Autumn 2026
Strength, Response & Sustainability
Hello my friends,
The first few months of this year have reminded us why community, preparedness, and education matter so deeply. We have been able to help hundreds of people affected by the border of crisis and continued welcoming new students to our education Centre for 2026.
I would love to update you on what we have been doing together.
Education Centre
Our education centre continues to be a place of safety, growth, and opportunity for our students. Every day, children arrive ready to learn, improve their English, and build brighter futures for themselves and their families.
We are seeing meaningful progress, increased confidence, improved literacy, and students stepping into leadership roles within the classroom. Thriving! Education remains the foundation of long-term change here and we are incredibly proud of both our teachers and our students for their dedication and resilience.
Thank you to everyone who continues to sponsor and support the centre. Your commitment is changing lives.
Who will remember we asked people to sponsor a month of education for 2026? So far January, February and March have been in full swing… we would like to send appreciation to our 3 sponsors so far this year.
Community
Border Crisis – 600+ Relief Boxes Delivered
These last few months the border situation created sudden hardship for many families in our community and thousands of people along the border of Cambodia and Thailand.
Because of your generosity, we were able to respond immediately — providing more than 600 relief boxes filled with essential food supplies and basic necessities.
The gratitude we witnessed was overwhelming. In times of crisis, speed matters. Dignity matters. Community matters.
And you made that possible. Thank you to everyone who responded to my direct appeal. I know I may not have got back to you individually but hope you can see by these photos what an impact you made!
Launching Our Monthly Emergency Fund – $500 per month Goal
The recent crisis made one thing very clear: we must always be prepared. (Lols I was never a boy scout!)
I thought of many ways I could do this a little better and feel the best way would be to create a dedicated Emergency Community Fund, which we would be able to use exclusively for:
Medical emergencies ie accidents or sudden illness
Border or displacement crises
Food relief
Urgent hardship cases within our immediate community
Births
Funeral expenses / support
Our goal is to raise a minimum of USD $500 per month to build a reliable emergency reserve and hopefully then I would be able to send less urgent email requests!
This ensures that when crisis strikes, we can act immediately — without affecting our education programs and without waiting to raise funds in urgent moments and we can respond with compassion, stability, and strength.
If you would like to become a monthly supporter of this Emergency Fund, we would deeply value your partnership.
Our Food Fun Days bring joy to children at the local primary school by giving them a chance to enjoy special treats and a day filled with laughter. For many of these kids from struggling families, it’s not just about the food — it’s about feeling seen, celebrated, and cared for.
Scholarships
The scholarship boys are on a university trip after completing their exams! They have all just completed their semester and are waiting on results.
Fundraising Success & Special Thank You
We are incredibly grateful to those who donated items and experiences to support our fundraising efforts this year.
The beautiful donated paintings from; Sue Leeming Artist, Elliot Collin’s Artist, handcrafted carvings, Joshua Wilson Artist and the generous boat charter experience Savoy Charters enabled us to raise a significant amount of funds for the project.
These contributions were more than auction items — they were powerful acts of belief in our mission.
Because of your generosity, we have strengthened our education programs and expanded our ability to respond to community needs throughout the year. We have bought desks, chairs, books and paid the staff the last 3 months salary and provided food to many displaced families and soldiers on the border.
To everyone who donated, bid, attended, and supported — thank you. Your generosity continues to build lasting change.
A Personal Note
As this project grows, so does the responsibility and commitment behind it.
Much of the coordination, planning, crisis response, and relationship-building is carried personally, and I give to it wholeheartedly. At the same time, I am learning that sustainability also means ensuring I am supported in practical and personal ways.
If anyone feels called to support me directly whether through professional expertise, connections, mentorship, or personal contribution I would truly welcome that conversation.
I feel I just want to be strengthened so that what I do here can become even stronger. My 50/50 programme has wained so I would love to reinstate it as it’s been such a blessing to me over these years. 50 people giving $50 a month will help me so very much.
Our immediate needs:
Continued support for the families on the border. $10 will provide a family a relief box.
We have a really sick baby that has been in hospital the last few months with a lung infection. The parents can no longer work as he needs 24 hour care and they are really struggling to pay for his medical care and their own basic needs. They have sold all they have and borrowed from their friends and family so I would love to be able to assist them… any gift will go directly to them.
Thank you for standing with us — for the children, for the families, and for the future we are building together.
A little addit for my kiwi friends… its almost the end of the financial year… as you consider your end of year donations could you think of the Aroha Project? A one time donation would go so far up here to help the project and your kindness will always be so so appreciated. Theres so much need and I promise it will be used to strengthen the initiatives in place.
Thankful as always for everyone’s love, support and assistance. You are all part of the progress here and the opportunities we can give for better lives.
With gratitude,
Arohanui,
Annie