Aziza's Place News - March 2010

Dear Friends of Aziza’s Place,

As March 2010 draws to a close and the Khmer New Year approaches, we at Aziza’s Place reflect on the love and support we’ve received this past year from our family of friends and supporters. The month of March also has great significance for our program as it was four years ago, in March of 2006, that I had the pleasure of meeting my friend and Co-Founder of Aziza’s Place, Nader Ebrahimi. It was this chance (or was it pre-ordained) meeting that ultimately led to the creation of Aziza’s Place less than one year later on February 14, 2007.

Nader first came to Cambodia in 2005 to film a documentary on women and human trafficking. What he saw changed his life. A visit to the Steung Meanchey dumpsite and the immediate friendships he made with the children here led him to return permanently. Our first meeting and countless exchanges of ideas culminated in the conceptualization of Aziza’s Place, but it was Nader’s artistic touch and vision that created the magical environment that now exists at AP. Our living and learning center, as we coined Aziza’s Place, allowed Nader to combine his love of art, photography, music, film and children together under one roof and brush them generously with his talent.

Our beloved Nader unexpectedly passed away on March 2, 2009, a few short weeks after celebrating the two-year anniversary of the opening of Aziza’s Place. This sudden loss left us with a tremendous void. We focused on the children and their well-being and helping them deal with their grief. Likewise, the staff and I have also grieved in our personal ways. Reflecting back from a year ago, Nader’s passing bound all of us in a unique way and has ultimately made us all stronger to continue our task of ensuring that Nader’s vision endures. One look at our amazing, resilient children is all that is needed to see that Nader is ever-present and his impact and influence will always be felt at Aziza’s Place.

It is with deep gratitude that we look back this March to the hard work and dedication of staff, volunteers, and all those who have touched and supported the lives of the children we serve. Because of you, Aziza's Place is secure and thriving today.

This month’s newsletter is dedicated in memory of Nader and celebrating the the children and communities he served as well as the revolutionary film education program that he helped to create.

With gratitude,
Amjad Ghori

Co-founder, Aziza's Place

In its Second Year, Film Program Continues Founder's Vision of Bringing the Art of Film to Cambodians

Aziza’s Place founder, Nader Ebrahimi, had a passion and gift for film-making. He recognized that teaching children the art, history and technique of film-making would be a tremendous asset to their future and within the Cambodian job market. After securing start-up funds through ArtAction, he set to work teaching film to AP’s five inaugural film students. Nader’s students mirrored his enthusiasm for film, evident and radiating through the short films they created and premiered in December 2009. Aziza’s Place is proud and committed to continue Nader's vision to bring filmmaking to Cambodian youth.

Now in its second year, the Cambodian Youth Film Education Program is developing into a high-quality vocational skills program that strives to entice and educate students in the study of film. The program dynamics have changed by establishing enrollment requirements for students, streamlining and enhancing the curriculum, opening the program to youth outside of AP, and instituting an apprenticeship program for students following completion of the one year program.

The film program is headed by Mr. Tim Vann and his assistant Mr. Cheng Somath. Both are passionate about teaching young Cambodians about film and each have an impressive resume boasting years of experience within the international and local film and television industries. Under their direction, the 15 film students will write, direct, shoot, produce, and edit a short film in three small groups. Mr. Vann and Mr. Cheng’s teaching strategy engages students through a combination of classroom work, practice with AV and computer equipment, and out of class field work. Owning his own production company allows Mr. Vann to take students on set for professional productions giving them real world, hands-on experience. He promotes critical thinking and an objective eye, but not only within the realm of filmmaking. He requires that students understand the importance of teamwork, time management and leadership – skills that will translate in and out of the film business.

“This program is unlike any other in Cambodia. It focuses on the entire process of film-making and video production as opposed to other courses that focus on one aspect of film-making,” says Mr. Vann. He says his goal is to provide the students with a well-rounded knowledge of the entire film-making process, while instituting an apprenticeship program will give those serious about film the ability to continue down a more specialized path. Eligibility for an apprenticeship is open to all students who complete the program. Mr. Vann and Mr. Cheng will find suitable placements for the students and become their career mentors.

Film class is held every Sunday afternoon at Aziza’s Place and is designed to be a supplement, not an alternative, to public school education. This year’s enrollment includes a mix of young adults from Aziza’s Place, Chibodia, Cambodian Children’s Fund, and Indochina Starfish Foundation. Each of these reputable NGOs strives to provide the youth they serve with high-quality options and opportunities for their future. Aziza’s Place is pleased to offer this unique opportunity for deserving youth outside of its program.

AP sincerely thanks ArtAction and The Pari Project for the means and guidance to build a sustainable film program for youth in Cambodia.

Community Outreach Program Counsels Families, Prepares Microfinance Project for Two Mothers

February kicked off AP's community outreach initiative. Beginning this year, the Aziza's Place team will extend services to families of our resident children that aim to improve their quality of life. Through consistent and open communication, counseling, financial planning and health care assistance, we seek to tackle issues that plague the impoverished communities our children come from.

At the forefront of our community outreach initiative is AP Program Coordinator, Yi Makara and AP Intern, Lani Warsh. These two AP team members are developing the program through weekly meetings at Steung Meanchey. First, in a group setting, they discuss concerns and general information about current events and their children. Afterwards, families have the opportunity to meet with Makara and Lani privately. Depending on the needs of the families, AP finds solutions and provides advice and resources that are presented at the next week's meeting. Our top priority is to ensure that the families remain involved in the lives of their children. Makara and Lani bring photos of current activities and events for the parents to keep as well as report on the children's progress. These meetings are in addition to monthly family nights where parents, grandparents, and siblings are come to AP for an evening of delicious food and a presentation by the kids.

Providing and encouraging a forum for open communication allows AP to stay attuned to problems in the community and barriers to reaching their future goals. This program hopes to prevent crisis situations through awareness of each family's situation.

Currently, Lani and Makara are helping two family members develop a plan to establish a successful entrepreneurial business. Seed money for the business will be provided by Aziza's Place in the form of a micro-loan of about $70. With these funds, the two women plan to start a business together selling fruits in Udong, a popular mountaintop temple destination for Khmer and Western tourists. Their motivation and basic understanding of the business model makes them viable candidates for this pilot project. Makara, Lani, and the rest of the AP team are preparing terms for the loan as well as training for the women in how to best manage and track their profits. We are glad to see our community’s involvement in utilizing the resources of our program and allowing our management to play an integral role in advising on their critical life issues.

AP Athletes Go for the Gold in Annual ISF Football Tournament

On March 13, ten Aziza's Place girls played in the Barclays Capital/ ISF Girls U16 Football Tournament at the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh. Twenty-two teams from cities and provinces throughout Cambodia joined the tournament. Indochina Starfish Foundation (ISF), the tournament's organizer, boasts that this tournament is a day to remember as many of the girls had never attended a football match, much less played in one! This held true for our newest resident, seven year old Lina. She and the rest of the AP girls had an amazing day on the field. The girls tournament is an incredible opportunity for the girls of AP who are learning such strong life skills such as leadership, teamwork, and the importance of leading a healthy life.

AP boys under 13 years old participated in the PricewaterhouseCoopers/ ISF U13 Boys Tournament on March 20 with 24 teams representing various NGOs throughout the country. Because AP does not have enough children to make up an entire girls and boys team, we were partnered with kids from other organizations. We are so proud of our children who exhibited such fine sportsman/womanship.

We are honored to be a part of the ISF football program which gives boys and girls the immeasurable chance to play sports. Twice a week our residents practice football thanks to this organization that provides coaches, uniforms and shoes, and transportation to the practice field. ISF organizes and provides this opportunity to hundreds of Cambodian children. Resource sharing between NGOs is a priority at AP and we are happy to also have two ISF students enrolled in our film education program this year.

Visitors and Volunteers Make Aziza's Place a Brighter Place!

In March we welcomed back Co-founder Amjad Ghori who makes at least four trips per year to visit Aziza's Place. Amjad has a special relationship with all of the children and staff here and is passionate about their well-being. It is his ultimate priority to make sure they are being given the best opportunity to be safe, healthy and educated. Amjad is instrumental in our operations and development and works closely with the AP team to ensure our programs remain high-quality. He is so proud of the children's accomplishments in the three years AP has been open; from their English and computer skills, to their overall sense of selves. He is now focused on how to best shape and expand our programs to help prepare our eldest residents to pave a solid path for their future.

Along with Amjad, we are also happy to welcome Jana Doebler, Aziza's former au pair, and her friend Katharina Eckmann. Both are originally from Germany but are spending a year in Austrailia working in the architecture field. They have had a blast spending time with the kids and teaching the basics of architecture to Chiev, our current architect-in-training. Thank you Jana and Katharina for making AP a part of your life.

All at AP are thrilled to have a visit from Missy Washington who spent nearly one year at Aziza's Place as Communications Director (and art teacher, and English teacher, and more!) We have missed her presence since the day she left and we are so happy to have her back from California for two weeks. Her impact on the children and program development made an everlasting mark at AP. Rumor has it Missy is going to come back on AP staff early next year, thank goodness!

We send a heartfelt thank you to volunteer Janice Juszczak who is currently savoring her last week at AP. She has been an incredible asset and source of support for us the past three months. She taught our most advanced English class as well as our extra staff and sibling English class. She has had a great experience here and established lasting friendships with her students. Her charisma and great stories make the days brighter at AP and we thank her for her hard work and all the love she put into her time here. We are holding her to her word that she will come back to see us soon!

How to Help: Donate, Volunteer, Share

Aziza's Place is currently looking for a motivated and qualified individual to fill our internship program later this year. Along with working with our amazing resident children each day, our intern will work on our community outreach program, and help to establish the next phase of our program; preparing our eldest residents to graduate from AP. We are looking for an intern beginning September 2010 for a six month period. If this sounds like the job for you let us know! Contact Ali Robbins at ali@azizasplace.org.

Click here to make a donation via PayPal. For donations over $400, please click here for wire transfer information. 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. If you are a perspective volunteer, please take a look at our volunteer needs on idealist.org, or simply contact us.

Aziza’s Place Thanks Our 2010 Supporters
Jeremy and Allison Connick - London, United Kingdom
Pauline Dennehy - Levin, New Zealand
Erik, Jennifer, and Peper Granskog - Stamford, Connecticut
John and Maureen Haney - Somerset, New Jersey
David, Anne, Molly, and David Hurd - Beijing, China
Cliff Lawrenson and Family - Perth, Austrailia
James McKellar - London, United Kingdom
Harlene Morrow - Austin, Texas
Craig Nethercott - London, United Kingdom
Rick, Jamie and Wyatt Rothenberger - Reston, Virginia


A special thank you to our continuous monthly donors:
Heather Connell - Sacramento, California
Laura Mountcastle - Ann Arbor, Michigan


Thank you for supporting the children and families of Aziza’s Place


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