Speed Dating for the Homeless!

On Saturday, February 6th, SwatCambodia will be hosting Speed Dating in Upper Tarble! Come meet some fine young people, and practice your pickup lines:

1. I'm no Fred Flintstone, but I can make your bedrock.
2. I'm writing a paper on the finer things in life, and I was wondering if I could interview you?
3. I'm going to treat you like my homework: slam you on my desk and do you all night long.

8PM, Upper Tarble! Bring $3 to get in (proceeds go towards our housebuilding trip).

Join us for the Philadelphia area premiere of "To Speak"

The Tabitha Foundation and SwatCambodia will be screening the movie "To Speak" on Sunday, February 7th, from 3:30 PM - 6 PM at Cunniff Hall at Swarthmore College:



Based on a true story... Ratana is a 12-year-old Cambodian girl, living a precarious existence in an impoverished rural village. Despite the suffocating pessimism of her fellow villagers, she dreams of a better life, and of building a new and permanent home for her family.

However, a brighter future seems impossible, until a local development agency suggests a radical plan. The other villagers think that Ratana is crazy to trust the outsiders, but she seizes the opportunity and sets herself on a collision course with her family, the village and even Mother Nature herself.

To succeed, Ratana will need to rise above the grind of daily survival and also grapple with the terrible legacy of the Khmer Rouge and the Killing Fields.

She will be pushed to the very limits of her strength and spirit - to the point where too much hope can crush you.

Join us for light refreshments 3:30 - 4:00, learn more about the people of Cambodia and how you can be part of the great work of Tabitha. The film screening will begin promptly at 4 pm.

Admission is free, tax deductible donations will be gratefully received by Tabitha USA. Cottage handcraft items will be available for purchase.

For more information on the movie and Tabitha please see www.tospeakmovie.com and www.tabitha-usa.com.

To RSVP, please go here: http://www.evite.com/pages/invite/viewInvite.jsp?event=IPZKLDOEJSRNOXYOGODA&inviteId=VSCJKTKNUUFPHJGGGKAW&showPreview=false&x=892867688

We hope to see you there!

We're going to Cambodia!

Great news, everyone! I've finally bought our tickets to Cambodia for this spring break. We're leaving on March 5, bright and early, and coming back late March 14. It's going to be an intensely packed trip, with lots to do, but entirely rewarding!

I can't wait!

Happy New Year!

Live Jazz Cafe! Want more?

A couple of weeks ago, we had our first Live Jazz Cafe, featuring a live performance from musicians in the Swarthmore College community, students and professors alike, and unlimited free coffee and tea. The coffee was generously donated to us by Hobbs Coffee, a quaint coffee shop located in the Borough of Swarthmore, and Occasionally Yours contributed a tray of their delicious cookies too! Many others also baked delicious treats to sell, and proceeds went towards our housebuilding trip. We ultimately raised over $200! Thanks to everyone who made the event such a success!

The next question is: should we continue these Live Jazz Cafes? Stay tuned!

Wrapping up 2009

It's been a while since our last update, so here's what's happened so far!

The Spring 2009 semester concluded soon after Cambodia Week, which occurred the week of April 13th, the Cambodian New Year! We had events such as a Sharples Takeover, a showing of the documentary New Year Baby, a Cambodian New Year Party, a Tropical Fruits Parlor Party (people who attended got a whole coconut!), a Tropical Paradise Paces Party, a wasabi eating contest, and
more! Overall, it was quite a success.

Over the summer of 2009, I (Jen) went to Cambodia for two weeks to visit family (above) and join one of the Tabitha Foundation's housebuilding groups!

I happened to attach to a rather large group; about 25 in all, pictured to the left, along with the homeless families who we built houses for. You can see some of the houses behind us.

The houses aren't much; they amount to some wood held together by nails, sitting on four small stone pillars for support, a silver tin roof, and green tin sides. Our job was to nail the wooden floor in (the easy part), then nail the green tin siding in (not as easy as it seems! In fact, it was downright difficult. Only the two buff farm boys we had could manage to work the entire time). Each house only costs about $1000.

The schedule of a housebuilding group usually runs like this:
Day 1: Group meets up briefly to talk about schedule; get over jet lag
Day 2: Orientation at Tabitha (in Phnom Penh), visit The Killing Fields and Toul Sleng prison (S21)
Day 3: Drive to the build site; we built in Battambang province, which is about a 4-5 hr drive from Phnom Penh
Day 4: Wake up early to build; we built 7 houses in five hours.
Day 5: Finish up the houses; built 3 more, and then had a ceremony to give away the houses. Visit various communities in different stages of development, then head out to Siem Reap
Day 6: Visit temples (Angkor Wat is amazing)
Day 7: Visit more temples, or floating villages, markets, etc
Day 8: Group disbands; head back to Phnom Penh or do whatever you want

As you can see, the housebuilding doesn't take all that long...but what does last is the impression that the homeless families make on you.

They sit in the shade and watch with hopeful eyes as you steadily nail their house together. Families who have essentially nothing finally have a home.

The mission of the Tabitha Foundation (and part of SwatCambodia's own mission) is to bring hope to and empower Cambodian families, by teaching them about savings, and helping them realize that their hard work really can pay off, in the form of finally receiving pots and pans, having the ability to purchase a pig or cow, and to have a roof over their heads. These families don't receive these things for free, but must earn them.

For more information on the Tabitha Foundation, please visit http://www.tabitha-usa.org

To see more of my photos from my trip this summer, visit http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2022158&id=1464390009&l=65669db427

Feel free to friend me on Facebook :) And join the SwatCambodia Facebook group!

Happy holidays!

BiMonthly Bake Sales

Every other Sunday from 10 PM to 1 AM SwatCambodia sells baked goods at Cornell Library...

So come get something good to eat and help us make a difference!

The next Bake Sale will be on Sunday March 29th!!!

Be there !

GoodBye

Lieh HAOY
(LEE-uh howie)
This is the word for Goodbye in Khmer.
And with this word we conclude Khmer word week!

Hope

Songkhem

It goes without saying that brutality and devastating effects of the Cambodian genocide is still painfully felt in the Cambodian culture. Yet the sense of hope resonates among Cambodians. They continue to fight to presere their culture and livelihoods. Hope thus is not a mere emotion but a driving force that has helped many overcome their forced situations.

Love

sraline

Today's word is love.

Friend

bpoouk mak

Today's word means Friend. Friendship helps many people find happiness in dark circumstances and companionship in triumphant times. It is our hope to build long lasting friendships in Cambodia and with our Cambodian peers here in the U.S., which will based on exchange of priceless lessons.