Where does the money go ?

As everyone who follows us knows, we have several projects that are supported by donations, we thought that as we've just returned to Cambodia, we'd do a quick recap some of what we do.

Goodwill Centre

Teachers

Via your donations we currently pay for two teachers at the Goodwill Centre in Sihanoukville.  We'll be meeting with both of them when we are there next week.  They do an incredible job along with all the staff at the Centre.

"Kids to School" Food program 

Some parents keep their children from school and instead have them work to raise money for food.   As long as the kids are being sent to school we give them a food parcel once a month.  The photo's below show some of the people you support with your donations.

CHOICE

Do a wonderful job with some of the most disadvantaged Cambodians on the outskirts of the capital, Phnom Penh.  They're a larger organisation doing an incredible job of education, providing fresh drinking water and job creation opportunities via training. The organisation is overseen by expat volunteers and employ sixteen Khmer staff.

EDUCATION  

We currently have two scholarships we are supporting that has allowed us to fund two University positions.  We met with one of the students last night who is studying Civil Engineering at University in Phnom Penh (First Year) and another student studying English and tourism in Sihanoukville.

Exchange Rate

While the reserve bank of Australia wants the Aus. Dollar to depreciate against the US Dollar, it makes it much harder for us, as Cambodia's economy runs on the US Dollar. This means we have to raise considerably more money to keep funding the projects at the same level.  With this in mind and exchange rate uncertainty going forward, combined with our current donations, we are unable to take any more projects on unless we can increase our donations.  Currently we're down about 25% against the US Dollar.

We'll keep everyone updated as we can while we're here in Cambodia and being back simply reinforces the wonderful work we can do with the generous donations of our friends back in Australia.

Where the money doesn't go.

It doesn't go on us, all of our expenses, including accommodation, airfares, meals etc are all paid directly by us from our own money.  All the money goes to help fund the projects we support.

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Cambodia trip - 2015

Getting closer...

Only two weeks until we leave for our yearly trip to Cambodia, on 1 March. This trip will be different for two reasons. Firstly Toni's Mum is coming with us and so we will visit Angkor. We don't travel there anymore as none of our organizations are based there but its a wonder of the world. Say no more. The other reason is that we will meet Seng Somnang our second uni student, for the first time.

A mountain of clothes

The donated clothes are nearly sorted. Thank you to everyone who gave.  It does take a while as we have been given around twenty bags. Some of the items aren't suitable like jumpers and jackets for colder climates and some are soiled, so we spend a few days sorting and boxing them up. We really look forward to the part of our trip where we donate the clothes. The smiles on the faces of the children say it all.

One of our very talented local artists, Pamela Denise, has donated some art supplies and is giving Toni a free workshop next week. She will be learning how to make dragon flies from coloured wire and beads and taking that knowledge to the Goodwill Center for the children there.

Donations

We've also been receiving one off donations from various local community members and these donations, along with all the regular donors go along way, especially now the exchange rate is bad and projects we've committed to are consequently significantly more expensive in Aus dollar terms.

Personal Expenses

100% of all money raised and donated goes to the projects we support. Toni and Trevor cover all of their own expenses.

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Time for giving

Christmas is the time to give. Choice Cambodia are in desperate need of childrens clothing. If you have children or know of someone with children please help out by sorting through clothes they may have grown out of. Why not drop into your nearest opshop and grab a heap of clothes to donate. We will be heading to Cambodia in April and always buy extra baggage so please contact us if you can help out. We took 30kg of clothing last time and donated them to the families of the Goodwill Center.

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Lip Sync Night done and dusted

Lip Sync Night Fundraiser Done and Dusted

The evening commenced with an informative talk about the plight of the Cambodian people and how the donations are being of help to the communities we support. While the attendance was lower than in previous years, the night was a great success with a wonderful meal donated by the generous Nymboida locals,

Awesome Food

superb entertainment by our talented neighbours,

Annie, Laena and Toni (Robert Palmer - Simply Irresistible)

Phil as Kid Rock (Peter Sellers - I Am So Ashamed)

Rick (Jon Ewing - A Little More Mascara)

plus a sample of the musical skills of local lad JJ Porelli and an intimate crowd.

Enjoying a meal in good company at the Nymboida Hall

Thank you so much to the wonderful people from Nymboida and Andrew who came all the way from Grafton.

A huge thank you to you all but a special thank you to all those who donated meals and to all the entertainers !

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Exciting new project

During the time we have spent in Cambodia we have met some wonderful, generous people from all over the world. One of those is Ingrid, a German lady who is a passionate fundraiser and who sponsors multiple Cambodian children and their families. Ingrid approached us to ask if we were able to sponsor a young man she knew who passed year 12 and has been accepted into university but who cannot afford the fees. We have now committed to funding the university education of Seng Somnang. Somnang will move from Sihanoukville in the south to the Capitol, Phnom Penh to study engineering. He is lucky enough to have two sponsors. A lady from Germany will pay for his living expenses and we will fund his university fees, text books and uniforms.
Good luck, Somnang. We wish you every success for your future.

Seng Somnang

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