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HAWKESBURY’S FINEST
by Greg Martin
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Just when you begin to despair about
today’s youth, you come across someone like
Riverstone’s Jake Stalker.
The 20-year-old is the founder and
driving force behind One Step One Life
charity which aims to “give everyone here
in Australia the opportunity to take just one
small step to completely change the life of a
Cambodian who needs our support”.
“I don’t aim to change the world,” Jake
says.
“I want to improve the lives of the
incredible people I have met in Cambodia.
“It’s not religion, association or guilt
driving me to do this. It is looking into
the eye of someone who has lived an
unimaginably tough life and deciding to help
make that person’s life better, not because I
have to, but because why should that person
struggle anymore than me.”
One Step One Life is a non-religious,
non-for-profit organisation which uses well
below the charity industry standard of the
money donated for admin or running costs
(averaging between 2-5%).
This charity is for helping change the
lives of Cambodians, and every single cent
possible goes directly to them.
Since Jake set-up One Step One Life in
April, he has raised in excess of $30,000 – a
huge amount because the Australian dollar
goes a long way to funding anything in
impoverished Cambodia.
Prior to the birth of One Step One
Life, Jake had already been working
hard in raising funds to improve the lot of
Cambodians.
Achievements in such a small space in
time are:
• In partnership with Cambodia
Organisation for Social Development,
purchased the land to build a two
That’s my boy! Jenny and Jake Stalker.
class-rooms school in the village
of Prey Thmey. The building is now
underway.
• Employed a local Cambodian,
Pheakdey Yon, as the charity’s vice
president and Cambodia Co-ordinator.
• Delivered four Teacher Training
modules, working in a remote village
school.
• Provided eight One Step scholarships,
allowing six of the recipients to fulfil
their dreams – four are attending
university, another is studying English
and Computers and another has
commenced art classes to develop his
incredible talent.
• Provided laptops and internet
connections for all scholarship
students.
• Increased monthly sponsorships by
200% in six months
• Has four qualified Australian teachers
registered to visit Cambodia and
deliver teacher training modules.
Aiding and abetting Jake in this
exciting and fulfilling venture are family
members, mum and dad, Karen and Steve,
grandmother, May Keegan, big brother Scott,
22, and his maternal aunt, Jenny Vuillemot.
Jenny’s skills and talents as Head Teacher
Languages at Canberra Grammar have been
the cornerstone of what One Step One Life
hopes to achieve in Cambodia.
The charity’s Education Co-ordinator,
Jenny, who recently spent several weeks In
the northern Cambodia city of Siem Reap
where the charity is based, has developed
an English teaching program which will be
followed by the growing number of NSW
teachers who have offered their services to
go to Cambodia and teach.
Jenny says she is thrilled and humbled to
be part of the One Step One Life team.
“Jake continually reminded me during my
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6 ISSUE 61 // June 2015
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