A Tale of Five Families
Every year, our Christmas list grows, and every year we ask you to help us make sure every child in our Heartprint community feels included. And every year, without fail, you do. You make it happen.
We’re already almost halfway toward filling this year’s Christmas gift packages, and we’d be grateful for your help getting the rest of the way there. These gifts aren’t extravagant; they are often the only fun presents our kids receive all year, along with school supplies, hygiene items, and other things they truly need.
This year, we hope to add a few new children to our gift list. These are children from families who have become part of the Heartprint community over the past few months and who have worked incredibly hard to get back on their feet.
Let us tell you about them.
When we first visited the site for what became Houses 132 and 133 — built in August through a generous Shelter Equity grant — we met a family group of 15 people living together in and under a single, fragile house. It was one structure, shared by the mom and four of her children and their families, and it flooded every time it rained. And in Cambodia, rain isn’t occasional; it pours almost every day for nearly six months of the year.
Two of the families were not actually living inside the small house. They were essentially camped outside of it in tarp-covered lean-tos. Their conditions were unsafe, unsanitary, and simply not a place where children - or anyone, really - could thrive.
At the centre of the family is Mia, the mother and matriarch. Her husband passed away recently after a long illness, leaving behind a $5,000 medical debt — an immense burden for a family already living at the edge. Healthcare here is rarely free, and most families have no choice but to borrow heavily in a crisis.
Despite everything, this family doesn’t complain. They raise pigs, grow vegetables, and run a small shop selling everyday essentials. They show up, they work hard, and they never seem to complain. They simply needed a break — and a safe place to live.
With a grant from American-based Shelter Equity, we were able to build the first two houses on their existing plot of land, and we hope to build the next two next year so that all five families have solid, safe homes.
Mia’s eldest son and daughter-in-law, Voleak, have two young children. They’re still living inside the old house, but when we invited Voleak, to join Build A Future, she said yes immediately and brought her children, as well.
Danny (6) is now in Tiny Tots
Monica (2) is in Heartprint childcare while her mum attends Build-A Future
Mia’s 23-year-old daughter, Tia and her husband also have two children. They, too, are still in the old structure, but they’ve begun joining programs and easing into the community.
Ting Ting (7) is in Tiny Tots
Jing Jing (3) is also in Tiny Tots
Another daughter, Srey Pov, age 22, lives with her husband and three children.
Two of their kids are already in primary school, and they recently welcomed a new baby. They’re living in one of the new houses, and once mum is past the immediate dealing-with-her-newborn stage, we expect she’ll join our programs as well.
Mia’s son Peng and daughter-in-law, Channa, are living in the second new house. She is endlessly cheerful — truly one of the brightest smiles we’ve ever seen. She also just found out she is pregnant, and the whole family is overjoyed.
Through Heartprint, Channa has begun receiving a special nutritional formula we provide to expectant mums facing food insecurity. Malnutrition during pregnancy is not uncommon here, and this supplement helps mums gain weight, stay healthy, and ultimately produce enough breastmilk — giving their babies a stronger start in life.
At first, all 15 members kept mostly to themselves — understandable after a long period of instability. But day by day, they began showing up at Heartprint and taking part in the larger community.
These families work hard. Every day. They want to build a better future for their kids. They are taking advantage of every opportunity we offer.
This Christmas, we want to make sure all of their children receive Christmas packages along with the rest of our Heartprint community. It’s a chance to give them, perhaps for the first time, a day that’s joyful, light, and full of small surprises meant just for them.
With your help, we can make sure no child is left out.
If you’d like to contribute, please use the link below.
Your generosity will help us give these families a safe, joyful, and memorable day — something truly special after such a difficult year.
As ever, thank you.
Your HP Family.
*Names changed to help protect the privacy of the families.