Day 19

Good news! My bum has lifted. Must be all that riding over humungous pot holes; a kind of makeshift slendertone if you will. Still need a miracle of seismic proportions if I am to waft round Bali half eastern goddess, half east london fashionista but it's certainly a start.

Now I must apologise to anyone who received an unnecessary amount of mailouts while I got my head round this whole social networking malarkey. I didn't realise that if I so much as break wind near the computer you get an update. Also, the Birthday cake story isn't nearly as funny if your blog is censored by the powers that be & you cannot write the word p****

Now even though my number 1 reason for being here is to shed dramatic amounts of weight dangerously fast, I think now might be the right time to make a shameless plug for the place that I'm working at & the gorgeous kids that I have the pleasure of hanging with on a daily basis. Hope you don't mind.

Til next time

xxx

Here's some info:

Make a difference this Christmas...

...buy a $10 gift for a Cambodian child and together we can change their future.

This Christmas Anjali House is launching the Anjali unwrapped
campaign. We have broken down our program and the support that we
provide into bite size gift boxes that are simple, affordable and easy
to understand. Help us to provide the essentials for the children of
Anjali this Christmas by buying one of our unique Christmas gifts.
Every item ordered will receive a special thank you from one of our
students and all the items purchased will go directly to supporting
the children who rely on our support. Every item is $10 and you can
choose anything from school textbooks and uniforms to health and
hygiene packs and clothing. Please log into the Anjali store for more
details on what gifts are available. And help us by passing this email
on to friends and family.

School meals: At Anjali we provide 2 meals a day for the children that
attend the centre. We work to ensure these meals are healthy and well
balanced to provide the vitamins and nutrients growing kids need. Due
to the backgrounds of these children the meals we provide are a vital
part of the Anjali program. For $10 USD you can provide 20 meals for
the kids, $80 provides breakfast and lunch for all the children at
Anjali.

Textbooks: Our ESL program is nearing the end of the course book and
need to purchase new books for the next level. Last year we decided to
invest in original copies of the course books plus children's
workbooks, test books, teacher books and resources such as CD's and
teaching aids. This means that the children and teachers are able to
take full advantage of all the activities and exercises contained in
the books and are not limited by photocopied text books and lack of
resources. $10 USD will provide 5 textbooks for the ESL program.

School Uniforms: All the children at Anjali attend public school as
well as classes at the centre. For this they are required to have blue
trousers, shorts or skirt and a white shirt or blouse with their name
embroidered onto the chest. We have already provided one uniform to
all the children but we are keen to ensure every student has 2
uniforms (especially during the rainy season). $10 buys one school
uniform.

Extra Classes: Public school in Cambodia is funded by the government
and should be free to all students. However for many reasons (mostly
lack of funding) there are charges involved in studying. The biggest
single expense is extra classes. These classes are put on by the
teachers for students who can afford to pay to provide extra tuition
in specialist subjects. For younger students this may only be Maths
and Khmer language studies but as students move to high school this
can grow to 6 or more subjects. With each subject costing $5 per month
is easy to understand why many poor students simply cannot afford to
advance to the higher grades. At Anjali we are providing funds for
students extra study classes at school and with your help we can
ensure that all of these children can afford a full education. $10
provides one student extra classes in 2 subject for a month.

Anjali Uniform: Every morning the children arrive at Anjali in various
states of dress, sometimes missing shirts, shorts and even shoes. We
provide all of the children with an Anjali t-shirt and pair of shorts
to wear at the centre. This is important as it creates a sense of
community and belonging and reduces any possible feelings of
inadequacy children have when they do not have proper or sufficient
clothing. $10 provides 2 t-shirts and 2 pairs of shorts.

Hygiene packs: Hygiene is a big issue at Anjali and something that we
regularly address through education. Many of the children have not
been shown basic hygiene steps and at home are not required to brush
their teeth or wash properly by their parents. At Anjali all the
children must wash and shower twice a day and brush their teeth after
meals. We provide toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, soap, and combs
for all the children to use everyday at the centre as well as extra
items such as lice shampoo. $10 provides 4 children with a hygiene
pack containing everything they need to stay clean and healthy for
more than 2 months.

Medical packs: All the children at Anjali are registered with a local
NGO children's hospital and receive all their medical care for free.
At Anjali House we have a small medical room which provides the
children with on site emergency treatment for cuts and infections and
medicines for minor ailments and sickness. We are in constant need of
medical supplies to make sure we can provide this service which is
doubly important due to the lack of parental care the children receive
at home for these problems. $10 provides a pack with a selection of;
band-aids, Betadine (Iodine solution), alcohol wipes, children's pain
killers, antiseptic cream, cough syrup, hot/cold pads and re-hydration
salts.

Bicycle maintenance: With the help of a donor from Australia we
recently supplied most of the children with a bicycle each to ease
over crowding of the Anjali tuk-tuk on school runs and help them get
to and from the centre. Being second-hand and receiving a lot of use
the bikes are constantly in need of minor and sometimes major repairs.
Many of the parents struggle to find money to make sure these repairs
are done quickly and fixed well. $10 provides repair to at least 3
bicycles ensuring the kids aren't making their way home on foot.

School meal trays: The dishes and bowls that we use to serve the kids
breakfast and lunch are looking tired and old. We have identified meal
trays which would be perfect to use at Anjali which contain separate
areas for different foods on the same plate/tray. This makes meal
times more hygienic, easier for the younger kids to eat and also
reduces dish washing times. $10 provides 4 new meal trays.

Computing classes: We aim to provide 2 hours of computer time for
every child each week taught by a local Khmer computer teacher. Due to
budget constraints this program is currently suspended and children
have access to the computers through project work led by volunteers.
$10 provides 1 hour of computer tuition for 10 kids.

To visit our online store please go to:

http://www.angkorbooking.com?s=132

or visit our website www.anjali-house.com

Best wishes for the holidays from all of the children and staff of Anjali House.