Sunday, May 3, 2009

Donations

If you would like to donate money towards the trip back to Project Wat Opot for Marijke or myself to help towards paying for any supplies and tools we are taking then please use the Bank account details provided below.

ANZ: 01- 0190- 0010321- 00
Fiona Newsome Project Wat Opot Cambodia

Please send me an email feebs@clear.net.nz to notify me of the donation and if you would like to receive a Paua Flower gift as a Thank You then also include your posting or delivery details for me to get the thank you gift to you.

How this Journey Began

Fund Raising Journey 2008 / 2009

Hi My Name is Fiona,
I am ‘FEEBS’ Paua flowers & Flowers For Cambodia NZ ’
In August 2007 after reading an article in the Readers Digest NZ I created and followed a great opportunity to visit Project Wat Opot in the Takeo Provence Cambodia.
Whilst there I was so inspired by what they were trying achieving there I knew I had to return to help with what skills I had, and to share them with them.

To my knowledge Project Wat Opot up until January 2007 was an orphanage for children, some of whom were dying from the HIV virus. For 8 years prior to 2007 Wat Opot saw many of the children and some of their parents succumb to the virus.

January 2007 brought a new trail medication which then gave an opportunity for for the children to have prolonged life. Project Wat Opot was faced with a new challenge with the children that were HIV positive, it was impossible for them to return to a normal community. Discrimination and Stigma.
They have now changed their status as an orphanage to a ‘Community’ with a vision to be completely self sufficient.
They are doing this by welcoming the learning of any trades that can offer them the potential to bring money and to learn a trade that can help support their community.

The Trade that I can teach them is jewellery making for the commercial market of which I have a vast range of experience in this field.

What I am aiming to achieve in my time there in July 2009 is not only to teach them techniques of the jewellery trade but to look at their own resources and help develop some products that can make and will be sellable to the rapidly growing tourist trade.

I now have another passionate person joining me in going to Project Wat Opot . Marijke Lups is an Arts and Crafts teacher in Chirstchurch New Zealand and is completely and utterly inspired about what is happening at Wat Opot as I was when I first read about Wat Opot.
We fly out for Cambodia from New Zealand on the 13th July 2009 and will be at the project for about 5 weeks. While there we will be teaching our skills of Art and crafts and how to be creativily resourceful with what resources they have to make some stunning jewelly and Craft products.

Follow my journey with Wat Opot ...read the posts I have added below to keep you updated.
Check out their Wat Opot's new website and be inspired yourself
http://www.watopot.org/