One Year on - Trivia Fundraiser

The VDCA Skype Cultural Exchange is moving along quite well. Reports from the director of VDCA Togh Main inform us that the students' in the program are returning much improved English results from their regular interactions with Australians via Skype. Good news! However, the technology at the school in Siem Reap is faltering, and therefore needs to be replaced in order for the program to continue. As a result, I planned a trivia fundraiser to raise funds to buy at least 5 new laptops for the school. The target was anything over $2000 and the venue was chosen.

The event kicked off at 12:30 with the 40 invited guests arriving at the Drift Bar in Caloundra ready for trivia:

The groups were decided and the trivia began with great fun after a brief history of the Volunteer Development Children's Association and an explanation about the wonderful work that Togh is doing in Siem Reap and An Lung Pi. Raffles accompanied the trivia and all attending were very gracious in their support and donations throughout the day.

The trivia wrapped up around 4:30pm in the afternoon; the raffles were finalised and the activities - wine categories guessing competition and auction - were run with fantastic support. All those at the Drift Bar were heavily supportive and generously donated and bought tickets in the numerous raffles donated by various people from Brisbane and Caloundra. Even the bar staff were scratching their heads at times trying to work out the solutions to the trivia questions from ten differing categories.

Thank you to all those who attended and those who could not, but found it in their heart to contribute, you made the day the success it was. A special thank you to Daryn from Treasury Wines - your contribution was immensely appreciated; Ben for his help throughout the day and leading up to it; Lance from Goodlife for his membership donation; Deb for her goodies from Loriel; Dan for the wonderful products donated for raffling; and to all those who generously donated raffle prizes in support of the day, too many to name! Thank you. But lastly, a huge thank you to Guy for his wonderful donation and contribution to the day - you truly blew most people away with your generosity and the kids at VDCA will be much better off for your help!

As a result of your wonderful contributions we far exceeded our target and will be able to buy many more laptops than the five originally planned. We hope top use remaining funds for lease payments or other continuous expenses at VDCA Siem Reap. I will go back to Cambodia in December and buy the computers (plus take 5 other laptops with me) and set them up at the school under the guidance of Togh. I also hope to workshop some new students through the program and further set up more VDCA students for contact with Australians on my return in order to continue to foster cross-cultural communication and present Cambodian youth with a skill that may provide the opportunity to break their cycle of poverty.

Until next time,
R

Five months on...

Five months on and I find myself reflecting on the remarkable experience in Cambodia and the wonderful people who are now part of my life and the life of my family and many of my students at school.

On return to Australia I set about organising a program that would allow people here to take an active part of the education and development of some of Cambodia's less priveleged and disadvantaged children. 

The program now boasts ten Cambodia students ranging from 13 to 18 years and close to twenty Australian participants. Weekly those involved converse via Skype on all manner of subjects that are both improving the Cambodians' command of the English language and stretching the minds of all involved culturally and socially. The reports from some of the Australian participants is overwhelmingly positive; one student often includes her mother in the conversations as her mother was profoundly touched by the Cambodian student's story: one of hardship, isolation and maturity established through independence at such a young age. Reaksa is only 14 and lives without parents - her mother lives in another city and her father is away with the military. Furthermore, Reaksa cares for her younger sister who suffers with leukaemia. Therefore, Reaksa's days are spent organising her sister's regular hospital visits and getting herself off to school for as many hours as she can. She also attends the free school at night and participates in this program to give herself a brighter future. She is a remarkable young girl who rarely is seen without a smile on her face despite her adversity; something I think Australian students gain a lot of insight from in their conversations with her.

Despite the positive progress made in just five months, the program has one continuing demand that needs to periodically be addressed: the technology. The program relies on functioning technology and this will always require funding. When I was in Cambodia in December 2013, I used a great deal of the fundraising conducted prior to the visit to repair existing computers and buy other things such as microphones and headphones. Furthermore, I directed the remaining funds into the school's internet connection and ongoing costs related to this. Now, information is coming in that the computers that only three of the five computers that were able to be repaired after the monsoonal flood damage are still functioning. This has created congestion in the computer laboratory as the number of Cambodian students participating in the program increases.

Therefore, I am beginning a new fundraising initiative to raise enough funds to supply the school with five new laptop computers that can connect wirelessly. I also hope to increase the capability of their wireless internet connectivity in order to make the program more sustainable and allow for future growth as new students come on board. As part of the fundraising, I am republishing the details of the account set up specifically for Cambodian fundraising. So if you find it in your heart to donate, please transfer the funds to the account details below and I will personally deliver the funds and make the computer purchases when I take my family over to Cambodia in 2015. Thank you in advance and on behalf of the children of VDCA school Siem Reap, Cambodia. 

Bank account details:

Bank: WESTPAC BANK

Account name: RYAN JOSEPH SLAVIN

BSB no.: 034017

Account no.: 130843

Thanks again,

Ryan