Access ABCs

ABCs and Rice's mission is to provide an education to hundreds of impoverished children from around the rural villages of Siem Reap, Cambodia.  Our students get a first-rate English education, two meals per day to keep them healthy and learning, empowerment by giving rice to their families in exchange for their attendance, and daily life lessons and skills to stop the vicious cycle of poverty.  

From left: Sonya, Kania, me, and Jet at Full Belly Farm

We work hard to welcome as many students as we can, trying to find the children with the greatest need first.

I recently visited Full Belly Farm, an NGO that supports several families with disabilities to live on and run a sustainable farm. There, I met Sonya and Kania*, two young girls who equally deserve the opportunity to get a proper education and learn skills at ABCs to secure their future.

*The names of the children have been changed for their protection.  

Twin sisters on the left are mothers to Sonya and Jet.

Sonya, pictured above in the polka dot dress, was born, like her mother and aunt, with Polio, a viral disease that affects their central nervous system and mobility. Though born with a disability, Sonya is a strong young girl with a lot of personality, as you can see in the picture below.  

  

Kania, pictured above showing off the double peace sign, lost her ability to walk and became wheelchair bound after a tragic motorbike accident in 2014.  

Kania, just like her good friend Sonya, loves to show off her strength.  On just my second visit with her, she reached out and grabbed the middle three fingers of my hand with a grin to say hello.  After holding my hand for a few seconds, when I least expected it, she pulled my hand down toward the wheel of her chair, showing me all of her might through gritted teeth.  She soon let go and looked over to me with a proud smile--I was now knelt down next to her as an equal, as her friend. 

Though Sonya and Kania are both already 8 years old, neither girl has yet had a formal education.

I asked Sonya, "Why do you want to come to ABCs and Rice?" She told me, through an interpreter, that she "wants to learn to read and write and how to communicate."  Kania, without skipping a beat, chimed in, "But, I want to go to school first!"

As the girls and I continued talking, Sonya's cousin, Jet, joined into the conversation.  We talked about their favorite colors. After Kania told me she likes green, yellow, and blue, Jet said he likes black and white.  Before we could move on to the next subject, Kania jumped in again with wide eyes, and said, "Oh, I want to add another color: orange!" 

Unlike the girls, Jet doesn't have a disability, but takes care of Sonya and Kania every day on the farm. In my visits, he is always helping Kania get around in her chair and holding Sonya's arm when they walk. I'm told Sonya doesn't feel less empowered when it's Jet who helps her.  Jet is Sonya's cousin, but equal family and protector to both girls. 

At ABCs and Rice, we want to open our doors to all three children to attend our school.  Though Jet is able-bodied, in order to give Sonya and Kania the best experience and education possible, we need to be able to accommodate their disabilities.  

Each of our 6 classrooms at ABCs is built up on stilts to keep the floods out during the rainy season.  As a result, it's three steps up to each room.  

The first step to ensure the accessibility and safety of Sonya and Kania is to build a ramp with railings to bypass the steps.  

We've met with a contractor who can build a ramp that will both fit Kania's wheelchair and provide railings for Sonya. The ramp will be mobile, so it can move from one classroom to the next as the girls grow and rise through the grade levels of ABCs and Rice. The contractor has agreed to build just the ramp we need for $385.  

With the ramp installed, Kania and Sonya will be able to independently join our "Ducklings" grade-level classroom pictured below:

In phase two of the project, we'll have to overcome a major challenge. ABCs and Rice is built on a plot of sand. The uneven ground is too unstable for Sonya and too difficult to traverse for Kania.     

In order for Sonya and Kania to safely and freely get around school, visit the library, and enjoy our indoor playroom, just like every other student at ABCs, we need to build a cement sidewalk from the gate to the main building, pictured above.  From there, we then need to build a pathway and railings to the concrete plaza at the center of our classrooms shown in the picture below.  

Third, we will need to install a web of concrete paths over the sand from the center plaza to each of the 6 classrooms. 

The center concrete plaza connects our lunch room, bathrooms, and play area.

In total, all of the concrete walkways and railings are estimated to cost $1,800. 

Finally, our main bathrooms for the children aren't wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair and aren't equipped with railings for stability.  With your support, we will be able to widen the doorway and bathroom to make room for a wheelchair and install the necessary railings.     

One of the student bathrooms at ABCs and Rice. 

In total, the project is estimated to cost around $2,500 (£1,780). 

This is a big project, but it will have a long-term, life-changing impact on the lives of Sonya and Kania.   

It will also mean that ABCs will become fully accessible to students with disabilities for years to come!  This will provide the opportunity for potentially dozens of other children with disabilities in the surrounding villages to get the education they otherwise wouldn't have access to. 

Support ABCs and Rice's mission to change the lives of Sonya and Kania and to help them continue to show their strength! Together, I believe we can reach our goal! 

To donate in direct support of this project, please follow the link here: 

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/donation-web/fundraiser?fundraiserActivityId=878171&stop_mobi=yes

Currently, £5 is equal to $7, £40 is $55, etc. For other conversions, please visit the link below: 

http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=1&From=GBP&To=USD

Float, Tread, Swim, Survive

ABCs and Rice does so much for impoverished children in Siem Reap, Cambodia.  Along with English lessons, training in health and hygiene like tooth brushing, lessons in safety, and nutrition to fill their bellies, the children at ABCs get swimming lessons through the incredible efforts of Safe Waters Cambodia.

 Didy Silber started Safe Waters Cambodia a little over a year ago.  I sat down with him over lunch recently to learn more about his story. 

 Didy is an American who quit a good job in Israel to come to Cambodia and save lives. “I left Israel not long after getting a promotion,” Didy said, “and got on a plane to Cambodia. For me it was flight, children, teach. There were all these questions I asked myself like how can I do this? I decided that the questions didn’t matter. There’s nothing stopping me from doing this. Most of us want to give back to humanity by doing something more important than gaining a salary. The hard part is making it all a reality.”

 Each day, twice a day, a half-dozen children at ABCs and Rice board our school bus and make their way to a hotel pool to get lessons from teacher Didy. “With such little time for actual swimming because the kids go to their government school and to ABCs and Rice,” Didy said, “I need to ensure that the kids get as much out of the lesson as they can in the shortest amount of time.”

 For the most part, the children have never been in the water before.  The kids at ABCs don’t live next to the lake.  Culturally, it’s rare for the children to go to the swimming pool and I don’t think water parks exist. 

For a few months each year, though, heavy rains fill the ditches and fields all around rural Cambodia, endangering the lives of our children every day.

 “For our culture, swimming is a lot of fun,” Didy said, “and many of the children here at ABCs and Rice like the lessons just because they get out of regular classes.  But, I’m more interested in making an impact on the fact that around 2,000 children in Cambodia drown every year.  We have to stop the drowning.”

According to Didy, the main goal is for “the kids to get over their fear, have the tools to survive in the water, and then do a little swimming for fun.” The first challenge for Safe Waters Cambodia is to make sure they find the kids who really need lessons the most.  So far, 60 children have gone through Didy’s lessons and become certified swimmers.  According to Didy, though, this isn’t enough.   

On a few occasions, I’ve been fortunate enough to get to fill in as a chaperone of students at ABCs who are getting swimming lessons from Safe Waters Cambodia. Didy has set up a rotation of local hotels to provide the swimming pool.  Jaya House River Park Hotel has been a great supporter of Safe Waters Cambodia. 

On one of my trips to take the kids to swimming lessons, I witnessed the nervousness spread across their faces as Didy began his lesson.

 One young girl looked particularly afraid as she climbed the three steps to the lip of the pool. It was her turn to swim and dive for the rings at the bottom.  She cautiously dipped her toes in the water as we clapped and cheered her on.  

On her first attempt, she reached for and clung to Didy’s outstretched arms, not yet ready to brave the pool on her own.  

On her second go, she swam across the narrow width of the pool, fighting her way across like a little bird first learning to fly. 

On her third and final try, she committed herself to the deep like a great fish and made it three-fourths of the way down the length of the pool. After tiring out, she swam to the edge, held on to the side, and looked back at her peers with the confident gaze of Joan of Arc, ready to dive into battle. Her classmates clapped and cheered. 

At the end of the lesson, as everyone else climbed the steps to exit the pool, she stood on the top and proclaimed loudly and triumphantly, “Now, I want to swim all the way to the end!" 

Our campaign,” Didy said, “is first and foremost to stop the drowning, but every time the kids triumph, we triumph as educators.”

 Didy faces many challenges in his role as Director of an NGO, chief fundraiser, pool coordinator, and swim coach.  “My main challenge is the language barrier,” he said. “I want to train Cambodians to be swim coaches to ensure the children are safely getting the most out of the lessons.”

He has bigger dreams for Safe Waters, as well, like owning his own pool in Siem Reap some day, “but right now it’s going to take 2-3 years just to become a sustainable organization that can continue our mission of certifying swimmers." 

Safe Waters also faces a similar challenge as ABCs and Rice.  While the kids at ABCs aren’t always getting enough nutrition to learn and grow, many aren’t getting the nutrition they need to stay safe in the water. 

“The kids don’t always have the energy to do laps in the pool,” Didy said. “Though they are getting two meals at ABCs and Rice, some of the children don’t come for breakfast in the morning because of their schedule.”  To keep them safe in the pool, Didy feeds them fruit to ensure they have enough energy to stay afloat.  

Together we can support Safe Waters Cambodia and stop the drowning. Just $36 supports a child from first dipping their toes in the water, to overcoming their fears, and ultimately to being certified swimmers.  Join me in supporting this great organization to continue its mission. Your donation could save a life!

Donate what you can here: https://www.safewaterscambodia.org/donate

...And Rice

At ABCs and Rice, rice is the students' incentive to go to school and get an education instead of being out on the street. With good attendance at ABCs and Rice, twice per month, each child gets to take home 6 kg (13 lbs) of rice to feed their families.  The kids are happy, healthy, and learning, and there's something in it for the whole family, too. It's a win for everyone involved.

Today is Rice Day at ABCs and Rice.  But, unfortunately without enough funding, it’s the first Rice Day we’ve had in several months. 

At ABCs and Rice, we must continue our mission of keeping the kids in school so they can grow to be what they want to be. We can't go another month without a Rice Day.  

For me, my parents made me go to school. My teachers made me go. My principal made me go. Really, my culture made me go. I certainly didn't go for the food.  

Had I been born 80 years prior, living in the bread-basket of America, I might have been encouraged to drop out of school to work on the farm to support the family. Had I been born in the wrong neighborhood in the wrong city today, I might have left my value for education in the dust and allowed desperation to overtake my morality. 

I’m thankful to have been born where I was, when I was, and to have parents who pushed me to be successful in everything I do.  As a result, I have gained skills that allow me to support myself, live a good life, and give back to others in need.  

When the photo below was taken, if you offered me the chance to drop out of school and play soccer, try to beat Battletoads, and eat Fun Dip as a job, I probably would have taken you up on it. 

But, alas, I had to go to school. 

In Cambodia, though, education is not compulsory.  There aren’t principals or teachers telling kids they must go to school.  Because they are poor, the parents aren’t making them go, either.  Instead, the children must work to support the family. The kids beg on the street, pick pockets, work under the sun in the rice fields, and/or peddle souvenirs to tourists just to make a few dollars a month. 

Even students who attend government school, which is only half day, and don't come to ABCs and Rice the other half, are out on the streets begging for money in their school uniforms.

The kids work hard every day, and it's often necessary for family survival, but it won't stop the cycle. How does one climb out of poverty this way by struggling to survive? How do you learn ethical skills to dig yourself out without structure?

ABCs and Rice is not only a first-rate school that teaches valuable skills to hundreds of children every day, it is a haven from life on the street. It is the support system that impoverished children typically do not get.   

At ABCs, the kids get to work hard, play, socialize, and grow. They get to be kids while they wait the right amount of time to become adults. The kind of happy, healthy adults who can teach the value of education to the next generation, just like my parents, principals, and teachers did for me.

Each student leaves each day knowing that they can be what they want to be. In the 9 years since it was founded, ABCs graduates have become chefs, hotel managers, business owners, and some are even on their way to becoming doctors. 

ABCs and Rice has done it all by proving to hundreds of impoverished children and their families that education is valuable--and they've done it by giving back just a little, in the form of rice!

Practicing carrying home his rice on his friend

This week is Thanksgiving in America.  Each year, we give thanks for all that we have, whether it’s a roof over our head, fresh, running water with the turn of a knob, the delicious food on our plates, a Netflix account that we all share, or heating to ease the cold of those unexpected early Chicago winters.

This Thanksgiving, on top of being thankful for all that you have, be thankful for all that you have to give to those in need.  

Help us not miss another Rice Day. Just $6.80 (£5) feeds a child at ABCs and Rice for one month.  Just $20 (£15) sends rice home to 10 ABCs families in need. At ABCs and Rice, we are thankful for any amount you’re able to give. 

Donate what you can here! 

A Small World

ABCs and Rice relies on volunteers, donors, and visitors to get the supplies and the support they need to keep moving forward with their mission.  The world gets smaller and smaller, as a result of this network of helping-hands.

The kids at ABCs greet visitors the only way they know how!

This week, the world became microscopic for me. I’m from a tiny town in north central Illinois called Oregon.  Janelle Matthews is from a tiny town in north central Illinois called German Valley.  Janelle went to Forreston High School (a rival of Oregon when I was growing up) with a cousin of mine.  My dad, Mike, my uncle Steve, and many other members of my family are also FHS grads.  Not to mention, Janelle's sister is best friends with Cindy, a great friend of mine from back home in Oregon. 

This week, Janelle just so happened to be traveling to Siem Reap, Cambodia on business with her company Genesys Telecommunications. 

After arriving here, I asked Janelle, "How many times do you think two people from two different little towns in north central Illinois who've never met before were simultaneously in Siem Reap, Cambodia?" 

"Probably none," she said. 

Small world.

In the weeks prior to making the 21-hour, two-stop flight to Cambodia, Janelle reached out to me and asked, “Is there anything you all need that I could bring with me from the US? I’m happy to make room.”

This is the kind of helping hand that keeps ABCs afloat! While school supplies are easy to come by, other essentials are overly expensive or impossible to find.  Houk, our Project Manager, and I put together a list.   

As is the case anywhere in the world, the kids at ABCs get sick every day.  Headaches, the flu, earaches, and colds are common-place. In Cambodia, though, children's strength medication just doesn't exist. Nearly 90% of the kids at ABCs and Rice are underweight (some have a BMI under 12.0), so we have to be extra careful dosing medicine to cure what ails them.

I sent Janelle the list, which included children’s-strength medicines for the flu, colds, earaches, etc.  

She didn't just arrive in Siem Reap with some supplies, she cleared the shelves at Walmart and literally filled a suitcase!

On top of the medication, she packed in some other items that are difficult to find in Cambodia: Halloween candy—a nice treat for our celebration with the kids this week—some paper plates and Popsicle sticks for crafts, and some chalkboard paint.

Janelle's week was packed with client meetings, but on Tuesday, she made time to visit us at ABCs and Rice to deliver the goods and see the operation first-hand!

Janelle and a student explode their fist bump!

Of course, after some early morning fun and games, like all visitors and volunteers, we put her to work. Paul from Pack the Essentials, Janelle, and I chopped veggies, mushrooms, and herbs and tossed it all into a hot pot to make Tom Yum soup.

Just as the soup began to boil, the bell rang for recess; the best kind of payment for a morning of hard work.

If you're asked to do this once, you'll be asked to do this again! Rotate the direction each time so you don't get dizzy!

Though "Being a kid IS their job," ABCs isn’t just about play.  Janelle got to take in a few classes, and commented “All of the teachers here are really good!” I agree.

The students at ABCs identify proper nouns from pictures on the board.

At 11 am, the bell rang again, and it was time for lunch, which meant back to work.  Paul, Janelle, our Cook, and I handed out meals to the dozens of hungry children of ABCs. 

Most of the bowls came back empty, so I’d say the soup was a great success!

He might look unsure of the taste, but he ate it all, I swear!

After the kids loaded up on rice, meat, and veggies, Janelle and I took out trays of cut pineapple; a rare dessert for the students at ABCs.

ABCs and Rice would like to thank Janelle for donating and personally delivering much-needed supplies from back home, and most importantly for helping out and spending the day with us!  It's small world stories and small town generosity that make an impact every day around the world. Tuesday was one of those days!

To make more days like this one happen at ABCs and Rice, click here to donate!

Coming to Cambodia and want to volunteer?  Email us at abcandrice@gmail.com

It Takes a Village

Unfortunately, last night, the Chicago Cubs increased their World Series win drought to 1 year.

On the bright side, today, 155 families in rural Siem Reap, Cambodia received 50 kg (110 lb.) bags of rice to feed them for one month.  This was all done thanks to the incredible work of 6 visiting volunteers from southern Australia and the coordination of ABCs and Rice. 

It’s usually Feed a Kid Friday, but at ABCs and Rice on this Friday, we fed villages.  

A village family receives two 50 kg bags of rice

“Rice Day” is the term applied to the day that the 220 kids at ABCs take home 6 kg of rice to feed their families.  But, today, “Rice Day” was something much greater. Thanks to six amazing people from "Somewhere between Melbourne and Adelaide, Australia" and dozens of families and organizations who funded the project, 155 families from all around the rural areas of Siem Reap will be fed for at least one month.  I was fortunate just to be a part of the delivery team.

This morning, we all piled into the back of the ABCs school bus, or more aptly the Rice Delivery Mobile. Seated comfortably on stacks of rice bags, the Australians, Tammy, Huok, ABCs Project Manager, and I rode out to a village located off the beaten path toward Angkor Wat. Once we arrived, we soon realized the thoroughfare down to the village was too narrow for the school bus. 

We men said, “We got this!” 

Hauling a truck load of 50 kg (110 lb.) sacks of rice down the half-mile stretch of the road sounded easy enough.  Fortunately, we didn’t allow our egos to break our backs. 

As we began unloading the bags of rice, the villagers emerged from the forest wheeling their bicycles and motorbikes right up to the tailgate of the truck.  One by one, we loaded the hefty sacks onto the racks and seats of each bike.  Once they were loaded up, two by two, we wheeled the bikes down the dirt path and through the muddy forest.  

As we passed each little home, we carried the bags of rice through the mud and heaved them onto the front stoop.  It was like Christmas without the chimneys; each sack a gift for those most deserving!

This village was only our first stop, but it isn't just any village.  It is a colony for locals living with HIV and AIDS.  The residents are not only physically unable to work, they are cast out for their illness.  It takes community support like this just for them to survive.

After dropping off rice at several homes, we were all soaked in sweat and covered in mud. The Australians and the ABCs crew gathered in the village center to rest.  Suddenly, a man came down the steps of his home carrying what at first just looked like two pieces of wood. He stepped into our social circle and placed them down on the ground.  He signaled downward with his hands, the universal gesture for "Please, take a seat." He pressed his hands together as if praying, a sign of respect and appreciation in Cambodia, much like bowing in Japan or China. Each of the villagers around us followed suit. As we sat, catching our breath, we returned the humble gesture. 

I was offered a seat. It doesn't take much to show how thankful you are. 

All 165 bags of rice delivered today were donated by organizations, such as Rotary Club, and by dozens of families from around southern Australia.  Each bag came with a hand written message to the family receiving it.  As the families came out to say thank you and pose for photos, Tammy and Houk translated the messages from English to Khmer and delivered photos of the donors to each family. Each donor will get a photo of the family they supported in return. 

At one of the last homes in this village, only one man came out to say thank you and pose for the photo. At first I thought he lived alone, but Houk told me he was actually the father of 8 children.  Houk asked the man, "Can the rest of your family come out for the photo, too?" 

"The rest of my family are too sick from AIDS," the man said. 

After delivering rice to 12 families in that village, 13 families in another, we got back onto the empty truck to head back and reload.   

Over the course of two days, the visitors from Australia and the staff at ABCs and Rice delivered 194 bags of rice to families all around Siem Reap.

After day 2 of delivering almost 200 sacks of rice, which is almost 10 tonnes!

As they say, "It takes a village..." On this special Rice Day, a village of donors from Australia contributed to support 155 families in desperate need. 

Thanks to donations from people in villages around the world, ABCs and Rice feeds 220 children two meals per day, every day. 

To my village of friends and family back home, the cost of two beers at Wrigley Field, $20 (£15), is enough to purchase a 50 kg bag of rice.  This will feed an entire family in need, or 3 students at ABCs and Rice, for one month.  If you have the means, your support is greatly appreciated!

Click Here to Support ABCs and Rice!