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Support compassionate, practical and culturally compatible philanthropy

Support compassionate, practical and culturally compatible philanthropy
Support compassionate, practical and culturally compatible philanthropy

Friday, November 22, 2024

Summary of Srey Neat's background - Scholarship recipient November, 2024 Phnom Penh, Cambodia

 Hi Marc, 


Bellow is a summary of SREY NEAT's background.

Soksreyneath Sem

Age: 19 | Location: Ondong 3 Village, Phnom Penh City, Cambodia.

I come from a family of five: my father, a barber; my mother, a seller; my older brother; my younger sister; and myself. I began my education at Kokroka Primary School, where I studied from grades 1 to 6. During this time, my mother also enrolled me in English classes at CBO School to enhance my language skills.

After completing primary school, I attended Chokva High School for grades 7 to 12, graduating in 2023. Upon graduation, I faced the challenge of selecting a university and major. After much thought, I chose to pursue a Computer Science degree at the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP). My decision was driven by my passion for technology, my aptitude for problem-solving, and my love for working with computers. I also recognized the excellent career opportunities available in the tech industry.

During my first year at university, I took a Basic Programming Languages course (C, C++) to build a strong foundation in coding. Following this, I began working as a computer teacher, an opportunity made possible by Teacher Lyan.

In my free time, I enjoy spending quality time with my family, hanging out with friends, and creating simple games using YouTube tutorials. I am also focused on improving my English and aspire to study abroad in the future to broaden my horizons and expand my knowledge.


I am looking for some more pictures when she was small in our English class. I will send you more when I found it.

Thank you,

Srey Neat

Wednesday, July 10, 2024

Vote and her family in Cambodia July 10, 2024

Votey:

 

Regarding your questions about Votey:

 
1. Where does she live in Cambodia? Tell me more about her family?
She lives in Andoung community (a poor village), Prek Pnov district, 20 km. from Phnom Penh, the mother's name Kith Sophea and the father is Tang Rithy, 55 years old, mostly jobless but sometime work as construction worker (the work is only offered from time to time), the family has four kids, three sons and one daughter which is Votey.

2. Where is she in her schooling? High school? What are her career goals?
She studies at Choukva High school near Andoung in grade 8, She is not sure about her future yet but wants to finish high school and wants to have a small business like a coffee shop to help support her family.

3. What will she use the $50 per month - for what expenses?
She will use some for her school expenses and give whatever is left over to her mother, because the family situation is not good. 

4. Tell me about her economic situation, how do they earn money? Would it help the family to buy animals like chickens or geese etc.?
Yesterday I spoke with her mother, the mother said, the most income in family is from her working as cleaner in the morning, it is half day work but to support kids to stay in school is hard, plus they owe money to someone, it is 150$, it is sound like much but the interest is 37.50$ per Month, they still can not pay it off. I also asked the mother what she would like to do for income, she said she wanted to make cakes for sale in the afternoon, for that she needs a bicycle, flour, sugar and oil, I think 400$ would be enough for that. 

5. Can you send photos of her home and some shots of her in school etc.?
Here are some photos at their home, I didn't meet everyone

Please let me know what do you think Marc?

Sreng

My response:

Hi Scott,

$1,000 would be life-changing for this family. But that's a lot to handle all at once for them. So, send me $1,000 and Sreng will give it to them in several installments. 

We can keep Votey in school, end the debt and its (usurious!) interest rates, help them start the cake business and other purposes I may not know about at this moment (meds, shoes, etc.).

Sreng always sends reports with photos.

I love our collaboration. I have had similar experiences with other donors but usually as a "one-off" - let's do more, I have many potential aid recipients in numerous countries.





Thursday, July 04, 2024

June 27 report from Uttara in West Bengal, India

 Dear Marc,


Greetings of the day and hope you are doing well. Sending you June Report.,.

I set off for Piyali by Auto as was planning to give sarees to ladies who were beggars, housemaids or sold vegetables or fish near Piyali Railway Station.

The ladies were told to come at 4 pm but they had come much before and were eagerly waiting to get their sarees. I had been lucky to get the sarees cheap from a sale so was able to provide to 30 ladies of various ages.

The ladies were given a saree and a packet of biscuit each.

Expenses incurred for month of June 2024
1. Saree - ₹325 x 30 pcs - ₹ 9750 - 117usd
2. Biscuit - ₹10 x 30 pcs - ₹ 300 - 4 usd
3. Travel to buy and distribute - ₹ 800 - 10 usd
Total Expenditure - ₹10950 - 131 usd

Photos and Video sent via Whattsapp 

In case of any queries please do not hesitate to let me know.

Thanks and warm regards,
Uttara

From Uttara May 24, 2024 in West Bengal, India

 Dear Marc,


How are you? How is your lovely wife doing? How was the wedding?
It's awfully hot and going out in April was impossible because of the intense heat waves so managed to complete April works just last week. Will send you May works by next week or first week of June and June works by mid June.

This time we set off for Kalikapur Village in Sonarpur as volunteers had relayed that very poor villagers had built temporary shanty's with plastic sheets, bamboo sheets and tarpaulin and staying beside the railway tracks with their families. They mostly earned their living by making paper bags out of old newspapers, plastic nets for fishing, reared a few chickens and ducks and worked as domestic help in nearby houses or commuted to Kolkata station platforms daily to sell vegetables.

This time we distributed a kilogram each of Masur & Moong Dal, two and a half kilogram Rice and a packet of Horlicks biscuit to 25 villagers.

Masur Dal @ ₹110 per kg x 25 = ₹ 2750 - 33 usd
Moong Dal @ ₹140 per kg x 25 = ₹ 3500 - 42 usd
Rice @ ₹40 per kg x 2.5kg - ₹ 100 x 25 = ₹ 2500 - 30 usd
Biscuit - ₹ 20 per packet x 25 = ₹ 500 - 6 usd
Freight & Travel - ₹ 1200 - 14 usd
Total Expenditure ₹ 10, 450 - 126 usd

In case of any clarification please let me know. Take care of you and your family and thank you for your endless support and love.
Sorry, for the delay!

Warm regards,
Uttara

Friday, May 24, 2024

Support for Lailui Village in Chin State, Burma 5.24.2024

 Hi Rick,


I have received a grant of $1,000 for Lailui School in Chin State! Great news. 

I am so happy about this because as you have made clear these funds will be very helpful for them:

Undoubtedly there are many needs to address in Lailui, The people of Lailui - and Chin people in general - are really good
(but neglected) people who deserve better. I would be delighted to
bring some donations to them.

So, a few questions:

1. Do you have even a rough idea how these funds will be utilized/spent? If you don't know now, just let me know when you have that information
2. What is the best way to get these funds into your hands?
3. This might be possible given how remote is Lailui School, but can we get any recent photos or video? If not, I can understand.

I look forward to your reply.

Marc

I was finally able to go to Lailui, Chin State in 2018. The previous
school project was the only one that I was not allowed to go there.
Lailui (and other Chin places) is an impressive place - I look forward
to going there again. It’s not possible during this damn war - Chin
State is one of the hardest hit areas of the country - but me and my
wife will go again when the war is over.

I can get any donation money there, and as you know, I don’t keep any portion of donations, I like to give the complete donation to the
trusted person or committee that will oversee the projects.
Undoubtedly there are many needs to address in Lailui, and with me
living here, I will be able to document the use of the donation.

The people of Lailui - and Chin people in general - are really good
(but neglected) people who deserve better. I would be delighted to
bring some donations to them.

Hi Marc -
Good news for Lailui. Here is what I’ll do.
First I’m going to email Simon Lamno - he is the guy from Lailui whom I met about 20 years ago in Bay Area, and he told me about his burning desire to build a school in his village - LaiLui. He had moved from LaiLui to Mandalay to go to university and he got political like a lot of students did at that time, and the n the stated being arrested and he had to flee into Thailand and finally got to USA. He now lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Simon will know what’s happening and what needs there are.
When I got to Lailui in 2019 Simon’s brother - Khampi - was our main coordinating contact there.
Khampi can also assess the situation.

I will not be able to go to Chin State at this time -unless things change very quickly.
Realize that Chin State has been a war zone for the last 3 years. We will soon find out
if Lailui and the big town of Teddim near Lailui were damaged, or evacuated, or what. I follow the war quite thoroughly and I think Lailui and Teddim were unscathed. It would be impossible and extremely dangerous for me to try to get there - I would be arrested at anyone of numerous checkpoints.

There are ways to send and receive money thruout the country.

I do not need to take any of it for me - 100% of it will go to Khampi or Simon’s cousin, Fr. John Khup, the Parish Priest of Assumption Church in Teddim.
So - we will now soon about Lailui’s situation, and what this money will address. 
And if the military gets defeated soon (strong possibility) I will eagerly go there myself!

And, I have very good video and photos from 2019. I’ll gather some.
Take care,
Rick

Chin State has suffered a lot during this civil war,
Very soon the military will collapse, and then there will be a lot to do -
Rebuilding infrastructure like bridges and roads, buildings and schools, food supply transportation, etc, etc.

Simon says:
He discussed, with his sister, brother, and some others what to do with it, and the unanimous consent was to give food (primarily rice) to about 50 people that are the neediest of the village. Realize that Chin State has been a war zone for the past 3 years, and has been subject to the military's cruel strategy known as the 'four cuts’ - preventing the resistance from receiving funding, food, communication, and recruits. 
 
Simon says:
The cost of a bag of rice (the staple in most of Asia) has doubled and tripled, and more, deeply effecting most people. Some kids are showing signs of malnutrition and stunted growth. Men (and women) in some areas are prevented by soldiers from going to their fields.The price of fuel has skyrocketed, making it impossible for some farmers to transport their crops to markets.

There are  a number of families in Lailui that lost their breadwinner (father or husband) who are either prisoners or dead. And, there are children who lost both parents and are now orphans. 

He and his brother and sister made a list of villagers who would most benefit from the donation.
Simon’s sister and brother will dole out the money carefully especially with the orphans because they don’t know how to spend money.

Simon says:
In the future we can upgrade the school, and other things, but now, because of the situation, food is what the people need the most.



























































































































Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Helping Monks to help neglected and orphan children in Nepal January 2024 (Lhamo)

 



Geshi (in the picture)got sick and took a break from the monastery, spending two years in the mountains of Nepal. There, he saw how tough life was for the locals. Many men and some women are alcoholics because they do not have many opportunities. The people live in houses left behind by those who moved to the cities, with almost nothing in their homes and not enough food. Girls are getting married at just 13 years old.

While Geshi was there, he started helping some kids. Eventually, he and a friend decided to bring four kids from that area to live and go to school in Kathmandu. Two of the kids had no parents, one's mom had died by suicide, and she lived with her dad and stepmom. They also helped an 18-year-old girl from a poor family. They've just started this program, don't have much money, and no sponsors yet. But they believe that being a Geshi is good but changing these children's lives is better.