Christmas is a season for giving and you can make a difference today! Travel bloggers around the world are hosting giveaways in support of an amazing charity fundraising event hosted by Passports with Purpose. I’m thrilled to tell you that My Several Worlds will also be participating by helping to spread the word about this event. We even managed to procure a terrific prize courtesy of Phottix Professional Photo Accessories, which will be added to a fabulous list of items to be raffled off on January 5, 2010. Read on to find out how you can help to build a school in rural Cambodia!

The charity:

American Assistance for Cambodia (AAfC), an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to improving opportunities for the youth and rural poor in Cambodia.

Our goal:

We want to raise money – $13,000 to be exact – to help AAfC build a school in rural Cambodia this year through their rural schools project!

How you can help:

1. Donate money by purchasing a $10 raffle ticket.
2. Help spread the word and tell your friends. Promote Passports with Purpose or any of the travel bloggers who are participating in the event by sharing our links through social media. You can become a fan of Passports with Purpose on Facebook here.
3. Become a sponsor.
4. Host a Badge or Banner Ad: Whether you offer a prize or not, you can support Passports with Purpose by using their banner on your blog.

Why build a school?

Despite their difficult recent past, when the Khmer Rouge destroyed their economy and killed millions of people in the late 70’s, Cambodians maintain a strong spirit of hope and desire to rebuild both at a personal level and a national level. English language and computer schools seem to be down every alleyway in Phnom Penh. Parents scrimp to sign young children up for lessons in English and computers and to learn the cultural arts that were all but lost during the Khmer Rouge Regime.

In rural areas, the sense of hope and the desire to rebuild might be just as strong, but the options are more limited. This year PwP will establish a school in a rural area whose children have been deprived from any educational facilities. It’s our hope that such a school will provide a much needed alternative to poverty or sex trafficking to the young people of Cambodia. - Passports with Purpose

To learn more about the American Assistance for Cambodia project visit: Cambodia Schools.com

A personal story from a New York Times columnist who helped build a school in Cambodia last year.

How does it work?

Head over to Passports with Purpose to find out which travel bloggers are participating and for a full list of prizes.

Tickets are just $10. All prizes, ranging from travel and photography gear to gift bags, books, and trips, are worth at least $75. You can donate $10 for the prize of your choice, or you can donate in multiples of $10 to increase your chance of winning your favorite prize or for a chance to win several different prizes.

You can buy your raffle tickets starting December 1st. Once you’ve found the prize or prizes that you are interested in, find the donation link in the sidebar and make your donation. For each $10 donation that you make, you’ll be entered into the raffle for the prize you’ve selected. Don’t forget to leave your email and prize code in the comments field! All proceeds go directly to AAfC.

The contest is from December 1st through the 21, 2009. (11:59 pm PST). The founders will pull winners and notify them via email on January 5^th, 2010.

Questions? Email info@passportswithpurpose.com

My Several Worlds Prize:

Courtesy of Phottix Professional Photo Accessories

A PHOTTIX® CLEON II hybrid (wired and wireless) shutter release and a 3-in-1 Cleaning Kit, courtesy of Phottix Professional Photo Acccessories. If you win this prize from Phottix, it will be shipped directly to your home (worldwide shipping)

PHOTTIX® CLEON II Wireless Remote Shutter Release

PHOTTIX® CLEON II Wireless Remote Shutter Release

Includes:

• small remote control (transmitter), receiver and either one of the optional cables depending on the model of camera to be controlled.
• When used wireless, the transmitter and receiver can be pared by any one of 16,000,000 channels (Smart Code) within the working distance of 100 meters (320ft).
• The PHOTTIX® CLEON II supports the following functions: single shot mode, 2 seconds delay, continuous, as well as bulb mode for long exposures.
• The PHOTTIX® CLEON II can be used with a wide variety of cameras – just plug in a suitable cable to the receiver.
• The transmitter has a single button to activate the camera’s shutter, a mode switch and a retractable antenna.
• The receiver can be attached to the hot shoe of the camera (facing forwards or backwards), or simply be placed alongside.
• Like the transmitter, the receiver has a shutter release button. The remote’s shutter release button functions similarly to that of the camera’s: a half press initiates autofocus on the camera and a complete press of the button takes a snap.
• The function selector allows selecting between three different modes:
• S/B – single exposures or bulb mode
• 2S – single exposures with a 2 second delay
• - multiple exposures Continious

PHOTTIX 3-IN-1 CLEANING KIT

3-1 Cleaning Kit

Lens Pen

• Environmentally friendly and non-toxic
• Removes dust, erases smudges and does not leave residue.
• 100% safe to all lenses.
• Unique cleaning compound will not spill or dry out.
• Perfect for cleaning digital SLR, SLR, digital camera lens, binocular lens, and telescope lens.

Microfibre Cloth

• Microfibre Cloth is super-fine and safe to use on optical surfaces.
• It can be used dry and wet on camera lenses with no streaks, for AV devices, cell phone screens, discs, glasses, computer screens, jewelry, etc.

Related Posts:

• Photo Moment: The Colors of Home, Siem Reap, Cambodia
• Photo Moment: Village Boys of Ton le Sap, Cambodia
• Some Thoughts on Peeing in Public
• Journey through the Cambodian Countryside
• Reflections of Angkor