06/25/2022
Dear Tabitha USA friends,
Please see below for a very important letter from Director Janne Ritskes about Tabitha Cambodia, and Tabitha's plan to close operations in 2022.
This news naturally and directly affects us at Tabitha USA, since we exist to support Tabitha Cambodia. In order to align the timing of our closure with that of Cambodia's, we will close Tabitha USA to donations on September 30, 2022. Until that time, we are open to contributions and will wire all funds to Cambodia as we have always done in the past. After September 30, we will no longer be able to accept donations, as we prepare to close our operations in the U.S.
Over the next few months, we will send you several reminders about this donation deadline. For now, we want to sincerely thank you for the years of life-changing support for Cambodian families, and for your kind support of our efforts over the decades.
The Board of Tabitha USA
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June 2022
Dear friends and partners,
I write to you today to share with you the closing of Tabitha Cambodia in December of this year. It’s a decision that Heng and I have made this past week. The decision was made for two main reasons:
First, Cambodia’s development is at an amazing pace and the deep poverty which existed when I arrived in 1992 is no longer there. In January we had talked about closing. We re-evaluated our baseline for families and chose to redefine our work with upper poor and lower middle class with the poorest being less than 4% of our population.
Secondly, we have directly impacted more than a quarter of the current population. Our achievements have been many. The senior staff of Tabitha have been with us for more than 20 years and they are reaching an age where many will retire over the next two years. Heng and I decided that now would be the best time to close down.
It has been a 28 year journey – a life-time working with the peoples of Cambodia. We will close our doors in December of this year. Our final celebration will be in early January with a final housebuilding team of all who would like to come and celebrate with us, and to close with a final dinner along with the staff. I will be in Cambodia for September and October to assist with the closing and return in late December for our final time together as Tabitha Cambodia.
I don't have the words to express my deep gratitude to each of you for your generosity all these years. I can assure you that each of you have impacted our people for many years to come. We are committed to finishing all our commitments to you and all our donors. Houses and wells will continue to be built with the money received. Your gifts have been life transforming for hundreds of thousands of people here.
Personally, I am deeply humbled and grateful to my God for allowing me the privilege of working in Cambodia. I am thankful to my God for each of you who have stood with us in this journey.
I am hoping that you might be able to come and see what we have done together before we close.
In deep humbleness and thanksgiving,
Janne Ritskes
