Rebecca and Greg with their children, Sophie (left), Craig, Emily, Tamsen and Sarah.
Rebecca and Greg with their children, Sophie (left), Craig, Emily, Tamsen and Sarah.
A lot has happened in the six years since Greg and Rebecca Stocker, their children and pets left the Far North for a new home and job for Greg in Hamilton.
Eldest daughter Emily graduated from Waikato University last year as a Bachelor of Science Technology, and is now working as a keeper at Hamilton Zoo.
Tamsen has a Certificate in Early Childhood Education and is a professional nanny for a Hamilton family with three young children, Craig is studying engineering at Canterbury University, and Sarah and Sophie are in Year 12 and 10 respectively at Waikato Diocesan School for Girls.
Moving into a new community after spending her entire life in the Far North had not been easy, Rebecca said.
Knowing no one and not seeing her friends was even harder for her and her family.
Life soon became routine, with school and work, but she needed to find a way to get to know her new community, so they joined a local church, where they met Sue Hanna, a local missionary living in Cambodia.
"I had never really heard of Cambodia, but I was really impacted by the work she was doing there with the children," she said.
"She had some beaded craft that children had made to sell to church folk in New Zealand. I knew right then I could do something she couldn't do - I could sell the children's craft.
"Fundraising is in my blood. Living in Kaitaia all my life, and the daughter of Bill Imms, how could it not be? And I love selling things.
Rebecca and Bill raised many thousands of dollars for the Cancer Society via Kaitaia's Daffodil Day baby photo competition, and for numerous other causes, over many years.
"I arranged a supply of craft and took it to our local market. I have been going there every week for the last five and a half years. It has grown into its own little ministry. I have bags made by the mums, craft made by the kids, and goods donated by our community. I love the fact that I am helping women and children living in the slums of Cambodia to help themselves. And I can be part of giving them hope and a better future."
The whole family has become involved with this ministry.
"Greg tows the trailer to and from the market, and the kids have all helped with the selling and fundraising events," she said.
Kaitaia expat Rebecca Stocker and friends in Cambodia - making a difference one child at a time.
"I have travelled to Cambodia six times to visit the people we support. Greg has been three times and the three oldest children have each come individually with me. It is life-changing for all of us to see extreme raw poverty, but it is also empowering, knowing that we can do something about it."
Flame is the organisation the Stockers support, based in Phnom Penh, focusing on getting slum children into education so they can become all they can be, potentially their country's future leaders.
"Many slum children support their families by working all day, collecting rubbish to sell, or babysitting younger siblings while their parents work. Flame provides the equivalent of the child's daily earnings, around $1 per day, so they are able to attend school," Rebecca added.
"School in Cambodia is usually half a day, so Flame provides activity centres where the children can continue their learning. Classes are given in maths, English, computers, Khmer and the creative arts. This helps the children excel at school.
"It also means they are less likely to end up on the streets, where they might be drawn into the sex trade or potentially become victims of child trafficking.
"Flame is about inspiration. It connects with slum-dwelling children and inspires them to leave begging or rubbish collecting and start school, or re-engage in education. The goal is that each child reaches beyond their potential, lifting the roof off their current dreams.
"We call the process of a slum child becoming a young leader The Full Circle - kids emerge as confident leaders in their communities, inspiring others in education, service, and ultimately leadership.
Flame also has leadership academy homes, where the students, many of whom have little or no home support and come from broken backgrounds, encourage each other, learn leadership and practical ways to serve."
