number of orphans who are able to pay their own way through school? Did you know how many healthy babies were born this year? The staff are amazed at their own results - its hard to see when you are doing the work - you are too close. But to see it through the eyes of your peers - what a gift that is. There was sadness to - in several of our projects it has become obvious that the impact of AIDS is unrelenting and sad - where two years ago - the number of 2 parent families averaged in the 80% -now its down to 50 and 60% -most of the deaths attributed to AIDS. What is comforting and sustaining is the number of orphans being raised by grandmothers and being supported by everyone - even the poorest. Sometimes, these people teach us so very much. After the terrible slump in sales and volunteer teams caused by the scourge of SARS - August and September have turned into miraculous hopes for the coming year. The faithfulness of our TabithaFoundations during the slump carried us through - then came the orders from the US - then my annual visit to Singapore - a dream come true as Friends of Tabitha in Singapore held our first ever silk bedding show - a miracle that has driven despondency far from us and has turned to dreams for all. The volunteer house builders have returned - building houses and building our visions: If you could do what you wanted - what would you do? And so we become strong because so many stand with us. For me personally, it is also a time of sadness - my aged mother is nearing the end of her life - I miss her friendship, her wisdom, her humour. I miss being with her. And yet there is thankfulness and rejoicing - laughter and tears with family members - grief shared with my Cambodian family - their sorrow marked by their inability to say good bye to loved parents who died in unknown places in unmarked graves. So I am surrounded by grace and comforted with love. It is as mom would have it. Thank you to each of you for being with us - for making so many people's lives, ones of hope and vision rather than of despair. I thank my God for His faithfulness and grace - for making each of you a part of all of us here. Janne Monday, November 03 2003 Dear Friends and partners, We have just finished our first month of our new fiscal year and what a month it has been. Our first highlight is that we have sold more than $70,000.00 Cottage Industry products in the month of October. Our highest ever sales month and what a joy that is. Now $30,000.00 came as a result of our bedcover sales promotion in Singapore - a show put on by the Friends of Tabitha in September. What impact did this have on our work force? We had people sewing and cutting in all parts of the building. Customers had to weave their way over bodies and bedcovers. Our weavers were so busy. It was a noisy month but it was a good noise. There was a lot of joking and story telling - a lot of competition on who got to get me to say, " wow, is that ever nice" first each day - or who got the first hug, or who got the first, "are you sure that's the right colour?" Then we got more orders from Singapore, USA, and the UK for Christmas items - stars everywhere, scarves and shawls being delivered and packed - toys being made to order. It was soo very good after a long hard summer. To enliven things even more, we had 8 teams with 173 volunteers come in to build 27 houses in 3 weeks - another record. These volunteers did their own shopping - much to the delight of our workers - their income soared from an average of $80 per month in the summer to an average of $300 per worker in the month of October. How good that is. The volunteers brought their own joys to us. This year, the annual floods did not come in the usual places - instead it rained and rained wherever our teams had to build. Some of the teams built in water that was thigh deep and in mud that sucked the shoes off your feet. I tried to warn them, but still one said to me when it was done -" you told us about the water, you didn't tell us about the mud." A slight over sight on my part. Some teams had the misfortune of having to walk 3 kilometres to a work site - floods had caused the roads to wash out. Another team quivered as the road fell away beneath their van - lifting vans back on the road is not on the normal house building agenda. Some of the comments from the volunteers reminded us as staff - just what poverty is. "The people don't even have electricity" deeply affected one person, while "the family only had rice to eat for lunch" came from another. Another person was amazed at how proud a family was of their ten ducks held in a pen, another was saddened that there were still so many others in the area who needed homes; and yet another mentioned that the plastic sheets used to provide a semblance of toilet facilities for the volunteers should just be a touch higher as it was only possible to bend so low. Several teams were delighted that "real" ladders were now being used - all thanks to Paul who vowed never to build another house without a proper ladder. At the house presentations, the women folk wore smiles from ear to ear while husbands struggled to keep the tears from flowing freely - the children couldn't wait to move their few possessions inside. From the volunteers who worked in the mud and the water, there was a deep satisfaction that the families they built for, would finally sleep high and dry. For us, as staff, it was a constant reminder that we are so blessed to have so many stand with us and beside us as we stand with and beside these people who have so little. To end this magical month, we celebrated Miriam's fifth birthday. It was the perfect opportunity to say well done to each other, to laugh and to dance, to hug and to share. 217 people came to celebrate last Friday - staff, workers, families and friends - many of whom had never been to a party in their lives. For Miriam, it was as it should be - "I am so blessed mummy, I have so many aunties and uncles, from all over the world - I am Cambodian, and Canadian, and Australian, and American, I am Singaporean and I am Taiwanese - and we can help so many people - I thank Jesus that He made me so". Me too, my little one, me too. Thank you all for making so much possible for so many. Janne December 4.2003 Dear friends and partners, It is the month of the Christmas season. For Tabitha Cambodia it is the month of preparation and celebration of the reason for our existence - of Jesus' birth and the miracle of love. This miracle of love is expressed in so many ways. Last week was one of those moments. In May, I shared a story about Tharry - a 13 year old girl who had saved with us so that she could help her mom buy medicine before her mother died. Tharry and her 7 siblings became orphans that month. Their parents both died of AIDS. But I didn't tell you the rest of the story. Let me start with sharing that story one more time: I wrote in May 2003: Tharry is 13 years old and lives with her 4 brothers and 3 sisters in a small house - she is always carrying a small child on her hips. Last month when I visited, Tharry came out with her head shaved and her hands folded. She kept saying thank-you, thank-you. I asked her why she was thanking me. She said, her father had died last year and this year her mother had got very sick. Tharry, at 13 years of age, had started savings her little money with us a year ago. When her mom was sick, she was able to use her savings to buy her mom the medicine she needed. Her mother got better because they could go to a doctor. Her father died because they did not have the money. Tharry shaved her hair to say thank you. I thought she was a very brave girl - but she made me ashamed when she said thank you because she was the one who did all the hard things, like saving her money instead of buying treats - she was the one who took care of her mom. She made me thankful that God would let her be a part of my life and teach me how to care for others. This little girl's name is not Tharry - it is Srei Nop - I used the name Tharry because we have so many children that I cannot remember all their names and so I gave the name of our staff person in charge of this project - Tharry. Srei Nop's mom died of AIDS a few weeks later and after her death, we were in a quandary of what to do for these children. The village chief advised us against putting the children in an orphanage - he said an uncle would come to take the children to his home. And so I let it go. Tharry didn't let it go - but she didn't say much other than we needed to build 4 more houses in Svay Raloam before we graduated the families out of our program. With 11, 000 needy families, I was not too keen to build yet again in an area that was doing so well. Tharry persisted - she got other staff to ask for us to build there - and still I resisted - then at the annual staff meeting - the entire staff said - we must build there one more time. The reason - there are so many children in these families. The time to build came last week. On the last morning, I went out to see how the building was going. What I saw - made me sad - for we were building for families that were not so needy. It's true - their houses were small but they only had 1 - 2 children. I watched the team as they built. Tharry and the other staff stayed far from me - they looked nervous. Then I saw Srei Nop and her youngest brother and I was confused. Finally, I called Tharry over and I asked her what was going on. The one house was being built for Srei Nop and her 6 siblings - the uncle had come but couldn't take all the children and so he abandoned them all. The community rallied around and a family came forward to say - they would take the children but their little house was too small - some of the children had to sleep somewhere else and the children felt like they had lost their entire family. There were other orphans as well in this village - 17 children from 4 families - none had a home - 3 other families from our program came forward and took them in. All had the same problem - the houses were too small and the children were split up each evening. Tharry decided that we must build. And so the volunteers came and the houses were built. The foster moms stood around me as Tharry shared her story. I bowed deeply to each one and said thank-you. I owed them so much - each house built has 10 children and the foster moms said - we can help a few more. Why? I kept asking. Then Sina, our sales manager answered the question: "You know Janne, I love working for Tabitha", she said, "because you are so kind - you always listen to us and you help us all to listen to others. Tharry did this because she learned what kindness is - and our work is to be kind to all the families that we work with. These families saw us being kind to them and now they are being kind to others in their communities. That is what makes Tabitha so different from other NGO's, she said- we work with each family and we listen and we help - we learn how to be kind and then help others to be kind." I am humbled by this miracle - this miracle of life - this miracle of love - I am humbled by the gift of Christmas. On behalf of all of us, I wish each and everyone of you the kindness of Christmas - the kindness each of you has shared with us, so that we can share kindness with so many here. Janne Directors comments to the 9th Annual Report, October 2003 Dear Friends and partners, It is the end of our ninth year - a year full of blessing; a year of growth and consolidation; a year of strengthening our vision. This report is not long, but it contains a an extra-ordinary amount of accomplishments The staff have increased by 4 - their outreach to families increased from 7,093 families at the beginning of the year to a years total of 11,417 families - directly impacting 91,336 people. Using their own meagre recourses they saved $486,635 and effected an immense change in their lives. Tabitha was able to say "well done" to these families by paying out $48,6663.50 in a ten percent interest reward on these savings. The Provinces of Kandal and Kompong Som graduated two large communities within their project area. In Kandal: ChoumPoukEyke with 481 families was graduated and in Kompong Som the commune of PhumThmey with 668 families was graduated. Both of these communities have achieved remarkable growth and we are thankful, that we were able to serve them. Our 353 house building volunteers built 99 houses this year, an increase of 45 houses over last years program. We were able to dig 357 wells - enabling 1,785 families with 14,280 people to have access to clean, potable water and to increase their income by at least 50%. It truly is a gift of life. Cottage Industry sales were less than expected this year. There were several factors involved - the main factor was the incidence of SARS in the region. Many of our volunteers and tourists stayed home rather than travel, for four months out of this program year. The impact was immediate and harsh. We have grown in our partnerships - Tabitha Foundation USA and Tabitha UK were registered - joining our mother Foundation in Canada and Tabitha Australia. The impact of these foundations was immediate - during Tabitha's hunger months this year - it was the foundations who enabled us to continue our work. We thank each member of these foundations and we praise our God for their partnership. We are indebted to the families that we work with - their indomitable spirit - their courage in taking each step - their resilience in times of sorrow - their joy in times of success - they have taught us so very much. What a privilege it is to be part of all of their lives. Our report is a summery of what was accomplished this year. As such, it only reflects the end result. It does not and cannot share the moments of joy, the pain of loss, the daily work of reaching out and touching so many others. It cannot adequately explain the comfort and the strength that you, our friends and partners , gave us. God's Grace is ever present and ever felt - without our God, none of this would have been possible. Without you, His instruments, we would have failed. We are so very grateful to each and everyone of you and to Him, who makes this all possible In His Name, Janne Ritskes, Director BACK TO TOP Home » News & Events » Current News » News Archive

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Updates from Cambodia 2003

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February 3.2003

There is nothing like a couple of good nights' sleep to restore equilibrium. WE had an APC in front of our house shooting to dispel rioters - kept us awake until early morning - rather it kept me awake - thank goodness Miriam thought it was firecrackers and slept through most of it. The weekend was quiet except we received one of our 2 teams - they are building 10 houses this week without me - I get to keep the city quiet and the staff feeling safe because I will be in town. Some of us were joking over Xmas that things had been so good it was time for another coup - we will no longer joke about it - the riots came as a shock to everyone - demonstrations are quite common and easily managed but this got out of hand - seemed to be well orchestrated and Thai businesses were all destroyed - who ever is behind the orchestration knew the emotions and the people well enough to expect this. Rather sad, I think.

Janne

Wednesday February 5, 2003

Dear friends and partners,

It is hard to believe that the first month of the year 2003 has already passed. So much has happened since I last wrote to you.

Our Christmas holidays were a delight for my little family. It was our first holiday in our new home - complete with a yard and trees and room to ride bicycles. Miss Miriam received an outdoor fish pot, complete with fish from friends. She was dismayed to see several little bodies floating the next morning. I tried to explain to her that she couldn't keep catching the fish in the net and taking them for a walk. She was a bit puzzled by this - then what do I do with them? Well, said I, talk with them and feed them. The next morning - more little bodies. Miriam was a bit put out - the fish were very put out. I asked her what she had done - I talked to them Mom, I caught them in my net and talked to them one by one - more explanations about how to care for the fish. We now have a number of baby fish and one big one left, but they are no longer being walked or taken out for a talk

For my staff, holidays are difficult. Too much time to remember, too many sleepless nights. For Nari, this holiday was a time to finally lay her parents to rest. She found out where they had been murdered by the Khmer Rouge. Her travels took her back to the jungles to another killing field and there she had ceremonies for her parents. It has been a month - the nightmares are less - her parents no longer visit her in her dreams. Despite all this, Nari is drained and so very tired.

We had tremendous response to our wells appeal - so let me give you an update on how far we have come - 193 wells have been dug to date - currently, there are 5 more in Prey Veng, 7 in Siem Reap, 3 in Takeo and 3 in Kandal being dug. Thank you to all of you who have made this possible.

We made a trip to Prey Veng to look at the wells - it is amazing what water will do for people. As we walked from one family to another - looking at newly dug gardens and ingenious irrigation systems , I turned to Pat and Ponleng - I asked them if they remembered our conversation of 2 years ago, when I asked why the people in Prey Veng did not grow vegetables. Pat looked rather sheepish and had a wry smile - he answered: "we said they didn't know how to grow vegetables. We were wrong", said he, "we have learned it is more important to ask the people themselves before we say they cannot do things".

In the middle of this month, we had a volunteer team come from Australia and build 9 houses in Kompong Som - it was very good - after which the team presented us with a new computer and all its magic - this too, they tell me, will be very good. If you don't get this newsletter, you know that I am still working out the bits and pieces of making it work. If you do get it - well, its a good day. I often wonder if it is right to get these new gadgets - to spend money which could be spent on our families - people who often are unable to eat 3 times a day. And as I struggled - I was comforted. A number of my staff joined my family for a meal. As is our custom, we gave thanks to our God for our blessings. This time was Tuit's turn to pray - she had seen the new computer and all the effort it took to put it into working order - and then she prayed: " thank you God for the new computer - for it will help Janne to help many more families in Cambodia - for this we are so very happy because so many families need our help"

Thank you God for all of you - for your support and encouragement - for standing with us in the good times and the bad times - for showing us new ways of doing things - for your willingness to do things the old ways. It is so very good.

Janne

Wednesday, April 09. 2003

Dear friends and partners,
It is hard to believe that another month has passed - April and the hot = weather have arrived alongside pestilence and war. All have their own impact on our work here

The past few weeks, we have had the privilege of having Jude Quarry from Tabitha - Australia join us. Jude's work has focused on helping me put = together several information tools to be used by our different = supporters. I asked Jude to share with all of you some of her insights = into our work here. She kindly consented to do so. Here are her impressions.

Good-day mates, Since we adopted our gorgeous Khmer son, Hansa, in 1996, I've lost count of the number of times we've visited Cambodia - I think it's eleven. Of those visits, five have been with building teams and three of those trips have been to Kompong Som Province. Each visit I have got to know Janne and the Tabitha staff more and have learned a little more about Tabitha-Cambodia and how it works. Like most people, my visits have been short and my exposure has been only to specific aspects of Tabitha: cottage industry and house building, in particular. However, slowly, slowly the penny is dropping and I believe I'm beginning to understand the big picture - the breadth and depth of Tabitha's programs and their enormous effect on thousands of the poorest people of Cambodia.

Although I can honestly say I didn't have any preconceived ideas of what I might be doing when I decided to volunteer at Tabitha, I also have to admit that I didn't know exactly what talent it was that I was bringing with me. I've spent most of my life working independently at a job that basically required me to write very fast - I didn't see at first - and I still don't - how that particular skill would be of much use.

I confess I was secretly horrified at Janne's first request: to produce a document describing the importance of the Tabitha Savings Program - how that program can enable the poorest people to break a cycle of poverty and debt and empower them to take charge of their own lives. I would have to put the living situation of these people under the microscope and isolate many of the day-to-day obstacles they have to overcome. "Sure. Easy, Janne."

Even after so many visits to Cambodia, I still find myself confronted by the poverty endured here. I roll along in my own existence believing that I understand and recognize what that poverty means in everyday terms to the people here. But I don't really. Sometimes I get some of it. How does an average middle-class Aussie dame really grasp the fact that, if a person washes, they have only the one set of clothes to dry themselves off with, and wear; that a family of eight may have one container from which they will all take a turn to drink; and that one small meal of rice a day is the norm. Do I really understand how difficult it is for people that dirt poor to manage to find 500 riel (USD0.12) each week to save with Tabitha? That is the amount we are talking about that people save when they first join the savings program

Where do these same people find the trust to hand that money over to the Tabitha staff member collecting those savings? I don't have the expression or writing skills to answer that last question adequately; you really have to meet these remarkable Tabitha people to begin to understand their level of commitment to the poor in their communities and to the Tabitha Program.

To grasp the size of the Tabitha Saving's Program, you have to consider the amount of USD256,000 - that is the total savings for the period October-February - and realize that that is made up of weekly deposits ranging from as low as USD.012 up to USD5! Tabitha pays 10 percent per ten-week cycle on those funds. Where does this money come from? It comes from supporters such as yourselves

Like myself, I'm sure many of you were attracted to Tabitha because of its "lean" nature - no new four-wheel drives running around town, no staff perks and no big salaries. I was also attracted because support did not mean handouts, which do not allow respect for an individual's pride and disregards their dignity.

Money is tight around Tabitha because all funds that come in are absorbed pretty quickly. Extra money translates to expanding projects! No extra funds sitting in the bank here. I am reminded of that most day's, when I see or hear Nari and Janne juggling this or that amount to pay expenses. Tabitha operates in a rather unpredictable financial environment - sometimes it's not known where or when money is coming in; on a month-to-month basis, the financial situation can often be described as precarious and unpredictable to say the least. A solid support base and revenue stream would make life here so much easier. Week after next we have our Aussie building team arriving - and in that = description I include our honorary American member. We originally committed to build four houses on this trip, but due to a disastrous fire in one of the communities, Vonn (Tabitha's manager in Kompong Som) has asked us to build ten smaller houses. She has managed to source some very cheap materials, so our USD3,200 is able to stretch that far. Usually, when we bring a team over to build, we bring the funds with us and present them to Janne sometime during that week, oblivious to the fact that materials for the houses have had to be purchased well in advance and staff have had to travel to the chosen province and village to do the preliminary hard work, requiring them to be away from home for some time. What a difference it can make to Tabitha's financial worries, if that money is received in advance!

I suppose because I came in here with no expectations, I have been surprised and delighted by the unexpected pleasure and privilege of working alongside the women here at Tabitha headquarters - strong, proud, determined, funny women. I have been made to feel so very welcome and spoiled with gestures of undeserved kindness - Nari keeping my son in the "best quality" dried fish; regular cups of coffee from Sina and Pisette; inquiries into the well being of my family from Vonn on her weekly visits from Kompong Som, and much, much more. However, I believe I received the best compliment last week when Nari relayed to me the comments of some of the ladies working here that I am "like a Khmer lady, not like a foreigner", because "she speaks quietly and dresses like a lady, not sexy" (I'll take that as a compliment - and those of you who know me will be guffawing about the word "quietly").

Finally, I feel very fortunate to have met Janne Ritskes and privileged to be allowed to play a small part in this incredible organization. I think I can anticipate that Tabitha-Cambodia will not stop here - I get the feeling there is plenty of energy left and many ideas still to come. Of course. What else would you expect? Jude

Thanks to all of you. our suppoters and friends for making all of this happen. God is so very good in and through each of you.

Janne

Friday, 9. May 2003

Dear friends and partners,

I was asked this week to compose four short stories for children attending a Sunday school class. They had raised some money for wells and wanted to know about children involved in our program. The teacher suggested I include a story about Miriam. I wrote the stories and as I was re-reading them, I thought I should share these snippets with all of you. Do enjoy them and remember why they were written.

SINO

Sino is a ten year old boy and he lives with his parents and 6 brothers and sisters in a small house. The size of the house is about 2 meters by 2 meters - at night time Sino and some of his brothers sleep outside because there isn't enough room inside. It's also very dark because they don't have electricity.

Sino does not go to school - he can't because it is his job to get water everyday. Every night, Sino must get up at 3:30 am to fetch water. He walks about 3 kilometres and then he must wait in line with many others to wait his turn to fill his cans. Then he carries it home. He has a long pole with 2 cans on each side. His shoulder has a big callous from where he carries the water.

If he is careful on the way home. Sino doesn't spill any water and it is enough for the day - if not, he has to go back for more. Usually Sino is home by 10 in the morning and then he must help his parents work in the fields. Only a couple of people in his family get to wash each day.

Sino's family needs a well - if he had a well; Sino would be much stronger for now he often has diarrhoea because he cannot keep himself clean. If they had a well, Sino could go to school. Instead of waking early and missing school he could sleep longer and go to school and still be home at 11 to help his family. School is only half day in Cambodia because many of the children must help their parents or they will not have enough food or water for the day.

It would be so good if you children could help Sino and his family. A well costs $100.00 US to dig - and that well would not only help Sino's family but would help 9 other families who are his neighbours

THARRY

Tharry is 13 years old and lives with her 4 brothers and 3 sisters in a small house - she is always carrying a small child on her hips. Last month when I visited, Tharry came out with her head shaved and her hands folded. She kept saying thank you, thank you. I asked her why she was thanking me. She said, her father had died last year and this year her mother had got very sick. Tharry, at 13 years of age, had started saving her little money with us a year ago - when her mom was sick, she = was able to use her savings to buy her mom the medicine she needed. Her mother got better because they could go to a doctor. Her father died because they did not have the money.

Tharry shaved her hair to say thank you. I thought she was a very brave girl - but she made me ashamed when she said thank you because she was the one who did all the hard things like saving her money instead of buying treats - she was the one who took care of her mom. She made me thankful that God would let her be a part of my life and teach me how to care for others.

MIRIAM

Just before Christmas 5 years ago - a little girl was born - whose name was Miriam. Miriam's mom was very sick with AID's and died shortly after Miriam was born. Miriam's mother had written a letter asking for someone to take care of her baby girl because she knew that she would die soon. She new her tiny girl was also sick.

Miriam was put into an orphanage run by Sisters of Mother Theresa. They phoned me about her. When I came to see her she was so tiny, wrapped in a towel and covered with purple gentian because she had some bad rashes. She cried a lot. The sisters asked me to find a parent for her, Miriam was positive for HIV and so no parents would take her because they are afraid of this illness. The sisters could not keep her because they were afraid she would make the other children sick.

As were talking about her - a choir was singing: Away In a Manger - no crib for a bed - and I felt like Jesus was talking to me. "Here is my child", He said, "She has no crib either." I told Jesus that I would not be a good mother because I was so busy; I said my house was too small; I said I did not have enough money to raise her - I had so many reasons why I should not take her - but Jesus did not listen to my excuses - He kept saying in my heart "What you do for the least of these you do for me." Miriam was a least one - she was born tiny and sick and to a mom who had a sad job - she was a prostitute.

I took Miriam home with me and Jesus said "don't be afraid." Over the years, Miriam has become a miracle child - she is no longer sick - she can hear and she can speak - the doctors said she was blind and deaf - Miriam is now 4 and half years old - she speaks to Jesus every night - she tells him: "I love you because you put me in my mommy's heart - I love you because you are in my heart. Jesus gave me the gift of life".

KIERAN

Kieran is 15 years old - he lives with his family of 7 children and parents in a small house just outside the city. Kieran had a dream - he had a dream of going to school. He couldn't before because there was no money for school and he lived a long ways from school. He had to help his parents on the farm because he was the oldest child.

2 years ago Kieran started to save money with us - it wasn't much but every week it added up - after one year he had saved enough to buy a bicycle. Now he could bicycle to school and still have time to work on the farm.

Then 6 months ago he saved enough to pay for school fees for himself and 2 of his brothers. He went to the school and he asked to be enrolled. The school said he could come but he would have to start in the first grade because he had to learn how to read and write. Kieran is a big boy - he is 16 - this meant he would have to sit with the little kids.

I thought this would be too hard for him but Kieran taught me a lesson - he said that if he did not sit with the little kids, then he would never learn about everything and that would mean "'his mind would always be hungry for food" - I marvelled at how he said that and he had given me food for my mind.

Kieran can now read a little bit and he can sign his name - he now sits in the grade 3 class - he is still the biggest boy and he still gets teased - but not much - because Kieran is teaching all of us that being different doesn't mean very much - what others think doesn't count for much - Kieran thinks more about what is important for himself and for his family. Kieran has courage and strength and he knows what he believes in. He has become my teacher.

I do want to thank all of you - especially the children, for making so much possible for so many others here in Cambodia.

Janne

Saturday June 28 2003

Dear friends and partners,

Today is the beginning of the election campaign for the national parties and the city is noisy with the sounds of promises and challenges. The favourite methodology adopted by one and all is to load party members and sympathizers on trucks and roar down the city streets - yelling and singing. There are 23 parties vying for seats in the national assembly - so often campaigns cross each other in the highways and byways - then the noise trebles - mostly, its good fun. Those on the trucks are given free T-shirts and 10,000 riels for their day of yelling. Its a good way to earn a few dollars. Many switch between parties -one party in the morning and another in the afternoon so that they can receive double the pay.

For many in Cambodia, elections are a time of stress and worry - the past has shown that it is often the time for violence and recriminations - what makes this year different is that there are no longer private armies attached to private campaigns - the army is now one and the threat of violence has been decreased dramatically.

For the past three months, we have been severely affected by the SARS scare - no tourism and many house building teams did not come. Now the elections pose another hurdle - in several of our projects it is difficult to get to our communities as all the parties come and line up to give their speeches. The families are bewildered for it is only at election time that these people come. Most make promises of money, free T-shirts and caps - the people are not adverse to taking all - problem is how to hide what they have received - how not to miss out on all the gifts yet to be given

What is also clear is that each one will vote the way they want - elections is about speaking their minds - it is done in the ballot box where there is privacy and very few will divulge who they will vote for It is power and it is a power they take seriously.

We do like elections for it also the time that many roads are fixed. We have expanded to Kirivon, a project near the Vietnam border in Takeo province. The trip becomes a test of endurance - the first 100 kilometres are relatively good roads - it is the last 38 kilometres that take 3 hours to traverse. The people have come out in throngs to meet us - our program is well received and within a month - 160 families have been enrolled. Then came the election campaigning and the party members stamina rejected the "road from hell" and repairs have begun. Unfortunately, we now must take detours through rice paddies on patches being fixed. We hope that it will be completed before the elections take place.

We visited Bati, a project where 6 wells were dug for thirty families. They are too busy to be concerned about elections. Each family has a 1/4 hectare (about 1/2 acre) plot for vegetables. A year ago, the annual income for these families was a little over $100 per annum. The wells were dug in January of this year. Since then, each family had grown and harvested 3 crops of various vegetables - bringing in an average income of $100 per harvest - or $300.00 - they all bought 2 pigs - for water is very necessary during the hot, dry months. These pigs were bought for $25.00 a pair - they were sold 2 weeks ago for an average of $250.00 a pair. The families like it when we come - there is so much to show. Last year, when we came, the men, women and children all gathered around - this year, only a few women and small children came. The men were in the vegetable patches working; the women were harvesting and getting things ready for the market - the children, well, the children are in school - for the first time. There is money for school fees and savings had bought bicycles. One family had bought a water pump - they were not only growing vegetables and raising pigs - they were growing a second crop of rice - there is no hunger for them this year.

Keep us in your prayers over this month as the election fever grows. Pray for safety for our staff and our families, pray that peace may reign - pray that the people speak loudly and clearly for those they want in power. Thank you for enabling us to be here in times of stress as well as the good times.

Janne

Monday September 29. 2003

Dear friends and partners,

During the past two months, so very much has happened. We had our annual staff meetings and made plans for our up coming year - beginning in October. Our vision is to reach out to 16,000 families with128,000 people - a vision that is reachable and manageable. The decision came after we reached a milestone in August when we had over 11,000 families in our program. It came after the elections took place - a very peaceful and well run election. The opposition did not win and as is their norm, they take defeat very badly. But there was no violence.

The decisions came after the community development staff spent 2 weeks travelling to each other's work sites - learning about how we are all the same and learning how we are all different. Some of the excitement was in variety of impacts on families who had been saving for 2 years - did you know you can grow vegetables a meter up from the ground on bamboo platforms? Did you know that a family can do 4 pigs instead of the usual 2? Did you know that people with secure housing can earn double the income as all the adults are able to work? Did you know the number of orphans who are able to pay their own way through school? Did you know how many healthy babies were born this year? The staff are amazed at their own results - its hard to see when you are doing the work - you are too close. But to see it through the eyes of your peers - what a gift that is.

There was sadness to - in several of our projects it has become obvious that the impact of AIDS is unrelenting and sad - where two years ago - the number of 2 parent families averaged in the 80% -now its down to 50 and 60% -most of the deaths attributed to AIDS. What is comforting and sustaining is the number of orphans being raised by grandmothers and being supported by everyone - even the poorest. Sometimes, these people teach us so very much.

After the terrible slump in sales and volunteer teams caused by the scourge of SARS - August and September have turned into miraculous hopes for the coming year. The faithfulness of our TabithaFoundations during the slump carried us through - then came the orders from the US - then my annual visit to Singapore - a dream come true as Friends of Tabitha in Singapore held our first ever silk bedding show - a miracle that has driven despondency far from us and has turned to dreams for all. The volunteer house builders have returned - building houses and building our visions: If you could do what you wanted - what would you do? And so we become strong because so many stand with us.

For me personally, it is also a time of sadness - my aged mother is nearing the end of her life - I miss her friendship, her wisdom, her humour. I miss being with her. And yet there is thankfulness and rejoicing - laughter and tears with family members - grief shared with my Cambodian family - their sorrow marked by their inability to say good bye to loved parents who died in unknown places in unmarked graves. So I am surrounded by grace and comforted with love. It is as mom would have it.

Thank you to each of you for being with us - for making so many people's lives, ones of hope and vision rather than of despair. I thank my God for His faithfulness and grace - for making each of you a part of all of us here.

Janne

Monday, November 03 2003

Dear Friends and partners,

We have just finished our first month of our new fiscal year and what a month it has been. Our first highlight is that we have sold more than $70,000.00 Cottage Industry products in the month of October. Our highest ever sales month and what a joy that is. Now $30,000.00 came as a result of our bedcover sales promotion in Singapore - a show put on by the Friends of Tabitha in September. What impact did this have on our work force? We had people sewing and cutting in all parts of the building. Customers had to weave their way over bodies and bedcovers. Our weavers were so busy. It was a noisy month but it was a good noise. There was a lot of joking and story telling - a lot of competition on who got to get me to say, " wow, is that ever nice" first each day - or who got the first hug, or who got the first, "are you sure that's the right colour?" Then we got more orders from Singapore, USA, and the UK for Christmas items - stars everywhere, scarves and shawls being delivered and packed - toys being made to order. It was soo very good after a long hard summer.

To enliven things even more, we had 8 teams with 173 volunteers come in to build 27 houses in 3 weeks - another record. These volunteers did their own shopping - much to the delight of our workers - their income soared from an average of $80 per month in the summer to an average of $300 per worker in the month of October. How good that is.

The volunteers brought their own joys to us. This year, the annual floods did not come in the usual places - instead it rained and rained wherever our teams had to build. Some of the teams built in water that was thigh deep and in mud that sucked the shoes off your feet. I tried to warn them, but still one said to me when it was done -" you told us about the water, you didn't tell us about the mud." A slight over sight on my part. Some teams had the misfortune of having to walk 3 kilometres to a work site - floods had caused the roads to wash out. Another team quivered as the road fell away beneath their van - lifting vans back on the road is not on the normal house building agenda.

Some of the comments from the volunteers reminded us as staff - just what poverty is. "The people don't even have electricity" deeply affected one person, while "the family only had rice to eat for lunch" came from another. Another person was amazed at how proud a family was of their ten ducks held in a pen, another was saddened that there were still so many others in the area who needed homes; and yet another mentioned that the plastic sheets used to provide a semblance of toilet facilities for the volunteers should just be a touch higher as it was only possible to bend so low. Several teams were delighted that "real" ladders were now being used - all thanks to Paul who vowed never to build another house without a proper ladder.

At the house presentations, the women folk wore smiles from ear to ear while husbands struggled to keep the tears from flowing freely - the children couldn't wait to move their few possessions inside. From the volunteers who worked in the mud and the water, there was a deep satisfaction that the families they built for, would finally sleep high and dry. For us, as staff, it was a constant reminder that we are so blessed to have so many stand with us and beside us as we stand with and beside these people who have so little.

To end this magical month, we celebrated Miriam's fifth birthday. It was the perfect opportunity to say well done to each other, to laugh and to dance, to hug and to share. 217 people came to celebrate last Friday - staff, workers, families and friends - many of whom had never been to a party in their lives. For Miriam, it was as it should be - "I am so blessed mummy, I have so many aunties and uncles, from all over the world - I am Cambodian, and Canadian, and Australian, and American, I am Singaporean and I am Taiwanese - and we can help so many people - I thank Jesus that He made me so". Me too, my little one, me too.

Thank you all for making so much possible for so many.

Janne

December 4.2003

Dear friends and partners,

It is the month of the Christmas season. For Tabitha Cambodia it is the month of preparation and celebration of the reason for our existence - of Jesus' birth and the miracle of love. This miracle of love is expressed in so many ways. Last week was one of those moments.

In May, I shared a story about Tharry - a 13 year old girl who had saved with us so that she could help her mom buy medicine before her mother died. Tharry and her 7 siblings became orphans that month. Their parents both died of AIDS. But I didn't tell you the rest of the story. Let me start with sharing that story one more time:

I wrote in May 2003: Tharry is 13 years old and lives with her 4 brothers and 3 sisters in a small house - she is always carrying a small child on her hips. Last month when I visited, Tharry came out with her head shaved and her hands folded. She kept saying thank-you, thank-you. I asked her why she was thanking me. She said, her father had died last year and this year her mother had got very sick. Tharry, at 13 years of age, had started savings her little money with us a year ago. When her mom was sick, she was able to use her savings to buy her mom the medicine she needed. Her mother got better because they could go to a doctor. Her father died because they did not have the money. Tharry shaved her hair to say thank you. I thought she was a very brave girl - but she made me ashamed when she said thank you because she was the one who did all the hard things, like saving her money instead of buying treats - she was the one who took care of her mom. She made me thankful that God would let her be a part of my life and teach me how to care for others.

This little girl's name is not Tharry - it is Srei Nop - I used the name Tharry because we have so many children that I cannot remember all their names and so I gave the name of our staff person in charge of this project - Tharry.

Srei Nop's mom died of AIDS a few weeks later and after her death, we were in a quandary of what to do for these children. The village chief advised us against putting the children in an orphanage - he said an uncle would come to take the children to his home. And so I let it go.

Tharry didn't let it go - but she didn't say much other than we needed to build 4 more houses in Svay Raloam before we graduated the families out of our program. With 11, 000 needy families, I was not too keen to build yet again in an area that was doing so well. Tharry persisted - she got other staff to ask for us to build there - and still I resisted - then at the annual staff meeting - the entire staff said - we must build there one more time. The reason - there are so many children in these families.

The time to build came last week. On the last morning, I went out to see how the building was going. What I saw - made me sad - for we were building for families that were not so needy. It's true - their houses were small but they only had 1 - 2 children. I watched the team as they built. Tharry and the other staff stayed far from me - they looked nervous. Then I saw Srei Nop and her youngest brother and I was confused. Finally, I called Tharry over and I asked her what was going on.

The one house was being built for Srei Nop and her 6 siblings - the uncle had come but couldn't take all the children and so he abandoned them all. The community rallied around and a family came forward to say - they would take the children but their little house was too small - some of the children had to sleep somewhere else and the children felt like they had lost their entire family. There were other orphans as well in this village - 17 children from 4 families - none had a home - 3 other families from our program came forward and took them in. All had the same problem - the houses were too small and the children were split up each evening. Tharry decided that we must build. And so the volunteers came and the houses were built.

The foster moms stood around me as Tharry shared her story. I bowed deeply to each one and said thank-you. I owed them so much - each house built has 10 children and the foster moms said - we can help a few more.

Why? I kept asking. Then Sina, our sales manager answered the question: "You know Janne, I love working for Tabitha", she said, "because you are so kind - you always listen to us and you help us all to listen to others. Tharry did this because she learned what kindness is - and our work is to be kind to all the families that we work with. These families saw us being kind to them and now they are being kind to others in their communities. That is what makes Tabitha so different from other NGO's, she said- we work with each family and we listen and we help - we learn how to be kind and then help others to be kind."

I am humbled by this miracle - this miracle of life - this miracle of love - I am humbled by the gift of Christmas. On behalf of all of us, I wish each and everyone of you the kindness of Christmas - the kindness each of you has shared with us, so that we can share kindness with so many here.

Janne

Directors comments to the 9th Annual Report, October 2003

Dear Friends and partners,

It is the end of our ninth year - a year full of blessing; a year of growth and consolidation; a year of strengthening our vision.

This report is not long, but it contains a an extra-ordinary amount of accomplishments The staff have increased by 4 - their outreach to families increased from 7,093 families at the beginning of the year to a years total of 11,417 families - directly impacting 91,336 people. Using their own meagre recourses they saved $486,635 and effected an immense change in their lives. Tabitha was able to say "well done" to these families by paying out $48,6663.50 in a ten percent interest reward on these savings.

The Provinces of Kandal and Kompong Som graduated two large communities within their project area. In Kandal: ChoumPoukEyke with 481 families was graduated and in Kompong Som the commune of PhumThmey with 668 families was graduated. Both of these communities have achieved remarkable growth and we are thankful, that we were able to serve them.

Our 353 house building volunteers built 99 houses this year, an increase of 45 houses over last years program.

We were able to dig 357 wells - enabling 1,785 families with 14,280 people to have access to clean, potable water and to increase their income by at least 50%. It truly is a gift of life.

Cottage Industry sales were less than expected this year. There were several factors involved - the main factor was the incidence of SARS in the region. Many of our volunteers and tourists stayed home rather than travel, for four months out of this program year. The impact was immediate and harsh.

We have grown in our partnerships - Tabitha Foundation USA and Tabitha UK were registered - joining our mother Foundation in Canada and Tabitha Australia. The impact of these foundations was immediate - during Tabitha's hunger months this year - it was the foundations who enabled us to continue our work. We thank each member of these foundations and we praise our God for their partnership.

We are indebted to the families that we work with - their indomitable spirit - their courage in taking each step - their resilience in times of sorrow - their joy in times of success - they have taught us so very much. What a privilege it is to be part of all of their lives.

Our report is a summery of what was accomplished this year. As such, it only reflects the end result. It does not and cannot share the moments of joy, the pain of loss, the daily work of reaching out and touching so many others. It cannot adequately explain the comfort and the strength that you, our friends and partners , gave us.

God's Grace is ever present and ever felt - without our God, none of this would have been possible. Without you, His instruments, we would have failed. We are so very grateful to each and everyone of you and to Him, who makes this all possible In His Name,

Janne Ritskes, Director

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