It costs $220 to send a child in Cambodia to school for a year. One Rochester fundraiser is making that possible.
(ABC 6 News) — It costs $220 to send a child in Cambodia to school for a year. One Rochester fundraiser is making that possible.
At Christ Community Church on Saturday, November 8, dozens of local vendors and volunteers came together — all with one common mission: give children in Cambodia a chance at a brighter future.
“We partner with missionaries to keep kids in school and to give them hope for a better tomorrow, get them out of the generations of poverty,“ said Amy Majsterski, chair of “Creating Hope 4 Cambodia.”
CH4C hosted its 16th annual handmade market fundraiser, with the goal of raising $20,000 to send Cambodian children to school.
“The missionaries said the best thing that we can do on this side of the planet is to raise money to keep the kids in school,” said Marti Ogren, CH4C’s founder.
Inside, tables lined the church with handmade crafts and baked goods, with each sale helping to fund something many kids across the world can only dream of: a year in school.
“When you’re struggling, you have to make a decision, right? It’s either food on the table or I’m going to pay for my kid’s education,” said Majsterski. “Food wins.”
For some families overseas, that small cost can mean everything. Without school, children are forced to work, or worse, trafficked into dangerous situations just to survive.
“When medical emergencies come up, the reality of possibly selling your children into trafficking is a choice that some families have,” said Majsterski.
Through efforts like this, hope travels far beyond Rochester — reaching classrooms and children halfway across the world.
“We just want to give them the best chance that they can to break the years and cycle of poverty that their families are living in, to give them education, to give them hope for the future,” said Majsterski.
The money raised will go directly toward tuition, uniforms and supplies for students in Cambodia, giving them hope for a better and brighter future.
To learn more about “Creating Hope 4 Cambodia,” click here.