News from Aziza's Place - May/June 2011

Dear friends of Aziza's Place,

In this edition of Courtyard we want to highlight the progress of AP’s resident children as they step-up and extend themselves through the variety of programs and activities that are an integral part of life at Aziza's Place. As each child grows and expands their horizons and capabilities, we, the Staff and Volunteers are also pushed to adapt and modify our programs to keep or get a few steps ahead of each resident child’s tireless quest to learn and grow.

A first and significant major development is our good-fortune in convincing Rob Rushworth to sign on as a permanent English teacher for the four AP English classes. Many of the AP residents have been studying English for more than four years with the help of our many volunteers who eagerly took on the teaching responsibilities during their time spent at Aziza’s Place. Our very varied volunteer universe provided our resident children with an incredible opportunity to learn English while also exposing them to the volunteers' different backgrounds and experiences. While each child made tremendous strides in learning the language, particularly their speaking abilities, we recognized that for further improvements and for the children to step up to new levels, they clearly require a skilled teacher to lead them by developing a consistent and structured English program.

Another major development last month was the opportunity for the eldest residents to attend a leadership and personal development training course and learn skills which they’ve since had a chance to employ by playing a role in organising the May Family Night and in other fun activities with the remaining residents. See below for further details.

Our final important endeavour this month was coming to the aid of the family of an AP resident who reached out to Aziza's Place for support when their house collapsed into a pile of wooden planks and rubble with the onset of Cambodia’s rainy season, which typically begins in May/June every year. Aziza's Place supplied some much-needed building materials as part of our continued commitment to help our resident children, their families and their communities.

Other highlights featured this month are: a warm welcome to Elodie Douillard-Potet as an intern from the Université De Franche - Comté(France); and grateful acknowledgement of a $6,000 ’Enterprise’ grant, received from Global Fund for Children (GFC), an organization dedicated to help many worthy projects around the world that focus on improving the lives of children.

Yours Gratefully,

Aziza's Place

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Thank you for your contributions in May/June:

Special appreciation is extended to Bridie Ryan, grandmother of previous volunteer Hayley Carter.  Her donation to Aziza's Place was made in memory of her husband, Jim Ryan.

Thank you also to: Peter Tabri • Stephanie McMahon • Thomas Ragot