Jodine
enabled 20 Cambodian kids to receive a year of education & food!
Jodine raised $2,295!
This paid for:
- A teacher to educate Synoun and her class for a full year
- Daily nutritious meals for Synoun and 20 other children for one year
Jodine's Motivation:
As a high school English teacher, I have always been passionate about education and empowering young people to make positive changes in their lives. When I travelled around Cambodia last year I saw the grim reality most children in this beautiful country face. And it made me want to do something to help.
To raise the money for Synoun and her class I lived below the poverty line here in Australia, eating less than $2 worth of food a day for one week.
Jodine's Feedback
Jodiine received this poster from the kids she helped to educated and feed.
She was even able to visit the school and meet the children she helped!
Synoun's Story
With many families struggling to pay school fees for their children, Cambodian children are often destined to a life of poverty. Many have to work as young as 8 years old collecting rubbish to sell so that they can supplement the family income. 13 and 14 year old girls are forced to work as masseuses or beer garden hostesses, this being one of their only options to help provide food to feed their families. Many children soon end up in the sex trade or trafficked.
Synoun commenced school when she was 10 years old and is currently in grade 2. Synoun loves learning. So much in fact, that she arrives an hour early to class each day, in the hope that she will have a chance to learn more. When quizzed about what she wants to be when she grows up, she promptly responds that she wants to be a doctor. Why? Because she wants to help people.
Synoun and her class
Synoun is the middle child of three daughters and her mother can only afford education for one of her daughters at a time. For this reason, Synoun attends a school which is free of charge and offers free nutritious meals to each of the children each day. As well as English, maths and computer studies, the school educates the children about their human rights, teaching them that they are unique and important. The school’s focus on dignity empowers the children to stand up for themselves, know their worth as human beings and gives them the much needed self-esteem to commit to studying long-term and making a better future for themselves.
Jodine's Blog
Read more about Jodine's fundraising journey here!