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by patrickandcarol, June 05, 2010
... form a part of our sustainable activities project ...
... and we are delighted to have the expertise of Steve and Jacqui to assist us with this project.
The transition from poverty to sustainability is no easy task and it doesn’t happen overnight.
However, with a dedicated team to encourage, support and facilitate development through the programs ...
... the individual can experience and enjoy the journey as they benefit from the achievement of short term goals ...
... that motivate them along the way to realising their long term goals.
It brings us great joy to know that sustainable activities allow parents to feed their hungry families. No more growling bellies around these dinner tables. Excellent!
The ox cart ride out to rice fields proved to be especially 'entertaining' for everyone in the wagon ...
... when Patrick decided to take a photo of the ox. With the flash startling the ox, they bolted in different directions ...
... while a few were still sitting in it!
The owner managed to settle the ox down ...
... and although it sounds funny a couple of people had reports of black and blue parts appearing on them and the guys decided the motor bike was their preferred mode of transport.
Projects like these do assist in eradicating extreme poverty and hunger in accordance with Millennium Development Goal # 1. Just ask those who now have the means to support and feed their families.
Steve and Jacqui ...
... also conducted a comprehensive horticulture project with children ...
.. who thoroughly enjoyed learning the theory and practical aspects of horticulture.
by patrickandcarol, June 04, 2010
Enrollment day for the new provincial children's project ...
... created a hive of activity in the village...
... as the children participated ...
... in a variety of fun activities ...
... to keep them amused ...
...and entertained.
The Village Chief was in attendance ...
... and lots of parents ...
... and grandparents ...
... hoping to secure a place for the children ...
... so that they can have the opportunity to partake ...
... in the life changing project ...
... that will equip ...
... and empower them ...
... ... to be great contributors ...
... to not only the local society ...
... but societies beyond.
Well worth the investment!
The team did a great job of organising the project registration ...
... and by the end of the 3 hour registration period ...
... had registered 121 children, representing 73 families in the local community.
This children's project assists in achieving universal primary education in accordance with Millennium Development Goal # 2.
by patrickandcarol, June 02, 2010
... hygiene and shelter for the Cambodian people is one of our significant goals ...
... and are all basic needs and human rights ... right?!...
... but researching the above basics (or lack thereof) never ceases to amaze us as we listen to the large number of people who are still drinking water out of the local rivers ...
... where they not only bath alongside the animals ...
... but use it as a latrine and for everything else that requires water. Consequently, these people were speechless ...
... as we told them that the facilities were going to be built for them. Tears of joy certainly flowed on that day ...
... as they tried to express their heartfelt thanks. Grandma, as she is affectionately known to us ...
... who not only lives with the stigma attached to being blind ...
... also has the added responsibility of caring for her grandson. He, in turn ...
... has the responsibility of working to provide for them as he takes on the position of head of the household.
Grandma was delighted when we told her about the fact that she would soon have her own private toilet. She will no longer have to live dependent upon her grandson, or neighbours, to take her to the river. Imagine that!
On the day we visited, Grandma was excited about the fact that her grandson had caught a nice catch of frogs during the heavy rain the night before. They were getting ready to feast ...
... which was the perfect cue for us to return to the centre to enjoy lunch ...
... which included some freshly fried marinated crickets ...
... and another birthday cake ...
... (the second so far and my birthday was still another week away).
Many village people are suffering due to the deprivation of basic needs such as shelter, safe drinking water and sanitation and it is our aim to ensure that each home of the children enrolled in the village children’s program, has all of the above facilities, which will greatly assist in improved health conditions for the people and also has a positive impact on the environment.
This laborious time consuming task of fetching water is also depriving the adults of the opportunity to seek employment that would greatly improve their chance of providing the basics of a sustainable lifestyle for their family.
Through the provision of a water well providing safe drinking water for a family, fetching water is no longer an issue. This has an impact on the life of the adults, whose time is freed up to do other tasks. Without the laborious task of gathering water for the family, the children’s time is also freed up, therefore providing them with the opportunity to seek an education which provides them with unlimited opportunities for the future.
Sanitation facilities provide the beneficiaries with privacy. Need we say more.
We are also addressing the needs and issues associated with those who are HIV positive and their quality of life, as well as those who care for them from a health, hygiene and safety perspective.
What a privilege it is to provide such basics as health, shelter, water and sanitation for the people in desperate need.
by patrickandcarol, May 26, 2010
The students have had the pleasure of having Katja back in town ...
... as well as a host of volunteers from Australia ...
... Canada and the UK ...
... as well as visitors from the UK ...
... who also visited the project at Kandal.
Volunteers who take the time to attend ministry planning meetings ...
... before designing their schedule of activities ...
... in accordance with the project requirements of that time ...
... have a huge impact on the students and are a great asset to the ministry ...
... and challenges like singing four part harmony,
'Dona Nobis Pacem', also entertain and stretch the students!
One of their recent highlights of the project was no doubt the excursion to Sihanoukville, which included team building activities on the beach ...
... which proved to be popular ...
... throughout the heats and finals of the competition ...
... complete with spills ...
... which all made for a great way to spend the day.
The youth enjoyed the variety of activities ...
... which challenged ...
... and stretched the teams.
All in good fun, of course!
The nations were well represented with the German-Cambodian, Canadian-Cambodian and Australian-Cambodian mixed teams ...
... with the foreigners playing a large part not only through participation but also ...
... through encouraging ...
.... and challenging their fellow team members.
The people working on the beach ...
... took time out ...
... to check out what was happening ...
... while Patrick communicated with the office in between the games (what an 'office' view) ...
... and lunch was cooked ...
... and served ...
... and after the judging was complete ...
... (inclusive of a little help from the participants) ...
... and results announced ...
... it really didn't matter who won ...
... because at the end of the day ...
... as you can see ...
... by the smiles on the faces ...
... a great day was had by all ...
... and even though kromars needed to be donned one minute ...
... in order to provide protection from the sun ...
... before long the teams found themselves finishing the races with fierce determination ...
... as they battled against the equally fierce wind and rain as it closed in.
The day didn't end there ...
... as we celebrated a number of birthdays, including these birthday girls ...
... before finishing off the evening with sweet sounds of music.
by patrickandcarol, May 15, 2010
... In Country Representative Conference was held in Brisbane, Australia ...
... and commenced with an afternoon in the GDG office ...
... which gave us a great opportunity to network with the team ...
.. and delegates ...
... representing projects from around the world ...
... followed by dinner ...
... where discussions continued ...
... with some of the delegates.
The conference days were filled with informative sessions presented by various individuals from GDG ...
... and AusAID representatives ...
... which gave us all an opportunity to interact ...
... as we discussed sustainability and development.
Break and meal times were enjoyable as we continued networking with the other delegates ...
... and GDG directors, board members and staff.
It was inspirational to hear from the team from Watota ...
... and Kitgum in Uganda ...
... Mulli Children's Family Homes in Kenya and Vocaid International, Sri Lanka, just to name a few.
On our last day in Brisbane we attended a round of meetings with Geoff ...
... Craig ...
... and Wendy ...
... before saying farewell to the happy team at GDG ...
... who finally had their office ...
... back to normal ...
... once the delegates boarded their flights out of the country.
We look forward to the next GDG conference.
by patrickandcarol, May 08, 2010
... to Phnom Penh to volunteer and served in a number of projects, including 'Sew Empowered' where we first heard the beautiful voices of Jo, Jen and Chrissy, leading the sweet sounds of English and Khmer praise and worship ...
... followed by some quick measurements for made to order silk screened T Shirts ...
... before visiting 'The Haven' for morning tea.
The next stop for the team was TLC ...
... where the girls were warmly greeted ...
... before getting down to the business of practicing the recorder ...
... and commencing the program with a beautiful ...
... three part harmony song for the children to learn.
The kids did an excellent job! It's obvious that good teachers see great results in their students!
Prior to the girls arrival, we thought we may have challenged them with the content of our program but the girls did an excellent job of rising to the occasion and delivering everything we requested!
The children and staff ...
... obviously enjoyed the science experiments ...
... although I don't recall an instruction to put it all over your face and/or clothes.
Other activities presented by the girls included art ...
... recorder lessons ...
... and a song or two ...
... complete with actions...
... for the kids to learn ...
... as well as height and weight recordings ...
... and health and hygiene training for the parents and carers ...
... by our resident community nursing expert ...
... as she led her team...
There was story time ...
... for each ...
... of the groups to enjoy.
In between times, at the Family of Hope project ...
... the girls worked with the students on their music and computer studies, as well as a variety of activities ...
... including health and hygiene training ...
... and a repeat of their science activity ...
... which the girls obviously enjoyed as much as the students did!
Jen, Jo and Chrissy ...
... with their beautiful voices and music skills ...
... led a night of praise and worship in our home ...
... at our weekly cell group meeting.
It was a beautiful evening in His presence!
Enjoy these quotes that speak of our gratitude for our volunteers ...
Volunteers don't get paid, not because they're worthless, but because they're priceless. ~ Sherry Anderson
It's easy to make a buck. It's a lot tougher to make a difference. ~ Tom Brokaw
Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart. ~ Elizabeth Andrew
No one is more cherished in this world than someone who lightens the burden of another. ~ Author Unknown
How beautiful a day can be when kindness touches it!~ George Elliston
Thank you for touching our days with your kindness ~ Jo, Jen and Chrissy.
We look forward to your return!
by patrickandcarol, May 08, 2010
... is our passion and our role as Global Development Group's In Country Representatives give us the opportunity to work with project managers of various GDG projects on ...
... and off the project sites ...
... as we work on sustainable development strategies ...
... for the beneficiaries of the projects.
by patrickandcarol, May 02, 2010
... research is complete ...
... and it was time to meet and greet the local leaders to request permission to operate a development centre in their village ...
... and district.
We also enjoyed a tour with the village leader ...
... when he took us ...
... to introduce us ...
... to a number of families ...
... living in the village.
We had a great time strolling through the village ...
... as well as conducting interviews with those hoping to join our team ...
... who had already been appointed to work in the centre.
by patrickandcarol, May 02, 2010
... water and sanitation health ...
... and hygiene project ...
... continues to provide better conditions ...
... for those involved in the projects.
Much better than the obsolete banned style!
by patrickandcarol, May 02, 2010
The new computer lab set up was completed recently ...
... and will be a great asset for vocational training and capacity building for youth and adults.
by patrickandcarol, April 30, 2010
... with guests as they continue to fly in from around the world is always a pleasure and while we don't always have a camera to capture them all, we do enjoy our time networking. On this occasion, it was the Seniors' who treated us to a lovely evening out ...
... and it was so good to see them again.
Dee and Erin visited a couple of projects where they met some of the children ...
... and the Sew Empowered team ...
... as they checked out the products.
Lois checked out FOH project where a couple of her volunteers will be serving over the next couple of months.
We joined Nigel to discuss ministry options ...
... and there's always a wedding or two to attend ...
... and meals to enjoy with friends.
by patrickandcarol, April 30, 2010
... continues to serve the prisoners in various correctional centres throughout the nation and the board meetings are productive and informative ...
... as those with a heart to serve the prisoners gather together.
On another occasion, we attended a farewell for Linda ...
... and a welcome for Adam ...
... as he stepped into the role of Executive Director of PFC. It has been such a pleasure for us to serve on the board with Linda as ED and see the growth and great impact PFC has had under Linda's management.
by patrickandcarol, April 30, 2010
... also received a visit from Fiona from Calypso Costumes and had a chance to meet Fiona's family ...
... while Fiona checked out the latest additions to the girls products.
Fiona is a great inspiration for the team ...
... who value their partnership with her.
by patrickandcarol, April 30, 2010
... are a real treat for everyone and on this occasion it was Ian, Fiona, Zeta and Finn who visited the children ...
.. with hugs all round ...
... before visiting the children's families in their homes.
Beautiful!
by patrickandcarol, April 30, 2010
... with the EFC Children's Commission team ...
 of IMGP8939.JPG "Patrick Kimhong EFC")
... is of great benefit to those serving children ...
 of IMGP8941.JPG "Patrick EFC")
... in various roles with a variety of organisations and churches.
 of IMGP8938.JPG "EFC")
