Dear Supporter of RICE4LIFE,
We’ve been here since Monday evening, yet it seems longer, so much seems to have happened!
All the school have received us warmly and yesterday we saw the delivery of rice to the teachers and S**********’s family at KILT’s premises. Amazingly S******’s father looks a changed man from when we were last here. The guaranteed regular supplies of rice seem to have helped transform him. We were so happy!
We addressed the teachers there explaining, (as best we could!) that Margaret’s Parkinson’s is steadily taking over her body and this may prevent her future travel. Two women teachers were visibly moved and all of them showed her affection. We felt it better to let them know this now and to reassure them of our commitment to them. In the future it may be that Martin will need to travel here solo (we hope not!).
The school library is well-used – this was clear from the fact that the books were not neatly stacked in the cabinets as previously but were rather placed in them as if they were used! Although it is school holidays here, around 100 students were at the school to greet us and they made a bee-line for the library to get books and jigsaw-type puzzles to read and use. So there were many little groups of children engrossed in what they were reading It’s very heartening to see children valuing what has been provided.
The solar is operating the computer 6 hours each day. Unfortunately, lighting seems to be off the agenda. There’s insufficient power anyway, but we’ll investigate getting more solar panels, although we won’t rush into that as we must weigh up the cost against usage and benefits.
Certainly the computer is a valuable tool at the school and we are pursuing the matter of connecting them to the internet. We have a contact, Koroush, who may be able to unlock a modem we have brought with us and which we could give them.
KILT’s situation looks desperate! The building was inundated with foul water during the typhoon and inside the building still smells putrid from the raw sewage etc that was in the water through the place.
Later we will post more details of what it would take to re-establish them but we don’t want to get side-tracked from our main focus which is delivery of corruption-free, quality education at the village school. We’re happy that in using them (KILT) to deliver rice, we go part-way in supporting them. Each month we supply funds for 12 bags of rice and they deliver 10 bags for us, keeping 2 for themselves. Their requirement is 4 bags each month, so our contribution is not insignificant.
Still, it’s sad to see their enterprise destroyed – they used to have a small café, jewellery shop, and also sold vegetables, as well as milling rice. All of this was destroyed in the typhoon so that now they have nothing. Since their premises are rented, they are looking to move elsewhere and their plan is to rent land (lease?) and build a structure on that. Karoush’s suggestion for them is to have a milling machine rather than mill by hand (or feet!!!).
Now about R**********.
When we met her she looked her usual happy, strong self, nicely dressed in a purple dress, but Margaret noticed the yellow in her eyes (that’s a mum for you!) and asked if she was well. At first she said yes, but admitted there days when she was unwell. We quickly took her by tuk tuk in search of a doctor. What a palaver that was! The first doctor we took her to, an older Khmer man, said she was simply “tired”! But Margaret got him to write out a pathology request form for a blood test. Margaret actually ticked the boxes for him!
We then went to a private pathology place, paid for blood tests, and returned later for the results which showed she had Hepatitis B and possibly other things. More results will come later since they have to come from Phnom Penh.
Through our own contact, we decided upon a reputable clinic and hot-footed there where she had further tests before a final consultation with a well-qualified (we hope!) doctor who confirmed the Hepatitis B, also endometriosis full of pus and probable other things too. She is coping with a number of medical issues, including serious internal infection.
Anyway, we’ve paid for a course of antibiotics, vitamins etc, as well as the tests and consultation. After the course of antibiotics, she starts on a one-year course of daily tablets. We have paid for three months’ supply which she has in her bag. We’ve arranged with the clinic (used by Travel Indo-China) for us to pay for anything needed after that and her compliance with her medication regime will be very important. The doctor was of the opinion that there was a 47% chance of recovery. We asked him to stress to her the importance of regularly taking her medication at 7 am each day. We do so hope that her Cambodian ‘family’ don’t dissuade her.
As usual, R******* is leading a busy, industrious, innovative lifestyle to both support herself and equip herself for the future. She has left her studies at New York International School because her class was moved to the evening which meant she would have to travel in the dark and she felt unsafe getting back home. She is now staying a fair bit of the time in SR at her friend’s place.
She is attending classes at A.C.E. (an Australian institution) 6am to 7.30am each day (that’s not a typo!!) before she goes to the Khmer school. A.C.E. seems to be well-spoken about and her fees were paid by another person.
She really wanted to attend P.U.C. as she desired to go to university so we have pursued that with her and she has passed the qualifying test with flying colours – of course! So we’ve enrolled her to start next semester (June 1st) and paid for her books.
We’ll be sending her medical report to Professor Yong Choi at the University Children’s Hospital in Seoul, Korea seeking his advice and comment. Professor Yong Choi is well acquainted with the school, having visited here in his role for the United Nations.
Please pray for:
- dear R*********, that she will be healed and continue to stick closely to the Christian models who care for her,
- KILT, that they be provided with sufficient funds to re-establish on another site
- Mr Hon to remain sufficiently healthy as he continues to selflessly care for, not just his school, but older children of Khvien as well as his own 6 children, and that the Lord may speak to him through his Word and Christian literature
Give thanks for
- the wonderful restoration of S********’s family
- our timely arrival which has saved R********
Martin and Margaret