Wednesday, 2 July 2008

Building bridges abroad

Pine Rivers State High School students Julieann Martin, Sam Morgan, Amy Wilkosz, Erin Woodgate and Jessica Saunders brush up on their knowledge of Cambodia before flying out to build much-needed homes in the impoverished Asian nation.

The Westerner
Wednesday, 2 July 2008
Source: Lee Oliver

Students and staff at Pine Rivers State High School have forgone their mid-year holiday to help people in one of Asia’s most impoverished nations.

A group of seven students and three staff members from the Strathpine-based school, as well as a numerous community members, are currently volunteering in Cambodia as part of the Tabitha Foundation House Building Program.

The group, who flew out for Cambodia last weekend for their 12-day working visit, are building a small village of 20 houses for homeless families in Kompong Province, in the country’s east.

The Pine Rivers connection with Cambodia began last year when the school’s Student Representative Council raised $1200 to sponsor one house for a homeless Cambodian family.

Speaking before the group’s departure, Pine Rivers student Jessica Saunders said teacher Gayle Carr inspired the school’s students and staff to form their own house building team after returning from helping to build the sponsored house.

“One of our teachers came back from Cambodia last year and wanted to get a school trip running for it and get students involved to share the experience,” Ms Saunders said.

The Pine Rivers High community raised almost $25,000 over six months for the project, which travelling teacher Joy Franz said was an apt reflection of the school’s motto “by difference ways to excellence.”

“The school has opted to make a difference and this is the students’ contribution, and the staff’s contribution as well, to helping the more impoverished people of the world,” Ms Franz said.

“We’re really making our school’s vision a very concrete one through this project. I think it’s going to be a fantastic experience for us all.

“There will be a lot of things that we are going to confront in a totally different culture, and we’ll come back and realise just how well off we are in Australia.”

Student House Building Team leader Amy Wilkosz anticipated the trip would be a life-changing experience.

“We’ve been educated about what the poverty there is like, so we kind of know what to expect, but to see it will be a totally different thing,” Ms Wilkosz said.

Fellow Pine Rivers students Erin Woodgate, Sam Morgan, Julieann Martin, Emma Doyle and Richard McKay are also in Cambodia, as are Ms Carr and fellow teacher Carol-Ann Morel.

The Tabitha Foundation, which works “exclusively to improve the lives of the poorest of the poor”, has been running aid programs in Cambodia since 1994.

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