Fiona Donato and Trish Doyle, a school teacher and small business owner in Dover, Tasmania, respectively, never imagined they would become one of our biggest donors.
Despite not having expendable incomes or family trusts, and never winning the lottery, Fiona and Trish have donated over $168,000 to CCT. Even more inspiring, these two best friends have achieved this remarkable feat while also saving tons of goods from landfill.
Fiona and Trish first visited us in 2008 as part of a school fundraising trip. It was Fiona’s first time leaving Australia and neither had ever been to a developing country. Shocked by the poverty they saw and impressed by our work, they were compelled to do more to help. “We had never seen such poverty. You hear about it and read about it, but just to experience it first-hand, it was such a shock,” says Trish.
One of Fiona Donato and Trish Doyle first visits to CCT in Battambang, Cambodia
Their fundraising journey began with garage sales and turned into their very own op shop, called Juey Bazaar. Juey means ‘help’ in Khmer. Soon, their local community chipped in, donating bags of unwanted clothes. “We’re doing a double service really,” says Fiona. “We’re providing cheap clothing for people who are doing it tough in Tassie, but then the money that we’re raising is helping CCT.”
They call themselves “CCT’s fairy godmothers,” and for good reason. They have visited us five times over the last 16 years and their support has been instrumental in our transformation from an orphanage to the Village Hive which is building a social protection system in Cambodia.
Over the years, they’ve been asked why they’ve dedicated the last 16 years to supporting CCT. “A few people have said, ‘What are you helping Cambodia for? There’s people in Australia that need help,’ but we choose to do this because we know that [CCT] is doing amazing things,” says Fiona. “We know that the money is doing good. There is not a big CEO sitting behind a desk in some flash office with a 4WD… like lots of other charities.”
Trish Doyle (left), Fiona Donato (middle) and CCT’s co-founder, Tara Winkler (right)
Trish and Fiona believe that anyone can make a difference, no matter how small. “If everyone did just a little bit, it makes a big difference,” Trish says. They point out that they are only selling things that people don’t want anymore, and that they are keeping these items out of landfill.
Trish and Fiona’s message is an important one. If we all do our part, we can make the world a better place.
Juey Bazaar op shop is located in Dover, Tasmania.
Check out Juey Bazaar on Facebook here.