Report on Visitation to Kratie and Takeo, Cambodia

Editor’s Notes: Since 2015 WFWP NJ Chapter has supported children in Cambodia, in partnership with WFWP Cambodia.  Foster parents sponsor a student’s yearly education, books, and more. In exchange, the foster parents receive letters and school reports from the children. Below are excerpts from two reports written by Mrs. Yuka who lives in Cambodia and works for WFWP Cambodia, and personally visits the children.

Excerpts from Report #1 Visit to Kratie, Cambodia
Written June 2021

In Cambodia, COVID-19 is spreading more rapidly in 2021 than last year. The traffic regulations and meetings became stricter from February, and we had the lockdown from April of this year. Now, some places are getting released from the lockdown, so we decided to visit our foster children in Kratie, Cambodia. 

The parents and children attended the gathering. We explained our mission statement and details of the Cambodia Project to them. The children had time to write short essays. We decided on the essay topic, “What are you doing every day?” or “What would you like to improve during the lockdown?” This gave the children a chance to form sentences and set their goals. We are glad to share that the children looked well.

Excerpts from Report #2 Visit to Takeo, Cambodia 
Written June 2021

We ran the Cambodia Project program visit to the City of Takeo under the supervision of the state of Takeo, to avoid the spreading of COVID 19. The Reach Sei Assoc., under the Ministry of Civil Service, donated face masks and soaps to each child. 

During the program, the representative of Takeo encouraged the students by sharing about his own physical disability, and how his studying was not hindered by external factors. At the temple in Takeo City, a representative monk talked about how to live well. It was a valuable experience for the children. They had a Q&A about Buddhist principles and one of our children answered a question from the monk. 

We asked the children to write essays about their lives during lockdown. However, the 12th graders talked about their plans after graduating from high school. There were some children who did not attend the meeting to avoid exposure to COVID-19. Although the children have encountered many challenges, we are glad to report that none of them have dropped out of school! 

To read more about how the Cambodia Project click here