70 Mile 2-Day Challenge Fundraiser Recipients - Heartprint and Paws For Life

HEARTPRINT

Heartprint is an Australian non-profit as well as a locally registered NGO working in Cambodia, funding community projects to support families in need.

On June 29, Wendy O’Brien, founder of Heartprint wrote:

“With another 95 positive cases identified here in Siem Reap yesterday, which brought the Siem Reap total alone to 1034 current positive cases, things are beginning to get a little worrying now.

With so many living in poverty and the government under pressure fearing people will not be able to earn a living or source food, they are holding off a lockdown. We have concerns this cannot and will not last forever. We hope things stay open until we can get food out to families.

For anyone that has been to Siem Reap you will know our town is small. You'll also know, the town is designed around tourism and we have not seen tourists now since March last year. Life is tough for locals, with most not eligible for government support, what little there is, and relying on handouts from NGOs and other organisations. We see more and more people coming to ask for assistance every single day.

We know the world is struggling. We know we are not the only ones in tough times but please remember our boat is not as buoyant as yours, and we need you all more than ever.

Throughout all of this we have aimed to stay positive but we also know the importance of keeping everyone up to date. We will continue to stay open as long as we possibly can, following every safety measure to a T, making sure our staff and community stay safe.”

*Cambodia as a nation had 723 new positive cases and 19 reported deaths yesterday with a total of 49,255 cases. For a country that had next to no cases as of February 2021 (when two Covid positive people escaped quarantine), this is devastating.

Please visit www.heartprint.org.au for more information about the wonderful work they do every single day!

PAWS FOR LIFE

Every day, the folks at Paws For Life work tirelessly to save the most vulnerable animals and enrich the lives of pets and people. We are a local non-profit and rely on donations to fund our work. With a vision to end animal homelessness and euthanasia, their mission is to rescue and find loving homes for shelter pets. Through community partnerships, education and adoption events Paws For Life hopes to inspire community action and compassion on their behalf.

Laura Madsen, Director of Operations at Paws For LIfe write:

“Thankfully we haven't seen an increase in returns, but our shelters have been getting hit especially hard by cats and kittens this year. We suspect this has been because of spay/neuter clinics shutting down for most of 2020. So, for us, the biggest challenge has been securing enough fosters to help the shelters prevent euthanasia for space.”

Please read more about Paws For Life and their good work at www.pflu.org