Elvet Church's Project

The church project from September 2007 to August 2008 is to help vulnerable children on the streets and rubbish dumps in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, through the work of the Christian charity, Global Care

Other charities supported by Elvet are mentioned at the bottom of the page

    This is the place one goes to when there is no place lower to go – ‘Smokey Mountain’, the municipal rubbish dump in the Stung Meanchey district of Phnom Penh. Watch the kids there, well over 1000 of them, pick through fresh medical waste with their bare hands, throwing plastic syringe cases in their bags and baskets, tossing used needles on the ground. Watch a bunch of them surround the 10-wheeled pick-up trucks like a pack of starving city dogs, nudging each other for position to be the first to sift through the new pile of trash with their picks, pokers, and even bare hands. They even clamber into its ‘jaws’ to get first pick: some of them don’t clamber out again. And Smokey Mountain really does smoke: there are small fires scattered about, though some of that smoke may well be noxious gases.
Youngsters toil for up to 16 hours here, digging through 5-metre-high mounds of refuse in search of plastic, metal, and anything that might be worth the effort required to pick it up. About 2000 riels (23p!!) will be their reward for a long day spent wading through garbage where everything – and that does mean every single thing – gets picked over. If it can be reused, they will dig it out. Despite a job that both figuratively and literally stinks, they haven't lost the will to work.

Take an interpreter and talk to a few of them. Most of them are quite friendly. They'll laugh with you (or, more likely, at you), smile and even say "hello". Maybe you'll meet Poung, a 13-year-old girl with a real sweet smile but completely illiterate, never having spent one ay of her life in a classroom. Her whole family works here – those that are still alive. None of them know where the next meal might be coming from. Still, as far as she and many other hopeless girls here are concerned, this is heaven compared to being sold by the family for the sex trade in Phnom Penh.

And you think your life has its bad moments

Elvet is helping Global Care raise money to fund a centre to help hundreds of these children by providing:

     With a feeling of some pride (and of even more amazement!) we can reveal that the total donated to the Project had passed the £11,000 by early January – and will probably be even more by the time you read this.

A very big thank-you must certainly go to all those who have contributed in any way so far.
Global Care estimated their “shortfall” on the Cambodian Street Children programme to be about £19000.

In no way have we set this figure as our target, but it would be something for Elvet to be truly proud of if we could say next summer that we have “wiped out the debt”, as it were, of a truly worthy cause. (If you don’t believe that last bit, ask Anne or John Scott, who have been there and seen it for themselves … and for Elvet!)

Fund-raising activities

21st June                    Car Treasure Hunt

12th July                     Miners' Gala - Food in the Church Hall

19th July                     Global Care 25th Anniversary,  with Fiona Castle

A Celebration Evening at Elvet to mark the 25th Anniversary of Global Care, with Fiona Castle and Titus who is in charge of the New Hope Home and Care Centre in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

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From September 2008, for a year we will be supporting a local charity as our project. This will be:

Unlock Autism – creating fun and enriching opportunities for young people.

We also support charities with a retiring collection after our communion services.

     Unlock Autism – creating fun and enriching opportunities for young people.

Beverley School is a Specialist school for children and young people with autism aged 3-19.

“At Beverley school we see ourselves as always stretching the boundaries and seeking innovative ways of working with pupils. We strive to provide the same opportunities for our pupils out of school that many of us take for granted, such as being a member of a sports club, or being a Girl Guide or scout.’’ 

Elvet will be able to help the school run after school clubs which will give the children more opportunities to learn and have fun and give the carers/parents much needed respite.   The school would aim to run two clubs per term outside school hours during the academic year 2009/10.  Each club will run for 6 weeks with up to 15 pupils attending each club.
 
The approximate cost of each club is £1500.  This money would help the school employ expert professional sporting coaches and artists to work alongside the pupils.

Clubs range from multi skills sporting club;  Art Club; Drama Club; Football Club; Sailing Club; Athletics;   and social evenings - e.g. trips to bowling, swimming, cinema.