New kids on the block
Every day I receive dozens of emails: documents, agreements, attachments, applications... some make me smile, some make me grimace, some make me scowl. But the ones that really get me excited are the bios of new kids we've brought into our orphan homes.
I won't give you all the details, but I'd like to share some excerpts from the bios of a few of our new kids at the "Grace Place" orphan home in Battambang, Cambodia:
One child:
Parents Background: Her father was a soldier and he had died after one year he divorced his wife. Her mother head had a serious wound on it and she became acute illness for a year and then she died in 2005.
Brothers and Sisters: 1 Brother and 2 sisters
Life before living in the AH orphanage: She and her brother lived with poor grandparents and they have no job to do. Her grandmother has diabetes and also high blood pressure. She must take the medicine everyday. Srey Nith was responsible to do the housework like cooking, carrying water, and other things.
Reason for moving to the AH orphanage: Because of her grandparents did not have ability to feed and to give her the good future and they observed that she loves to study so after they are informed about Asia’s Hope they have decided to send her to “Grace Place” of Asia’s Hope Orphan Home in Battambang.
Another child:
Parents Background: Her father was the drunkard and ferocity to the children and to his wife almost everyday. Because of this situation, her mother was serious sick and she coughed with blood and she also has a womb disease and then she died in 2005. Her father now became feebleminded and the lunatic, sometimes he did not know what he is doing, and did not care of his children.
Brothers and Sisters: 1Brother and 1sister
Life before living in the AH orphanage: She lived with her father the feebleminded. She and her younger brother lacked of daily food. Some days her brother and she got fed by their neighbors who showed pity on them and sometimes they got some money from working for their neighbors to buy food to eat like carrying water or house cleansing or working.
Reason for moving to the AH orphanage: The neighbors and the village chief saw this situation and reported to the staff of A.R.M and then they reported to us about that. We went directly to this village and took her to live in Grace Place of Asia’s Hope.
And another:
Parents Background: His father was the drunkard and he is addictive to wine. This is always happened that made his father never cared on the need of family and children. Because of this his mother left home to earn money as a night club woman (prostitute), and then she has another boy friend. Soon not later they got divorced and abandoned their son since he was small. Kim Hab was living with his widow handicapped aunt since 2004. Brothers and Sisters: 2 brothers Life before living in the AH orphanage: He lived with his widow handicapped aunt who got small income from selling small things in the market. So his aunt faced to the difficulty of providing food for him and her own children. Kim Hab could not help any thing because he was small. ---- And the stories go on. Each one more heartbreaking than the one before. All of these kids have experienced more pain in their first few years than most of us will experience in our whole lives. Each of them lived without hope. Now, each of them has a chance for a bright future. I can't wait to see these kids in a couple of months, after their transformation has gotten underway, and their healing has begun. Pray for these kids. Pray for the hundreds of others who need our help. And pray for Asia's Hope.