THE HOUSE THAT TABITHA BUILT

A special tribute to Global Concerns partner, Tabitha Foundation

UWCSEA’s Service programme is woven into the fabric of the College and our service partners are integral in bringing our Mission to life both within Singapore and abroad. One such partnership has spanned nearly three decades and sadly, has drawn to a close in January 2023. Tabitha was a much loved Global Concerns (GC) partner whose mission was to:

“enable the poorest of the poor in Cambodia to recognise and develop inherent skills and resources in a way that brings dignity and respect within the people we work with; within the country and within the world; and that will result in measurable and visible improvement in the lifestyles of the people we work with.”

Tabitha Cambodia’s programmes and the families who joined Tabitha have left an indelible mark on the lives of those who have participated in the many house-building projects and fundraising efforts over our 28-year partnership.

This enduring relationship became so much more than just a partnership, but a beautiful story of people on a shared mission for grass roots change in a country torn apart by genocide.

The story of Tabitha and UWCSEA began with a fortuitous meeting of characters. The protagonist, Janne Ritskes meets Andy Payne, a Design and Technology teacher at UWCSEA. Both had different backgrounds and a different set of skills, but they shared a dream of breaking the cycle of poverty for the Cambodian people.

To know Tabitha, you need to first know its founder, Janne Ritskes. A Canadian citizen of Dutch descent, who, prior to her arrival in Phnom Penh in 1993, had worked with large non-government organisations in Kenya and the Philippines. Janne withdrew her life savings and founded what became Tabitha Foundation Cambodia. At the heart of Tabitha was a savings programme, which empowered Khmers to decide how much of their humble incomes they would choose to save. Week on week, the Tabitha staff would record their savings and after a ten week cycle, families would purchase their dream items: a set of pots and pans, a bag of rice, a set of drinking glasses, a water well, some piglets, eventually leading to a new home.

During the early days, Janne met local artisans who still knew the traditional methods of crafting silk, thereby regenerating Cambodian silk production. The Tabitha silks cottage industry provided a safe place for women to craft and Janne began to look for ways to sell the goods and generate income to cover Tabitha’s administrative costs. UWCSEA was pivotal in selling the silk handicrafts and from the Singapore expatriate community, new chapters of Tabitha Foundations were established in Australia, the UK and the US.

The early 90s was a very dangerous time in Cambodia, especially after dark, when the Khmer Rouge would reenter the city. With gun fire and bullets flying around the streets of Phnom Penh, Janne would sleep in her bathtub for safety. In spite of the dangers, she was determined to help effect grass roots change for the people of Cambodia and help them rise from poverty.

In 1995, Janne met Andy and Mary Payne, both teachers at UWCSEA Dover. Andy taught Design and Technology and Mary, Mathematics. Andy and Anthony Skillicorn, the Head of Global Concerns, knew that Tabitha would be an exceptional learning experience for our students and our wider community. Tabitha provided a vehicle for UWCSEA to meaningfully engage and together, in partnership, we have changed many lives and widened perspectives.

“Who could forget lugging the big, black bags of cottage industry products on our visits and selling the items so beautifully crafted from silk and silver on our return to Singapore, especially for UN Night?” said Andy Payne. “Or sharing the pride—and the odd tear—as villagers received their new homes? Or visiting the villages we supported in Prey Veng and Svay Rieng provinces, and seeing first-hand the wells and the resultant fields of lush, green vegetables? Or the classes of smiling faces eager to greet us as we visited the new schools that we funded? Even seeing children running around in obsolete UWC school uniforms, knowing that donations had found the intended recipients.”

Generations of staff, Grade 11 and Grade 8 students, mothers and family building groups were involved in the annual builds. This direct involvement allowed our community to see the enormous success of the Tabitha programmes.

Anthony Skillicorn reflects that “Tabitha was the one project which enabled Global Concerns to grow and mature. The resounding success of Tabitha as a GC project had its roots in three factors: the integrity and vision of those running Tabitha; the ability of all members of the greater UWCSEA family to visit, build houses and see Tabitha’s achievements at first hand; along with the incorporation of a unit on Cambodia and its struggles into the Grade 8 curriculum. To sum up, UWCSEA and Tabitha cooperated to help Cambodians with one house, one well and one school at a time.”

There has been a dramatic change in the fabric of Cambodian society since Tabitha’s inception almost 30 years ago. Remarkably and proudly, close to a quarter of Cambodia’s population has benefited from the Tabitha programmes. With the support of Tabitha and its supporters, Khmer families determinedly undertook a journey of self worth, self belief and dignity.

In January 2023, alumni and current staff joined the last house build. At the final farewell, UWCSEA thanked the dedicated staff of Tabitha Cambodia, and especially Janne Ritskes, for their remarkable leadership, commitment, compassion, faith, kindness and hope. UWCSEA will always be grateful for enriching our community and for the opportunity to foster such a reciprocal partnership in giving, service and connection to others. It has been an incredible 28 years. Thank you does seem inadequate, so as they say in Khmer: Arkoun chraen.