I waited until I returned from HfCC to send out this issue of our Newsletter.
It was thrilling to see how happy, fulfilled and motivated the children are. The Staff are dedicated and caring and it is obvious that our children call the Centre ‘home’. The buildings, grounds and facilities, particularly the library which has become the hub, are excellent. As a sponsor I feel proud that I can help. But, as we are all well aware times are tough especially for charities. HfCC is no exception particularly when the $US dollar (an official Cambodian currency ) is strong against the $A..

We value your support and encourage you to mention HfCC to your friends, family and work colleagues. Perhaps they would like to become a sponsor also or contribute to our work which benef its the lives of these amazingly lovely and loving children.

“my intent ion was to get HfCC built”

‘Orphanage falls over due to lack of funds’. Thousands of people read the feature in the Daily Telegraph three years ago.

One man responded to this call for help. Irish born John Kinsella, a father of three sons, asked what the position was with the Orphanage and promptly gave a Christmas present of $70,000 “to kick off” in December 2005.

“I went up to Cambodia on March 20 to have a look with Tim Berry, then Governor of the AIDS Trust and Founder of HfCC. “My impression was of kids at an old orphanage. It was falling down, some buildings were partly built but the work had stopped because there was no money.”

“A few Irish friends put their hands in their pockets”. As a result of this generosity from his friends and particularly John they“changed a few things” related to the design and work recommenced.

Laden with 20-30 kilos of candies, copy books, books and pens, John has since visited HfCC at least ten times. He not only distributes these to our children but also to the Centre up the road which cares for children who are amputees from land mines run by The Jesuits and also children at the Dutch Orphanage.

All the children at HfCC adore him. Regardless of the heat John plays soccer with the older boys, knows and chats to each child and listens to the needs of Staff. No wonder they have been heard to call him ‘Dad’.

The kids are very healthy and happy” John says with delight. Happiness is his hope for the children. “I believe every one wants to be happy and lead a disciplined life …I hope that these children have a full and productive life and when they have families of their own they instill many of the principles they have learnt at HfCC in their own children. My dream is in twenty years the Centre won’t be needed in its current capacity. There is nothing as good as working yourself out of a job!”

John’s aspiration is to establish a similar centre in the Philippines in the next two to three years. “My intention was to get HfCC built”. He believes this is where his expertise lies. Three years later HfCC provides the children with an impressive Centre which is very functional with its purpose built buildings and facilities.

Over 100 Cambodian children have been saved from abandonment, deprivation and a negative, bleak future. John’s enthusiasm and generosity, coupled with his encouragement for other people to be actively involved, has ensured hope and a future for our children.

Helping develop the English of Cambodian children. By Erwin M. Liban

The Association of Following Winds, with a delegation of university students and three graduate members, visited the HFCC for a week in September. This was the largest delegation of foreign nationalities to visit the Center this year.

The Organization visits Battambang every year to do a work camp for two weeks. Our Center has been supported since August 2007 AFW shares its time with the children as well as monitoring the progress of the Norea English Project (NEP). The aim is to develop the English of Cambodian children which can be an advantage in obtaining a job in the future, both at Norea Orphanage House and Hope for Cambodian Children at Norea Commune Sangke District Battambang.

Ly Vansoem, an English teacher, was contracted to teach an advanced class for three of our children Em Kimkheang, Ly Sykan and Thoeung Saloeuth every Saturday and Sunday.

The group officers: Eiji Willson Miy ase, President; Kiyotaka Ohuchi, Representative; Mayu Kawanishi, Chief Project Agency; Eisuke Nomura, Secretary- General; Sumire Nomura, Press Officer; Yui Teratoko, General Manager; Kumi Kamikaso, Head of Work Camp; Tomoko Shiohara, Head of NEP; Shin Suto, Head of School Construction; Hiroshi Nishikawa, Head of Charity Concert; Nao Takeda, Head of International Understanding and Hitomi Sato, Work Camp Designer.

Unforgettable bonding … AFW members playing with our children.

This festival is the most religiously and culturally celebrated event for the Buddhist religion. By Erwin M. Liban

Forty two adult children, some children’s workers and staff attended the start of Pchum Ben Festival at 4 o’clock in the morning at Balat Village, 500 meters away from the Centre on September 19.

This day was the scheduled date given by the monks for the community at Balat village to go to the temple to pray and give traditional offerings for their dead ancestors.

The ceremony commenced with a prayer, going around the temple and throwing special rice on the ground and a concluding prayer inside the pagoda.

This festival is the most religiously and culturally celebrated event of Buddhist religion. It is a fifteen day celebration (September 15-29) and is believed to be a time when the spirits of the dead ancestors walk around the earth and the living can ease their sufferings by offering them food to eat.

The climax of the occasion was on the fifteenth day. Before the last day ended, sixty seven HfCC children went back to their village to pay homage and respect to their dead families, relatives and friends.

A total of 89, 58 elementary and 31 secondary children, are attending formal education at Balat Elementary School and Norea Secondary School. This is for the school year 2008-2009 which started on October 1, 2008.

“Whatever happens I have to hurdle the race of education for I know that education gives me a brighter future,” says Suern Srey neath, a Grade IV pupil.

Lim Chun Dara, Maths Teacher at Norea Secondary School and HFCC part time teacher, observes that in the few months since the start of classes most of the children who underwent Maths holiday classes are performing better in their classes at Norea. This means that the Maths holiday classes helped the students strengthen their mathematical ability.

English, Maths and Science subjects were offered to HfCC children during their holidays. This development has helped the students to become well rounded individuals especially in language and numbers.

“I enjoy nursing and it is an absolute buzz here …” Jenny

“These kids are the lucky kids now” says Jenny Mason Cox happily on her third two weekly volunteer visit to HfCC. Jenny ’s first visit was vastly different. “I was the first medical person here. When I got here the children were grubby with lice and scabies and some were infected with tropical sores.”

Jenny tells of the boy who was infected with postules and boils who went through so much pain during treatment and yet was the first to greet her with a smile. “I find these kids are so resilient” she says. “I was so humbled”.

“They are a happy lot of people and yet they have so little. It basically made me re evaluate what is important in life as they are so grateful for anything you can do for
them”.

Jenny assessed all the children and set up an electronic health record for all of them. After the implementation of Jenny’s health program there was a great improvement in the children’s health except their rotting teeth, a result of previous malnourishment, which was of considerable concern.

Dr Paul Taylor, a dentist friend of Jenny ’s from Hobart came over to HfCC for eight days. He was given a priority listing of the children’s dental needs. Jenny says in the eleven months since her last visit “because of Paul’s dental work the difference in the kids’ health is quite outstanding”. Dr Taylor has generously offered to return to HfCC soon.

Jenny works at the Roy al Hobart Hospital as a Safety and Emergency Response consultant. Previously she worked in the Intensive Care Unit. “I enjoy nursing and it is an absolute buzz here working in primary health care”.

The children flock around Jenny and she knows them all by name. When I interviewed Jenny she had just returned from an Outreach visit 30 kilometres away from HfCC where 55 children are sponsored overseas. It is a very poor centre, simple, clean but nothing there for the children. “There are two outstandingly bad tin sheds, dormitory style with 14 bunks, 2 together and tin windows”.She organised with HfCC Staff to assess these children – weight, height, movement, chest, teeth, hair etc. Two of the boys were taken back to HfCC for further medical assessments and a brace has been arranged with the Catholic Centre for a child with severe scoliosis. Jenny has purchased essential pharmacy requirements for when she returns to this centre.

Jenny is currently setting up a plan with our resident nurse Kem for health checks or our children every six months and for the babies every three months.

“Coming here is like a virus” says the vivacious nurse who wants to do “more for more of them and do more Outreach. These kids are the lucky kids now”. Her dream is “for each person in Cambodia to have a mosquito net and a toothbrush and be taught how to use it”.

by David McAuley

For many of our children university was a distant dream, but with recent results and the fantastic response to sponsorship many of our children are beginning to see the reality of a university education.

Chanty ’s results have given a boost of energy to our secondary school children and helped motivate them in their studies. A big thank you to our teachers, tutors and carers that have helped our children so much. Most of our children began schooling very late and were very far behind because of difficult life circumstances, but the hard work of our staff and determination of the children have seen them rise to the top in nearly all their classes. We were recently informed by Norea Secondary School that all of our children are in the top 10 in their respective classes, a sure sign that our education program is working well.

Two hundred and twenty guests mingled ‘under the stars’. The November function was due to the generosity of Lucy Turnbull and in aid of HfCC.

Joy Smithers who organised the event “was blown away ” by the generosity of so many. Mark Eldridge from Cater Incorporated provided the canapes and service, Midnight Shift sponsored the alcohol and drink staff.

The celebrities were Lachlan Buchanan - “Newcastle”, Zoe Carides “- Out of the Blue”, Ericka Heynitz - “It takes 2”and Alex Dimitriades – “Heartbreak High”.

Special Guests were Lucy and Malcolm Turnbull and Tony Cunningham, CEO Millenium.

The Master of Ceremonies, political satirist and comedian Keith Scott held the guests spellbound with his repartee and ex Idol contestant Paulini sang whilst Damien Robinson guitarist provided background music. Norwest Productions provided light and sound. Frank O’Connor was a ‘knockout’ auctioneer as he encouraged the guests to pay for vitally needed items for the children at HfCC.

“We also sponsored eight children” commented Joy Smithers enthusiastically who with her team of helpers are to be congratulated on a wonderful night.