Click HERE to go to our Facebook page.

Continue to Read our News Below….

A skilled Tailor, Sor Pan from Siem Reap is the latest  to join our Khmer staff as the sewing teacher for our students, all 7  students are female and aged between 16-18 and have not attended school before.  We are also very grateful to have the support of the Monks Somnieng and Y-Nol who run a sewing school in Siem Reap and trained Sor. We intend to follow their business model, a 10 month course with term exams and a certificate on completion. The girls in the sewing class are picked up with the other children and brought in by us for a 6.30am breakfast. Sewing class  is from 7am-12am when lunch is provided then back to sewing from 1pm to 4pm. then they are taken back to the Village.

The meals, about 100 per day Monday to Friday, are  paid by Choice Family Singapore as is the salaries for the 2 cooks and 1 cleaner.          

Left supporters of CHOICE pictured below, from USA Ylka van Bemmel Reiss, husband and Lefty, centre the concert promo, right Bav the organizer.

 The kids had never seen the likes of  such a glamorous place like this before, perhaps 200 people in all were served delicious food with unlimited soft drink and water, plus entertainment. Two of our girls were a fan of the female singer and were invited on stage to have their picture taken with her.  Unfortunately one of our barefooted mothers was in pain with toothache and ate very little, we took her and her son back to Chiva’s Shack for the night. We organised for her to see a Dentist in the morning and the tooth was removed.

A great night the children will never forget, enough on its own but during the evening we were presented with an envelope from VGMC containing a very generous donation of US$1500 plus GBP300 many thanks to all for the evening and the donation. Some 30 children in this Village do not attend school, so perhaps this money can be put towards a teacher and schooling for them.

Medical:

In March 2011, CHOICE was notified about Sokha, a 53yo lady who had fallen off the back of a truck. Having no money for an operation, she had laid paralysed and in agony for 10 weeks with a broken neck in 2 places. Her 16yo son Channy had quit school to look after his mum. CHOICE arranged and paid for her operation and later instigated Physiotherapy. During her ordeal we have supported Sokha and her family with essential items the whole time. This family of four is extremely poor, they do not own a house or have land or any such assets, and a friend allows them to live in what I could only call a “chicken shed” with a dirt floor. Sokha, much improved now, has been released from the Physiotherapy centre. We have built a concrete area for Sokha, all on the one level with a bedroom and undercover Physio training area; we have provided a wheelchair, commode, walking frame, and other essential items to help her manage. Now Sokha is stable we have arranged for an operation for her brother who has leprosy, one leg has been amputated below the knee. In the future he may have to have the other leg, plus his hands removed as well. We will continue to monitor and look after this family.  

Our medical team has successfully conducted a clinic every fortnight in the Village, hundreds were treated on site, or taken to the nearby clinic. Several, who needed hospital treatment or blood tests were brought back to Phnom Penh. A 2mo baby girl had an operation to remove a life threatening abscess from her head. A 3yo boy was treated for severe burns and infections and was in hospital for several months. An 11yo girl was brought back for blood tests and found to be infested with worms, she was effectively treated. Several others were directed to local Doctors and received medicine; most of these medical costs were paid for by CHOICE. A 5 yo girl fell bottom first into a pot of boiling water, she could not use her bowels, and her burns were horrific. CHOICE gave the parents money to cover transport costs to and from Hospital.  We have supplied colostomy bags for her after she had an operation to move her intestine externally. The girl has had her intestine reconnected now and no longer needs the bags; we intend to buy her a bicycle soon. We now have a 3 month baby girl with a severe cleft pallet, one hospital suggested to let her die; we went to another hospital that will help, they will operate when she gains enough strength. Her weight is gradually building up from 2lb at 2months of age to nearly 7lb now at 4 months. We have been providing this baby with formula milk powder. Early in the year we discovered an abandoned mother with 2 week old twin boys plus two older boys, she had nowhere to live and had no income.  She begged us to either take her babies or else she would have to drown them. Not an option for us, we can happily report that we found a sponsor to help her family, built her a hut, and provided baby milk powder, rice, food, clothes, chickens, battery and light etc. and sent the older boys to school giving them a bike.

At the request of many of the women in the Village this year, we instigated Birth Control measures through PSI, an NGO in Cambodia who supply Cambodian women with birth control means. CHOICE brought 35 women and some of their babies and toddlers to the PSI clinic in Phnom Penh. After choosing a method to their liking CHOICE paid for the procedure, the transport and arranged a follow up check.

The Village:

We have continued our Sunday supply trips this year with around 20+ trips to the Villages, clothes, footwear, food, spectacles, tarpaulins, toothpaste and brushes etc. The worst wet season on record was experienced this year, a special flood relief visit provided rations of rice, noodles, charcoal, mats, blankets and tarpaulins.

We helped 194+ families in the Villages, which equates to around 1000 people. Sadly 2 babies a young boy and a 48yo lady and an older man with TB have passed away. The death of one of these babies prompted us to provide formula powdered milk to the babies of mothers who cannot supply enough breast milk for their babies. We are currently supplying milk for eight babies. The young boy drowned in the wet season, and because of their poverty, he was cremated on the dirt road near their hut. CHOICE attended the funeral and donated $100 to the family, to allow the dignity of providing a ceremony for friends and family.

The introduction of the CHOICE Centre has allowed us to provide safe drinking water to the Villagers. As the existing toxic bore water consumed by the Villagers was slowly killing them, it has been a long term wish that we solve this problem. Now we purify the town water at the Centre and deliver the safe drinking and cooking water daily to the Villagers.  We intend to expand our water deliveries to include some of the nearby schools and more villages once our service is more reliable. We will build a holding tank which can be filled overnight, as we have many outages with electricity and town water. Aside from the medical support,this has been the best single thing we have achieved for the Villages, and the most appreciated, it’s also a popular trip with our volunteers. The water was tested and is of excellent drinking quality, there will be huge medical benefits to the Villagers over time.

Education:

 Schools are far away from most of the Village’s and it’s too expensive for families to pay for their children to get to and from school on a daily basis. So we decided to organize this ourselves. We found 2 qualified teachers who live in the Village, gave them a salary of $50pm, and erected a tarpaulin structure 4mx6m in one Village. In the other Village we could not find flat ground, so we arranged to set up a school in an existing house, for which we pay $10 pm. We failed in an attempt to build a more permanent structure in this village; we were made to pull it down by outside authorities. We supply all the necessary books, boards, bags etc. for both villages and began teaching over 100 children. This is fine on a temporary basis, but children cannot advance to secondary levels unless they attend a recognised school such as a government school.

With the establishment of the new centre and transportation, we now arrange for the children to attend the centre for the special Sunday event, and provide them with a healthy lunch. We purchased a flat screen TV and a DVD player to show educational DVD’s. We fitted out the centre with boards, desks and stools to seat the children. The second Sunday education/art & craft, fun day, has proved to be a great success with volunteers and very popular with the village children.

We also intend to pay for the fees, uniforms, transport and books to enable as many children as possible to enter the Government school in October, the beginning of the school year. It is intended to provide Khmer and Vocational training at the centre for those too old for the government school. We will provide breakfast prior to school and lunch as well for those doing Vocational training. Preparation for this training will start in May for about 60 children.

The CHOICE Centre:

The CHOICE Centre consists of two properties side by side, about 5 miles from the furthest Village, one property has been vacant for over ten years and needed extensive renovations. Some Trustees and Volunteers have spent many weeks getting the place ready. Seventy five truckloads of soil were brought in as the site was flood prone. A roof was added to the building we named “Russell’s Refuge” floors were raised, windows and doors added, and a new toilet block and garden shed were built. Many pavers were laid and water and electricity was installed. A large Tarpaulin over a metal frame was erected next to the new kitchen for a meals area. Another building we named “Georgia’s” house was completed and is used as a classroom. The main building had to be rewired and some flooring was replaced, we call this building “Singapore House.” The whole complex has been painted inside and out and ready for the initial intake of children. A purification plant was installed to provide safe drinking water for the Villages as well as at the centre. Having a lot of ground we intend to develop a vegetable garden and encourage the children to get involved by growing their own plants.

Transport:

To be able to bring the children to and from their Village huts for schooling, we have purchased 3 motorbikes and two trailers, one motorbike being for emergency. Trailers are a normal means of transport in Cambodia, we can transport approximately 80 children at a time using two trailers. To deliver the safe drinking water we purchased a small truck, this easily carries 1 ton of water plus several volunteers to assist. We also use the truck for daily transport of volunteers and regulars between Phnom Penh and the centre, some 30k’s each way. Hopefully we will be able to purchase a minibus later this year.

The great news is that starting early next year there will be a registered CHOICE Germany and CHOICE Singapore working together with us.
We will now be able to bring initially 60 of the Village children to a Government school for education, this number will grow as we develop. CHOICE have purchased a transportation vehicle and rented a center near the Village and school. They will be given a meal each before school at the center. The center will be used for entertainment on Sundays and for children’s vocational training later in the year. A water filtration system will be installed at the center to allow us to take safe drinking water to the Villagers and school daily.
We will be taking volunteers next year for maintanence work on the center, plus work on the government schools in the vacinity.
Recent activities:
Jayne purchased 20 chickens for the twins family and we had a chicken pen built, we also gave them a big bag of chicken pellets.
Ashok provided a new car battery and light so they can see at night.
We have taken many women for medical treatment this past month. Firstly, Jackie provided medical treatment for Mum and her newborn baby daughter they were both very sick, Jackie also gave baby clothes to the baby, they are both well now.
Another group of 3 very sick ladies from the Village. We took them to the clinic and some stayed overnight. Our lovely friends from Malaysia covered the costs for their treatment, again all well now.
We helped with the costs of replacing a hut in the first village due to flood damage,
and provided a village lady with crutches and treatment for a damaged leg.
As well we have purchased over 200 mosquito nets as it will be a bad year with mosquitos after the floods. So far we have delivered 140 nets.

Many more pictures are on our facebook album, click here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.327754583902534.87628.100000039859783&type=1

Many of you will have followed the story about Sokha and her 16yo son Channy. For those who havn’t, Sokha 53, fell off a moving truck in January 2011 and broke her neck in two places. CHOICE arranged and paid for an operation for her then followed this up with physio treatment. She has been at the Physio center for for more than 6 months, CHOICE have been seeing her twice a week bringing essential items, as well as caring for her brother at the hut, he has severe Leprosy. Channy quit school to care for his mum. In order for Channy to begin a normal school life again next year, CHOICE have been preparing an area next to the hut where Sokha can continue with her daily physio exercise. Sokha has come a long way, from being paralized to now being able to walk with the aid of a hand rail. We intend to build an adjoining bedroom on the same level so there will be no obsticles in her way. Financial help from  sponsors have enabled us to do the work, many thanks to Ad & Monique Schoonen and all the others. If you can help CHOICE do more work like this and help others please donate on our website. www.choice-cambodia.org

Ryta’s story: Ryta fell bottom first into a boiling pot of sugar and water. Her bottom and reproductive organs melted together. Her parents are very poor, they borrowed money from neighbours. An emergency operation was done and Ryta was fitted with a catheter and colostomy bag. They live 55k’s outside the city and cannot afford the costs of colostomy bags or the traveling costs to and from Phnom Penh.  CHOICE are covering costs at the moment and have taken her to the C.S.C. Hospital where Dr. Jim may have to perform many more operations over time. Can you please help by donating on our ”Donate” page of this website, tag your donations “For Ryta”

WARNING: some people may find this video disturbing to watch. 

Click on the link below to watch the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGy4fk2_SYs

A 4 year old boy fell into the water in the middle Village and drowned on Tuesday late afternoon. Unfortunately no one noticed until it was too late.

CHOICE was represented at the funeral on Wednesday and donated $100 to the family to help with the funeral arrangements.

The boy was cremated on the roadside near his hut after the ceremony, very sad villagers arrived from the neighbouring areas.

Please understand that these pictures are only intended to let past visitors and supporters, who may know the child, about this tragic accident. These extremely poor people still follow the Khmer ceremonial practise albeit in a very simple way.