Janne Ritskes: Another Canadian hero in Cambodia

Srei, Community Development Manager, Janne Ristkes, Founder of Tabitha Foundation and Director and Heng, House Building Manager

March 27, 2012
By Daphne Bramham
Vancouver Sun

Janne Ritskes is another Canadian doing incredible work in Cambodia. She founded the Tabitha Foundation in 1994. Since then, more than 1.5 million people have graduated from poverty through Tabitha’s Savings Program. Tabitha has funded for: 7,002 wells, 201 ponds and eight water reservoirs, 4,094 houses built by Cambodians (all but two with the help of foreign volunteers) and nine schools.

“Janne Ritskes is truly a Canadian heroine,” Ian Robertson wrote in his email to me on the weekend. “Her approach to the crisis in Cambodia is to nourish and support grassroots development. One result will be, of course, that with such development fewer families will be obliged to sell their daughters into degradation.”

Unfortunately, I didn’t have a chance to meet Ritskes or visit any of the Tabitha projects, while I was in Cambodia.However, I knew about Tabitha of the foundation because I bought some of beautiful silk products produced by Cambodians at Tabitha’s booth at Christmas at Hycroft. But that’s where I ran into Robertson, who I had met years earlier in Singapore where he was head of the Canada-ASEAN Centre. Ian and his wife, Bonnie, have been deeply involved with Tabitha ever since they went to Cambodia six years ago as volunteers to help build houses.

Aussie Dentist builds houses for poor Cambodians [- A humanitarian lesson for the rich and powerful Cambodians]

Thank you: Dentist Gary Mack hands over a doona to Cambodian Cham Srey for her new home.

Local dentist builds houses in Cambodia

16 August 2007
Moora (Australia)

MOORA dentist Gary Mack has just returned from the southern Cambodian province of Kampot where he helped build houses for eight poor village families.

Dr Mack led a team of 16 people aged between 11 and 60 during the school holidays to construct the houses as part of the Cambodian charity, the Tabitha Foundation.

In less than eight months of fundraising the group raised more than $13,000 which was enough to sponsor eight houses and a well to provide clean drinking water for a rural Cambodian village.

"Orientation began with a restaurant get together and meal in Phnom Penh allowing all team members to meet each other," Dr Mack said.

"The next day Tabitha Cambodia director Janne Ritszke gave an introductory talk outlining some of the recent history of Cambodia.

"This was followed by a visit to the notorious Tuol Sleng prison where over 20,000 men, women and children, including two Australians were horrifically tortured and killed.

"Then we moved on to the Killing Fields where thousands more suffered and were beaten to death or buried alive.

"Remnants of their clothes are still all around the large grave pits.

"The day finished with a boat trip on the famous Mekong River.

"The following day the team traveled south to the picturesque former French colonial resort town Kep, which is adjacent to the Vietnamese border where the construction of the houses commenced."

Dr Mack said the houses were built with thin corrugated iron sheets because the effects of stopping deforestation had resulted in the prohibitive cost of wood.

"This involved nailing floor timbers and Colourbond style metal cladding onto wooden frames," he said.

"After a final check the houses were handed over to the Cambodian families together with a gift of a quilted doona."

Dr Mack said it was a very rewarding experience and one he would recommend to others.

"Raising funds and building houses for Tabitha Foundation Cambodia is simple and fun to do," he said.

"Parents and their children can do it alike. It provides an opportunity to interact and work side by side in partnership with Cambodian village people in a way that tourists can never do."

If you would like more information about the program or are interested in joining a team in 2008 phone Gary Mack on 0424 626 106 or 9285 1848 or email him at garynmack@hotmail.com

You can also visit the Tabitha Foundation website at:
http://www.tabithafoundationaustralia./com