Scopus students bound for Cambodia
STUDENTS from Mount Scopus Memorial College will take building into their own hands next month, travelling to Cambodia to construct homes for the less fortunate as part of the Tabitha Foundation House Building Program.
The second annual trip for the school, 20 year 9 students will be accompanied by two staff members for the nine-day journey, that will see the group physically complete four houses in a remote Cambodian village.
“The trip is important because it gives the students the opportunity, not only for fundraising, but also to physically make a difference to a community in need and to see the satisfaction on people’s faces once they have been rewarded by our work,” trip co-organiser Braham Morris told The AJN. “The kids are good at raising money and we think it is great for them to see where their money is actually going. This way, they raise the money, roll up their sleeves, do some hard work and get the satisfaction.”
While the frames and roofs of the houses are pre-built by qualified builders, the Scopus group will nail the floors and walls together, using the skills they have acquired from a wood-working class. In addition to the construction work, the participants will return to the same orphanage their peers visited last year to complete a gardening project.
New this year, they will also travel up north to Siem Reap to visit a municipal school, participate in an art project and help teach English to the local children. The 22 will also spend a Shabbat in the South-East Asian nation as guests of Chabad Cambodia.
While the trip is “a community service project, not a touring opportunity”, the students will visit the killing fields and a former prison.
“They will learn about the local history and its parallels with our own history,” co-organiser Adina Wolters said.
It has been a busy lead-up to the trip. Earlier this month, students ran a sausage sizzle, where they raised $1000. They had previously organised a chocolate drive, making a further $1400. Some students have even taken efforts into their own hands, selling belongings to supplement the funds. Later this month they will host a movie screening of Robin Hood at the Classic Cinema. All money raised will go towards building materials.
The screening of Robin Hood will be held on Sunday, May 23 at the Classic Cinemas, Elsternwick, Victoria. Tickets: $20. Enquiries: Vicki Lustig 0409 455 520.
DALIA SABLE