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Here's the Latest from Future Light Orphanage

April 2009

	Future Light Orphanage resident, Phearun Chhorn has just been accepted for the 2009 Pan Pacific Program at Punahou School. He has also been awarded a Freeman Scholarship which covers his tuition. "I have gotten to know Phearun during my several visits to Future Light Orphanage over the past three years. It has been a pleasure to see him develop into an outstanding young man of good character with wonderful potential," says Nancy Walden, CCCT 2008 chair. Phearun's interests are increasingly reaching beyond his orphanage and Cambodia to the whole world. On his own he listens to the BBC news broadcasts every morning before school and every evening to learn of the world situation and its problems. He is becoming more and more dedicated to an education which will help him make a contribution to improving the human condition. To that end he aspires to study international relations followed by law school. In his application to Punahou he said, "I dream of being a honest politician." It seems likely he will do that. The opportunity to attend the Pan Pacific Program will be a major step towards achieving that education and his life goal. He was recently awarded the number one ranking in his school for English at his grade level. Spending 4-5 weeks in Hawaii will certainly enhance his English speaking abilities and further expand his interests in learning more about the people and cultures of other countries – especially in the Pacific area. The Program starts July 18th through August 15th. He will be hosted during his stay in Hawaii by Walden. The Pan Pacific Program teachers and staff will find Phearun a most enthusiastic contributor and participant in the program, and a young man very grateful to have this opportunity.



January 2009

This is "old" news now, but some photos of the Aloha Learning Center came to hand today. We are all grateful for the efforts of all concerned, and especially to Hal Darcey, the Rotary Clubs of Hawaii, and Rotary International.












September 2008

Our news cup overfloweth! Here's our headline: HAWAII'S ALOHA HUGS THE CHILDREN OF FUTURE LIGHT ORPHANAGE!

The latest Honolulu Advertiser article features Joe Rice and Houch Chhoeung. As CCCT 2008 chair Nancy Walden put it, "...this is what Email Foster Parents is all about." Read article here.

See the KHON-TV article and video segment here.

Read an article about our kids in the Phnom Penh Post here.



	Below are some photos of the recent blessing of our young artists and their instruments before the special journey to Hawaii. This sacred and ancient rite dates back to the 10th and 11th centuries in the royal court of King Jayavarman at Angkor Wat. It was amazing to see it being passed on to the next generation of young dancers and musicians at FLO. The blessing included our kids performing a number of dances that tell the history of their ancestors. Since most of the Khmer history books in Cambodia were destroyed during the Pol Pot years, the importance of passing on these stories and traditions through dance, music and other Khmer art forms can not be understated.














You can download the program for the Mamiya Theater performance (PDF format) here. Please be patient as it downloads (5MB file).

August 2008



We've said our tearful farewells to Meta, but we're looking forward with excitement to the 2008 Cambodian Children's Cultural Tour! The highlight will be the dance performance at Mamiya Theater, Classical Dances of Angkor Wat. See the tour page for details. Also, see a great article in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin about Meta's visit, the Tour, and Phaly and FLOW. We're in the Honolulu Advertiser too!



July 2008

Meta has arrived! A very bright young lady from FLOW, she applied for and received a scholarship from Punahou School in Honolulu. Here she is arriving, greeted by foster parents Nancy. More on this later!



June 2008

The 2008 Cambodian Children's Cultural Tour is coming in September! The exceptional dancers and talented musicians of Future Light Orphanage will be in Hawaii for performances, cultural exchange and more. Go to the Hawaii Tour page for details and updates.



July 2006

The U.S. Commander and Chief of the Pacific fleet visiting FLO on Monday July 17! Commander Fallon and his entourage had heard the many good things about Future Light Orphanage and graciously delivered a package to one of our children from her foster parents in Hawaii. Commander Fallon is the head of the U.S. army, navy, marines, airforce and national guard for the entire pacific region and is meeting with south east asian heads of state on this trip. This was quite an honor for FLO and our children!




November 2005

Here's a great shot of the kids at Future Light Orphanage receiving their new school clothes for the new semester that has just begun. Click on the image at right to see a full-size image. To see children still waiting for an email foster parent, click here.



July 2005

Here's a great letter from Henry Hail, recapping the time he spent volunteering at Future Light Orphanage:



To all the foster parents, I spent the last six weeks at Future Light Orphanage, and it was a valuable experience for me to learn more about Cambodia and to get a hands on look at the daily life of FLO. I stayed in the guesthouse during my time there. It is separated from the rest of the orphanage by a gate, so I had a degree of privacy there, which I really valued after teaching the kids all day and hearing "Hello teacher!" wherever I went. I spent three to six hours a day teaching English, and taught kung fu twice a week. During the first two weeks in FLO I definitely experienced culture shock. The heat, new food, language difficulties, physical sickness, restricted freedom of movement, lack of friends and lack of the usual American conveniences and entertainment all combined to make me feel quite miserable. However, things started getting better quickly. I became friends with the other teachers and began to really appreciate the friendliness, perseverance and moral discipline of the children at the orphanage. I also started to appreciate how hard the staff works to constantly improve FLO. and keep the kids on track...(More)



December 2004

Here are some photos from founder Rob Hail's recent trip to Cambodia.

This is the site of the future "Future Light Orphanage" located in the mountain area of Cambodia near the Vietnam border known as Ratanakiri.



Approximately four acres of land was given to FLO by the Cambodian government to build a new orphanage for children in this extremely poor area of the country. It will initially house fifty orphans from the surrounding mountains and villages. About seventy fruit trees have been planted and two wells have been dug. Construction of the orphanage buildings will begin in '05.



Traditional Khmer dancing is taught daily at FLO. The children work diligently to revive the ancient Khmer dances which are enjoyed by all the night of the library opening. All joined in for good food, dancing and fun!







The Sunrise Library was officially opened for the children of Future Light Orphanage on November 7, 2004. The project was funded by the Rotary Club of Honolulu Sunrise and the Ed and Susan Catmull family. The children of the orphanage, staff, and several sculptors from Phnom Penh universities worked diligently on the project for over a year. And what a work of art it has become! Modeled on the ancient Angkor Wat construction design it well represents Cambodia's magnificent past. Set in an oasis of beauty, hope, education and love where hundreds of children are growing to build a brighter and better future.














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