Former Sudburian Tammy Durand Pomroy will return to the Nickel City next month, travelling from halfway across the world to share her story.
Durand Pomroy is visiting her hometown for a fundraising dinner and silent auction, scheduled for April 6 at the Caruso Club, and she's hoping you can help her continue her work with children in need in Cambodia.
ABCs and Rice, as the name implies, is all about education and nutrition. The charity teaches children from the ages of four to 16 and feeds them a hot meal, which, in this developing country, is often their only meal of the day. ABCs even grows its own produce and raises fish to help feed their students' families as well.
The school is located in the resort town of Siem Reap in northweatern Cambodia, one of the country's most prosperous regions of the country. Located near the ruins of Angkor, the capital of the Khmer kingdom, famous for the ancient temple of Angkor Wat, Siem Reap is a tourist mecca. Nevertheless, poverty is rampant.
ABCs and Rice is unlike other non-governmental organizations, in that besides educating young Cambodians (in English and in Khmer, their native language), it runs various food programs, nourishing both minds and bodies.
Cambodia is still climbing out of the hole created by the civil war that ravaged the country from the 1970s through to 1991, with the most disastrous period being between 1975 and 1979 when the communist Khmer Rouge regime forced a social engineering policy that destroyed much of the educated class in the country.
In the genocide that followed (chronicled in the 1984 film "The Killing Fields"), between 1.5 and three million people — 25 per cent of the country's population at the time — died through torture, forced labour, execution, malnutrition and disease.
The country's economy is recovering and has been growing quickly for the past two decades, the United Nations reports. But while poverty has been greatly reduced, growing inequality (particularly for women and those in poor rural areas), remains a major challenge.
Lindsey Kilgour, an ABCs and Rice board member, as well as co-chair and title sponsor for the fundraising evening, said last year's event raised more than $20,000 for ABCs and Rice.
Kilgour and her husband went to Cambodia for their honeymoon. It was arranged by her husband, and was a surprise to her. Kilgour said her husband knew Durand Pomroy from elementary school, and got in touch with her to set up the visit.
“We were greeted by Tammy when they got off the plane,” Kilgour said. “We volunteered there for just over a week, along with a bit of touring around. In the week we were there, it was phenomenal to see what she has accomplished. I know there are lots of great charities out there, but I know that every penny raised and every ounce of (Tammy's) energy goes towards those kids. It's an incredible program.”
When Kilgour returned home, she said she knew right away she wanted to do something to help out. That's when she got involved with the board and then the fundraising dinner and auction.
She said the evening is all about Durand Pomroy and her efforts at ABCs and Rice.
“(Tammy) will openly admit she's not a public speaker, but I think that's what makes it great,” she said. “She speaks from the heart, and it's just a very real version of her experience. You feel like you're connecting and getting a better understanding of what's going on with ABCs and Rice and what's going on in Cambodia.”
Kilgour said they are still looking for sponsors and donations for the silent auction. If anyone is interested in donating or purchasing a table for the evening, tickets are available by calling Kilgour 705-626-8081, Sharon Terada at 705-507-5346 or Jennifer Durand at 705-822-4002. For more information, email [email protected] or [email protected].
