May 2022: May was Marvellous
MAY WAS MARVELLOUS
There’s so much to tell you; we can’t fit it all here. Check out our Facebook page for daily marvels!
The monsoon rains started earlier than usual this year, making it a bit muddier to build - but Team Heartprint got it done! A brand new house and toilet for the Mey Samnang family; a family of six with children ranging from 18 months to 17 years. Their living conditions were untenable: home tumbling down to the point of danger, plus unsanitary conditions. It’s hard to cope, much less hope, in those conditions, but now, thanks to your support and our Build crew, the family has a new start to a better life. They’ll be much better able to cope, and you can see the dawning hope in their eyes. Now, how marvelous is that?
Our youth group has just finished their five-week creative writing course. We should say the writing and public speaking course because they had to read their works (which are marvellous!) to an audience at the end. With a stair-landing as their stage, each read aloud their own words - in English, not even their native language! There were a lot of smiles – and misty eyes. Each child took home a “book” of the collective works of their group.
Okay, you know we’ve had a group of five of our girls in a swim survival class. They’ve had their last lessons, and even the timidest can now dog paddle, freestyle, or backstroke her way across the pool. Some of them can swim and take breaths while swimming, and all of them now know they OWN the skills to keep them safe around water. They are more confident in ways outside of the pool, as well. Yes, we know: Marvelous!
Many of you helped make last month what it was through the “Match it May” campaign. You helped us raise AU$8340.40 to underwrite the basic infrastructure needs we have to fund to keep going: our rent and utilities and basic office supplies and ALL the other unsexy things that allow us to maintain our programs, activities, and building projects. YOU are marvelous. Thank you.
We want to give a special thank you from the deepest parts of our hearts to the businesses who matched each individual donation in May:
Dickfos Dunn Accounting
Brave Fish Yoga
MAS Wealth Management
Gullotta Orthodontics
i2C Architects
Street Advocate
Oh, a while back we told you how our Heartprint community loves the song “We Will Rock You.” The new news here is the music group is making a recording of this tune - only with new words they are writing themselves. We’ll save those lyrics for now, but promise they will rock you! Here’s a little teaser to get you ready!
You know we always say we help build houses - and futures. Well, our Fair Trade shop is going gangbusters selling beautifully crafted toys and gifts. Now, thanks to lessons from one of our talented youth group members, they have added handmade jewellery to our shelves. If you are in Siem Reap you definitely want to stop by for a look. Have a lovely bite at Heartprint Hub after you shop.
Always marvelous are our Heartprint staff. One of our top priorities is helping them tend to their own well-being, including health and medical needs. We provide a First Aid course and free health care, including dental and eye care. Last month we noticed one of our trainees had trouble seeing things clearly so we took her right away to have her vision checked. Out she came with a new pair of (cute!) glasses and (pardon the pun) a whole new outlook on life.
We’re looking forward to discovering what June might bring to our energized community here in Siem Reap. In the meantime, join us in remembering that building a home is just the start. A safe and sanitary place to live enables families to improve their personal lives in multiple ways, previously unreachable for them.
In the words of John Saladino, “A house is much more than a mere shelter. It should lift us emotionally and spiritually.”
And that’s pretty marvelous.
