NEWS & EVENTS
- Children's Gardens are Producing Nutritious Foods... click here
- Horse Wear of Ireland Generously Donates Solar Panels... click here
- Remembering Ravi... click here
- Meet the Children: profiles of some of our children... read more
Children's Gardens are Producing Nutritious Foods
With the emphasis on self suffi-ciency here at NHCC we are delighted that our Young gardeners are in tune to that very philosophy. The 80 plus gardens were after much sweat deliberation and a few hundred feet of string not to mention truck loads of our very finest chicken poo finished. With the help of some very dedicated volunteers and our garden staff the first rounds of ladies fingers are being polished off with every bowl of rice in the village. The children are quite the business men (and ladies) when it comes to bargaining with a price. All the vegetables that are grown are sold directly to the village.
The garden project was started by volunteer Kristy (Australia) and followed up by Officer Rasa, Dana and Trish all from Canada. The garden is now a hive of activ-ity in the evening. Thanks so much to everyone who got in-volved in that. The small pre-school garden is now ready to be planted with corn! So a special thanks to World challenge for their efforts there.
The children old and young have all got involved in this project and there really is a great sense of ”family” when you go down to the gardens in the evening. The older children help the young and the girls help the boys!
Horse Wear of Ireland Generously Donates Solar Panels
One step closer! This month saw the arrival of NHCC’s solar panels. Horse Wear of Ireland donated a pretty amazing gift to the village along with the work men to fit it! With the arrival of a container full of solar equipment (enough for every house in the village) came the strong (pale) work men to fit it. The solar panels were put up in the searing heat. With a few liters of water not to mention some good old fashioned Irish swearing the job was completed in record time (with no sunstroke). The village now has a light in every house and bathroom so that we can see the spiders and bugs we are sharing our bed times with. The lights are especially useful for the houses filled with the younger children so that the house parents can get up in the night with them We also have a solar panel to help the pump with our water supply.
A very very big thank you to you Gareth, Gerry Bernard and Tommy for coming and fitting our lights.
Remembering Ravi
With this first issue we would like to take time to remember Ravi.
Ravi had been with John and Kathy for nearly 9 years and was like a very special son to them.
Ravi 18 was taken suddenly from us in a swimming accident in July. Ravi was a true character and a much loved friend to all here at NHCC. Ravi was always playing the joker and was an incredibly lively fun person to be around. The village is missing a very special person in body but he will always remain in our hearts. As NHCC pieces it’s self back together after our tragic loss we say a special prayer to remembers truly amazing boy.
Meet the Children
Srey Chrep:
Batman or the Incredible hunk? Who ever she is, our little left-hander is keeping NHCC pre-school truly entertained with her quirky ways. Srey Chrep came to NHCC in April 2009. She was born on 2nd March 2005. Both parents died of AIDS and left her along with an older brother (her older brother is negative) with the grandparents. The grand-father was drinking heavily and the grandmother was very old. She was unable to care for Srey Chrep often forgetting to give her the medication that is so vital to take properly. Srey Chrep was brought to us along with her older bother.
She is now a very healthy, happy confident pre-schooler who makes everyone laugh with her sheer determination in doing things. This young lady is very strong and can often be seen carrying things that no other pre-schooler can. She is very robust and always picks herself up and brushes herself down and gets on with things. She seems to have the strength of 10 men and definitely gives the biggest strongest cuddles.
Sopheak:
Sopheak is a soft-spoken angel who came to NHCC on 13th March 2007. His mother had passed away. He was brought to us by his aunt. His father was still alive when he was brought to us but was a very sick man. (his father has since passed away.) Sopheak’s aunt was very poor and struggling to make ends meet looking after his father. The aunt had heard about NHCC and brought him here as she knew he would be well cared for. Sopheak contracted a disease called CMV which has meant the loss of sight in his left eye. Despite this he is a very clever attentive little boy in pre-school and instantly captures your heart. His aunt visits when she can afford to. Sopeak is a joy to be around with his calm captivating nature.
Emyou:
Emyou is a very special little boy. He has a heart and lung condition as well as being H.I.V positive. The Cambodian doctors gave the initial diagnosis which was then supported by a specialist team from California.
Emyou was in hospital for 2 years only getting out for Christmas. Kathy and John did not know at the time if he was going to pull through and even now Emyou is on borrowed time. Without a new heart Emyou may not be with us for very long. The sad question is if we did find him a new heart would he align="left" survive the operation.
Emyou is very bright and does very well in class. He needs his glasses as his sight is rapidly deteriorating. He always sits at the front of class and is very, very eager to learn. Emyou likes to get out there and play with all of the other children like a normal boy would. His love for football resulted in a broken arm but that did not stop him. Last week he planted corn with papa John in the new gardens.
Phnom Penh Post
Press Release June 06 2009:
NEW HOPE FOR CAMBODIAN CHILDREN and LITTLE BASIL HONORED at
‘LIFE BALL 2009’
New Hope for Cambodian Children (NHCC), a local NGO that serves over 1000 children throughout Cambodia with HIV/AIDS, was honored at this year’s Life Ball, Europe’s largest and most spectacular annual charity event dedicated to raising support for the global fight against HIV and AIDS.
At this year’s Ball, which took place on May 16th, NHCC’s founders John and Kathy Tucker were feted by Ivana Trump, Fran Drescher, Pamela Anderson and Katy Perry. Ivana Trump personally donated to NHCC, and her generosity was subsequently matched by Lions Club International. The Foundation for AIDS Research (amFAR) also honored NHCC’s work in Cambodia with a significant donation.
John and Kathy Tucker on stage with Ivana Trump
However, the greatest honor came in the form of a personal request from former-President Clinton for a private meeting with John and Kathy. At this meeting, Mr. Clinton asked, ‘How’s my boy?’, referring to three-year-old ‘Little Basil’, a child currently in NHCC’s care. In 2006, on a trip to Cambodia with the Clinton Foundation, the former-President met with the children of NHCC at a party in his honor. Just days before the party, NHCC had taken in a 3-month old abandoned male at the request of the Ministry of Health. Left by relatives at the Thai-Cambodia border weeks before, the baby had been expatriated back to Cambodia. By the time he reached NHCC, he not only had HIV, but was suffering from tuberculosis as well.
Near death, he weighed just 4 kilos and had little hope for survival. The Tuckers immediately put him on ARV medication provided by the Clinton Foundation, not knowing at the time that he was the youngest child ever in Cambodia’s history to receive such medication. At the party, President Clinton was touched by the story of this remarkable child, and asked to hold him. Handing over the child, Kathy Tucker told the President, “he is alive today because of your Foundation”. The President has since recalled this experience as one of his most moving. Today, Little Basil is a playful, thriving, healthy child living at NHCC’s ‘Our Village’.
Opened in late 2006, ‘Our ‘Village’, an 18 acre property located in Kampong Speu province, provides a full range of housing, nutritional, health and educational needs to orphaned and abandoned children currently infected with HIV/AIDS. ‘Our Village’ currently cares for 160 children between the ages of 6 months and 18 years who have either been orphaned by the virus, or come from families who no longer have the capability or financial resources to care for them. Additionally, NHCC also works with 855 HIV-positive children and their families through its ‘Outreach Program’, which provides vital nutritional, transportation, educational and medical support.
With the funds raised at Life Ball, the Tuckers plan to establish an endowment fund for NHCC’s primary projects, to ensure their growth and expansion for years to come. At present, there are an estimated 4400 children under the age of 18 infected with HIV/AIDS in Cambodia. NHCC sees its work as just beginning, and future plans include the increased self-sustainability of ‘Our Village’ through agricultural and green initiatives, as well as the expansion of the ‘Outreach Program’ to incorporate 200 more children in need by the end of 2009.