Our Word for 2026: Peace
The end of any year is a time for reflection and 2025 was no different. This year has been a lot: not just what we at Heartprint have done, but on how much the world has asked of us all.
The Year 2025 stretched Heartprint in new and unexpected ways. Alongside our regular work in housing, education, and community programs, we were able to respond to families living in internal displacement camps - forced from their homes because of military actions between Thailand and Cambodia. When supplies were critically low, our team stepped in without hesitation. We distributed 900 kilograms of rice, protein, and essential items to 45 families. We topped up clean water supplies using our filtration system so families could continue accessing safe drinking water without relying on hundreds of single-use bottles. This was in addition to our initial work of installing water and sanitation systems in a camp.
And now we are in a moment of cautious hope. A ceasefire has been announced, and we welcomed the news that 18 soldiers held prisoner in Thailand for the past five months have been returned. While some families will eventually be able to return home, many have lost everything, and some areas remain too dangerous to return to. We will continue to stand alongside affected families wherever the need is greatest. Above all, we hold onto hope for peaceful days and a safer 2026.
Through it all, our regular work never stopped. And when we look back at the year as a whole, the scale of what was accomplished together is something for which we can all be deeply grateful.
In 2025, we built 19 new homes, 10 wells, 17 toilets, and 8 playgrounds. We created safer places for families to live and bright new spaces for children to laugh and play. This is a joyful thing even for our adult staff - many of whom had never seen a playground, much less swooped down a slide!
We provided long-term support through 83 bicycles to help children get to school, 3 water filter installations to improve community access to safe drinking water, and 32 baby baskets to support expectant mothers and newborns during a vulnerable period.
Six university students continued their higher education, 16 mothers took part in employment training, and 17 young people were mentored and supported to step into leadership roles.
Every number represents a real person, a real family, and a real step forward; none of it possible without the belief and generosity of our sponsors, partners, and supporters. That’s you!
Let’s bring the statistics into focus with a personal story that captures the essence of Heartprint and why we do what we do.
Sothea first came to Heartprint as a nine-year-old boy, back when we still had our old Volunteer House. Like many kids in the village, he showed up almost every day, but his favourite time was always Sunday movie night. For Sothea, the Volunteer House wasn’t just a place to play; it was refuge from a difficult home life where he lived with a parent battling addiction.
Children like the nine-year-old Sothea are the reason we ultimately wanted to create the Heartprint Community Centre: to build a safe place where kids could learn, belong, and believe in a future for themselves. But before the centre could fully open, COVID hit. Schools closed, and many children who were already behind were suddenly labelled “unteachable”: too old for primary school, yet “big” enough to work. That included Sothea.
But one thing Sothea had learned at Heartprint was that he deserved more.
He became one of our first trainees, and over his 12-month traineeship, he grew in confidence, skills, and self-belief. By the end of that year, he was thriving. So much so that we offered him a full-time role on our build crew. Today, Sothea is one of our junior staff members, still learning, growing, being mentored, and mentoring others in return. He has become living proof to so many other Centre children that a new path is possible.
Along the way, Sothea met his wife, Rithy. She grew up in poverty herself and charting her own positive future by taking part in our Build-a-Future program, Adult Interpersonal Skills training, and Adult English classes. Just before Christmas, they welcomed a beautiful baby boy into the world. We are beyond proud of both of them.
This is how the poverty cycle breaks.
We know they will be incredible parents, and we will be right here if they need us: quietly supporting them, cheering them on, and making sure they have the tools, stability, and care they need to continue the creation of a bright legacy for their young family.
You really do help us build more than houses.
As we look at the months ahead in 2026, our wish is so simple yet so complex: Peace.
Peace for families displaced by conflict.
Peace for communities living with uncertainty.
Peace for a world that feels far too heavy on far too many days.
We are also excited as we step into the next chapter of Heartprint, with Stage One of our new Heartprint Hub, the café and fair-trade shop, opening on the 7th. Stay tuned for this!
Finally, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you. Thank you to our extraordinary team, who never faltered under immense pressure this year and who taught us to trust them to run toward our goals. Thank you for trusting us as we took big steps forward while continuing to listen carefully to the people we serve, guided not by trends but by real needs. And thank you for helping us deliver 473 Christmas gift packages — ensuring joy and celebration for so many children in our community.
One final note:
Come on, world! Get your act together in 2026! Choose PEACE! And together let’s keep choosing compassion, courage, and care.
With gratitude and love,
Your Heartprint Team