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Tabitha Foundation The Tabitha Foundation is a non-profit, non-denominational Christian organization, respecting all faiths, seeking to help the suffering in Cambodia. The aim is to reach out to the despairing in their own communities and enable them to address their needs in a holistic and sustainable way, thereby transforming their lives to fruitfulness, dignity and beauty. Prior to the Vietnam war and the destructive Pol Pot regime, poverty was uncommon in Cambodia. However, the forced evacuation of the cities, the mass executions (especially of the more educated Cambodians) and the general economic devastation has left the country badly scarred. Cambodia is now one of the world's poorest countries and many of its people live in absolute poverty. Tabitha Cambodia, a non-government organization (NGO), works with groups of poor families helping them attain a better life by becoming self-sufficient. One of the main Tabitha programs is the Cottage Industry Program, which pays men and women a fair price for crafts manufactured for Tabitha. Tabitha encourages these workers to save a little of their earnings each week - soon families have saved enough to buy clothes for their children, pots and pans, a fishing net, send their children to school, etc. Later many families are able to buy a small piece of land on which they can build a simple house. Tabitha Cambodia works to foster a sense of community among Cambodians. To this end the projects always involve the instruction of Cambodian trainers who, by example and teaching, work to restore control to communities themselves and guide the work towards self-sustainability. The goal is always to help create a healthy, viable community to allow human beings to realize their full potential. In 10 years of operation, Tabitha Cambodia has lifted over 250,000 Cambodians out of poverty and despair into lives of dignity, happiness and active participation in their communities.  |