Grove teen puts hands and heart of gold to good use

HIGH school can be challenging at the best of times, and having dyslexia doesn’t 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 “Arkoun” with all proceeds going towards improving hygiene for Cambodian children.

“I 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’t fund it,” Georgie said.

“I was looking around at their hygienic needs and thinking, what’s something I could help with in the long-term, and came up with the idea of making soaps.”

Georgie said she had the idea of fun soaps that would encourage kids to wash their hands choosing the name because it translates to “thank you” in Khmer (Cambodia’s official language.)

“I’d never made soap before so was in the kitchen playing around with sparkles and colours and looking at other people’s soaps, I was YouTubing and nearly blew up the microwave at one point,” she said.

“We go through a program called Heads, Heart and Hands and they take us over, it’s a really good organisation. I’ve already funded one washhouse and raised over $3,300 in my first three months.”

Proud mum Tracey Dore said she gets teary when she talks about Georgie’s achievements and is proud of the compassion her daughter has shown to kids less fortunate.

“Georgie 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,” Ms Dore said.

“When 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.”

Ms Dore said they’ve 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.

“Georgia’s done it all for free because she believes in what George is doing. I don’t think we would’ve been able to do this without the support we’ve received from everyone which is pretty incredible,” Ms Dore said.

Georgie said that she hopes to continue building washhouses across Cambodia indefinitely and encouraged others her age to remember how lucky they are.

“We are a very fortunate country. When I go over I take my spare clothes to hand out and toothbrushes. I don’t think when people waste food or throw away their clothes they realise how lucky we are, I’ve seen kids starving on the side walk and it really affects you,” she said.

“I 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.”

For more information on Georgie and the Arkoun range, head to Arkoun.org