IT was a dream come true for Mandi Herauville when she heard the container she sent to Cambodia had finally arrived.
When completing the Windermere Challenge in 2011, Mandi, along with the rest of the group attended an orphanage in Cambodia, where they saw first-hand the suffering some children were forced to endure.
The Narre Warren South resident said she really felt the impact of this experience, made harder by the fact that she cannot have children herself.
While at the school, she asked the leaders if they would be interested in having a shed, as her parents own a shed company.
The donation of the shed led to another idea for Mandi, and soon she began planning to send a container of goods to the orphanage.
Unsure of whether the idea would become a reality, she was hopeful it would succeed.
Slowly the process began to unravel, and the difficulty of getting this container away became obvious.
“These ideas all seem simple at the start,” Mandi said.
However she was lucky enough to receive donations from both organisations and individuals, helping to quickly fill the container.
“I had a close-knit team, and my husband also helped a lot,” the co-ordinator said.
The container was finally full, stocked with pillows and books to fill an empty shelf that Mandi spotted while visiting.
The organiser was anxious to get the container away to these children, all of whom are HIV positive.
She said it was actually quite a shock to hear it had reached them.
“I’m an ideas person so it was great to see it all happen,” she said.
“It was a relief.”
Unfortunately Mandi was unable to be there when it arrived, her only regret throughout the process.
“I wish I had been there,” she said.
However included within the package sent over was a camera to capture the joy of the children when they received their gifts.
Mandi was hopeful she would receive photos back, which she did.
The container for Cambodia project was the first fund-raising initiative for the Chance Foundation which Mandi heads.
The volunteer said her plans include developing even more projects, and she hopes she can be in Cambodia to see her further dreams fulfilled.
