Empathy—real, life-altering empathy—is an underrated value. In the 21st century, when human interactions occur primarily through virtual means, human empathy more often than not takes the form of online donations.
Which is why the story of Tara Winkler is so extraordinary.
In 2005, at the age of 21, Winkler traveled to Cambodia to volunteer at Akira’s Landmine Museum, which supported victims of landmines. At that time, she visited an orphanage Battambang, which, she later found out in 2007, was run by a director who was embezzling funds and sexually and emotionally abusing the young children who took refuge there.
Horrified by the stories of abuse, Winkler partnered with local NGO director, Pon Jedtha, to found the Cambodian Children’s Trust (CCT), a non-profit NGO that fosters the educational and ethical empowerment of the children of Battambang.
Tired of “orphanage tourism,” Winkler and her team recently converted CCT from an orphanage into a “community development organization” to better serve the Battambang community, as well as in order to try to keep the children with their families. “I’m not mum any more,” she explained in an interview. “I played that role for a little when it was necessary, but that isn’t something that’s sustainable for all those kids.”