Tabitha Foundation (Singapore)

Working side by side with the people of Cambodia

NEWS FROM

TABITHA FOUNDATION

Newsletters 2018

February 2018

Dear Friends and Partners,

The past two months have been busy with visiting new and ongoing villages in our various project areas. It is such a privilege to see families join our programs – families for whom life is very difficult – families for whom savings are the start of process of hopes and achievements.

One such village is Cha Village in Kompong Channang – a village which we started in a year ago- it’s a beautiful location – an oasis in the midst of rice fields. It is a village where life is exceptionally hard but also a village of great hope and spirit. I have inserted the links to both visits

Kg Channang New Area April 2017

Kg Channang follow up Visit Feb 2018

What is the attraction to our programs is savings – families save a little each week for ten weeks – savings towards a desire of something that person wants –it may be a chicken or a towel – it may be water jars or school supplies for children – it may be to buy seeds or fertilizer – or bedding and new materials to build a house – it may be a bicyle for transportation or a battery for electricity - the dreams are endless. It’s a way of families and people to make a choice to better their own lives – a way to enhance their quality of life. It’s an opportunity to make life choices without fear or threat – they are in control – a gift they very seldom receive in their harsh lives.

Tabitha’s gift to people who save – who dare to dream – is the gift of encouragement – the gift of time to make those choices become reality – the gift of faith and dignity that each person can make choices and can achieve them. You and I stand in partnerships with these families as individuals – you and I believe that they are capable of choice – you and I believe that lives can change – you and I believe that each person – each family is worthy of our faith – of our encouragement. Savings and partnerships is the core of all that we do.

We visited several new villages in Siem reap where families make a living off scavenging the dump sites for recyclable materials – a job that we look on with dismay YET the families greet us with dignity and pride in the beginnings of their dreams – Yat Sen shared her story of how she washed dishes for a richer neighbor so that she was able to save a little extra that week.

I thank my God for this privilege I have of sharing lives with so many – I thank my God for each of you who stand with us in savings and partnerships – this year 10,000 families – it costs us $25 USD per family – you all help us to make that happen. Most of all, I thank my God for allowing me to stand with families as Yat Sen – people who work hard and teach me what it means to be strong and courageous despite the hardships of life. It can’t get any better than that.

Janne

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