By Callum Ludwig
A number of Yarra Ranges residents are set to take off in more ways than one, running a half marathon in Cambodia for a locally-founded charity.
Woori Yallock resident, founder and chair of One Family at a Time Jenny Jackson is going with her husband John, Mum Isabel Lynch, Lilydale residents Mak Sawa and Kylie Dealy, Mt Evelyn residents James and Tracey Williams, Kilsyth resident Tracey Mattingley and more.
Ms Jackson said she and John founded the charity in 2014 after a backpacking trip to Cambodia.
“We fell in love with the country and the people and the poverty and hardship they face was an eye-opener for us about just how lucky we are really. I’m a registered nurse and could see just the stunting in the growth of children and adults through malnutrition,” she said.
“The average girl only goes to school for three years there, and the average boy only 5.8 years because families have to pull their children out of school to scrounge for plastic bottles or aluminium cans to make about 20 cents a day.”
This is the fifth fundraiser, with each participant aiming to raise $1000. Each person is paying for their own expenses, with all money raised solely going towards the charities’ efforts to build homes for Cambodian families.
Ms Jackson said all of the programs run through the charity are evidence-based.
“We don’t pretend to know all the answers. Everything we do is in conjunction with the community and community leaders, it is their goals and aspirations,” she said.
“One of the programmes that we have is called a rice scholarship programme, where donors give us $10 a month per child, and we give the family of the child 10 kilos of rice. If the child has excellent school attendance, and when we started the programme, the school attendance of the children was at best 33 per cent, Now since we started every program, no child is below 85 per cent and most are 90 to 95 per cent.”
The attendees are competing in the Angkor International Half Marathon event in Siem Reap, Cambodia, and are running between three and 21km.
Ms Jackson said the event is a sunrise run through the absolutely magnificent Angkor Wat temples.
“One of the absolute highlights to me is actually the conga line of Tuk-Tuks, and going out to the temples, it’s pitch black dark. The atmosphere at the start of the race is incredible, Cambodian people are some of the friendliest you’ll meet, and the whole track is lined with kids and people cheering you on, whether you are the elite at the front or the people at the back,” she said.
“Even though it is very hot, everybody who’s participated over the years, has said to us that every step they just think about how they get to go back to a nice hotel and have a shower, and a full breakfast but the people who we are running for can’t do that, so they are really making a difference.”
More information about One Family at a Time can be found at www.onefamilyatatime.org.au or www.facebook.com/onefamilyatatimeltd.
