Aziza's Place News: January 2012

Happy Holidays from AP!

Our Mission:  Enable each child to reach maximum potential by providing residents with a safe environment, a range of creative educational, developmental and recreational programs, nurturing individuality, character and community while preparing each child for onward challenges and success, whether they involve university education, vocational training, or gainful employment.

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year from Aziza’s Place! With the end of 2011, we want take this time to make a special thank you to all of you. As friends and supporters, you help make Aziza’s Place possible. This year has been one of incredible growth and development for the children of Aziza’s Place.

In December, we had a wonderful holiday visit with Nancy Baker and Cliff Lawrenson’s family. In addition to spending time with the children, Nancy also pitched in with English classes and painting during Rob’s vacation break.

We also send out a special thank you to Lani Warsh. After volunteering in 2010, Lani returned to AP in January 2011 for a one-year term on staff and made a huge contribution during a very important time. We look forward to her visits and wish her all the best for her next adventures!

Yours Gratefully,

Aziza's Place

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2011: A Year of Growth

AP residents in school uniform, ready to learn! 

This year has been full of incredible progress for the Aziza’s Place residents. The children have thrived in new programs and activities adapted to promote achievement and push them toward new challenges that expand their growth and learning. Aziza’s Place also strengthened as an organization through leadership development, and a targeted focus on staff training.

Organisational Developments

New Resident

With the start of the new academic year we welcomed 8-year old Navin to Aziza’s Place.

Khmer Leadership

A significant change, envisioned from the beginning, has been a formal transition to Khmer leadership. In 2011, Soy Socheat and Vong Bopha took charge as Director of Programs and Director of Finance and Operations, respectively.

The smoothness of their transition and the unqualified endorsement of the children and families speak volumes about AP’s commitment to the virtues of strong exemplars, competent managers, fully engaged caregivers and nurturing leaders in the staff.

Staff training programs

We have continued to strengthen the team at Aziza’s Place and advanced the capacity of individual staff members, all aimed at creating an enriched environment for the children.

Education and Program Development

Public Education Certification

In the 2011-2012 academic year, fifteen of the twenty-two AP residents have attained grade levels commensurate with their age. Just over half of AP's primary school children and over a third of AP's high school children consistently ranked in the top quartile of their public school peers in the 2010-2011 school year.

English Program

By hiring an experienced English teacher, Rob Rushworth, our English program has been advanced to a level that will be able to push the children’s already impressive English language abilities further. The continuity of support for progress from an experienced teacher has been invaluable for the children's learning as they are able to focus on listening, speaking, writing and grammar skills through Rob’s teaching of applied English and related practical uses. The children’s abilities have progressed in leaps and bounds, as is their increasing confidence operating in English - a critical skill in pursuing both domestic and international opportunities.

Counseling Program
The children sometimes make the huge strides they take with their education, families and AP everyday, seem effortless and we know that just growing up has its own challenges too. In 2011, we implemented a counseling program tailored specifically for the children of Aziza's Place to address individual needs, support team-building, and deepen group learning. This helps the children draw what they need from each other as well as from AP’s nurturing staff.

Film Students Take the Initiative
AP's film students successfully directed and produced films for external use – including the Aziza's Place promotional film, and a film for a local NGO – Attitude Centre for Education (ACE).

Community Outreach Program
The AP Community Program responds to the needs of AP family members, the resources available to them, and AP’s strengths as a small organization. Our Outreach Program acts as a facilitator and connector to existing services in areas that our target community lives, tapping into resources at work in the area. In 2011, two family members of AP residents were connected with jobs, a family member was rescued from a dubious work network and two family members of AP residents were assisted in a financial emergency.

Internship Program

The six eldest residents at Aziza's Place thrived trying on new roles in workplaces around Phnom Penh, after independently sourcing internship placements for summer break from Khmer Public School. After two months working, the children returned from their Internship experiences with a sense of purpose and responsibility, and a sense of independence and confidence as they all took on new roles and learned wide-ranging skills relevant to their unique areas of interest.

Life-skills Activities

The children have stepped up their efforts tackling the life skills needed for the daily challenges of independent life. These have included urban orientation and map reading, navigating and purchasing in markets, food preparation, cooking techniques, and other practical activities. All of the children participate to some degree and enjoy even the most modest of these confidence-building victories of daily practicality.

AP Residents Explore the UK
For the first year, two of AP’s most accomplished English speakers were the recipients of a 10-day trip to the UK in recognition of their leadership skills and achievements.

As AP’s first ambassadors, they presented themselves confidently with both hosts and prospective donors, circulating with poise and grace at an event at Asia House in London. Their English-speaking abilities impressed all who met them. Given that this was their first travel on an airplane, let alone their first visit to an English-speaking country, their character and poise in unfamiliar surroundings made them ideal first representatives from Aziza’s Place.

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AP Vision

English Class level 2, studying at Aziza's Place.

In the upcoming year, we will concentrate on improving the quality and variety of programs for the children of Aziza's Place - with three core areas receiving particular focus:

• Extending our education program for our older residents as they prepare to graduate from residency in the coming years.

• Preparing for new residents to enter Aziza's Place when we identify children who match our selection criteria, based on need and fit with our programs, until we reach our capacity of 25 residents.

• Assisting children who have not yet caught up their age level in public school, advancing them with focused support until they reach the school level commensurate with their age and ability.

We see these three key areas central to our visition of AP, that all of Aziza's Place children develop into responsible adults with the life skills needed to become valued members of their communities, economically self-sufficient and socially empowered.

 

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Well Done! Lani at AP

Lani and Momphat

In this Courtyard, we celebrate the work of Lani Warsh, who was our resident Program Coordinator in 2011. Her hard work and support began when Lani first came to Aziza’s Place as a Program Assistant Intern for six months in 2010. She was instrumental in structuring all AP programs, especially the Community Outreach Initiative.

Lani taught us new ways to look at our goals, and how to strive for the best. In the past year, she encouraged our eldest children to begin practical steps in getting ready to build their lives after AP and nurtured their confidence to believe in themselves. Lani will always be an important part of the AP family and her work will leave a lasting impression on the children and staff of Aziza’s Place. Thank you Lani for your care and dedication to AP – we wish you the very best!

 

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Thank You

Select Equity Group

As we look towards the new year, we are thrilled to have received a re-commitment from Select Equity Group, who have awarded Aziza’s Place a $12,000 grant through the guidance and support of Penny Barten. We are so thankful for the generosity of the Select Equity Group and their confidence in AP and the children.

Thank you for your generous contributions in December 2011:

Sharon McIlnay and Gifford Rogers

Erik Granskog and family

Gemma Pinatell Bove

Karen Alexander

Nancy Baker

Susan Hermanson

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How to Help Aziza's Place

AP families enjoy children-organized
festivities together on Family Night.  
AP hosted nine Family Nights in 2011.

Support  •  Volunteer  •  Connect

Are you interested in supporting the children and programs of Aziza's Place? We invite you to become a part of our growing global community by donating, volunteering, or simply connecting us to your network of friends and family.

Easy ways to provide financial support:

  Please click the "Donate" button to make a donation via PayPal. For donations over $400, please click here for wire transfer information. U.S. donors can receive a tax credit receipt for your contribution. If you are a UK donor please click here. You may also elect the Gift Aid option so the tax-gross up is received by the charity. If you are a prospective volunteer, please take a look at our volunteer needs on idealist.org, or simply contact us.

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