Words from Chairman

The eyes of a sick, innocent child tell a heartbreaking story; the sea of eyes, the sea of faces all clutch at my heartstrings, unfailingly touching you.

It was 5th July 2005, and I was standing in the House of Rainbow Bridges Orphanage for HIV+/AIDS children in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Walking around, I suddenly came across the thought of little Ratana, a young girl who had entered HRB about 6 months ago. After being told that Ratana had fallen ill, I gathered all the volunteers at the house there with me and entered the ward of Ratana. I picked up her little body and she directed me to show her the world from the open window. I walked over to the window and together we looked out. In a brief second, the light in her eyes suddenly went out, her cherubic mouth opened and closed, and she gave her last breath. The constant laughter and hope suddenly flooded from the room, replaced by shock, tears, and sadness, a feeling of incalculable loss. How could it be? How could this have happened? Tomorrow, I would turn 50,"God, is this a joke?" "Is this your gift for me on my birthday.” Then God told me, "You must take care of them for me." And I replied, "I will."

These poor and sick children live every day with pain and hardship, while their parents watch as their childhood slip away into the rubbish heaps of Phnom Penh, where most of them work as a way to eke out a meager and completely insufficient living. They cannot afford to attend school, do not have the money to visit doctors when they are sick. I hope that you can all find it in your hearts to lend a helping hand.

For those who are willing to give are blessed, and to bless others are also a great blessing. I believe that it is more blessed to give than to take. Please give today, before it is too late.

Jerry Wong
Chairman and General Executive(Voluntary)