Alleviating Cambodian Suffering | Dependencies on Foreign Aid

August 25, 2008

E-mail from Vey Lav

Dear Leah,

Thank you so much for your kind message. I am so glad to hear from you. Please do not rush on this, I know, it is hard to work out on many things in one time.

I also received another letter from Jacquie, a founder of Elma Cambodia from the United Kingdom this morming. She interested about your help donate books to our school, I definitely need to give her your contact address but you have already sent a letter to her, so I do not have to do it. She is going to write to say thanks for all your help, your hard work on our projects.

We also plan to build other connecting rooms close to the existing Elma School, according to the increasing numbers of students in coming years. By the end of next month we will have other new classrooms.

We would like to enlarge other Elma to different areas according to the need of students who really to learn English in the term of families are so poor enough to pay for their education. We would like to help raise up their living through education which is not drying out in the whole life.

The most important goal is to help Cambodians as much as we can, our Buddhist and country citizens want peace, require good life, and education. We the people and Elma in this generation should take action to compete all their first need to benefit their living and reach their final aspiration.

Did you know that more than half Cambodian children are not educated in public schools and less than 1% have opportunity to attend English classes in the village? This is the government burdens some and Elma too. Cambodian children are very hungry for education.

In this case only Elma can work out in this matter and resolve our deep concern. We are terribly sorry that Cambodians have lived in the horrible time and lost the opportunity in education. In the last 20 years no one considered about this important path.

Cambodians got killed and died from starvation, hunger, disease, poisonous foods and our works. Further more they died in the minefields. The survivals are now so poor, the poverty is still last for years till now.

We the people in this generation can work out to resolve the problem, please put your effort on and do not give up. Their hopes and expectation on better lives is our task.

I will speak with Rithy, a friend at Angkor Hospital for Children about your medical supply.

All with best regards and wishes,

Vey