February may have been a short month, but it was a huge one for Heartprint! In fact, so huge and full of adventures that some of us lost our voices, and one of us forgot how many houses we have built! (It’s 142.)

We will try to describe a bit of the excitement here and provide a look around the corner at what’s next..

You remember the Puppet Parade, right? It’s an annual Siem Reap event that is a celebration of Cambodia’s children and the arts. Different groups of children work in teams to build giant puppets based on a theme. This year’s theme was Cambodian wildlife, and 32 of our young people helped build a gorgeous Deer. Then, on one hot and humid Cambodian Saturday night, they joined the full parade of giant local fauna puppets.

Adrenaline was pumping as they danced and swayed, stopping and starting, snaking through town along the Siem Reap River to the cheers of massive crowds along their four-hour route.

While it has always been special, for some reason this year just felt, well, more so.

Maybe our kids are a little older now? Maybe they understand more and had more leadership roles in their puppet construction? It could be a combination of things, but they were all in and loving it! From the very beginning they were total energy — running with the puppet, laughing, working together to keep it all together.

And then, when they reached the end: crash! Adrenaline depleted, they were completely exhausted. Some of them couldn’t even talk, they were so tired. On the drive back, every single one of them fell asleep in the truck, leaning against each other, heads bobbing as we drove, happy and at peace. It was one of those quiet, beautiful moments where you just sit and think: This! All of this matters!

And at Heartprint Hub this month, we also took a big step forward, albeit not with puppets but with two international hairdressers. The Hair Salon Training Academy isn’t formally open yet, but we decided to take full advantage of having them in town and were grateful for their willingness to help us. Eight women trained with them during the week. Six of them have been progressing through earlier stages of training, and two were completely new, exploring whether this pathway might be right for them.

Of course, it is not just about hair. It’s also about exploration of options, building confidence, becoming skilled, and self-sufficient. Watching confidence and skills grow simultaneously is one of the most rewarding parts of what we do. We are so in love with Heartprint Hub and the potential it is uncovering!

And yes, we are now finishing House 142. Each number represents safety, stability, and a fresh start for another family. It’s easy to say the numbers quickly, but behind every one of them is a story of struggle, love, crises, solutions and hope.

On a broader note, most families displaced by border tensions earlier this year have now left the camps, including the one where we were providing assistance. (Some camps remain open because not everyone has somewhere safe to return to, but we have been able to step back from direct camp support.)

Many of our community families are now hosting relatives who have chosen to stay in Siem Reap and look for work rather than return to uncertainty. This is another reason Heartprint Hub is so important. Our ability to shift from emergency response back to long-term development - training, employment, and opportunity - provides an element of possibility that may not have existed for them previously.

In a few weeks, Pheap and Wendy will travel to Australia for three intense weeks of meetings and fundraising. We’ll be visiting Rotary clubs, attending three dedicated fundraising events, and travelling across four different states. We’ve kept this fairly quiet so far while plans came together, but we’ve already experienced incredible generosity. A handful of supporters have sponsored Pheap’s flights — and even Wendy’s, which we truly didn’t expect. It’s going to be a big few weeks, but it’s an important investment in Heartprint’s future growth and sustainability.

And, we are fortunate to have been chosen as the charity for the upcoming Artists for Humanity event in Phnom Penh. Hosted by Rosewood Phnom Penh, Raffles Hotel Le Royal, and Courtyard by Marriott, the event will be held over multiple days with displays of many works by artists in Cambodia. It will culminate in a dinner and auction of the art. A portion of the proceeds will come to support our programs. In addition to the important financial support, we are immensely grateful to have been introduced to so many new people through this project.

Still, at the centre of it all are children who fall asleep in our truck after carrying a puppet for hours, women who walk into a training room unsure and walk out believing they have a new future, and 142 families who now have walls and a roof where there once was nothing.

As ever, thank you for being part of this story.

Puppets, Parades, Sleepy Kids, Full Hearts - A Great Month!