Can we really make a difference?

By Lori Gunn, Grade 12 student at CIS

This was at the forefront of my thoughts as I listened to Janne Ritskes, the founder of the Tabitha Foundation, speak to a group of Grade 11 CIS students earlier this year. Tabitha helps Cambodians help themselves out of poverty. We were 12 girls and four boys about to embark on a 9-day service trip to Cambodia and discover just how strong and determined we really were. 

On our first day in Phnom Penh, we visited a primary school where we taught students new skills and helped them with their English lessons. Many of these young children would be out working instead of going to school if it weren't for their families being provided with food if they sent their children  to school.

The following morning, we attended a soccer training with Happy Football Cambodia Australia, a soccer club that provides an opportunity for disadvantaged and homeless youth to play amateur athletics. We had a friendly football match with these athletes and were soundly trounced! 

Next was an unforgettable tour of S21 and the Killing Fields. Learning about the Cambodian genocide first hand gave us a deep understanding that we could never gain in a classroom. It also gave greater meaning to our house building mission. I was very nervous about this. Could I make a meaningful contribution? These families had worked hard, investing a dollar at a time towards the cost of the building materials that would become their homes.

With sweat pouring down our faces, we hammered floor boards and siding until our hands were blistered through the gloves we were wearing. We had never worked so hard before!  

By the end, we had built houses for six very happy families. Their smiling faces are an image we will carry with us always.