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March 2010
 
Dear friends and partners,
 
Every so often we have one of those moments in Tabitha. Yesterday, I had several of those moments. Srei and I traveled to Banteay Meanchaey to see the progress in the new areas. The visit was anticipated by Kameak, Long and Touk, our staff there. They had gone through several frustrating years of working with families who had been slow to respond – primarily because the areas were next to the Thai border and troubles kept flaring over the disputed temples. A sense of fear and insecurity kept the families away.
 
The new areas were far from the troubles and work had begun in September. We have learned that water is the quickest way to move people from poverty on the road to prosperity. We all knew that we had to convince people that they had to earn income from wells that we installed. The staff took it to heart and began installing wells soon after the program started.
 
Often the Tabitha staff mention how much they had to talk before people would begin to respond – Banteay Meanchaey was no exception. But therein lay their excitement. The talk had worked. We stopped at Khun’s home. He and the neighboring family had received a well. Khun was taller than the normal Khmer so it was rather a pleasure to look up at him while he talked. He proudly showed me a stand of corn he was growing. I was rather pleased as the corn stood taller than I. I admired his work and asked, so when will you harvest? He smiled and shrugged – I don’t know, said he – do you know? I was a bit perplexed and looked at the staff. No one looked my way; rather they were studiously looking at the ground.
 
What do you mean, you don’t know - asked I. Oh, said Khun I have never grown corn in my life. Srei found it hard to keep from giggling – no one has ever grown vegetables here –said she. I was bit dumbfounded. So how did he know what to do? Kameak gave a grin and said, we didn’t know either – we just told him to make the ground ready and then throw seeds on the ground – and it worked. Srei mentioned that she had told Khun to cut a few stalks so that each plant had a bit more space.  Over my shoulder, other vegetables were growing in abundance – too many in too small a space but they were eating and selling from their small plot.  As I was admiring the handiwork, Khun kept asking when his corn would be ready – to me, who also didn’t know – I guessed another month would do it. He left it at that.

We visited a number of families – each one growing small fields of vegetables – none of them knew the first thing about growing vegetables. All of them were learning things the hard way – through trial and error – and it worked. Lek with her husband and 3 sons had learned how to plant several varieties of vegetables. They were on their third cycle of growing food. Lek found carrying the water to the plants rather burdensome and she had devised a unique way of transferring water by garden hose from her well. She was being innovative out of need and desire. It was fun.
 
As we visited various families all learning new skills, I marveled at my staff. They had talked people into trying new ideas without understanding themselves the growing cycles of the various vegetables. They were so proud of their families, so proud of the progress. We talked of the innovation taking place and of other innovations that we could try to make this a bit easier for the families.
 
The families in our communities are desperately poor – their life style is fraught with hunger and despair – I look at the huts they live in, their meager possessions open to all who could see – I look at bodies, worn with hard labor and so little to show for it – I look at the staff and marvel at how hard they work – how much they must talk – to change just one life – and I marvel at how much change occurs simply because all of you and all of us – talk a lot about how to help without fully understanding the impact of what we say.
 
I marvel that my God talked to me about how to help – and I talked with all of you and all the staff – and how all of us talked with others so that people like Khun and Lek can look at me with shining eyes and ask me – when do you think I will be able to harvest the corn? Speaking of which, I must close now and look up the growth cycles of corn.
 
Thank you for standing and talking with us.
 
Janne

January 18, 2010
 
Dear friends and partners,
 
Happy New Years everyone. May this year be a blessing for each of you.  I started the New Years in Bangkok, celebrating with my daughter Miriam – who is now 11 years old. Like most people, a new year signifies for me new beginnings – some not so smart. Miriam wanted so much to go to the Siam Water Park and so off we went. Silly me agreed to go down the biggest waterslide which had all kinds of loops – at first Miriam hung on but with my weight – I started to go much faster than either one of us thought was fun - I went so fast I thought I would flip over the side – so I did what any sensible person would do, I closed my eyes and promised my God all kinds of things if I survived –I went through water spots which went up my nose – and I slid with abandon from side to side – would this ride never end - I landed in the pool at the end - which I thought was not the end - so I actually sat underwater for about 20 seconds which got the life guard down from his chair and screaming - my little mind finally said to my little body - its over - you better stand - which I did - much to everyone’s, including me - relief. A New Year’s resolution – never again a water slide!
 
Now we are back to work. Vonn came with stories and pictures of Koh Kong project which she started a year ago. At that time, I went to visit the new areas – the poverty was so hurtful to see. The people had small plots of land, others bigger plots of land – all were barren. What struck me most was that there was nothing at all – no animals such as chickens, pigs, ducks, no cows or buffaloes – just despair. We had looked at each other and we made a resolution – this must change.
 
Vonn laughed as we remembered that visit. She started to tell me all that had changed. At the moment she has 1,430 families in the program. 450 of these families are raising chickens - each family earns an average of $2.50 per day – plus they get to eat the eggs and occasionally a chicken. 271 families are raising pigs and in that process have also begun to breed their pigs. Every 3 months they get and average of 8-10 piglets which they sell for $35 each. 233 families now raise ducks and they sell the duck eggs for an average of $2.00 per day. 105 families are growing vegetables, fruits and rice – year round – their income has risen to $3.00 per day plus their diets have changed dramatically.
 
Last Wednesday, I travelled with Pon and Srie to our newest area – Krakor District in Pursat province. As we drove through communities, the poverty was hard to face. A number of families didn’t even have 4 walls – no shelter – we met another 60 families who cannot eat every day – hunger is painful to see. A number of families had shelter not big enough for 2 people –much less the 8-10 people living in the shelter. We saw bigger homes but they housed 2-3 families per house. Not so good. What we noticed was that there were no pigs, chickens, ducks – no vegetables – just barren, dusty land. What a challenge. As we talked, the ladies made a New Year’s resolution – this too will change.
 
On the way home we stopped in Kompong Channang to see the family that Miriam had given a well to. The family met us with shinning eyes – the husband had decided that he would be the model for his village. In his small garden, he had planted small rows of vegetables – 9 kinds in total – one was a row of 6 zucchini plants – the zucchinis were large and healthy – I said I would like to buy one – he said, no they have all been sold for a $1.00 each because people wanted the seeds from the zucchini so they could grow their own. He had planted 5 kinds of fruit trees, from mangoes, papaya and grapefruit. Across the path, lay his field. There he had planted a row of 9 other vegetables – wanted to see which would grow best. His eyes just sparkled. He had set up an ingenious irrigation system – piping the water into a water jar standing several feet of the ground. He turned a spigot and he could water each plant individually with a hose he had pieced together. He, too, made a new year’s resolution – no hunger for his family this year.
 
What a wonderful way to start the year. I thank each of you for standing with our families. I thank my God, that He has given me the privilege of being a part of this. All of us together, will make 2010 a year of resolutions changing lives. Happy New Years everyone.
 
Janne
 

 

 

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