The Rotary Club of St. Catharines Lakeshore is pleased to announce that Tabitha Foundation Canada has completed the installation of our two Club-supported fresh water field wells in Cambodia. Each well supplies two families with enough irrigation water to grow crops year round on an average of 4 hectares of land, along with water for daily living.
Although Cambodia is blessed with an abundant water table containing clean, potable water, much of its population is too poor to afford the construction of a water well. Field wells are constructed in the fields where crops are grown. Each well supplies two families with enough irrigation water to grow crops year round on an average of 4 hectares of land, along with water for daily living. Skilled local well drillers are contracted in each project area. There is a 6 month complete warranty on all wells and parts are easily replaced locally. Families are trained in maintenance and upkeep.
Yolanda Henry, Chair of Tabitha Foundation Canada recently sent photos our two families and their wells, writing “Please find attached photos of the field wells that your Rotary Club’s donation has provided for these families. Thank you so much for your life changing gift of water.”
The name Tabitha refers to a disciple in the Bible who was “full of good works and acts of charity”. (Acts 9:36-42) Founded in Canada in 1994, the Tabitha Foundation supports aid efforts in Cambodia begun by Janne Ritskes. The Foundation’s work focuses on the poorest of the poor in Cambodia, a country decimated by the Pol Pot regime in 1975-79 which promoted enforced starvation, mass executions and slave labour.
Working side by side with the people of Cambodia, Tabitha currently works with over 6,000 families representing over 30,000 individuals, in 10 provinces of the country. Since 1994, Tabitha has lifted more than 4.7 million Cambodians out of poverty and despair, into lives of dignity, hope and active participation in their communities. In 2020 only 3% of funds raised in Canada were used for administration. The rest of the funds are forwarded to Cambodia.