Hello,

I have some exciting news to share.

The last few days, I’ve been working on a plan to set up a Canadian Registered Charity that can support my special projects in Cambodia. The benefit of getting charity status is that all donations made to these projects could be tax deductible in Canada. This would make a huge difference in my fundraising activities. I’m close to having a structure in place that would quality as a Canadian Registered Charity. Please stay tuned.

Why am I so excited about getting this organization established?

A new home for CCH children!!!!!!!!

I was planning on returning to the dump on the last few days of my trip. I made a decision not to go to the dump, because I realized that I couldn’t do anything for those children right now. My time would be better spent at CCH, with the children I could impact.

The hardest part about being at the dump was the realization that there is nothing we could do to help those children. All the rooms at CCH are full and we aren’t able to bring any more of them to the centre. I have been thinking about this non stop.

At CCH, I started working on a plan with the Director for a new CCH home. We started a draft plan and even identified property where it could be built. My dream is to build a new CCH home with money from Canada. This new home would free up space for approximately 32 more children over the next couple years.

The plan is actually to open a centre for the transition of the older children to life outside of the orphanage. There are a number of children that will reach the age of 17 or 18 in the next couple of years. Our plan involves setting up a transition home, where the youth will be charged a very low rent that increases as they stay over a five year period. The plan would also combine other efforts such as job experience, training, micro businesses and counselling with the youth. We hope to also have life skills program. These children have done so well getting to this stage in life. The youth can also work at CCH on construction, cooking and tutoring to earn income to pay the low rent. It is a first step towards independent living. They are family and you don’t leave family members when they turn 18. And I have to tell you, the specific youth I know around this age are the most incredible loving people. They all study very hard and I will do everything I can to help them through this next phase of their life.

The other benefit is that the free rooms at CCH will be used immediately to bring back many more children from the dump. This literally means turning a persons life around 360 degrees. In my mind, there can be nothing more important.

Please consider offering your support. I can guarantee you not one cent will be wasted. This is a great place and I had the chance to see everything about how it works. I’m directly invovled in running this project and all donations to this project will be used specifically for the new centre. There are no administration fees at all. 100% will be used on the project. I will personally pay all administration related fees including costs to set up a charity, fund transfer fees, bank charges and any other administrative costs. Your donation will literally be used to buy the land and build the home where these children sleep.

Please stay tuned for more information.

Thank you for caring.

Love Gerry

PS: I get many letters from the children. I will share some of their letters with you later. They are very precious. I’m so lonely and will be visiting there again soon. I’m going out to a few schools in the next couple weeks to talk about my experiences and about the children they helped to sponsor. I have a picture show and many videos to show them. I can’t wait to tell you about talking to these Grade one classes.

Hello,

I spent an afternoon at the CDCC house that is part of the CCH. As I arrived at the gates by tuk tuk, I was greeted by many young children as they ran up to us from all directions. Again, in true CCH form, there were many hugs. I spent the afternoon playing with many of the children. There are a few extra special kids here that I really wanted to visit again.

There are currently two girls that stay at the CDCC house, that are sponsored from Winnipeg. Srey Pich is a beautiful little girl that is sponsored by my niece Hannah. Her sister, Srey Muoy is a super hugger that is sponsored by the Grade One Class of Ecole St. Avila School. Srey Pich, always carries my backpack. Again this day, she immediately pulled it off my back and carried it around. Srey Muoy hung over me the entire afternoon. She is an angel. We put a Khmer music CD in the stereo and the next thing I knew was that we had a dance party with more than 40 of the children. It was tons of fun for all of us. the kids wouldn’t leave me alone the whole time. They would bring me glasses of water without me asking. They would rush up to hold my hand, when another child would let go of me.

It took me a long time to say goodbye to everyone at CDCC. All the children wanted to hug me and personally say goodbye. They came running with homemade gifts and letters in hand. Many of the letters said “I love you” on them. Like I’ve said many times, this place is full of love. For many of these children, this is their only family. This is their life.

When I got back in the tuk tuk, the children swarmed around us. It was so hard to watch them grab at my hand as the driver moved forward and the kids ran with us. I felt very sad to leave them. At least I knew in my heart that I would definitely be back here soon.

When I look at this picture I already get lonely and sometimes get upset. These children have so much love to give and yet no Mom or Dad to personally tuck them in at night. CCH is amazing for giving these children a chance to have a “real” family and good childhood memories. I hope and pray that I have added something to them and maybe created some memories to last. I hope they know that I don’t just “leave” here. I will be back soon.

As we drive away, I catch the eyes of the children. The little girl with the big brown eyes in the middle of the picture is Srey Muoy. Thank you to Hannah and the Ecole St. Avila School for supporting the two children here at CDCC. Tomorrow, I will tell you about CCH and another beautiful child sponsored from Winnipeg, Virack.

Love Gerry

Hello,

Saying Goodbye to CCH was very hard for me. I have come to love this place all all the children here. I can’t tell you the feeling that comes across me as I step through the gates to the many children running up to me with open arms.

The whole day was very difficult. A few of the children often cried throughout the day, when we talked about me trip home. Many cried as they hugged me goodbye and me too. All throughout the day, I was given little cards and drawings from the children. Many of the cards said that they loved me. These children have so much love to offer. It’s often overwhelming.

The only way I could get through the day was to remember that I will be back here soon. I also kept in mind that I needed to go home, so I could work for the children and CCH. This is something that I couldn’t do effectively from Cambodia. Still. It was sad to say goodbye.

I don’t know how I’m going to feel being back at home. I don’t know how I’m going to feel with all these little angels so far away. I guess time will tell.

Love Gerry

Hello,

Leaving Siem Reap was hard. In the morning I said goodbye to the children at the Green Gecko. That is an amazing project and the children at the centre are the same children that I would visit on the streets of Siem Reap.
We finished building the new desks the same day that I had to say goodbye. It was a great way to complete my time at this school. I taught my last class with all students sitting in the classroom and none were left to watch from outside.

This night, I had to say goodbye to the children from the School for Children of Poverty. this was even harder for me. I love my two classes that exploded with students. I know many of the children by name and many of them make special efforts to talk to me and hug me. I received many noted form the children, many questions and many hugs. I still can’t believe the number of children that came to my classes. I still can’t believe how much these kids actually wanted to learn and be in class.

I wrote in another blog about the many questions I got from the children. The hardest question to answer was “If you care about us so much, why do you have to leave us?”. I will miss this place and it will be a continuing part of my life going forward. I will be back to help them very soon.

I have added some pictures to flickr.
Love Gerry

Full classes at the School for Children of Poverty. There are children standing outside the walls taking part in our lesson.

Hello,

I’m very excited tonight (besides the fact that I’m very sad about leaving here).
I’ve been writing you about the School for Children of Poverty. The other night, my classes were both full of more than 75 children. I was upset, because it was the first night that I actually had to have some kids from class just stand outside the entrance. There was no other way for them to join. The kids outside…. stayed. They all want to go to school here. It’s amazing.

That night, I told the Director that we had to change some things. I looked at the structure of the huts and made a plan with him to make the library smaller by at least 20 - 30 feet. Sorry to all you librarians! LOL. I told him that the library was important, but right now, kids needed a place to attend class. The library wasn’t used much anyway. The next day, the wall was moved and lights changed around. That night, all the children had a place in class. I was so excited to see the smiling faces when the kids first walked into the classroom/hut.
Today, I made plans to purchase wood to build desks. There is a relatively cheap was to build desks for the students. We are buying the wood and going to try to get them finished tomorrow. I can’t wait to see all those new desks in my class that exploded with students. I think this would be a good place to use some of the money that I raised at home. These desks will last for years by many students. It is going to be a perfect way to leave the school as I must tomorrow.

It took us four weeks, but we got a bank account set up for the school. It took way too much time a paperwork, but everything takes more time here in Cambodia. I was excited today as we had tourists come for a tour. They asked if they could transfer funds to a bank account to make a donation to the school. I was standing right there and could give them all the bank information from the many photocopies that I made. It was perfect.
We got a donation box build out of metal and glass. The donation box has some money in it and will at least assist the school with paying for electricity this month. It is a start. We were also able to get brochures of the school up in many hostels and pubs. I hope that the posters bring in more tourists that can be moved to donate some money. Once they meet the children and step in the huts, it’s hard not to love this place.

The Director calls me brother and we have become very close friends. He has no material goods, since he was a monk for most of his life. He gives his entire life to these children. He takes no income and eats at the Pagota or other places that offer free food as a way to live. amazing man. I’m really worried about leaving here. He is young and not sure how to manage this big school. He was put in this position very quickly with the death of the Director. It will be a big challenge for him. I hope you send your prayers his way. I will definitely be continuing my work with them from home and when I return.

Love Gerry