Happy New Year to all our ‘Supporters’ and friends, in the UK, in Cambodia and around the world! Support Cambodia will be 10 years old on 31st January!! Happy Birthday to all of us!! So what better way to start 2025 than a Trustee Visit to Cambodia to visit the projects your generous donations have funded especially those mentioned below.
Chair of Trustees Katie Maidment and Trustee Maria Brown [along with the charity mascot ‘Karuna’] arrive in Siem Reap on Wednesday 15th January and over the next two weeks will visit projects in the Battambang, Pailin and Siem Reap areas.
These include: primary schools at Rohal and Soun Ampou, sewing groups run by Sister Vangie and Betty Millena, the Filtration Plant at Marist Pailin, the women weavers at Ta Hen, the ‘new’ boat and floating school on the Tonle Sap Lake, the water well and kindergarten at Sneung, baby milk programmes in all three centres and catching up with our six vocational training students, all studying at Don Bosco Technical School in Battambang. Oh…and shopping for crafts in the market, meeting our contacts on the ground [without whom none of this would be possible]….and inevitably, many other interesting activities as yet unknown!!
As in previous visits, Katie will be keeping a daily ‘Tour Diary’, written ‘in the field’ as it happens. If you’d like to follow the trip, you can read the daily reports on Facebook [Katie’s page or Support Cambodia] or by going to our website and clicking on Trustee Visit January 2025. The website also has lots of information under FUNDING IN ACTION about the projects we’re visiting so why not take a look while you’re there and join us in spirit!!
Bob Maidment Educational Support – a wonderful New Year Bonus!!
As you will be aware, our Education Fund is wide-ranging – dental health, school supplies, family support to help keep [mainly] girls in school, sports facilities and so on – but it’s central purpose is to enable young people from poor families access vocational training and entrepreneurship, opportunities they would otherwise be unable to afford. In 2024/5, we are supporting Sayet, Som, Chaveoun and Sok Meng [all 2nd years] plus 1st year students [pictured] Seng Hoan and Channy, all studying Electrical Engineering at Don Bosco Technical School in Battambang.
The Trustees are delighted to announce that following an application to the Marist Fathers Trust, which has North Norfolk connections, Support Cambodia have been awarded an amazing grant of £6,000. Just under half of this grant, specifically intended to finance vocational training over the next two years, has already been used to fund the six students mentioned above. The remaining money has been ringfenced for Seng Hoan and Channy’s second year study plus four new students starting in December 2025.
The Trustees would like to express their heartfelt thanks to the Marist Fathers Trust for helping to ensure the primary purpose of Bob Maidment’s memorial fund continues to be fulfilled. We have arranged to meet the six current students during the Trustee Visit in January and hope to bring you pictures and a few words from the boys themselves.
Christmas in Cambodia
News in Brief
- An excellent total of £200.80 for the Nutrition Fund was raised from the pre-Christmas events at Aylsham and North Walsham. Thanks to all who contributed in any way.
- Looking for a painless New Year Resolution? Sign up [free] to easyfundraising, get the Donation Reminder on your phone/desktop…and remember to use it!! Big thanks to the 5 of our registered 45 “Easyfundraisers” who did remember to shop via the app and raised free funds for Support Cambodia at no cost to themselves – very much appreciated. Will you join them in 2025?
- Finally, congratulations to someone who knows all about charity work: ‘Supporter’ Sue Mumford, Chair of Hospice Ethiopia UK and a good friend to our charity over a number of years, has been awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours List for her work in palliative care in Ethiopia. As a fellow Norfolk-based charity working overseas, we face mutual problems, sometimes offer solutions and always, mutual support. Well done Sue – thoroughly deserved!
From the Trustees
A big ‘THANK YOU’ to everyone who has contributed in any way to ‘Supporting Cambodia’ in 2024 with a special mention to our ongoing contributors [e.g: Standing Orders], our invaluable Business Supporters and those who have either organised fundraising during the year or given their services on a regular basis – we couldn’t do it without any of you.
A POLITE REQUEST: The Trustee Visit is likely to throw up one or two projects in desperate need of funding. So we ask politely that anyone thinking of making a donation, unless it’s very small, to please wait until after the Visit is complete and the Trustees can decide what our funding priorities should be for 2025. Our financial year-end is 31st March so we have to also bear that in mind. Thank you.
ADVANCE WARNING – AGM: The charity’s AGM will take place on Thursday April 10th at 7pm at Aylsham Catholic Church. Details to follow in the Spring issue of MANGO.
Digital News
Have you visited our refreshed website? Finally up and running from the beginning of December the website might look very similar – but it’s not! It’s easier to navigate, has interactive links to social media and our Business Supporters, plus improved background information. Our ‘back story’ i.e: what we’ve achieved in Cambodia as a charity over the last 10 years is also there – you’ll need to go into Archive to see it – but it makes interesting reading!! Do have a look. Again, grateful thanks to Andy Thomson of AMT Web Design for his perseverance and attention to detail.
The WhatsApp Group is still live. During the Trustee Visit Katie will be sharing a few links from Facebook to the WhatsApp Group. Don’t be put off by the fact it’s a ‘link’ – all you need to do is click on the link and it will open. You do not need to have anything to do with Facebook in order to open the link. Those already in the Group, please let us know when you can open and read a post as it will help us to improve how we use it. If you would like to join the Group, please get in touch with Katie [details below]
Fundraising & Talks
Currently there are no fundraising events planned for 2025….. and currently we have no talks booked either!! If anyone would like to organise a small fundraiser or book a talk for your local U3A, WI, Ladies Group or just a gathering of friends, please get in touch via the website, by WhatsApp or phone to discuss how we can help.
In 2024/5 Support Cambodia Administration is sponsored by:
The charity’s COLLECTION TINS may be found at a variety of locations in the Norwich area: for details, please go to the website.
Contact us:
Call +44(0) 1263 577784
Send a text/SMS to 07759 982011
Email info@supportcambodia.org.uk
Get in Touch Via Facebook Messenger
WhatsApp +44(0) 1603 552419
Support Cambodia
Ivy Cottage
22/23 Regent Street
Wickmere
Norfolk
NR11 7ND
THANK YOU FOR “SUPPORTING CAMBODIA”
