Happy Holidays from Aziza's Place

The holiday season gives us time to reflect on what is most important to us at Aziza’s Place: our friends, family and our community. As a supporter of Aziza’s Place you are not only a friend, but an important part of our global family and our community. We thrive because of this special relationship. We appreciate your continued commitment to strengthening our programs, allowing our resident children to develop physically, intellectually, and emotionally into responsible young people.

In keeping with the theme of the Holiday season, we want to highlight an example of the spirit of giving that greeted our Director, Dan Haney on a recent fundraising trip to the U.S. It included a presentation with over 150 James Madison University students and professors in attendance and a collection from members of the Leesburg, Virginia Rotary Club. We welcome our new friends, and thank our continually generous partners. Everyday you are helping us make a real difference in the lives of each child, their families, and staff at Aziza’s Place. We extend our warmest wishes to volunteers and donors alike who make AP what it is, a truly unique grassroots community providing opportunities and building futures for the families we serve.

Wishing you and your family Happy Holidays,
The Children and Staff of Aziza’s Place

Make the Holidays Bright for the Children of Aziza's Place

Your Holiday Giving Provides AP Children With

- A safe home to live

- nutritious meals and snacks

- heath and dental care, vaccinations
- access to public school
- access to English education
- computer literacy skills
- teachers, tutors, mentors
- football and sports
- monthly family nights
- field trips to museums and art exhibits
- karate, art classes, traditional Khmer dance
All this amounts to a life of education, creativity and the opportunity for a bright future.


Make a world of difference to a child in Cambodia and make a holiday gift today.

Photos from AP’s 1st Annual Community Film Screening and Art Gallery

On December 6th, children, families, teachers, and volunteers gathered at Aziza’s Place for the premier of five short films written, directed, and produced by the film education program’s students. Artwork of all 21 AP resident children was on display as well. Guests enjoyed delicious snacks of fruit and the favorite cinema treat, popcorn! Aziza’s Place is one of very few film education programs in Cambodia and is garnering the attention and support from the community, click on the news article below highlighting this attention. Clicking here will take you to a slideshow of that evening’s festivities.

Read AP’s article from The Phnom Penh Post: Addressing the past to change the future—one frame at a time about the film education program.

Students Meet S-21 Survivor, Learn Cambodia’s Past Under the Pol Pot Regime

AP children twelve years and older broached the subject of Cambodia’s history under the Khmer Rouge regime with a trip to the Tuol Sleng Genocidal Museum in Phnom Penh. The history of the genocide is currently not part of all public school’s curriculum, so discussing the past in a truthful and sensitive manner is of high priority to AP.

The students first met with Mr. Vann Nath, one of seven survivors of the former S-21 prison. The infamous prison was converted from a public school from 1975-1979 where over 14,000 people were tortured, then sent to the Killing Fields for execution. Mr. Vann’s paintings of the torture and abuse at the prison are famous today and are on display at the museum. He is also a well-known advocate for teaching youth the history of the genocide. He recently testified against Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, the S-21 prison warden, at the Khmer Rouge Tribunals now taking place. AP students had a chance to have a one-on-one discussion with Mr. Vann and ask him questions about his time in the prison. The children were then taken on a guided tour of the prison.

Following the students’ visit to Toul Sleng, volunteer Diana Chende and Assistant Director Soy Socheat team-taught a class in Khmer and English to guide the students to think more about Cambodia’s past and how it affects their future and the future of Cambodia. To put their newly-acquired knowledge into perspective, the children read excerpts from The Diary of Anne Frank as well as from, First They Killed My Father, Loung Ung’s memoir about her childhood and survival during the years of the Pol Pot regime. In learning about genocides that were also perpetrated in other countries, the children gained a broader understanding of what happened in Cambodia and to help them think critically about their country’s history.

Breaking the Cycle of Poverty: AP Hires Fathers as Security Guards

On December 1, the fathers of two residents began employment as night guards at Aziza’s Place. The two men will take weekly shifts providing a watchful eye over their children. Both were formerly working full time as garbage scavengers at the municipal dumpsite and on the streets during the graveyard shift.


AP staff is working closely with the security guards and their families to shape a plan of action to reach their aspiration of completely ending dependency on the trash. With the added income of this part time position they will have the opportunity to save money and will have help from AP to locate job training elsewhere. Improving the quality of life for AP families is a continuing priority of our program.

Volunteer News

FOUR PAST VOLUNTEERS VISIT AP
AP kids and staff were ecstatic to have Prem and Kalle, both volunteers this past summer and Ben and Maria Mays, volunteers from January to July 2009 return for a week in December. It meant so much for us to see you again.


WELCOME STEPHANIE MCMAHON
In November, Aziza’s Place welcomed Stephanie McMahon from San Francisco, CA. Stephanie decided to take a break from her life as an attorney to volunteer and travel in South East Asia. She has taken over our English level 2 class and has brought the class to life with amazing science experiments. Welcome to the AP family, Stephanie!


NEW AND IMPROVED VOLUNTEER BLOG
Our volunteers have given us feedback that sometimes the Courtyard newsletter just isn’t enough! To keep our volunteers in the loop we are introducing the new and improved AP Volunteer Blog. This is a forum to learn and comment about current events, volunteer experiences, and ways to support us from home. It is also a great way for prospective volunteers to learn what we are all about.


2009 ANGKOR WAT 1/2 MARATHON
Congratulations to Diana Chende, Cath Waugh, and Ali Robbins for going the distance for AP at the Angkor Wat 1/2 Marathon on December 6. For all those runners out there, or those up for a challenge, think about joining us in Cambodia for the race in 2010.

How to Help: Donate, Volunteer, Share

Aziza’s Place Welcomes Our New Friends

Debbie Butler—Leesburg, VA
CBRE—Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Rich Caldwell—Leesburg, VA
Gerry Dillion—Boyce, VA
Susan Donohoe—Haymarket, VA
Maureen Fouler—Ashburn, VA
Maryellen Hagy—Warrenton, VA
Phillip Haney—Charlestown, WV
Nesly Hneich—Ashburn, VA
Leesburg Rotary Club—Virginia
Rich McCary—Dulles, VA
Mary Pate—Sterling, VA
Pat Reid—Leesburg, VA
Arthor Rosecan—Leesburg, VA
Zhenxia Shuai—Leesburg, VA
Lori Smith-Williamson—Leesburg, VA
Jane Sutermeister—Bluemont, VA
Franz Szymanski—Berryville, VA
Jonathan Walker—Harrisonburg, VA


Click here to make a donation to the Aziza Foundation on behalf of Aziza’s Place.U.S. donors receive a tax credit receipt for your contribution. UK donors may elect the Gift Aid option so the tax-gross up is received by the charity. Contact us for more information.

If you are making a gift over $400, consider making a wire transer. It is easy, fast, and allows for Aziza's Place to recieve the full amount of your donation without giving a percentage to Paypal.


US Bank Information:   
The Aziza Ghori Charitable Foundation
Comerica Bank
ABA / Routing Number:072000096
Account No: 1851432573


UK Bank Information: 
The Aziza Foundation (UK)
HSBC Bank
Sort Code:    40 05 30
Account No:    72815559


Thank you for supporting Aziza's Place!