November 2021: A Room with a View
A ROOM WITH A VIEW
One thing many of us take for granted is waking each morning to see the sunshine or the rainclouds through our windows. We can open and close them for the breeze, to shut out gusts of rain, or just to welcome in some outside air. Sadly, many families in our community have not had this small luxury. For too many, the only view to the outside might be the flimsy doorway to their small room or the ceiling hole through which monsoon rains flood the living space.
At Heartprint, in addition to building solid, sustainable homes, we include windows through which parents can watch their kids play outside, wave to neighbours, or just watch the sun come up or go down. A view to the world outside. A small thing to many of us. A big thing to many others.
We’ve learned that while Big Things are critical, sometimes small things also change lives. Things like windows. Or face masks. Some families can’t afford to buy these small items of personal safety, so when they are donated they can actually protect lives. Or an ordinary bike - a basic one - without which many children can’t get to school because it is too far to walk.
41 Bikes arriving at the Primary School
Very happy girls receiving their bikes
Thank you Crissy for our masks
We’ve seen lots of these small things this month and especially want to thank Crissy for the donation of face masks and the Girls With Hammers and the 12 hour walk fundraisers for the bikes we were able to distribute this month as schools reopened across the country.
There are also plenty of Big Things to talk about.
Our team finished two new homes with toilets and clean water this month! The Chean Savuth family of four are thrilled with their new “Room with a View”. Now, without having to worry about a roof over their heads, they can live safely and focus on creating sustainable income and ensuring their two children are educated.
If you follow us on Facebook, you may also have seen the movie of Ta (Grandpa) who sells sculpted shaved ice to earn, if he’s lucky, in the neighbourhood of $2 per day. He lives with his wife, a son, and five grandchildren. They, too, now have a new Heartprint home.
Chean Savuth Family
Ta (Grandpa)’s home almost ready to move in
Both families also receive monthly food support from Heartprint. Yes, that’s still going out to 111 families. Borders may now be open, but there is still a long way to go for many Cambodians to have access to the reliable income they had prior to Covid.
Thanks to you and your generosity, many good things have come to pass. And while Cambodia is largely a Buddhist country, all of these have truly been early Christmas presents for everyone who has moved into a new home, been provided masks to protect their families, or a bike to ride to school. Your generosity provides more than a room with a view of the street outside. It provides a view to dreams and possibilities and opportunity.
For example, with Covid restrictions lifted we’ve been able to restart our programs: On Sundays we have computer and music programs, plus Youth Group activities. During the week we have education support for various levels of need, our Get Active program, our ID Active program, and of course our All Minds Matter sessions. It’s so exciting to finally be able to meet these critical needs again. Our community is back!
Speaking of...while last year Christmas was Covid-different, we were overwhelmed by your generosity that allowed us to provide special Christmas gifts to 349 children. We are almost to the halfway mark of that for this year, which has been so extraordinarily -- difficult is not a strong enough word -- terrible for so many in our community. This bit of cheer for the children means the world. Please consider a donation that ensures months of smiles for every child who receives a gift. For almost all of them it may well be the only gift they receive all year. Thank you. THANK YOU.
Finally, lest you missed it: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US! Six years of Heartprints embedded all over our community. Six years of partnership with you and with our wonderful Cambodian team. Let’s keep going and before we know it there will be a cake with seven candles!
