Bring Well Being & Education to Children Globally

Dear Friends,

I can now say that I have visited all four of JustWorld’s partners and each one of them is incredibly amazing for the impact they have on their communities.

People Improvement Organization (PIO) in Cambodia was the only one I had not visited yet and to be honest, I had ZERO concept about what it would be like. Even though I review all of their budgets, see all of the photos and updates on social media and in their reports, and communicate with them regularly, traveling to the other side of the world and being in Asia did not feel tangible. The trip, which took about 32 hours to get from Florida to New York to Hong Kong to Phnom Penh, actually wasn’t that bad (and we flew over the North Pole!). In our group were Shoug, who travelled from Abu Dhabi, and Herve, Maria and Jessica who came from France, all to see the PIO schools and children.

Once we arrived and settled in, we met with Phymean, the founder and director of PIO who just won the World’s Children’s Prize, along with PIO’s nurse Vuthy, the Deputy Director Malyda and the Financial and Administrative Manager Hoeun. Being able to have dinner together and talking to everyone in person really brought everything to life! Over the next two days we visited each class at PIO’s two schools that we help fund. The students greeted us with songs and asked questions to get to know everyone. They were all proud of what they learned and happy for the opportunity to study to one day become doctors, teachers, and anything they could think of.

It was wonderful to be with these Ambassadors as they saw a project for the first time and experienced the culture of Cambodia. The level of poverty in this area was a bit of a shock as we walked through a community lade with trash because residents were unable to afford $5.00 a month for trash pickup or even a full bottle of cooking oil so they buy a small bag for a penny instead to make meals for their families. Knowing there is a way for children in these areas to be able to get an education, grow up strong and healthy, and follow their dreams reassures that support to our partner is worthwhile and making a difference in others' lives.

Through all of our partnerships and with your support, we are serving more than 6,000 children in Cambodia, Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras. This is huge! Thank you for following our updates and supporting JustWorld. If you  would be nterested in visiting one of our partners with us in the future, contact us to learn more!

At People Improvement Organization (PIO) in Cambodia,

• The new school year began in October and attendance is over 90% daily showing students are staying in school!
• PIO students sitting the national Grade 6 examination for admission to high school achieved a 100% pass rate- this is the best result ever!
• The foundation was completed in September for the new building next to PIO’s Stung Mean Chey (SMC) school and construction is well underway.

At Los Patojos in Guatemala,

• The first group of students has graduated from the new program! With the construction of the new center and Los Patojos becoming an official alternative education program, this group of 6^th graders is the first class to hold diplomas from Los Patojos’ school AND will be staying at Los Patojos to continue their studies as the first class of 7^th graders!
• 10,965 breakfasts, 11,111 lunches, and 2,669 dinners were served; a total of 42,745 meals.
• Los Patojos' dream to start a bakery is coming true! They have begun renovations and started training sessions to teach students how to bake different types of breads and baked goods!

At Asociación Compartir in Honduras,

• 3,430 students participated in: community libraries, reading club, and youth communicators network
• 1,300 students participated in the mobile library at schools, community centers, and meeting points
• 91 students participated in arts workshops (theatre, flute, band, and percussion); 36 students visited the national theatre to see a play and 400 students were involved in the science fair
• Students also painted a beautiful mural in their community! 

We hope you have a fabulous week and enjoy the holiday season!

Links:

• Photos from Our Trip to Cambodia
• Compartir Students Playing "Jingle Bells" in their Flute Group