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DO CAMBODIAwho are we and what we’re about

The DOP team is made up of ( l to r)Alan Montanaro, Gaby Montanaro, Anika Gatt Seretny, Matthew Gatt, Katherine Brown, Paula Fleri-Soler and Chiara Hyzler.

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newsletter

The  Drama  Outreach  (DO)  Project  was  created  to  offer  groups  of  underprivileged  children  in  developing  countries  the  opportunity  to  learn  drama  and  English  through  drama.

Last  August  our  group  of  seven  teachers  and  carers  set  off  for  Phnom  Penh,  where,  together  with  our  Cambodian  partners,  we  hoped  to  make  a  real  difference  in  the  lives  of  some  of  the  most  precious  children  we  have  ever  met  in  our  lives.  

Our  work  load  was  divided  between  two  main  groups  of  children:  SFODA,  an  orphanage  for  children  who,  for  a  myriad  of  reasons,  have  no  family  to  support  them,  and  Le  Restaurant  des  Enfants  (LRDE),  a  kitchen  project  providing  meals  and  basic  hygiene  facilities  to  approximately  250  street  children  daily.  

Both  groups  presented  our  team  with  their  fair  share  of  challenges  but  we  just  rolled  up  our  sleeves  and  got  down  to  the  

business  of  teaching  through  fun.    Although  the  children  had  never  quite  experienced  anything  like  our  classes,  their  enthusiasm  was  instant  and  word  of  our  classes  quickly  spread  -­‐  it  is  no  coincidence  that  we’d  started  off  with  about  12  students  at  LRDE  and  ended  up  with  70  by  the  start  of  the  second  week.

Although  their  knowledge  of  English  ranged  from  non-­‐existent  to  basic,  it  wasn’t  long  before  the  children  had  mastered  basic  phrases  in  English  that  they  would  undoubtedly  find  helpful  at  school  -­‐  and  in  the  streets  where,  unfortunately,  many  of  them  must  work.    Sadly,  the  importance  of  education  as  a  way  out  of  abject  poverty  is  not  fully  understood  by  parents  and  relatives  ,  who  

are  also  not  educated  and  remain  ignorant  to  the  benefits  of  schooling.  Their  priorities    and  confused  at  best,  and  the  cycle  continues.

We  returned  with  a  list  of  65  high-­‐priority  children  who  needed  support  to  go  to  school.  The  money  –  less  than  €1  per  day  -­‐    for  sponsorship  will  go  towards  school  materials,  uniforms  and,  crucially,  food  for  their  family,  freeing  the  children  from  the  burden  of  having  to  work.  

We  are  happy  to  report  that  we  have  found  sponsors  for  almost  all  of  them,  and  hope  to  secure  sponsors  for  the  rest  through  a  series  of  fundraisers  we  will  be  organising  as  an  NGO.

The  ties  we  formed,  the  friendships  we  made  and  the  overall  experience  affected  us  all  profoundly  and  we  have  decided  to  return    this  summer  to  continue  to  offer  some  magic  and  some  fun  with    drama    activities  to  these  incredible  children.

WORD OF OUR CLASSES SPREAD QUICKLY AMONGST THE STREET CHILDREN

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VCDO, LRDE & SFODAour partners committed to making lives a little betterOur  partner  in  Cambodia  is  Ms.  Pel  Sophorn,  Programme  Manager  of  the  Volunteers  for  Children  Development  Organisation  (VCDO).  VCDO  works  in  close  collaboration  with  national  and  international  volunteers  to  provide  developmental  support  to  children  in  orphanages,  children  from  poor  communities,  street  children,  and  children  infected/affected  by  HIV/AIDS  and  drugs.  This  ensures  that  all  of  them  receive  adequate  care,  formal  and  non-­‐formal  education  and  vocational  training  thus  improving  their  future.

VCDO  works  in  close  collaboration  with  both  LRDE  and  SFODA.  

Established  in  2010,  Le  Restaurant  des  Enfants  (LRDE)  provides  street  children  with  a  daily  meal,  the  use  of  sanitary  facilities,  haircuts  and  basic  medical  treatment  where  necessary.  These  children,  many  of  whom  are  orphans,  work  hard  every  day  to  provide  for  their  families.  Many  of  them  are  street  vendors,  begging  or  shifting  through  garbage  in  hope  of  finding  something  that  could  be  sold  or  eaten.  Others  separate  cans  and  bottles  from  rubbish  in  the  hope  of  selling  them  for  $0.50c  a  bag.The  restaurant  feeds  close  to  250  children  every  day.  Moreover,  LRDE  offers  the  street  children  a  few  of  hours  of  refuge  from  the  outside  world  and  their  otherwise  chaotic  life.  It  also  offers  them,  through  a  well-­‐administered  sponsorship  scheme,  a  possible  alternative  to  working  the  streets.

LRDE  was  co-­‐founded  and  run  by  the  saintly  Mr.  Chiv  with  a  group  of  dedicated  workers  and  

carers,  aided  by  the  numerous  volunteers  who  are  lucky  enough  to  walk  through  the  restaurant’s  doors,  and  the  generosity  of  hundreds  of  donors  from  around  the  world.

The  Sacrifice  Families  and  Orphans  Development  Association  (SFODA)  is  a  children’s  home.  The  organisation  was  founded  in  1997  by  Mr.  Pen  Sophan,  the  Executive  Director  of  SFODA,  as  a  reaction  to  the  poor  state  of  post-­‐war  Cambodia.  Under  the  firm  but  caring  eye  of  co-­‐founder  Mrs.  Ouk  Moninarom,  children  residing  at  SFODA  are  freed  of  the  burden  of  having  to  work  for  their  food.  The  children  there  have  the  luxury  of  shelter,  regular  meals,  and  a  basic  structure  within  which  they  are  more  likely  to  grow  and  develop  into  successful  adults.  Although  the  orphanage  does  get  some  state  funding,  this  only  amounts  to  $10  per  month  per  child,  covering  the  children’s  very  basic  

needs.    Through  sponsorships,  godparents  contribute  considerably  to  the  child’s  upkeep  including  food,  school  materials  and  uniforms,  clothes  and  some  pocket  money.

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“we started with one idea and, like all good ideas, it’s morphed into something we are only beginning to understand”

Street children at LRDE give thanks for the meal that is provided for them and over 250 children on a daily basis.

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WANT TO REACH OUT TOO?how you can help

After being told of Sreykeo's situation at home and the fact that she would like to go to school but is having trouble getting there, 3 Maltese people pooled in to get her a spanking new bicycle. Thank you Sabine, Gerlind and David for your donation. Sreykeo is happily getting to school on time every day - and in style.

sponsoring  a  childChoosing  to  sponsor  a  child  means  giving  that  child  the  chance  to  succeed  and  improve  their  future.  You  can  either  opt  to  sponsor  children  abending  LRDE  or  to  sponsor  a  child  residing  at  SFODA.  To  learn  more  about  sponsorships  click  here.

donaCons  Drama  Outreach  Project  collects  donacons  that  contribute  to  our  ongoing  projects  and  projects  of  our  partner  organisacons  -­‐  SFODA    and  LRDE.    Whether  it  is  a  CD  with  music  for  dance  classes,  T-­‐shirt  for  a  child  or  contribucon  towards  a  classroom  -­‐  we  will  appreciate  every  donacon  that  can  help  us  help  the  kids.  

Should  you  wish  to  learn  more  click  here.contact  us...  Best  way  to  get  in  touch  is  through  our  Facebook  page    d.com/dramaoutreachproject  or  simply  sending  us  an  email  at:  dramaoutreachproject@gmail.com

The child victims of the Khmer Rouge have been immortalised in these trophy photographs - victims of senseless murder.Today’s victims are still children who survive in abject poverty. Their only chance is through education.

The  Children  of  Cambodia  are  today’s  viccms  of  the  country’s  past.  The  rule  of  the  Khmer  Rouge  from  1975  to  1979  condemned  Cambodia  to  years  of  policcal  and  civil  strife  following  which  the  number  of  people  suffering  poverty  in  the  country  shot  through  the  sky.  The  genocide  of  the  1970s  saw  over  two  million  of  the  populacon  killed  in  just  four  years.  The  pain  Cambodia  suffered  has  leh  deep  scars  evident  cll  today.  These  kids  need  our  help.  With  Drama  Outreach  Project  there  are  several  ways  that  you  can  help:

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The  Drama  Outreach  Project    will  be  returning  to  Phnom  Penh  in  August  to  carry  on  the  work  we’ve  started  in  2013.  To  this  end  we  will  again  be  hosting  a  fundraising  event  at  Radisson  Blu  Resort,  St  Julian’s.  

Last  year  we  had  a  special  appearance  by  Defsa  Garuana  Malizia  who  conducted  a  charity  auccon  of  some  marvelous  artworks.  This  year  Drama  Outreach  is  again  reaching  out  to  arcsts  to  donate  to  our  cause  and  so  far  we  have  acquired  some  stunning  pieces  from  Micko,  Marisa  Abard,  Catherine  Cavallo  and  even  Esprit  Barthet.        So  please  do  bring  your  cheque  books  along  with  you  because  chances  are  you’ll  be  returning  home  with  a  bargain.

Alas,  Defsa  won’t  be  there  this  year,  but  we  have  just  signed  on  the  inimitable  Freddie  Portelli  who  will  almost  certainly  have  us  jiving  and  swinging  on  the  dance  floor.  DJ  Malcolm  will  be  back  with  his  varied  mix  and  we’ll  probably  have  a  few  more  surprises  in  store  to  ensure  that  the  evening  is  a  memorable  one.

The  fundraiser  will  take  place  on  April  30th,  eve  of  a  public  holiday,  and  cckets  will  be  against  a  donacon  of  €25  which  will  include  a  delicious  choice  of  finger-­‐foods.  Do  tell  your  friends  about  the  event.  It’s  going  to  be  good.

fundraiser 2014party like we’re young(er)

“Our next fundraiser will take place on WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30 (eve of a public holiday) and, with the likes of Freddie Portelli, DJ Malcolm and a fabulous auction of fine arts, we’re pushing the envelope to ensure it’s even bigger and better than last time.” DO

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www.dramaoutreachproject.org