When the Khouzam family lost their brother Mark they wanted his memory to live on by helping a community for years to come.
As Mark was a supporter of ChildFund Australia for well over a decade, it seemed clear this was his favourite charity and a good organisation to leave a legacy with.
Together the Khouzam family agreed to fund the construction of the Don Phong health clinic in a rural community in Vietnam (Don Phong commune is located in Bach Thong distict, Bac Kan province), which would service more than 2,100 people in the community.
The most striking part of the project for the family was the construction would last for generations so Mark’s Legacy would live on in the community.
The Don Phong clinic opened in August 2010 and sisters Marcelle and Mimi (pictured above in black) were some of the family who attended the opening ceremony.
Marcelle said visiting the clinic provided closure. “While it was emotionally draining, it was wonderful be in the community as it was exactly what Mark would have wanted,” she said.
Some of the staff met Marcelle and Mimi and told them that even though they had been working there for six years this was their most important day. Nurses were crying and hugging the sisters, and told them that Mark was now a part of their community.
It was quite exhausting emotionally for the family, but they said they felt a sense of release and closure they didn’t have before.
We’re finding leaving a bequest to ChildFund Australia is becoming more common. If you would like to leave a legacy contact our Bequest Officer to discuss your wishes.
The province of Svay Rieng is the poorest in Cambodia and this was apparent as we travelled through the area on our adventure to Svay Thum. Han from ChildFund Cambodia had met us the day before to help us buy gifts and we soon learned that nothing was too much trouble for him.
The vibrant hustle and bustle of other places we had visited in Cambodia was absent in Svay Rieng. There were no road side stalls, markets, or visible means of transportation.
As we drove to the school, we searched for a child who resembled the photos on our fridge door. And then we saw her, just as in the photo, a small serious, shy child, with her hands by her side.
Sreynich came forward to meet us, joining her hands in front of her face and bowing in that special Cambodian way. Her mum gave her an encouraging gentle push and she came forward to hold my hand.
We then sat with Sreynich, her family and anyone else in the village who was interested. Han interpreted for us – Sreynich’s family asked us how long it had taken to travel from Australia, how big our families were, did we have any pets and we asked similar questions.
They showed us around the school and we marvelled how a group of around 30 young children who followed us did not once have to be asked to behave themselves. Although we had imagined our visit would be very special, we did not understand just how meaningful it would be.
Following the visit we thought about how the family existed with almost nothing, a subsistence existence, with minimal income and nothing to buy, as the market was 7km away and there was no transport to reach it. We often think of the people we met when we waste $5 or throw our leftovers from dinner in the bin. We wondered what Sreynich would make of Darling Harbour in Sydney when we visited there recently; the yachts, the buildings, the wealth.
Sreynich remained serious and barely spoke during our visit, but her poise and grace in such unfamiliar circumstances, representing her community as a sponsored child, were extraordinary.
We admired her enormously. And we wondered how, just purely by chance, we had sponsored the most beautiful child in Cambodia.
