Janne Ritskes was born in Holland, and immigrated to Canada with her family in 1951. Her unique experience being part of an immigrant family environment, and helping fellow migrants establish themselves in a new home, lead her to discover her passion for aid work. She served as a missionary in Kenya, for ten years in the Philippines, and most recently, in Cambodia.
Ms. Ritskes first went to Cambodia in 1992, and was frustrated by the lack of long-term commitment to help Cambodians. With some 20 years of international experience in integrated community development programs, she sold much of her own belongings to start Tabitha Cambodia, along with seed funding from the Australian and Canadian consulates in Cambodia, and support from her friends and family in the Ottawa area.
Tabitha Cambodia is a benevolent trust with a simple vision: help overcome poverty by encouraging people to save strategically, and to act as leaders in their own communities. Tabitha’s Savings Program helps families prioritize, and to save for minimal household items, bicycles, wells, ponds and even new houses.
Integrated development initiatives include work in health care, education, sanitation (water, sewage), housing and small business – building wells, turning shelters into houses and reconstructing roads. The programs encourage community development and employ locals to create jobs.
Support for Ms. Ritskes work has grown globally with foundations in Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, in addition to the original Canadian Foundation. The foundations support her work through fundraising, awareness campaigns and the sale of cottage industry products, such as handmade crafts.
Many of those who support Tabitha have been moved by their experience with volunteer house building, which attracts teams from around the world.
Nominator: Yolanda Henry, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.
