One of the charities ANZA has supported for years has closed, but not without one last special moment.
Riverkids has been supported by ANZA through various arms – from the continual fundraising of ANZA Action, to events like the annual ANZA Ball. For over a decade, this Cambodian-based charity has worked hard to help hundreds of families struggling with child abuse and trafficking in the slums of Phnom Penh.
Riverkids have sent hundreds of children to school – some have reached university –fed malnourished babies so they grow into chubby toddlers, and sheltered frightened women and children – helping them find the courage to rebuild their lives.
This year’s ANZA Ball, which saw over 600 people turn up, helped raise a whopping $50,000 through prizes donated by our partners. This money was divided between Riverkids and ANZA’s other supported charity, Melrose Home.
By the time of the event however, the fate of Riverkids was sealed – at the end of May, the program would come to an end due to lack of funding. It was Riverkids’ final goal that the families under their care would get the resources to build a better life.
At the beginning of May, 104 bicycles and helmets arrived for the kids of Riverkids Project’s scholarship and mentorship program, as well as the older children of families in the charity’s Lifeboat program.
Set up on the grounds of Westline, a school Riverkids has partnered with, every child in the mentorship program got a bike, and all the older children in the Lifeboat families too got a bicycle for school. The day was filled with cake, music and fun for all the kids who were there.
Riverkids has been working closely with another NGO to try and continue its Healthy Mother, Happy Baby program – helping keep mothers nourished so that their children are born healthy – and ensuring that the new kids are enrolled into school for the year.
We’d like to thank everyone involved in helping donate their time, money and effort into really changing the lives of families involved with Riverkids. It’s truly made a difference.
