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Newsletter – Column H

$20,000 for Cambodia’s Children

HAI has donated $20,000 to the Sunrise Children’s Village in Cambodia. The money will be used to fund the construction of a farm shed for the Sunrise Farm – a new vocational education and training project for the Village’s children.

HAI consultant Mike Clarke, who is currently working as the Business Development Adviser on the Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute – Assistance Project, is working with a group of Cambodia-based Australians to raise funds and support for the Village. Presided over by Australian Geraldine Cox, Sunrise Children’s Village is home to about 80-100 Cambodian children, providing them with shelter, schooling and skills development.

Ms Cox said the Sunrise Farm project came about in response to the aspirations of some of the older boys at the village.

“Not everyone wants to learn about computers or music. Some of our boys came to me and said they wanted to be farmers,” she said.

Rice-farming is the most common form of agricultural production in Cambodia but tends not to be very profitable, so the Sunrise Farm will aim to train the boys in more advanced and profitable types of farming. The land on the farm will be prepared and different crops tested to see what will grow. Trees and indoor plants will also be grown and sold.

The funded farm shed that will be built with the Hassalls donation will be used as both a workshop and a storage shed for tools and the farm tractor.

Mr Clarke said the group of Australians assisting the Village are from the Australian development community and are helping with the planning stage of the Sunrise Farm as well as sourcing funds. All of this is done in addition to other employment commitments.

“It’s a fairly informal group. We talk on the phone, over a meal or a beer and plan how we can best support the project. It’s just a little bit of an aside to our existence over here,” he said.

Ms Cox said that getting support from corporate businesses was the most difficult and the funding provided by Hassalls and other organisations was greatly appreciated.

“It is always hard to get corporate money, especially since the tsunami. It is easier to get individual donations of $30 per month, but we need the larger lump sums for capital works projects, such as the farm shed.”

She said that in places like Cambodia, you can meet people you wouldn’t normally meet and find support in the relationships you make.

“I met Mike and the other Australians involved through the expat social scene and invited them to visit the orphanage. We have all become great mates and they enjoy coming out to the orphanage. It is wonderful to have Aussies outside of Australia wanting to help the children of Cambodia,” she said.

For more information on the Sunrise Children’s Village visit www.sunrisechildrensvillage.org

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