This December, I am excited to be making my ninth volunteer trip to NHCC to assist with the education of these beautiful kids impacted by HIV/AIDS. This will also be my 5th consecutive Christmas away from family and friends, to offer my services to Our Village.
Some background information:
New Hope for Cambodian Children opened in late 2006, ‘Our Village’ is an 18 acre property located in Kampong Speu Province that provides a full range of housing, nutritional, health and educational needs to orphaned and abandoned children impacted by HIV/AIDS.
NHCC has over 300 children from babies to 18 Years Old who have no other housing alternative; most of these children were orphaned when their parents died of AIDS, and others come from families who no longer have the capability or financial resources to care for them. The children are referred to NHCC by hospitals, INGOs and NGOs. Most orphanages in Cambodia will not accept children with HIV, thus the children are referred to NHCC.
In 2013, John and Kathy Tucker started NHCC International School to give the children the best education possible. The children of 'Our Village' attend school on-site full-time, with the older students also attending the local high school.
Through donations, the school has expanded to 17 dedicated classrooms and continues to expand.
The Main Aim:
To support the older students moving to University and Vocational training in Phnom Penh.
The Fundraiser:
When children complete Secondary School, they move to Phnom Penh into one of two residences. One is for those attending university and the other is for those in vocational school. Each residence has a full-time cook and is under the supervision of NHCC staff.
NHCC pays for each child’s tuition and educational materials. They also continue to monitor their health status through regular medical check-ups. All the children in the New Hope Houses now receive their ARV medications from adult ARV programs in Phnom Penh.
The students at university attend one of several institutions of higher learning in the city, based on their educational objectives.
Those who are unable to complete the high school curriculum or who do not wish to attend University enrol in vocational school to prepare themselves for careers with which they can support themselves.
Many of you have been so generous in the past and I am so proud of the work we have already achieved.
Please give what you can- it doesn’t matter how small.
Your generosity for the Pencil campaign in 2014 was in excess of $2,700. It assisted in the purchase of a photocopier, computers and a substantial amount of stationary.
Our 2015 campaign raised $4,011 to furnish 2 Science labs.
The 2016 fundraiser to feed a house cluster raised an incredible $6.030- enough to feed a whole cluster for over 2 months!
Last year’s fundraiser collected $5,001 – paying for a full-time teacher for the entire school year of 2016 – 2017.
Please help to make this initiative come alive!
And please share with your family and friends. We need your support.
Corporate donors: Please feel free to contact me directly for further ways you can assist New Hope for Cambodian Children.
Contact me: [email protected] for more information or see my journey since 2014 and visit my website.
Learn more: Visit the NHCC website to see their wonderful work or to become an ongoing sponsor: http://www.newhopeforcambodianchildren.org/