Kai, Erica, Vino & Prerana
provided daily nutritious meals for a class of children in a Cambodian school!
![Meals 5[1].JPG](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57fd8a83579fb390a54b4b79/1496046267263-WP8HMYAEZ9HPN16O9U6Z/Meals+5%5B1%5D.JPG)
Kai, Erica, Vino & Prerana raised $1,401!
This paid for:
6000 nutritious meals
multi-vitamins
Kai, Erica, Vino & Prerana's (AKA - Team 4 Heartstrings) motivation
By way of introduction, we are four working professionals based in Singapore and go by Kai, Erica, Prerana and Vino.
Recently, by no particular stroke of enlightenment, we mutually decided to crawl out of our weekend comfort zones, cat video addiction and 99 problems to make time and talk
about issues that tug at our heartstrings. And through these meaningful conversations we hope to engage in actionable solutions that help enrich communities, locally or internationally.
The last time we checked on the Internet, there were around 800 million people that needed to be heard, seen and helped. Yeap,"overwhelming" is the word you want to use.
But for now, we'll be riding the "it's the little things that count" wave, to talk about and/or give back to those with real problems. Real solvable problems, that is.
No lofty ideals. No superhero unitards. No silver or golden bullets.
We're thinking one, two, baby steps. Three, four, baby steps. Five, six, baby steps.
Now, for the first rung of our journey, we've decided to partner with Just Peoples to do our bit for the fight against world hunger.
What's our bit, you ask? Well, here's the thing: Our bit involves encouraging our loved ones to do their bit by participating in "No Stomach For Hunger"-- our first fund-raiser
event at an art studio. We promise there's something for everyone on that day, so we'd love for you all to make the time for a light-hearted soiree, organised for a meaningful cause.
The proceeds from the event will be donated to Feeding Dreams, a charity volunteer organization that provides support & free meals to children in Cambodia.
Kai, Erica, Vino & Prerana's feedback
Yee Kim made a poster and short video thanking Kai, Erica, Vino & Prerana for their contribution
Yee Kim's Story
Age 10, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Today, Cambodia’s new generations continue to suffer severely from malnourishment with an estimated 4.8 million Cambodians living in poverty. In the slums of Siem Reap, is not unusual for a family of 6 or more people to be sharing the same small shack with walls made of rubbish they have collected on the streets. They have a high risk of catching malaria and other mosquito transmitted diseases, as well as various waterborne illnesses from the streams they source their water from.
Many adults struggle to earn a basic wage to provide for their families, and face a constant battle to find enough money for basic meals. As many as a third of all Cambodian children die from chronic malnourishment so it is vital that children have access to the nutrients and vitamins they need to avoid micronutrient deficiency.
It was evident that Yee Kim is one of these children when he arrived in the care of Feeding Dreams Cambodia (FDC) – a free school which provides education and nutritious meals to children living in the urban slums of Siem Reap.
When he first commenced at the school, Kim was extremely withdrawn, he failed to communicate with any of his peers or members of staff. He would often miss classes due to headaches, dizziness, fever and fatigue – all symptoms of chronic malnutrition.
Two years on, Kim has now made many friends, he is confident, happy and is excelling in his studies. He rarely misses class and seldom complains of being ill.
The daily meals provided by Kim’s school are cooked by Khmer staff with fresh local ingredients which provide the essential nutrients the children lack from their diet at home.
The dishes vary from fried rice with chicken/pork and vegetables, to pumpkin and coconut milk soup, to bobor. Bobor is a highly nutritious rice porridge, cooked with ingredients such as chicken, shrimp, octopus and a wide variety of herbs. It has many benefits including reinforcing the digestive system and nourishing other organs, as well as providing essential energy to the children. Bobor is rich with vitamins such as iron, magnesium, vitamin B & C and is low in fat. The school also provides each child with a boiled egg and a multi-vitamin each day.
The success of the meals program is evidenced through the physical and mental growth of students such as Yee Kim. The food program enables the kids to develop properly and focus on their education.
Kim’s school relies purely on donations to enable them to supply food and vitamins to the children.