What is our WHY?
Here at Black & White, we are supporters of an amazing Aussie charity working out of Cambodia – Heartprint.
As a company, we know the value of lending our support to the meaningful work and projects Heartprint is accomplishing each and every year.
Who are Heartprint?
Emerging from a compassionate action or thought, a Heartprint is that which leaves a positive impression upon your heart. Their goal is to leave an impression on the hearts of impoverished Cambodians. They are accomplishing this by providing education opportunities, encouraging the breaking of child abandonment practices, providing housing through building projects and giving the local Khmer people job opportunities and skills – all ways that contribute to combating the cycle of poverty these families face.
By means of their community projects, Heartprint aims to give these Cambodians hope, dignity and the opportunity for a brighter future.
Why do Cambodians need our help?
When the Khmer Rouge fighters marched into Phnom Penh and took over Cambodia in April 1975, Cambodia was turned on it’s head. The radical communist movement led by dictator Pol Pot was only the start of the the nightmare for the Cambodian people.
Marching the residents out of the city, Khmer Rouge soldiers forced many civilians into slave labour, forcing them from their homes. For many who marched, it was a mass slaughter, a genocide of unprecedented proportions, the likes of which Cambodia had never seen before.
It is estimated that the death toll from the regime ranges from between 740,000 and 3,000,000 (actual figure is unknown), with up to 50% of deaths occurring due to executions and the rest from starvation and disease.
Cambodia is still reeling from the effects of the regime, with poverty rife throughout the country. Unexploded landmines still lay dormant throughout the country. Malnutrition, disease due to lack of sanitation & education and child abandonment practices are still common, even today.
How is Heartprint helping?
All donations received go straight back into community projects, helping those who need it most. They are used SOLELY for projects in Cambodia, and all Western staff members are unpaid volunteers.
There are many ways Heartprint uses their donations:
- Social Support program (providing community support through workshops, rice and foods staples distribution, counselling sessions and parent support groups)
- Employing local Khmer staff
- Community House Builds
- Sanitation Program – building toilets and wells
- H.Op.E Initiative (providing a space for persons with special needs and intellectual disabilities to learn and work amongst their peers)
- Personal Hygiene – providing toothbrushes, soap, feminine hygiene packs, fluoride treatments and education
- Sponsorship for local kids to attend English classes
- University sponsorships
- Purchasing and distribution of bicycles, to enable adults and children to get to work and school
