For the past two weeks, Katharina and I (Julius) have returned from Germany and Switzerland to Siem Reap, and we are grateful for our team, which has done such excellent work in the communities over the past three months..
During the time we spent in Germany and Switzerland, visiting many congregations and sharing about our work in Cambodia, our team continued to visit the villages weekly — providing education, raising awareness, and strengthening relationships within the communities..
On both sides—Europe for us and Asia for our team—there were wonderful encounters, and together we were able to make a meaningful contribution to supporting the people here in Siem Reap province.
We are deeply grateful for all the people we met in Germany and Switzerland who support SEREY through prayer and financial contributions. A heartfelt thank you also goes to the churches, SAM Global, and and MT:28,whose enormous support helps strengthen the lives of people here.
Our team had the opportunity during this time to meet with the key leaders of the villages and schools. These meetings were important to bring the village leaders closer together, so they could support one another more effectively, and to share our vision with them once again.
Keany, our social worker and true all-round talent, wrote the following about one of the meetings:
“We had a wonderful time with the teachers and the village chief during our meeting and shared lunch. We shared our vision and our desire to work with them, and we also played some games together. We explained what we have already accomplished in the schools, in the village, and in the brick factories. We told them that we truly long to see the community change—but that such change depends on mutual support.
They expressed their gratitude for our work in the schools and in the community. The teachers said they can already see changes in their students’ habits and the way they treat each other, and that the students are always happy to join our lessons. We assured them that we will continue to do our very best to support the community.”
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We are very grateful that most of the village communities are trusting us more and more, highly appreciating our work, and supporting us on the ground. And how amazing is it that some change is already visible—especially among the students. They are the next generation and have the chance to make a real difference.
We are deeply thankful to God for His blessing, as this progress is by no means something to be taken for granted.
One of the most exciting developments was that we could help a school start a fish farming project. Thanks to the financial support, the teachers and students were able to get the materials they needed and are now caring for the fish. This initiative is helping the school provide for itself and its community.
In Cambodia, the government contributes very little to school development and provides almost no teaching materials. Several teachers have shared with us the challenges they face: one school has no working water supply for the toilets, letting rain in, while another school lacks a classroom or even a roof for preschool children. The government provided $35 for repairs, while the actual costs are at least $300.
Many teachers dedicate their own time and personal resources to invest in their schools and give their students a better learning experience. We hope that in the future we can support these schools even more—so that they become places where children are truly prepared for the future and can encounter positive role models.
One way to open the path to a brighter future for children and protect them from exploitation and human trafficking is by providing school kits.As mentioned in our last newsletter, this year we hope to equip around 750 children with school kits. Most of the children we teach in village schools don’t have enough supplies, like pencils and notebooks, which makes learning properly very difficult.
The Cambodian school year ends at the end of this month, and the schools have invited us to join them in celebrating the school year’s end. On this special occasion, we plan to give the school kits to the students. We are currently putting the kits together. Supplying 750 kits for a full year costs $37,500—a significant amount that we haven’t fully raised yet. But we can already start with half of the kits for half a school year, and we are very thankful for that!
We remain hopeful that we will continue to provide this essential and highly effective support to children in the villages.
In the long run, we want to help families truly appreciate the value of education, so that they themselves will do everything they can to support their children’s learning. We do not plan to provide school kits in a community forever. But at the start, it is important to be able to show the students and their parents how valuable education is and how it can transform their lives.
Will you help us reach this goal and give the children here the foundation for their schooling?
We are deeply grateful for your care, support, and prayers.
Be blessed.
