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Published: November 1st 2008
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Below I have copied the email about our upcoming trip that I plan to send to some people. If you care to pass it along to anyone, please feel free. If you know someone I should contact myself, please let me know. If anyone wants to know how to make a cash donation rather than donating through the PLF website, just ask. Greetings, friends and family -
As many of you know, we were lucky enough to spend some time in Southeast Asia this past spring. Everything about it was amazing, but we were particularly struck by the incredible poverty and great need for resources in Cambodia, as well as the remarkable resilience of the Khmer (Cambodian) people.
The need there is so great that we feel compelled to contribute something to their efforts. So Jaz and I are going back to Cambodia for a couple of months this winter to volunteer. (Steve would love to come, but his role with the Fatherhood Grant will keep him home for now.) We may be helping tutor English, teach basic computer and internet skills to teachers, and do health education - some of the details are still in the works.
I'll say it right now: this is a fund-raising letter. Please don't feel any pressure. I have no expectations of anyone. I have mixed feelings about sending this email at all, but I feel passionate enough about the cause that I'm taking the chance that some of you may be interested in contributing.
Please consider taking a few minutes to read the following information about Cambodia and about how your donation, no matter the amount, would be genuinely beneficial. A dollar goes a long, long way.
Not so very long ago, the Khmer Rouge killed as many as 2 million Cambodians out of a population of less than 8 million. They targeted the teachers, the artists, the doctors. They attempted to destroy Cambodian history, culture, religion, education, and family life. It will take generations to rebuild, yet everywhere we went we saw people struggling toward that goal, albeit with meager resources.
• One third of Cambodians live on less than $1 per day.
• The average life expectancy is 57 years.
• One of 12 children die before their fifth birthday of completely preventable causes.
• More than 40% of children are underweight or
malnourished.
• 60%!o(MISSING)f the population has no access to safe drinking water.
We are inviting any of you who would like to support our efforts to make a donation to the foundation we'll be working with. (I'm afraid that Jaz and I are not a tax-deductible entity, but we can promise to work hard and report back frequently via blog about how our efforts are going. Let us know if you want the blog address.) Cash donations that we can bring with us go the furthest, and online donations can be made at
the PLF website . The two women who run this foundation will be our hosts, and we will likely be teaching and working in some of the schools they help support. (In fact, you can read a narrative on the PLF website about our trip there last April when we took a field trip to the Angkor Wat temples with some schoolchildren. As a proud parent, I'd like to point out that this field trip happened because Jaz asked only for money last Christmas so she could give it to the PLF and fund that trip.)
After the field trip to the temples, we gave each
of the children a dollar to spend in the local market, thinking they might enjoy the opportunity to buy a trinket for themselves. What they bought was food - food to bring home to their families. It was a much-needed lesson for us about their daily lives.
Examples of how far your money can go:
• Breakfast at school for ten children for one week: $8.50
• A school kit for one child (2 uniforms, 1 pair of shoes, backpack, school supplies): $20
• A bicycle to allow a child to attend secondary school miles from home: $40
• Six months worth of salary to allow a livable wage for one teacher: $120
• Meals at school for ten children for one year: $240
• A new classroom for a rural school that has run out of space for eager students: $800
• Knowing you've encouraged and supported us in this venture: Priceless!
Over time, I have looked at many volunteer organizations that we could have partnered with to do this, but while their fees are all tax-deductible, they are also much more expensive. By arranging this ourselves, we can do it much more cheaply, which is what makes it possible to do at all. And every dollar given to the PLF goes straight to goods and services for the kids - there are no administrative costs at all.
Initially, I felt conflicted about whether going this trip would be the best use of resources - perhaps just sending the money we could have spent on plane tickets would be a better donation from us - but I was convinced otherwise by the PLF organizer, who spoke eloquently of the message sent to local people that we would care enough to come, that they are important enough to work with, and that our English skills (and my nursing skills) would be genuinely helpful.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you have questions or comments, or have ideas to share about fund-raising or blogging or other topics, please let us know! Again, I have no expectations that you will make a contribution, but I thank you for considering it.
May we all never forget how lucky we are -
Jess
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