Empowered Traditionalist

Written by : Greta Parkinson, featured in ELIZA magazine

CAMBODIA
Philanthropy has always been fashionable. And these days, with the rapid growth of technology resulting in a rapidly “shrinking” world, we’re more aware than ever before of people in remote countries we’ve never seen-sometimes never previously heard of-who need our help. Thanks to 24-hour news outlets and the ever-expanding World Wide Web, it’s never been easier to visualize-and assist- people who need a hot meal, a warm blanket, and a safe home.

More than 30 years ago, the Kmer Roughe Guerilla Movement, led by Cambodian Prime Minister Pol Pot, sought to reconstruct the country based on the structure of Mao’s China: a communist regime. The result was mass genocide. The Kmer Rouge foced all the men, women and children to leave their homes for forced labor camps. Any who refused were killed on the spot. Religion and music were banned ;factories, schools, and hospitals were shut down. Operating under the slogan “To spare you is no profit; to destroy you is no loss”, the Kmer Rouge murdered mor than two million civilians.

The effects of the deadly regime are still prevalent throughout Cambodia. There remain up to 6 million active land mines. Mass graves and “killing fields” were uncovered as recently as 1995. Today, because of the ravages of war, impoverishment, and illness, 90,000 women and children have been left widowed and orphaned.

When Christa Taylor, co-owner and creator of Christa-Taylor.com, visited Cambodia three years ago, she couldn’t ignore the devastation-the rural roads were dusty and treacherous. But when the y reached the orphan home, Christa was struck by what she described as a “stark contrast” between the village children and the orphans.
“I thought to myself, ‘surely these can’t be the orphan kids.’ “ Christa says, “They were all smiles!”
Christa was impressed to find that the orphanages were modeled after families, with father and mother figures overseeing the home while the widows tended children.

“No wonder they’re so happy,” she says. “They don’t see themselves as orphans, either!”

Since then, Christa-Taylor.com has partnered with Warm Blankets Orphan Care, a missions group that provides food and shelter, among other things, for orphans and widows. Christa was struck by their efficiency and ease in communication and says she knew she could feel comfortable supporting and recommending Warm Blankets to her friends and family.

“I found…dependable leadership and, more importantly, individuals who cherished the Cambodian culture and knew how to get things done without trampling it.” She says.

Through generous donations and good old-fashioned hard work, the dedicated people at Christa-Taylor.com and Warm Blankets hope to see every child warm and full, and every orphan home on the road to self-sustenance. And they won’t stop there.

“We hope to eventually pass the monthly support to other businesses and support the larger, more aggressive projects.” Christa says.

More aggressive projects include repairing damaged orphan homes and funding the construction of women’s housing to keep factory workers out of sex trafficking.
When you shop at Christa-Taylor.com 5% of your purchase is donated to an orphanage in Ta Lam. To help even more, you can spread the word about the mission of Warm Blankets. In the shadow of a looming economic recession, Warm Blankets donations are down 50% from previous years. Your gift to Warm Blankets could, among other things, help pay the volunteer staff, whose only compensation comes from monthly donations.
It takes such little effort to make a big difference. A tiny sacrifice on this side of the globe can result in huge changes across oceans and continents for people in desperate need.

“The small things—one less trip to the coffe shop, passing onteh nail manicure for a month, have a date at home.” Christa says, “all go a long way toward keeping little children on the opposite side of the globe full, warm, and hopeful.”