Cambodian kids capture Clare’s heart

Clare Holman presents Cambodian children with T-shirts.

Wellington Times

CLARE HOLMAN
26/01/2009

I have been in Siem Reap, Cambodia for just over two weeks now.

I am having the most amazing time and have fallen in love with the Khmer (Cambodian) people.

Everyone here has looked after me and has been so hospitable. The Khmer people have nothing yet they are so happy and friendly.

I go out to the Chres orphanage every morning at 7am on the back of a motorbike, which takes 30 minutes to teach the children English.

My morning class goes from at 8am until 11am and my afternoon class goes from 2pm until 5pm, so I am out there all day with the children and loving it.

They have decided they are going to teach me Khmer while I am here.

There are 49 orphans ranging in age from eight years to 19 years old.

Chres orphanage is also used as a local school for the less fortunate village children.

Altogether there are 365 students who attend the school.

The orphanage is very basic but clean. There are two inside classrooms and two outdoor classrooms. This is a problem during the wet season as there is not enough shelter for all the children.

They also have to use the classrooms as sleeping areas for the orphans who sleep on the floor on a woven mat.

They have play equipment that was donated and built by students from Singapore and a small library donated by the Philippines.

The orphanage survives on donations - this month the director told me that there were no donations, so they had to sell a pig from their breeding program to buy food for the month and maybe next month as well.

At the moment we are teaching the orphans about personal hygiene, but again they don’t have enough money left over to buy the children toiletries.

While I am here I am hoping to raise enough money to buy the orphans a much-needed blanket ($15 each), toiletries and school supplies.

Any donations will be greatly appreciated.

I will be purchasing the goods myself so I can guarantee that 100 per cent of the money will be spent on the children.

To make donations please contact Di Holman on 6845 2092 or you can drop them into the Little Fish Gallery.