Hello Silence, My Old Friend

The time is here again. Silent September.

What started several years ago with one woman — our Wendy — pledging to remain silent  during September has grown into something quite extraordinary: an army of silent supporters, in Cambodia and around the world, each pledging their own hours of silence.

The goal is to fill every hour of September with someone, somewhere, keeping a silent vigil. That is 30 days and 720 hours of silence — all raising funds and awareness for Heartprint’s mental health and wellbeing programmes.

There is a reason we care so deeply about this.

Cambodia’s tragic recent history left wounds that were not always visible and, for many, were never treated. The trauma of the Khmer Rouge years and their aftermath did not simply disappear when those years ended. We now understand much more about generational trauma — how fear, grief, loss and instability can affect families and communities long after the original events, including people who were not yet born when they happened.

Add to that the very real pressures facing many of the families we work with today — poverty, family breakdown, insecure housing, illness, loss and uncertainty — and mental health support becomes an essential part of helping people build stronger and more secure lives.

That is where Silent September comes in.

The money raised helps us provide several different kinds of support, because there is no single answer and no two people need exactly the same thing.

Professional Counselling allows people who need more specialised help to receive it from trained mental health professionals. For someone who has experienced significant trauma, grief, anxiety or other difficulties, having access to appropriate professional support can make an enormous difference.

Our Circle of Strength provides a safe, supportive space where participants can come together, talk, listen and learn from one another. There is enormous reassurance in discovering that you are not the only person struggling with something. The circle helps participants build confidence and coping skills while creating connections with others who understand.

And Fighting the Monster helps children in difficult home environments recognise and understand feelings — the fear, anger, sadness or anxiety that can feel enormous and overwhelming. By giving those feelings a name and helping children develop ways of managing them, the programme gives them tools they can carry with them as they grow.

Think, for a moment, about a girl we will call Sina.

Sina lost both of her parents when she was young. Neighbours took her in and today she lives with people who are not her family, everyone sharing a single room. She has a roof over her head and people around her, but that does not magically erase what she has experienced.

Through Heartprint, Sina has now participated in two of our wellbeing programmes. They haven’t changed her past or made every difficult feeling disappear. What they have done is help her better understand those feelings, recognise when she is struggling and know that she does not have to manage everything alone.

And importantly, the support does not simply end when a programme finishes.

Socheata, Heartprint’s Wellbeing Officer, is there too. Sina knows she can turn to her. Sometimes that might mean Socheata recognising that she needs more specialised help and referring her for professional counselling. Other times it might mean helping her become involved in another Heartprint programme where she can build confidence, skills or friendships.

And sometimes it simply means someone who listens with care.

That continuum of support matters. Mental health isn’t something that can always be addressed in six sessions, ticked off a list and considered finished. Sometimes people need professional intervention. Sometimes they need practical tools. Sometimes they need community. And sometimes they just need to know there is someone they trust who will listen.

Which brings us back to silence.

Silent September is deliberately simple. You don’t need to run a marathon, climb a mountain or give anything up for a month. You simply pledge to support one of our silent warriors in their quiet battle for our community.  Or, you become a silent warrior yourself. 

And yes, for some of us, that may be considerably harder than running the marathon!

So, September is here.

Please lend your support.  Sometimes silence can say an awful lot.

As ever, with gratitude,

Your Heartprnt team