Ben Latour, 14, second from left, his mom Jennifer McSporran, sister Brea Latour, 12, and McSporran's partner John Stewart, all of Blackburn Hamlet, spent eight days in February and March living with a Cambodian family and helping them build a house.Photograph by: provided by the McSporran family, The Ottawa Citizen
Siblings raised $3,000 to build well, house for family in Cambodia
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By Larissa Cardey, The Ottawa Citizen
April 26, 2009
They spent months raising the money, by babysitting, pet-sitting, tutoring, collecting bottles and cans for deposit, and doing other odd jobs. When they were done, hardworking siblings Brea, 12, and Ben Latour, 14, of Blackburn Hamlet, had $3,000.
And while most kids their age would head to the mall with that kind of cash, these two put their money toward building a house, a well and a washroom for a poor family on the other side of the world.
"It was just great," Brea says of the experience. "Just the feeling of helping people and the smiles ... It's overwhelming. I just adore it so much."
"They have worked hard to raise the money and they were there to make a difference, too," says their mother Jennifer McSporran.
Along with McSporran and her partner John Stewart, Ben and Brea brought their hard-earned money to Bos, a village in Cambodia, where they took part in a project sponsored by Voluntary Projects Overseas, an organization based in Britain. During a six-week trip to Southeast Asia in February and March, they spent eight days living with the family -- eating and sleeping on the same wooden platform with them -- and helping with the construction.
"It was really great being able to stay ... in the community with the family. The other volunteers didn't do that," Ben says.
The two families got to know each other better this way, despite the fact they didn't speak each other's languages, he says.
In the intense heat, the four worked with other volunteers to help build the house and cleared the land to make a garden with the family. By the time they left, half the roof, the floorboards and the frame were done. Other volunteers have since finished the house.
"We had blisters all the time and we have calluses now from doing all the work," McSporran says.
This isn't the first time Ben and Brea have participated in a development project. In 2006, they went to the Dominican Republic with their mother and Stewart, and, while they stayed at a resort, they brought suitcases filled with clothes and personal, medical and school supplies and distributed them to families. They also made two trips to Guatemala in 2007 and 2008 with their mother and other volunteers to help build houses.
McSporran says she decided to take her family to Cambodia because this type of project provides an opportunity to get to know other people and their culture instead of just being a tourist, and make a difference in their lives by giving them "a hand up" and not "a handout."
"I've always felt it's very important to instil those values in the kids, and it's a great way to bring our family together to have a common goal and to show my commitment to those values."
Ben says the best part of the project was just being there and knowing that he was making a difference.
For Brea, the best part was how the Cambodian family they helped "went from being really poor to a bit wealthier and ... more respected in the community."
She says she learned "how so little can make such a big difference" in her family's lives and in the lives of the people they helped.
Brea says she tried to teach some English, using pictures, and many people from the community came to learn.
While the experience was physically difficult, it was "very, very enriching to live in such intimate closeness to a family from a culture that's from the other side of the planet and to do so for day after day after day not sharing any language," says Stewart.
He is now financing the schooling of three of the children in the Cambodian family in memory of his daughter, who died nearly 10 years ago.
It looks like there will be more development projects in the future for Ben and Brea. McSporran, who works with Foreign Affairs, will have an overseas posting next year and she has requested to go to a developing country.
It's "great to just know you can make a change," Ben says.
By Larissa Cardey, The Ottawa Citizen
April 26, 2009
They spent months raising the money, by babysitting, pet-sitting, tutoring, collecting bottles and cans for deposit, and doing other odd jobs. When they were done, hardworking siblings Brea, 12, and Ben Latour, 14, of Blackburn Hamlet, had $3,000.
And while most kids their age would head to the mall with that kind of cash, these two put their money toward building a house, a well and a washroom for a poor family on the other side of the world.
"It was just great," Brea says of the experience. "Just the feeling of helping people and the smiles ... It's overwhelming. I just adore it so much."
"They have worked hard to raise the money and they were there to make a difference, too," says their mother Jennifer McSporran.
Along with McSporran and her partner John Stewart, Ben and Brea brought their hard-earned money to Bos, a village in Cambodia, where they took part in a project sponsored by Voluntary Projects Overseas, an organization based in Britain. During a six-week trip to Southeast Asia in February and March, they spent eight days living with the family -- eating and sleeping on the same wooden platform with them -- and helping with the construction.
"It was really great being able to stay ... in the community with the family. The other volunteers didn't do that," Ben says.
The two families got to know each other better this way, despite the fact they didn't speak each other's languages, he says.
In the intense heat, the four worked with other volunteers to help build the house and cleared the land to make a garden with the family. By the time they left, half the roof, the floorboards and the frame were done. Other volunteers have since finished the house.
"We had blisters all the time and we have calluses now from doing all the work," McSporran says.
This isn't the first time Ben and Brea have participated in a development project. In 2006, they went to the Dominican Republic with their mother and Stewart, and, while they stayed at a resort, they brought suitcases filled with clothes and personal, medical and school supplies and distributed them to families. They also made two trips to Guatemala in 2007 and 2008 with their mother and other volunteers to help build houses.
McSporran says she decided to take her family to Cambodia because this type of project provides an opportunity to get to know other people and their culture instead of just being a tourist, and make a difference in their lives by giving them "a hand up" and not "a handout."
"I've always felt it's very important to instil those values in the kids, and it's a great way to bring our family together to have a common goal and to show my commitment to those values."
Ben says the best part of the project was just being there and knowing that he was making a difference.
For Brea, the best part was how the Cambodian family they helped "went from being really poor to a bit wealthier and ... more respected in the community."
She says she learned "how so little can make such a big difference" in her family's lives and in the lives of the people they helped.
Brea says she tried to teach some English, using pictures, and many people from the community came to learn.
While the experience was physically difficult, it was "very, very enriching to live in such intimate closeness to a family from a culture that's from the other side of the planet and to do so for day after day after day not sharing any language," says Stewart.
He is now financing the schooling of three of the children in the Cambodian family in memory of his daughter, who died nearly 10 years ago.
It looks like there will be more development projects in the future for Ben and Brea. McSporran, who works with Foreign Affairs, will have an overseas posting next year and she has requested to go to a developing country.
It's "great to just know you can make a change," Ben says.
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