May 2021: Back to Business
BACK TO BUSINESS
What a month May turned out to be. Lockdowns lifted and we got straight back into putting your donations in place. A new addition to the Heartprint family, baby Sokphal came into the world on the 1st of May. New houses and toilets were built and of course, our usual 57 families were looked after with food relief, with an additional three families that were in desperate situations being added to our list.
Bikes were the constant this month with lots of happy faces receiving bicycles and Cafe Besdoung opened its door once again with lots of yummy food.
It's not all happy faces and rosy cheeks though. Covid numbers continue to grow in Cambodia, and with the slow rollout of the vaccinations in Siem Reap we are very aware every day that the situation could change at any time. Schools are still closed which means we are still unable to run programs at the HOpE Initiative but for now we will make the best of the situation. We will continue to provide for families, continue to be there for our community, all whilst being careful, washing our hands, wearing our masks, and staying safe.
MATCH IT MAY
What an amazing result!! We have been truly blown away by everyone's generosity. We have not only reached our goal we have smashed it. We now have the certainty we can continue to provide for 60 families with food relief for the next 12 months plus even add in one or two more if necessary.
To everyone that donated, held a fundraiser, or shared our posts, thank you. To our three businesses that matched our donations this month; Laing & Simmons Real Estate Glenwood/ Bella Vista, Time 2 Dream, and The Rehab Project, a huge thank you for making this possible.
WHERE WE USED YOUR DONATIONS THIS MONTH
FOOD RELIEF
It was a very sobering distribution of rice and food staples this month; completely social distanced, no entry without a mask, people sprayed their own hands as they entered, only family members could enter together, limited staff interaction from afar, and reduced amount of Heartprint staff on hand all to protect not only ourselves but our community.
With the lockdown of our local market (mentioned in last month's email) locals had been reporting to Pheap just how hard it was to get fresh vegetables. Pheap suggested we add some veggies to our handout this month.
The gratefulness was written all over people's faces, the comprehension that they were going home with a huge bag of vegetables, as well as their usual rice and food staples, made everyone a lot happier.
This month we distributed to 57 families; 1140kg of rice, 171 bottles of sauce, 57 bags of washing powder, and 285kg of vegetables.
COMMUNITY BUILDS
We finally managed to get back to building this month and of course, the first thing the crew did was get out and finish the toilet for the San Sok Phear Family.
No time to rest, straight from the toilet the "build crew" went on to build a new house and toilet for the Mon Vibol family thanks to a recent fundraiser organised by Lisa Gagnon.
No stopping no matter what the weather threw at us, yes wet season has well and truly begun. One more toilet thanks to the Girls With Hammers fundraiser to the Thern So Heng family, who just happen to be Vibol's neighbours.
With no volunteers insight, we are so grateful people are holding fundraisers to keep everything going. See below how you can hold a fundraiser for us and involve your friends and family.
BICYCLES
A month of bikes this month as we continued to hand out bikes thanks to the Girls With Hammers fundraiser. It wasn't only girls that we're lucky enough to receive bikes though we even had a couple of boys this month receive them.
Karen Wibberly donated a bike as a thank you gift to her doctor one of the best ways we can think of to thank a person.
we hope he loves his gift, we know Tol did.
Bikes mean so much here in Cambodia, not only are they a way to get to school, they are often used by parents to get to market or to work and of course, a bike is freedom, no matter how bad life gets you can always get on your bike, go for a ride and clear your head.
Do you remember your first bike and what it meant to you?
In May we gave out 9 bikes!
A SPECIAL DELIVERY
On the 1st of May, Mao added a new member to the Heartprint family.
Baby girl, Sokphal was born 01.05.2021 at 10.30am. Weighing 3.1kg, on Mao's due date.
Not long after birth, baby Sokphal was rushed away with a severe case of jaundice. After a few days in a humidicrib and with the help of an IV drip and constant blood testing, she was soon back by mum's side.
Thanks to our Heart of Gold club we were able to send Mao to a maternity hospital to give birth. The club paid for the bed, the doctor, the midwife, and all the extra care for a comparatively small cost of US$300, (an unmanageable amount for most Khmer).
It also meant Mao could have family members by her side (due to Covid restrictions only her husband has been allowed with her) throughout the birth, a stark contrast to many women that give birth in Cambodia; most give birth alone.
Our local staff are the key to Heartprint helping in Cambodia and for our Heart of Gold club to be there for them is a true blessing. We know our newest addition to our Heartprint family is in good hands having you all there to support her and her mum.
WOULD YOU LET YOUR NEIGHBOUR LIVE LIKE THIS?
Sadly this was the truth when Garry and Wendy recently moved home in Siem Reap.
Discovering their neighbours were living like this of course did not sit well with them.
Heartprint Build crew joined forces with the Heartprint Heart of Gold club and while the result is not perfect it's a good start.
A HOLISTIC APPROACH
You may have noticed we continue to add in new programs and initiatives as we move forward. As we have progressed we have seen a greater need than just providing a home. Throughout the years we have noticed gaps in what we are providing. We have noticed families not moving forward as we would have hoped.
We came to the decision about a year and a half ago that we needed to improve on what we were doing. We built the HOpE Initiative as a means to be able to provide more. This was our first step to becoming a holistic charity.
We planned to provide the support that will look at the whole family structure, not just their living needs. We now aim to consider their physical, emotional, social, and spiritual wellbeing.
The years of work we have all put in (including you) have meant that we are valued in our community. It means they are ready for these changes and we are ready to support them.
Every month we are blown away by how much support is behind our small humble charity. When times get tough and we are unsure if we can continue YOU our amazing supporters are there encouraging us, backing us and supporting us, keeping us going. When it feels like the list of help needed is never-ending, You are there, making donations, liking and sharing our posts on social media, sending us words of encouragement.
Heartprint is so much more than a charity, it is a family. A family that supports each other as well as complete strangers.
We hope you've enjoyed catching up on all things Heartprint. For more regular updates follow us on Social Media.
