Today we said 'goodbye' to our recent volunteer, Ruth Lemon, from England, who has been a fantastic addition to the Aziza's Place family over the past 3 months. On her second volunteer stint with AP,  she assisted our full-time English teacher, eagerly taught the house moms English and initiated dance and piano lessons with the children. Her smiling face and positive attitude will be missed around AP!

AP has always embraced and welcomed volunteers passionate about dedicating their time and skills to the children and staff at AP. We welcome all individuals eager to learn and work with a grassroots organization who is trying to make a difference in one small corner of the world. If you're interested in joining our team, please send me an e-mail: mandolyn@azizasplace.org 
I'd love to hear from you!

As I walk down the stairs from the office to the AP courtyard, I hear the sound of happy laughter, the buzz of voices and the strum of a guitar. Friday is a calm day here at AP, the children relax downstairs without the constant bustle of extra-classes and initiate rowdy volleyball matches or practice karate. As I step off the last stair I'm welcomed into the warm family scene of Cheng sitting on the bench strumming a guitar soulfully, SreyNat staring into the distance with her arms encircling her knees and Roth sitting ensconced in a black towel, his eyes scrunched up as Makara takes the trimmer to his wild thatch of hair. As I sit with them, happy to just exist in this moment turned golden by the evening light, I recall a quote about family that seems to fit the sentiment perfectly: 

"My home is not a place; it is people." 
- Lois McMaster Bujold 
 --
Mandolyn 
Communications Director

Life in this region of Cambodia pulses to the flow of the Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake and river system in SE Asia. The Tonle Sap acts as a life giving artery supporting approximately 3 million people, its seasonal floods provide spawning grounds for fish and its rich silt deposits fertilize rice fields. Twice a year, this great river reverses its flow attracting upwards to a million Cambodians who gather on it's mossy banks to celebrate the Water Festival. Historically, this 3 day celebration held at the end of November, featured colorful boat races, the largest boats measuring over 100 feet and crewed with up to 80 oarsmen. This year, however, the great river was quiet as all boat races were cancelled to honor the passing of the king's father. Instead, Khmer families flocked to the beach to relax in the sun and eat fresh seafood while their children's laughter rang from the surf.

A day in the life of AP

SreyPhea crouches quietly in the evening light gently coaxing her spindly seedlings to grow. The AP residents have begun cultivating small vegetable plots, learning how to plant the seeds and nurture them with water under the direction of Barb Devine, our full-time English teacher. Each day the children run over excited see how much the seedlings have grown in the night.

A day in the life of AP

Introducing our new weekly Friday blog update! Every Friday we'll post special moments, stories and photos that give you the reader a personal glimpse into the daily life at the AP house and allow you to see the world through the youthful eyes of our AP residents. 

There is a term that photographers use to describe the kind of magical light that changes the mundane and banal into a work of art: "Jesus light." It is this light that Michelangelo painted into his masterpiece on the Sistine Chapel ceiling and it is this same light that filters through the entwined tree branches that ensconce the AP courtyard. In the evenings, the children file out into the courtyard in crisp, matching uniforms and move in unison, like a silent dance, as they practice their karate techniques and forms under the direction of the Sensei. 

These two images show a fun juxtaposition between the older residents, who have lived at AP for many years, and two of our newest residents, who joined the AP family over the past few months. For these two little ones, their initial time at AP is about finding a balance in their new life and learning how to move in unison with their large new family.

Aziza's Place Staff Retreat

In a small town tucked beside the sleepy river of Kampot, the Aziza’s Place staff gathered for the first annual two-day retreat to reflection on the past and to build towards the future. Our morning alarm clock was the steady chug of the fishing boats as they made their way upstream to their favorite fishing holes. In this idyllic setting, we came together with the purpose of promoting staff development, teamwork and to generating a strategic plan for the future of Aziza's Place. 

Under the direction of meeting facilitator, Sotherawat, the AP staff began the retrospective process of constructing a five-year AP timeline and identifying significant milestones and obstacles. This exercise was to provide everyone, both new family members and those who have been with the organization long-term, with a clear perspective of AP's history and to establish a strong foundation that all future work will build on. Sotherawat also led the team through a creative, self-discovery session that gave each member a glimpse into the others lives and backgrounds and promoted a strong sense of unity among the staff. In the day-to-day grind of life, sometimes small details such as these get overlooked, but for the first time in AP history, in a hidden alcove at the crook of the Kampot river, AP took the time to truly unite as a family. 

The second half of the two-day workshop was geared towards building on the past to create a brighter future. As a group, we answered questions about AP's strengths and weaknesses, necessary improvements and the implementation of structure and where we envision the organization in another five years. Each member of the AP family contributed their ideas and perspectives and, as we continued, a path began to form on how to take AP to the next level. 

Ideas that were discussed during the retreat:

 • Implementing monitoring and evaluation structure to all of AP’s programs to objectively assess progress and to achieve desired results.
• Be more proactive and plan in advance.

• Improve human resource development, implement staff policies, procedures and assessments to improve the cohesiveness of the staff and to prevent ambiguity when it comes to roles and responsibilities. 

The staff retreat was an incredible success and we would like to say a a heartfelt ‘Thank You’ to the Global Fund for Children (GFC) - a grant-giving foundation partnering with community-based organizations who work with the world's most vulnerable children and youth. GFC has been instrumental in funding Aziza's Place for over two years and this year awarded AP the GFC Opportunity Grant that enabled us to launch our first annual Aziza's Place staff retreat.  
  
The following are some images from our time exploring Kampot and Kep.
Enjoy! 

October Newsletter

Dear Aziza’s Place family & friends, 

This fall season marks the start of a new academic year, which often heralds changes and new beginnings. For the long-term residents of Aziza's Place, the start of the school year will mean new teachers, new subjects and, perhaps, new classmates. For Aziza's Place as a whole, this fall brings changes in the form of new family members, Mandolyn McConaha, as the in-coming Communications Director, and Barb Devine, as our permanent English teacher. These additions to the Aziza's Place family bring with them fresh perspectives, ideas and skills and we’re excited to have them both join the team! 

Most importantly, we would like to bid a heartfelt farewell to Cath Waugh, our out-going Communications Director who, in reality, has meant so much more during her three and a half years at Aziza's Place. Arriving as a volunteer in the Spring of 2009, Cath made an immediate impact with her warm smile and overflowing affection that she showed to all the residents and staff. Even after her time as a volunteer concluded, she maintained a close contact with AP, stopping by on a daily basis and involving herself in the work and lives of everyone at AP. From this mutual affinity, it was a natural progression that we offer her the CD role in October of 2010, and to our delight, she accepted. Once settled into the CD role, Cath was instrumental in helping develop and formalize many of the Operational Policies, as well as being the organization’s representative to our large family of supporters, volunteers, visitors and corporate and institutional partners. We will miss her dearly and eagerly await her return to Cambodia in 2013. She leaves a tremendous 
legacy, which we hope to perpetuate and benefit from in the years to come. 

“I'd like to extend my personal 'Thank You' to Cath. You are unique and very special and your presence at Aziza’s Place has helped us evolve into this haven that serves our resident children, their families and their community." 

-- 

Amjad Ghori 

Co-Founder 

“As the author of the Courtyard Newsletter and a point of connection for our wider Aziza’s Place community – volunteers, visitors and supporters – for the past two years, I have been honored to be the one to share the news of the Aziza’s Place children, staff and the development of Aziza’s Place as a whole. It has been truly wonderful to be part of the lives of the children at Aziza’s Place who all continue to grow and develop into confident, genuine people, full of character, all striving towards their individual interests and talents. Great things lie ahead for the AP residents in the coming years as they eventually start graduating from Aziza’s Place. I’m thrilled to see each of them take hold of their futures and find their own niche in the world. The Aziza’s Place children, staff and family will always be close to my heart. Although returning home to New Zealand is in my immediate future, plans to return to Cambodia are already underway!” 

 -- 

Cath Waugh 

Communications Director 

2012-2012 

                                             

                                  _____________________________

Winds of Change:

Welcoming Mandolyn and Barb to the Aziza's Place family

 

We are excited to usher in a new era for both the Communications Director and English Teacher roles at AP. Mandolyn, from California, U.S.A, joins the team as the in-coming Communications Director and brings many years of international work experience in the education, media and not-for-profit sectors.  She has lived and worked in South Korea, SE Asia and most recently W. Africa. Her background in photojournalism and passion for sustainable development will be a valuable asset for AP. 

We are also excited to welcome Barb Devine, from Victoria, British Columbia Canada, into the AP fold as the in-coming English Teacher. Early in 2012, Barb visited Aziza’s Place for three weeks and lead inspiring art workshops with the AP residents. She has an impressive background and certification in teaching, both English (as-a-second-language) and painting and has worked in graphic design for many years. We are excited to have Barb as a valuable member of the AP family!

AP would like to extend a sincere thank you to Rob Rushworth for the role he played in developing the English Program during his 14 months with AP. He lifted the achievement bar for the children, extending their English language abilities with his project-based approach to teaching.  He developed a comprehensive English curriculum that incorporated science, mathematics, mechanics, film study, cooking, and basic marketing and engineering principles – a truly dynamic program of holistic learning. We wish him all the best for his future endeavors!                                       

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                                A Bright New Face

 

This fall we welcome a bright new face to the Aziza’s Place family- Kouy Sueon, 7 years-old. She is the youngest of 5 children, and lived in the Steung Meanchey dump-site, a community in Phnom Penh that many of the residents once called home and where many of their families still live. Her parents spend their days at the dump-site picking through the trash for items to sale or recycle. Many of her siblings stopped attending school at a young age in order to help support the family. At AP, Sueon has the chance at a full and healthy childhood and the opportunity to obtain a quality education. She is eager to learn and has energetically jumped into our summer supplementary classes.  She began her 2^ndgrade studies at Toul Toumpoung Khmer Public School in early October and has quickly adjusted to life at AP.  Sueon is excited to be the newest member of the AP family and has been welcomed by all with open arms.     

The selection process of accepting children at AP involves a three-week trial period, during which time the new resident is observed as he/she becomes accustomed to the AP routine of studying and participating in extra-cirricular activites - a new way of life that is very different from their home environment. After this period, a meeting between the new resident, their family, and the AP staff allows for a discussion about the prospect of a long-term stay at Aziza’s Place.

___________________________

GFC Knowledge Exchange Workshop 
Working together for Sustainability 

 Aziza’s Place is honored to be a long-term partner with Global Fund for Children (GFC) – a grant-giving foundation partnering with community-based organizations who work with the world’s most vulnerable children and youth. GFC has been instrumental in funding AP for the past two years, and this year AP was invited to participate in the GFC Knowledge Exchange Workshop held in Manila, Philippines. 

Soy Socheat, AP’s Director of Programs, attended this three-day workshop that provided him with the opportunity to network with similar grantee organizations from Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Mongolia, Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. The GFC Knowledge Exchange Workshops focused on the theme of “Working Together for Sustainability.” The sessions were based on the premise that each organization possesses valuable knowledge and experience and that, by facilitating a cross-organizational information exchange, each grantee would be enriched.

Socheat particularly enjoyed attending the site visit to the Laura Vicuna Foundation and had the chance to see not only their community work, but also the ‘Child Protection Clinic on Wheels’. He gained new ideas from a presentation given by Amanda Hsiung, GFC’s Associate Program Officer (East and Southeast Asia), and Farah Anwar, Program Associate (South Asia), addressing the use of Evaluation and Monitoring techniques to improve program structure. He returned from the workshop inspired by the exchange of information and ideas and eager to implement them at Aziza's Place.

                                            ____________________

                                        Community Outreach Program

The Aziza's Place children participated in Cambodia’s nationwide education campaign, coordinated by NGO Education Partnership (NEP), for the second year running. The campaign aimed to encourage Cambodian families to enroll their children in public school.    

This year the residents energetically shared their positive message about the benefits of education with the community of Steung Meanchey. They worked as a group to engage the parents and children in the community and to communicate the importance of education and staying in school. They led educational activities, such as games teaching the Khmer alphabet and a storybook reading session.   

The program was such a success that the AP residents returned two weeks later for an afternoon where they led additional learning activities – such as reading groups, drawing and coloring, basic mathematics, origami, and games. This was an exciting moment for the AP residents to become leaders and mentors and to invest their time and knowledge back into their community. For more information about the Outreach Program and for additional photos, please visit our Facebook page.

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Aziza’s Place would like to extend a warm welcome to Ruth Lemon, from Devon, UK, who will be volunteering for the next 3 months. She plans to obtain her teaching certificate in 2013 and is excited to gain experience and knowledge by working with the AP children. She assists our full-time English teacher, Barb, and is involved in teaching English to the AP staff as well as one-on-one English tutoring for the youngest AP residents. She has also scheduled extracurricular activity sessions in dance and piano, two areas of great interest to Ruth. We are delighted to have Ruth working with us and appreciate the energy and passion she brings to the classroom.