These are our current causes
Hamish: When we were in Cambodia we had the opportunity to visit a couple of orphanages. We spent an afternoon playing with all of the kids and talking to each other. Thankfully the kids could speak a bit of English because I can’t speak any Khmer!! The kids were all so nice and it made me so sad because all they want is to be able to go to school. In Canada, we don’t ever think about how lucky we are to be able to go to school everyday. We made friends with a girl named Sophea and instead of buying our teachers gifts, we send her to both American and Khmer school.
We have found out with research there are lots of orphanages which take advantage of the kids in order to get money from tourists. We have found a reputable orphanage which is being run by an Australian group called the Cambodian Children's Trust and we plan to visit them in March.
Elliot: When we were in Cambodia in 2012 we visited The Cambodia Landmine Museum and School. I was so affected by what we learned there. This facility is a museum that educates about landmines and how many people are affected. It is founded by a man named Aki Ra who is an amazing man. He has dedicated his life to clearing his country of unexploded landmines. Just in the province of Siem Reap there are 27 000 victims of landmines. It isn’t just a museum though. It also houses over three dozen children from small villages who are suffering. There is even a school there for the children. We are going to visit the museum again and I am going to donate a cheque in the amount of $2000.
Ainsley: I chose to donate to Lanta Animal Welfare in Koh Lanta, Thailand. I did a lot of research and it seems like they are a really good place. There are so many stray animals in Thailand and one of the shelter’s main objectives is animal sterilization. The shelter needs a lot of money and help. I chose this because I love animals. A lot of days I prefer animals to people, haha! We have raised $2000 for the shelter. I am going to take a cheque to the shelter and also work there for a day when we are in Thailand. I think I will get to walk the dogs on the beach!
Cambodia Landmine Museum
and school
FOOD FOR THOUGHT!!!!!
We realized that there are also problems in our own neighborhood, not just in third world countries. We noticed that some of our friends and classmates didn’t have lunches because their families can’t afford them. We asked our friends Jackson and Spencer Little to help us find a solution. Together we created something called Food for Thought. (our moms helped a lot!) We have partnered up with two of our neighborhood schools, Valley Creek and Hidden Valley School, and an organization called Brown Bagging It and we are all helping to feed our classmates who are hungry. The parent council at Hidden Valley School said that we can have all of their empty pop and juice containers. We pick up the recycling every week and all of the money goes to Food for Thought. The cleaning staff at Valley Creek also donates some of their recycling proceeds each month. In addition, both of the schools have done fundraisers. Our school Valley Creek is going to do another fundraiser this year! We currently feed 12 students lunch each day as well as donate to families facing extreme hardships.
Dad's cause is the Little Picasso Project. He plans to send artists over to Southeast Asia and teach kids in orphanages and local neighbourhoods how to paint and draw. He also plans on having local artists help the kids on an ongoing basis so those with artistic talent can work towards a future career in art. Our dad also plans to purchase paintings and art done by artists and students to bring back to Canada and sell at them at his trade shows and online. Watch for paintings listed here after our trip in March 2014.