Cambodia - Schools, Orphans, Human Trafficking, and More...

We are continuing to fill in the details of our Cambodia trip in January. We have multiple goals that need to be carefully balanced in the very short time – only five days – that we will have in country.

The possibility of funding the building of schools is very real. Yet, we have also had conversations with people who have businesses in Cambodia and who know of others working with poor orphans who are on their own. We plan to meet with them and to see firsthand what they are doing. There will also be discussions with people knowledgeable about the human trafficking situation as well as children in hospitals and orphanages. We plan to bring in hundreds of pounds of gifts/supplies for the children.

One of our advisors is in Cambodia now researching some of the places we will be going and connecting with the people we need to meet. We’ll have more details when she returns in December.

The six of us who are going are busy getting every shot known to man!

Back to New Orleans

Thirty of us are going to New Orleans in December for our third rebuilding project. We spoke with Miss Brenda on whose home we worked last year, and she seems to be doing well. She is about to order her new kitchen cabinets and to have them installed exactly as she wants them!

I’m soon to get the tetanus shot required by Rebuilding Together, but there’s nothing to buy since they supply all of the materials. An Advisory Board member is shipping down gloves, face masks and hard hats for us to use – a lovely gesture of support. We have also received a substantial grant through the URJ to cover other expenses.

We’ll be hosted by a family whose home we helped to repair two years ago. The Torah discussion will be about the Jewish Understanding of Poverty as well as lessons from Rabbi Loewy of Congregation Gates of Prayer in Metairie. We’ll be using the brand new Reform prayerbook Mishkan Tefillah as well as participating in a Guided Meditation and Jewish origami.

Our age range is from nineteen to the eighties. Each of us is getting ready to use his/her building and mitzvah muscles!