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Mater Maria students build houses in Cambodia

 

In late November 2009, as an alternative to Schoolies week, members of Mater Maria Catholic College and the Catholic Parish of Pittwater travelled to Cambodia on a house building expedition. The building team comprised school students, young adults, staff and parents who felt called to be part of something that could make a real difference. The wonderfully generous donations from local families and parishioners through sponsorship and fundraiser activities provided $58,000 for the team to construct 38 houses in a village of Kirirom, a couple of hours outside of Phnom Penh.

Many teen and young adult eyes were opened - not just to the suffering of others, but also to the level of comfort and good fortune which accompanies our lives here in Australia. The eight days were an unforgettable experience which provided the building team with so much insight into the plight of the Cambodian people. They developed a deep understanding of the country’s hardship in the Pol Pot era and the challenges of moving forward from it.

Working for the Tabitha Foundation, an organisation responsible for a family savings program, the group was able to lend its inexperienced hands to build new homes for the locals. The houses constructed were simple in nature. The team arrived to a frame and footings already in place and took on the task of cladding the structure in tin and securing the timber floors with nails. Aching hands, occasional dizziness and minor cuts did not dampen the amazingly satisfying house building days.

On the final morning the local families, their friends and the community arrived for a hand-over ceremony. It was a completely joyous experience for all present and it was clear that the house building team felt enormously privileged to be part of something so significant in the lives of these humble Cambodian people.

“I have never felt more proud of our College and our local Catholic community,” said Mater Maria Principal Ray Werren.

One of the last visits in Cambodia was to the orphanage in Phnom Penh which is run by the Sisters of Charity. The Sisters have very little and yet they were caring for about a dozen toddlers who suffered from a variety of disabilities and diseases, including HIV/AIDS.
Mater Maria students took up a collection and raised over US$440 on the spot to give to the Sisters. “The Sisters were beside themselves with gratitude,” said Mr Werren. “We intend to make that orphanage a target of our Mater Maria fundraising in the next year.”