“Life is short, love what you do.” That was the closing line of a letter my late husband Craig wrote me the week before he passed away. This encouragement has stayed with me and I have chosen to live out his words by moving from the comforts of New Zealand to volunteer in Cambodia - inspired to live generously, with joy and purpose. Having originally intended to volunteer for 6 months, I have now
been here 6 years - I just can't bring myself to leave. There's so much need and so much we can contribute to improving people’s lives. My eyes and heart have been opened to one of the poorest countries in the world. It’s overwhelming and everyone is affected. The country is still recovering from its tragic past of genocide during Pol Pot’s regime in the 1970s. Countless numbers of children were left orphaned by the Khmer Rouge and the subsequent HIV epidemic. But many of these children were rescued and now have opportunities they would never have had otherwise. Making those opportunities count for the youth of Cambodia is what the Aroha Project is all about. I’ve named it ‘Aroha Project’ because my goal is to bring practical love to the youth of Cambodia (‘Aroha’ means love in New Zealand’s native language, Maori)
With the generous help and support of sponsors like you, I have set up a Leadership Home in Phnom Penh, as well as a scholarship program, to support young adults whilst they attend university...taking care of their living and course costs so they can focus their full energy on study. With a good support structure in place, my hope and prayer is that they will grow into the future professionals and leaders that Cambodia so desperately needs to transform as a nation. Over the last 5 years I've had the privilege to mentor, guide, encourage and walk alongside many underprivileged and orphaned youth. Go to www.arohaproject.com to read more
