My FOF friend, Jenni Lipa, is lucky to travel throughout the world in search of the best spa resorts for her business, SpaTrek Travel. When she arrived in Siem Reap Province, in Northwest Cambodia, a few years ago, she was struck by the extreme poverty in rural communities. Although the Province (home to the famous temple Angkor Wat) is attracting more luxury hotels, restaurants and other tourist amenities, many families walk for miles to get their only water from ponds and rivers. This dirty water is often the source of severe diarrhea and other diseases. The children don’t have schools, either, and many are orphans. “It was my social obligation to help,” Jenni told me, so she immediately donated $220 to build her first water well. “It changed the lives of 40 people,” she said.
FOF Jenni with Cambodian children
Since then, Jenni has become President of The Cambodian Child’s Dream Organization (CCDO), a non-profit and non-political charity organization, officially licensed by Ministry of Interior of Cambodia. Its mission is to improve the health, life expectancy, living conditions and education of the community by providing clean water wells, toilets, libraries, school supplies and classrooms. “We teach English in four schools, support an orphanage with 86 children and have adopted three villages and a commune of 8,000 people,” Jenni said.
Jenni’s organization is holding a fund-raiser on May 3 in New York, featuring a live auction, but you don’t need to live in New York to help. You can participate in a spectacular raffle to win a seven-night trip to Asia worth $15,000. I’m going to buy my raffle ticket right now. It’s only $25 a ticket and $100 for 5. You can contact Jenni to buy tickets. Her email is jenni@friendsofccd.org.
Jenni, the kids in Cambodia are lucky you’ve become part of their lives. I’m lucky you’re part of mine.
