Help Destitute Moms with AIDS Care for Their Kids

Calendar Reminder:   GlobalGivings Little by Little Campaign April 4 - April 8  

No news really IS good news!

Since our last report in late November 2021, we are relieved to say that there has not been any “ excitement” in our program. The real news is that since the beginning of the year , life in Cambodia has begun to return to something resembling a pre-Covid normal. Schools, shops and business are for the most part now open and there has even been a return of some tourism, although it remains  light compared to a typical pre-Covid  high season  ( December through March). As a part of this return to normal, children are back in  classes and our folks are able, once again, to return to their jobs in markets or selling birdseed near the  Palace or temples etc.

The big issue now on everyone’s  mind is the impact of higher energy prices and inflation. Food inflation remains a problem , especially for our  families,  who are literally living on the very edge of survival.  As we mentioned in our last report, we implemented a modest  monthly increase  to help cover these increases in living expenses and this is something that we will need to maintain a close watch on  for the foreseeable future.

Although our FSP  program has been winding down its family roster over the past several years ( please see  our last report for more detail),  during  the past year we have taken on two new families . One family is a mother with 3 children: a daughter about age 13 and her two younger brothers , one a toddler. They joined our program due to  a family crisis, where they had fled their home and  gone into hiding due to threats from a family member.   This situation is now stable, and we have found suitable shelter for the family. The mom has been able to return to her job selling  bird seed to tourists and the daughter is back in school . She is also required, as a conditional aspect of our support, to stay in school and to attend classes daily after school at our art school as a way to provide safe activities outside of school hours and keep her way from gangs and other high risk  behavior.

The second family is a mother with two sons age about 10 and 13. The elder son dropped out of school after completing grade 2, due to  what we suspect may be a  learning disability and for a variety of reasons, he is unable to attend public school.  We have encouraged him to study  at our art school, for the time being, replacing formal education in a public school with extensive class room time at our art school.. He attends classes full time where he studies  dance   and music. He has shown  significant progress and he is well on the way to  becoming  a skillful dancer. These activities keep him occupied, build skills and self esteem and perhaps, eventually, a pathway to earning a living.

Each family in our program has a set of unique  circumstances. We have seen over the many years, that an individualized approach can make a big difference in the pathway to a positive outcome.  Please visit our project report “ Build Dreams"   to see just how big a difference our combined  focus on family structure and education has impacted three children from our FSP , who are now adults and who are each about to reach  their dream of achieving a college education .

Over the years, this program has provided essential help and guidance to fragile families impacted by HIV and/or extreme poverty. Your generous donations make this possible and we can only express our sincere thanks and gratitude to you for your  generous support.

Barbara & Mark Rosasco

Calendar Reminder !

GlobalGiving will hold its  Little by Little Campaign Apriol 4 - April 8  wiht a 50% donor match up to $ 25 on unique individual donations up to $ 50.