Make the Holidays Bright for AP Children

As a volunteer you have become part of the AP family . You have an insiders view of the amazing personalities and unique histories of each of our resident children. This holiday season we are asking our growing network of past and present volunteers to inspire support of AP's education and development programs. 


Join our 10 @ $10 holiday fundraiser where you find 10 friends to become AP supporters by donating $10. Simply follow these four easy steps to make an impact here at Aziza's Place.

• Step 1- Submit your pledge to ask 10 friends for $10 (do this by commenting on this blog page or email your pledge before the end of the year).
  
  
• Step 2 - Print / email the info card below to give to your friends.
  
  
• Step 3 - Check the progress of pledges from volunteers on the blog page.
  
  
• Step 4 - Collect the money and send to AP using one of the three options listed here.

On behalf of the children, families, and communities we serve thank you for your dedication to Aziza's Place.

Aziza's Place Film Program In the News

Click here to see AP's article in The Phnom Penh Post on Monday, December 7, 2009.

1st Annual Community Screening and Art Exhibit

Aziza’s Place hosted its first community event to celebrate the completion of the first year of its film education program. Through this program, Rotha, Chieu, Sreyny, Cheng, and Sengkri wrote, directed, produced, and edited their own short films. This program is one of very few of its kind in Cambodia and seeks to educate youth with technical and creative skills that are currently lacking, but demanded within the workforce.




With our strong emphasis on the visual arts, we took this opportunity to display the artwork of our 21 budding artists in an art exhibit. The five films students will premiered their short films and all 21 children showcased their artwork to their friends, family, and community members on December 6, 2009.

Take a look at our photos from the evening. And stay tuned to see the short films if you were not able to attend.

Diana Chende

Diana is volunteering at Aziza's Place from September to December 2009. A trained teacher, she has been instrumental in developing standards of learning at Aziza's Place. Diana stayed in the AP volunteer apartment and is a great resource for where to get the best baked goods in Phnom Penh! She is our first volunteer from Romania and currently resides with her husband in England. Among Diana's biggest accomplishments is her glorious finish at the Angkor Wat 1/2 Marathon on December 6. Great job!

Cath Waugh

 
Cath, a native New Zealander,  began volunteering at Aziza's Place in June 2009 and will be volunteering until at least July 2010. All the AP kids and staff are already working on convincing her to stay longer! Cath lives in the neighborhood around Aziza's Place and is a great person to share her experiences as a long term resident of Phnom Penh. She has also traveled all over Cambodia and can tell you the best sights to see. We are eternally grateful to her dedication to AP. We can always count on Cath to walk in with a smile on her face.

Melanie Haaksma

"The most wonderful experience in my life, eye opening most of all. The love and peaceness you feel at Aziza's place are so real. Everybody is enjoying their work there and you feel that. It motivates me to do something in my country for the people in Cambodia as well. With so little material a lot can be reached."

- Melanie on her volunteer experience at Aziza's Place

Prem Krishnan & Kalle

Prem volunteered at Aziza's Place from June to August 2009. She took over as the E3 teacher and had a great time teaching the kids about fables from all over the world. During her volunteer time, she introduced the kids to the sounds and dance moves of Michael Jackson, a legacy that lives on to this day. Prem and her partner Kalle returned for a visit to AP in December 2009.

Ben and Maria Mays

Ben and Maria volunteered at Aziza's Place from January to July 2009. They lived in the volunteer apartment next door to AP and loved waking up to the smiles of our kids everyday. In December 2009 they returned for a visit. They are currently plotting how to return for a third time.






 

Davina Clay - Q & A

Davina volunteered at AP from February to June 2009. She taught our E3 class and was notorious for finding really interesting learning topics; extreme weather and the Titanic for example. She helped her students write their first autobiographies. Davina is currently helping establish The Aziza Foundation UK. Thank you for keeping connected to AP from home, Davina!

Davina's Fast Facts:
Volunteered: February - June 2009
Originally from: Bath, England
Living in: London, England
Occupation: sales representative
Fun Fact: Davina is glad she came in the dry season. She’s sick of rain (England).
 

Laura Newson

Laura's Biography
Volunteered at AP: February 2009
Home:Calgary, Canada
Fun Fact:She recently climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa with her father.

How did you find Aziza’s Place?
I found Azıza´s Place through my cousın´s frıend who sent me a lınk to a lıstıng of NGOs and volunteer organızatıons ın Cambodıa. From there ıt was just a matter of sıftıng through all of them to pıck out the best one!

Missy Washington

Missy Washington came to Aziza’s Place in October 2008 as a volunteer to primarily teach art and English. Over the eight months she was in Cambodia she morphed into an invaluable full-time staff member while expanding her role to include communications and promotional duties as the Communications Director of Aziza’s Place.

Missy Washington's Fast Facts
Age: 27
Originally from: Axton, Virginia (USA)
Living in: Los Angeles, California (USA)
Occupation: Artist
Fun Fact: She’s really good at Etch-a-sketch.

Jane Heng



Jane hanging out with Sreyphea

at the children's football tournament.

 Jane volunteered as an English and Art teacher at Aziza's Place in early 2009.  She has been involved in the lives of the AP kids ever since!  Jane is a talented designer and inspired the children to find their creativity and to have fun in their learning.  Jane headed home to Australia in March 2009 but we were excited to see her back in Phnom Penh in 2010.  She has been able to use her passion for design for work in the social enterprise sector in Cambodia, while still connecting with AP and supporting us where she can.  She is always a welcome guest at our monthly family nights.  We love you Jane!

Bonnie Cohen - Q & A

Bonnie volunteered at AP in February 2009. She comes from New York (USA) but is currently living in Bali, Indonesia. A fun fact about Bonnie, she is a Rabbi. A close family friend of Nader, Bonnie came to see the inspirational things happening at AP.

Caitlin Strom

Caitlin Volunteered at Aziza's Place from January to March 2009. Along with teaching the children yoga, she helped the film students brush up on their technical skills.

Volunteered: January 2009 - February 15, 2009, March 2009
Home: Rhode Island (USA)
Living In: Recently moved to New York City (USA)
Fun Fact: Caitlin is a yoga master