Sunday, 6 July 2008

Jennie spotlights plight of street children

Jennie Burnett

Ruthland Times
Sunday, 6th July 2008

VOLUNTEER will share her adventures of a working holiday in Cambodia and raise awareness of the plight faced by the country's street children in a talk next month.

Jennie Burnett shunned a skiing holiday with her family for a life-changing experience in replacing a poor family's shack with a strong new home.

The 54-year-old also learned more about the horrific life endured by some Cambodian children who are living on rubbish dumps or being forced to work on the streets as a result of 30 years of civil war.

Up to 20,000 have fallen prey to the sex industry and many are trafficked to Thailand.

Jennie spent time working with street children during her trip and will be raising awareness of the Bridge of Hope charity, which can keep a child off the streets with just $50 a month.

Mother-of-two Jennie will be talking about her trip to Cambodia at Bourne Corn Exchange on Wednesday, July 16, but promises that it will be an entertaining evening.

Jennie, of Templeman Drive, Carlby, said: "It was a real adventure. I really loved being on the ferry each morning. I would think: 'Is this me sitting on this ferry with all these different people'.

"It is a life-changing trip. It really made me thankful for what we have got here. They have nothing and are so happy. The children are wonderful."

Jennie decided to go to Cambodia with Mission Direct while her husband Stephen and sons Matthew, 18, and Peter, 15 went skiing.

Based in Phnom Penh, Jennie and her colleagues would travel by ferry with Cambodians and animals every morning to build a home for a family of eight.

Over the two-week holiday she and the others helped builders create a lasting home for a family.

Jennie, who helped by putting up roof tiles and "navvying" said: "The house was really fun. We pulled down this house in half-hour and built a new one in two weeks that will last 200 years."

The group also visited a school and orphanage, where they made 200 meals for people living on a nearby rubbish dump.

She also visited the Bridge of Hope charity, which targets mothers by helping them gain employment along with educating and saving the children, and did craft activities with street children.

Jennie said: "We would wash their feet and put plasters on them and clothe them, some didn't have a stitch of clothing."

The trip also allowed Jennie, a chef with Stamford's The Evergreen Care Trust, a chance to try some Cambodian cuisine such as frogs legs and eels.

The talk, including Pimms and strawberries, will be held in the Corn Exchange in Bourne at 7.30pm on July 16. Tickets costing £5 are available from 01778 424600.

No comments: