We celebrated Cambodia’s biggest holiday this month on April 13, 14 and 15th. For weeks leading up to the New Year, our house, the streets, and all of Phnom Penh was bustling with traditional games and holiday music. The pending forced evictions of slum-dwellers all over Phnom Penh loomed large over the majority of parents of our resident children, most of whom face being evicted from their homes on the Stung Meanchey dumpsite which was recently sold to foreign developers. In this uncertain period, the holiday was a great opportunity to reach out to these families and share in the good news; the great strides being made by their children. Our inaugural Parent’s Night at Aziza’s Place held on April 12th was a smashing success and will now become a monthly event. The Parents loved hearing about their children’s progress and assured us that they all want to see their children remain at Aziza’s Place even after they are relocated from Stung Meanchey.
Also this month, our founder Amjad Ghori had his first fundraising event in the US. We are grateful for all those that generously donated. Thank you so much for your support! We’d also like to say a special Thank You to Doris and Gary Galvin who hosted the event at their lovely art gallery in Chelsea, Michigan (www.chelseagallery.com)
Wishing you the best,
Aziza’s Place
Parents Night
The holidays were the perfect time for us to launch our first Parent’s Night. It has been one of our goals to get our children’s parents more involved in the activities and education at Aziza’s Place.
Many orphanages in Cambodia assist children who have families. As with Aziza’s Place, many of our children have at least one parent who is living, but given the conditions at the dumpsite they are unable to provide their children with a clean and safe living environment, nutritious meals, medical attention nor the opportunity for them to attend school. For a variety of reasons, families have been forced to survive scavenging for recyclables in the city’s dumpsite. Now, even this meager opportunity to earn a subsistence wage may be in danger.
Photo by Nader Ebrahimi 2008
Phnom Penh is growing and developing quickly these days. Unfortunately, the pace of progress has been a strain for many; mostly the poor. Those in poverty are carrying the burden as many locations which served as their dwellings are being evacuated to make way for commercial and residential real-estate developments. Our friends at Aziza’s Schoolhouse in the Dey Krahorm neighborhood were evicted in January in a brutal display of force that saw bulldozers raze their dwellings and occupants forced to gather their life’s belongings within a matter of minutes. Stung Meanchey faces a similar fate as evictions have been declared imminent. With mounting fear and uncertainty, it has been very important for us to discuss the future with these families.
Happy New Year! (Susaday Chnam Thmey)
On April 12th we celebrated Khmer New Year at Aziza’s Place, hosting all of our families. We feasted on delicious curry noodles prepared by our talented chef, Seaklim, played holiday music, danced and enjoyed some of the many traditional New Year games. In one game similar to pinatas, we hung ceramic pots above the courtyard. Some were filled with candy, money, and flour, while others were filled with water. Players were blindfolded, spun in a circle and then aimed at the pots. The “unlucky” smash the pots with water. (Welcome to AP Laura!)
Given the emotional strain of the past few months, our Khmer staff members were given the entire holiday off. The four boys who stayed at AP over the holidays were supervised by Missy and Dan. All were apprehensive of their “rice*” making abilities, but as it turned out they surprised everyone and themselves with some delicious meals: stew, pancakes, and spaghetti. The four boys ate enough for the whole gang. They also enjoyed a trip to the riverfront, swimming and some fun games, such as scrubbing the bathroom floor. That’s fun right?
* In Cambodia the word rice is often substituted for the word food, because typically all meals have rice.
English with My Brother and Sister
By Rotha
On Khmer New Year, I went home to see my mother and my uncle. When I got there, I met lots of my friends and my family. The next day I walked around my house and saw chickens eating insects on the beautiful grass. In my province it was very hot, but in the morning it was really good to breathe the air. My brother and sister were at my house. They were really cute. My brother is six years old, and my sister is nine years old. They were interested in English. One day they asked me to teach them again and again. When I taught them they really focused on what I said. My brother was good at pronouncing words, but my sister was not. She was good at writing and remembering the alphabet. It was fun for me to teach them. I really like to share my knowledge with my brother and my sister.
Happy Birthday Ben!
Ben Mays, a volunteer from London, England, celebrated his birthday with us this month. He and his wife, Maria Mays have been spending their free time with us, while volunteering elsewhere on worthy projects. In addition, they orchestrated a fund-raising effort that resulted in generous donation for Aziza’s Place from their friends from around the globe. Ben is mean basketball competition for the boys and Maria has been helping Channy and Chanty with their English.
April Birthdays
Chheav (15) - April 4
Sokty (11) - April 8
Davina Clay (Generous volunteer - 25) – April 15
Ben Mays (Generous volunteer ) - April 17
Thank You Laura Newson
Laura, a student from Calgary, Canada joined us for the month of April as a volunteer. She stepped in to teach the first level English courses. She will be heading to school in Halifax, Canada in the fall and is saving up to return. We will miss her! Good luck with your studies, Laura!
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