Saint Mary’s Preschool burned to the ground last year, just four months after opening its doors to Vietnamese children in this small Cambodian village. Everything in the building, including all teaching materials and brand new equipment, was destroyed. The fire swept quickly through the homes of 97 families and displaced hundreds of people who are already unsettled as stateless residents of Cambodia.

But thanks to you, we rebuilt together! The new school uses bricks, a much safer building material, instead of wood for construction. The books, teaching materials and toys have been replaced. Since the children are too poor for these kinds of things in their homes, they come to play and have a good time together at the center. St. Mary’s Preschool is once again a popular destination for the young villagers of Chake Angre, Cambodia.

“The preschool building of two classrooms has been completed. We moved, with the help of the children, from the rented house that we had been using since March. We have continued with the two preschool classes using the upstairs room and had opened a play center in the downstairs room for any of the children in the neighborhood who want to come.”

However, the new books and toys have recently been put aside to make room for a literacy center, where older children who have never even been to school can learn to read. The growing development of this vital service is just one example of how your donations contribute to the success of our missions. We continue to seek your support.

This Thanksgiving, we ask you to give these children, as well as other children in our mission countries, the opportunity for a better childhood. These are small steps that bring dignity and respect to people yearning to make life better for themselves.