HIGH school can be challenging at the best of times, and having dyslexia doesn\u2019t help 14-year-old Georgie Demir, yet this remarkable teen has dedicated herself to helping others.<\/p>\n
A trip to Cambodia last year inspired the St Ignatius student to return home and launch her own soap social enterprise \u201cArkoun\u201d with all proceeds going towards improving hygiene for Cambodian children.<\/p>\n
\u201cI went to Cambodia with mum to help build washhouses (a place where kids wash their hands and clean their teeth). It helps the kids out because the schools can\u2019t fund it,\u201d Georgie said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was looking around at their hygienic needs and thinking, what\u2019s something I could help with in the long-term, and came up with the idea of making soaps.\u201d<\/p>\n
Georgie said she had the idea of fun soaps that would encourage kids to wash their hands choosing the name because it translates to \u201cthank you\u201d in Khmer (Cambodia\u2019s official language.)<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d never made soap before so was in the kitchen playing around with sparkles and colours and looking at other people\u2019s soaps, I was YouTubing and nearly blew up the microwave at one point,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe go through a program called Heads, Heart and Hands and they take us over, it\u2019s a really good organisation. I\u2019ve already funded one washhouse and raised over $3,300 in my first three months.\u201d<\/p>\n
Proud mum Tracey Dore said she gets teary when she talks about Georgie\u2019s achievements and is proud of the compassion her daughter has shown to kids less fortunate.<\/p>\n
\u201cGeorgie has dyslexia and finds school really hard but when we went over to Cambodia I just watched her come into herself and do amazing things. The project manager said Georgie had a special gift communicating with the Cambodian people even though English is their second language,\u201d Ms Dore said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we got home, George said how much she missed the kids and just knew there was so much more she could do for them and came up with this amazing concept.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Dore said they\u2019ve had fantastic support from the community with several local shops across the Surf Coast now stocking the soaps, and past St Ignatius student and graphic designer Georgia Mullens doing the labelling and design logo for free.<\/p>\n
\u201cGeorgia\u2019s done it all for free because she believes in what George is doing. I don\u2019t think we would\u2019ve been able to do this without the support we\u2019ve received from everyone which is pretty incredible,\u201d Ms Dore said.<\/p>\n
Georgie said that she hopes to continue building washhouses across Cambodia indefinitely and encouraged others her age to remember how lucky they are.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are a very fortunate country. When I go over I take my spare clothes to hand out and toothbrushes. I don\u2019t think when people waste food or throw away their clothes they realise how lucky we are, I\u2019ve seen kids starving on the side walk and it really affects you,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would like to let kids like me (who have dyslexia) or are struggling in school know that when you find something you are passionate about you can really embrace it and it drives you to keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n
For more information on Georgie and the Arkoun range, head to Arkoun.org<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
HIGH school can be challenging at the best of times, and having dyslexia doesn\u2019t help 14-year-old Georgie Demir, yet this remarkable teen has dedicated herself to helping others. A trip to Cambodia last year inspired the St Ignatius student to return home and launch her own soap social enterprise \u201cArkoun\u201d with all proceeds going towards […]<\/p>\n