The amazing Sister Vangie Dunton distributing our Hygiene Bags, plus toiletries and food supplies funded by the Emergency Appeal.
At first sight, you might wonder why these women are in need at all. They’re look happy, healthy and smiling…. but what the pictures don’t show are the rudimentary living conditions, the poor diet, the lack of decent medical care or any kind of ‘living wage’ [exacerbated by the floods and Covid] and the subsequent poor self-esteem and lack of opportunity.
The Hygiene Bags, enable each woman to have something just for her, in which she can keep personal hygiene items [underwear, soap, toothbrush, washing powder] and develop good health practices which she can then pass on to her children.
Sister Vangie and Betty both run health education classes for women and the Hygiene Bags form part of the programme.
Sister Vangie also runs a Student Hostel in Pailin and the students there will also receive a bag each.
These pictures are from a remote village in Pailin Province but a similar programme is also run in the villages outside Siem Reap by Filipino missionary Betty Millena. Here are pictures of 50 bags ready to be distributed at Peaksneng Village, just one of the centres where Betty holds her classes.
In this video clip, one of the ladies in the village says “choom reap soo-a [greetings] and “okoon charen” [thank you very much]……..”.
The Hygiene Bag Project is part of Support Cambodia‘s Women’s Health initiative with the bags being designed and made in Norfolk by a team of volunteer sewists under the direction of Tricia Hunt at Tuliptree Fabrics in Marsham.
The Women’s Health Fund also provides underwear & toiletries to go in the bags, as well as funding pre and ante-natal care, formula milk and vitamins.
In 2020/21 all donations from the charity’s Coin Jar Scheme goes to the Women’s Health Fund. For details of the Scheme and how to join, please CONTACT US
Grateful thanks to our friends at Sunderland-based THE SAFE WATER TRUST [www.grifaid.org] for their assistance in getting the bags out to Cambodia via DHL.