The children’s excitement at Roteang Orphanage preceded the ceremony for days! In the preschool, the 3 and 4 year-olds worked very hard making their party hats, gluing pompoms, feathers and stars on circles of colored paper that volunteers Sarah Russo and Colleen Gearns then helped fold into hats. Sarah and Colleen, back from New York for a second summer of working in the preschool, spent hours with the 5 and 6 year olds who cut and pasted long colorful chains for decoration. In Mary Jane's honor, Sarah and Colleen taught the children lyrics to the tune of London Bridge thanking Mary Jane for her massive assistance in getting this new girls' residence completed.

When August 11 finally came, Mary Jane Gearns had arrived from New York, and the children wriggled with anticipation as they met her at Roteang’s gate and escorted her to the first event. A monk from the local Wat gave us, and the new building, a traditional blessing.

Dancers from Kampong Speu Orphanage, long supported by TSF, began the festivities, in our new all-purpose room, with the Blessing Dance, followed by the Farmer Dance, then the Hunter Dance. Our children were mesmerized. Previously chosen children then escorted Mary Jane to the front porch area of the new building, where Nancy and Elephant spoke briefly, and Sok Pharoth, just graduated from 12th grade and headed for University in the fall, thanked Mrs. Gearns, both in English and Khmer, on behalf of the children of Roteang orphanage. Tep Vuthea, now a 12th grader, praised the new big computer school space and all purpose room. Finally Chan Piseth, Touch Thyna and Yi Sophal assisted Mary Jane in cutting the red ribbon and unveiling the new name plaque on the front of Mary Jane’s House, to much applause.

The highlight of the afternoon for the children was, of course, the goodies that followed: a traditional cake, cookies, fruit and soda, served on the verandah of the main Orphanage.
We are extremely happy to have our new building, and are grateful to all who contributed, both for the building and for furnishings. The Board decided to name the building for Mary Jane when she volunteered, when the building was about half done and the economic slam hit us in the U.S., to pay all the remaining costs of construction. We were all immensely relieved and grateful.

We have long felt that, as the children were getting older, we would like to separate the boys and girls’ living quarters, with separate toilets and bathing facilities. The average age of the children at Roteang is now about 5 1/2 years, and while small babies still are sent to us periodically from the local hospitals, Maryknoll, and government agencies, our children are growing up, taking more space, and needing more privacy.

The original Orphanage, built in 2000 for 60 children and their attendant nannies had stretched to accommodate 74 children, and an increase in staff. Our nanny ratio remains at 1 for 2 preschool youngsters and 1:1 for our most severely handicapped children, but for older school age children is one to 3 or even 4 children. We now have 8 second graders, and 4 third graders, as well as 22 first graders. With 74 children in residence, and 37 full time staff who also all live at the Orphanage, we were bursting.

The new building features eighteen bed/study rooms 12 by 12 feet square, ultimately planned to house two or three girls each. Electrical outlets at the desk areas will eventually allow for desk lamps and maybe computer hook ups. Each room has fluorescent lights and a fan, and a large sliding, screened window. Right now we have moved 16 of our girls, 4 to a room plus a nanny, as well as 2 severely handicapped children who each has a private room, across from each other, with their nannies.

The girls are used to being close together, and we will thin out as the girls get bigger and more confident. On each floor of the two story building is a generous bathroom, with several shower stalls, and 5 private toilet compartments. Walls throughout the building are tiled to 4 feet, which makes for easy maintenance. Pharoth, our most senior girl at Roteang was given the privilege of choosing her own room: she wisely settled on an upstairs corner room, as being ideal for studying. Our first grade teacher, Simney, age 18 and also an orphan and a student in the TSF English school, lives across from Pharoth.

Thus the new building already houses 19 girls (plus Simney), making 55 children across the way in the main orphanage, with their caretakers, a much more comfortable situation! We will gradually move the rest of the girls.

The building is wonderful—very bright and airy, and as it was designed and built by Chun Dy Hok (with our input) it is very solidly constructed. Hok will oversee it, as he does all our other buildings. We now have space for all the foreseeable future, even when we resettle into doubles or triples, as homework and adolescence become the norm.

On the ground floor, a large common room occupies half the floor space. We moved our computer school here last month, and now can have 10 students at a time, and expanded resources. We are exploring whether we can have a beginner Cambodian dance program start up too; we are hunting for an affordable teacher as we feel this is a very important part of the culture for Cambodian children.

The boys will continue to live very adequately in the original orphanage building. All the children still prefer to sleep on the floor, as they are used to, so currently only nannies in the new building, and our teens, use beds. Another donation of 20 colorful handmade quilts by the Concord, Massachusetts Piecemakers, adds distinction to the rooms and pride in their spaces to the children. Everyone is thrilled with the outcome, and we are so pleased to have such wonderful space for expansion.

The Board wishes to add its thanks to all who helped make Mary Jane's House a reality—very much to Mary Jane Gearns, but to all those other folks too who really got the project off the ground. We will be adding some plaques and pictures to rooms in the near future—if you contributed to furnishings—or would like to—we would love photos of your family or child to add, or your favorite picture!