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How One Woman’s Donation Turned Into a Family Fundraiser for People in Cambodia

It was the recent flood crisis in Cambodia that inspired Veronica Huebsch this holiday season. She had to do something to help out. She had already been donating a portion of her paycheck to the Advancing Life Foundation for over three years, a program in which many corporate ASEA employees participate. This year, however, she vowed to personally donate the exact amount of money for a clean water well to the foundation for their efforts in providing clean water wells for families in need.

One Well, Many Lives Changed

How much impact can a single water well make for a struggling family? Each of the wells provides clean water to over fifty people, used for drinking and cooking, personal hygiene, and growing safe crops to sell. Due to Cambodia’s lack of infrastructure, clean water is usually difficult to find, and many children become ill from drinking the sewage-contaminated water in the fields and areas nearby. These water wells save lives. 

Not only can water wells change the families’ lives who have immediate access. It also allows for generational change as family crop businesses flourish, healthy children can attend school, families can afford to eat, and mothers can ensure their babies survive infants.

Giving Is Better Than Receiving

When she mentioned the Cambodian struggle at her Mother’s birthday lunch, explaining how ASEA and an anonymous 3rd party donor was matching every donation, tripling the impact of the funds, her Mother was immediately on board. “Well, if it only costs that much, your dad and I should donate one ourselves,” said her Mom. 

Now Veronica had two water wells to donate. When she and her Mother spoke with her father, he also wanted to donate a water well, and now they had enough money to provide three total water wells. But the more Veronica’s dad thought about it, the more he realized the impact a considerable size donation could have on so many people. Her parents agreed that they should donate the two wells themselves as well as a cash donation to the foundation. 

“We usually do a simple service project as a family every year, so it didn’t surprise me that my parents were so willing to help out. However, I was amazed that we were able to come up with such a great donation just because I had an inspired thought at lunch one day,” said Veronica. “To think of how many people this will help makes me feel like I’m making a difference in the world, and that’s something my parents have always taught me to do.”