Patrick Desgombaz is a dedicated man. During a meetings we had in Battambang, it was decided that he would start up several actions in Geneva, but also in the rest of French speaking Switzerland, to find more sponsors for AVEC. Patrick Gomaz (not to be confused with the chairperson of AVEC, Patrick Alain Roux) has done a wonderful job: he made small posters to inform people about the problem of trafficking in children and he managed to make us known to a large number of people, who have now joined us. Just like us, he discovered the difficulty of raising money even for a good cause, such as ours. We want to greet him for the courage he has shown, facing up to the difficulties of his task.

It seems that more and more people are unwilling to donate money as they have the impression of their money being lost in the process rather than arriving in the field where it’s needed. This is why the NGO AVEC, in contrast with other organisations, is trying to give as much information as possible to its donors, via our website.

We also want to emphasize that all AVEC volunteers have worked without any salary during 2006.

Patrick Gombaz is the kind of person who makes the world change. People like him give the opportunity to people who live in poor conditions to see their situation change for the better one day. They will also allow the children who live in the permanent danger that trafficking in children represents to them to be safer.

From all the AVEC team, then, comes a big THANK YOU to a man who tents to reverse the cruel trends of the world. You, too, can make a difference where you live, be it in France, Belgium, Canada or elsewhere. Maybe the time has come for you to do something, so please don’t hesitate to contact us. Join us to help the Cambodian children, because one girl in a brothel is one too many.

Patrick Alain Roux

Chairperson of the NGO AVEC