SPRING 2016 NEWS + NEEDS
rise and shine
KICKING GOALS AT KAMPONG SPEU Sunrise Kampong Speu is such a success story. It shines a light on the changing roles that NGOs need to play in helping develop Cambodia to give the Khmer people the bright future they deserve. Based 30 kilometres outside of the biggest urban centre of the province, the centre is making great strides in community development and education. Read more about it and how you can help on PAGE 2.
BOSS TALK We are fortunate to have highly skilled, talented and effective staff in both Sunrise Cambodia's operations on the ground and in the fundraising team at The Australia Cambodia Foundation in Australia which is the DGR registered charity for Sunrise Cambodia that monitors compliance. Our experts at the helm – Yi Soksan as National Operations Director for Sunrise Cambodia in country and Lucy Perry as Chief Executive Officer of The Australia Cambodia Foundation – are both progressive thinkers with enormous energy. Their leadership is seeing the right mix of action and process thinking, and the development of trust and connection between the two entities. In this time of rapid change, it’s not enough to do new things. We have to think in new ways too. Sunrise Cambodia is guided by its vision to transform lives and end the poverty cycle in Cambodia. The future is here, but we understand that it will take time to communicate to all our supporters that we now focus on education, health, community development and residential care.
YOU REALLY ARE THE CHANGE MAKERS The final numbers are in and you've donated more than $420,000 to Rebuild the Brains Trust! We are so grateful! Our big orkun (thank you) is on page 5. Winners are grinners
Thank you for your support, care and commitment to Sunrise Cambodia. We can't do it without you.
Geraldine and Kevin kids • familiessunrisecambodia.org.au • health • learning
STUDENT SPONSORSHIP AWESOME NEWS: Sunrise kids Panha and Sakd have received international education scholarships! They’ve both been with Sunrise since they were toddlers and are sure to become brilliant assets to their community once they return. Panha received a scholarship from his university to go to Israel for a year to continue studying agriculture and Sakd has been offered the same opportunity to study computer science in China. They are so excited!
Success stories like this couldn’t happen without you, our loyal supporters. We need more sponsors who want to be part of a student's life-changing journey and send them into adulthood with all the tools they need to thrive. If you can sponsor a student, please get in touch with us. Ask for Sinan.
KAMPONG SPEU: THE FUTURE OF SUNRISE
Change a life. Become a student sponsor.
Socheat and Tola, two of the biggest feminists in Cambodia
Sunrise Kampong Speu is a project unlike any other at Sunrise. It doesn't provide full time residential care for children. Instead, it gives free education to students from a part of Cambodia's poorest province in partnership with the local public school. School attendance has jumped from 80 students to over 500 since opening in December 2015. The biggest motivation? It's the awesome, world class sports programs and facilities. Every day there is soccer and taekwondo practice and there's a volleyball court on-site. Some of Cambodia's best teenage soccer players are honing their skills here!
"The benefits of community development and education models such as this are long term. The costs are dramatically lower than traditional orphanage models and most importantly, they have a future of self-sustainability and an exit plan." Kevin Tutt, chairman. Sunrise has established what is possible. Now we need your help to set Kampong Speu up to be sustainable and bring projects just like it to the more provinces of Cambodia. Donate online if you can help, become a regular supporter or get in touch to sponsor one of our students. Orkun!
FEMINISM IN ACTION Life for the girls in school at Sunrise Kampong Speu has improved so much because of these two rockin' feminists. So much so that there are about 100 more girls than boys at school now - the opposite of most Cambodian schools. When coach Mey Socheat and Provincial Operations Manager Hem Tola discovered that many girls wouldn't attend for days at a time every month, leaving them behind in training and class, they wanted to know why. It was the bathroom. There was only one toilet block. The girls didn't feel comfortable using it, especially as they got older. But Socheat needed them to be at soccer training to become the best of the best and Tola needed them to stay in class to get the education they deserve. So, they built a whole new bathroom block with private toilets and showers. Now the girls come to class every day and can stay late to get in their soccer training. They're scoring goals in the classroom, representing their country on the field and blazing a path for youngsters to follow in their footsteps. Go Girls!
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$50,000 is all it takes to dramatically change the lives of 1,200 people who now have access to endless clean water!
LIFESAVING CLEAN WATER SYSTEMS ARE GO!
HOME SWEET HOME... Raising two kids on your own is hard enough in any country, but when you’re a single mum in Cambodia, your house is taken from you and you’re left with nothing but two square metres, things get really tough. That’s what happened to Sophal. She lives just outside of Siem Reap, a city flush with tourist money from the nearby world wonder of Angkor Wat, but she and her neighbours see none of it. Their whole community is built on governmentowned land, or APSARA Authority Land.
This means that at any time, on any day, the community could be thrown off the land for good. They have no claims at all to the few square metres of land, timber and tin that they call home.
Construction of a new water filtration system for the floating village of Mechrey is well under way and is expected to be pumping out clean water by the end of September thanks to generous donors from Australia. These villagers may live on a fresh water lake, but they have never had access to clean drinking water and for this reason, more than 600 people are acutely ill.
A fifth of the deaths of children under five are due to waterborne diseases. What is particularly sad about this village is that tourists pay to cruise through for a look-see at the famous floating village, with none of that money going to supporting community development. Sunrise stepped in this year by consulting the chief to find out what was needed most. The brand new water system will give a never- ending supply of filtered water to the people of Mechrey and they can kiss goodbye the gastro illnesses that had kept so many of them ill for so long. Villagers can now focus on earning a living catching fish rather than a full day trek to buy water in Siem Reap.
Sunrise Cambodia has another community just like this one in desperate need of clean water. It's regular giving that means we can plan for life changing work that will help some of the poorest people in the world. Please consider making a regular donation to Sunrise Cambodia so that your gifts can make fresh clean water a reality.
Sophal used to have her own home. Then the authorities came. They moved her family out and demolished it. Now her new house is down a small, damp alleyway tucked in between a crumbling wall and mosquito infested waters. It’s a run-down hut with leftover building materials scattered around the outside. The house backs onto sewerage that’s also littered with rubbish and the remnants of half the village’s meals. Sophal doesn’t even have the whole place for her family – she has just two square metres of it. One inside, shared with two other families. The other outside, under the shelter of a battered tin roof that doesn't stand a chance against monsoon season if the puddles on the ground are anything to go by. Sophal's kids go to Sunrise New Hope for school, but every night they come home to the uncertainty of life and every season they get sick from diseases borne from water, mosquitoes or just lack of basic hygiene. Sunrise is working to secure land to build a house for Sophal - land that is safe and secure. If you can help us help Sophal, please make a donation today.
sunrisecambodia.org.au • PAGE 3
SOHK SABAAY!
PHOTO OF THE SEASON
The Australian crew packed their laptops and took to the skies to meet the operations team in Cambodia. Hard work, big dreams and karaoke sessions ensued.
That time the Sunrise crew met the luckiest man alive, Pol Pot survivor Laos. He's on the cover of this issue. Follow us on Instagram @sunrisecambodia
The first meeting between the new Australian fundraising team and the Cambodian operations team took place last month. It was big. It was exciting. It was even more amazing than we’d hoped it would be. For the Aussie fundraising team, meeting the people who put the funds we raise to work on the ground and seeing the impact on the kids, families and whole communities in Cambodia was always going to be inspiring. But the thoughts, ideas and work that came out of the time spent together was out of this world. We brainstormed world-changing projects, implemented Xero for transparent accounting, met countless people whose lives have been transformed by Sunrise and bonded over a couple of epic karaoke sessions. The future of Sunrise is bright with these two teams working together. #dreamteam You never know who you'll meet in a back alley of Phnom Penh
YOUR SUNRISE CREW: YI SOKSAN, NATIONAL OPERATIONS DIRECTOR “I was born in war so my parents named me Soksan. It means, ‘Peace’.” Soksan grew up one of nine children on a small farm in a province in the north east of Cambodia. He went to university to become a teacher after a childhood wracked by war, fear and the Pol Pot years. After graduating, Soksan taught English and chemistry but his true passion was his volunteer job: teaching English, health education and computer skills to vulnerable people. Soon, he embarked on decades of dedicated work with major NGOs. Then he got an offer he couldn’t refuse – to work as the manager of Sunrise Kandal. He took the job and has never looked back.
The teams in Siem Reap
Now the National Operations Director, Soksan says the best part of working for Sunrise Cambodia is being a leading force behind the shift from the orphanage model to community development. He revels in seeing reintegrated kids turn into independent, strong and confident young adults with huge futures ahead of them.
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COMMUNICATE #LIKEABOSS The Sunrise Cambodia crew went all out in September to host a very special fundraiser in Sydney. #LikeaBOSS was a one-day live event designed to share world-class communication skills. With a volunteer army to assist, the Sunrise crew hosted over 150 guests at Sydney Town Hall, where they learned keynote speaking and social media skills with some of the best in the business. Thank you to our speakers who were so generous with their time and talent and a massive thank you to Xero for sponsoring this event to the tune of $5000. The hashtag #Likeaboss16 trended in Sydney on the day and feedback from delegates was brilliant. All proceeds will be applied to the education budget for kids in Cambodia. Look out Melbourne! Sunrise will bring #LikeaBOSS to you in 2017.
ORKUN FROM GERALDINE Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your generous donations to our Rebuild the Brains Trust appeal. You have helped Sunrise Cambodia raise over $420,000! I couldn't believe my ears when the girls at the office told me! This was short of the goal to raise half a million but it was still a tremendous result and I am so very grateful for your support. Education really is the only way to give the poorest people in the world a chance at a better life. Your gift means that the kids of Cambodia are offered a chance in life and the impact of your donation doesn't just end there. You have laid the foundations for ongoing growth and a Brains Trust that keeps on giving. Your gift will put young adults through skilled training and education. They will be the tradies, seamstresses, chefs, teachers and leaders of tomorrow. I get all teary thinking about their futures. We are making exciting plans for our own vocational training centre and the team will keep you posted on that. I am so proud to have such wonderful supporters behind Sunrise Cambodia and our vision for a educated nation. The kids and I couldn't thank you enough! Love and light, Geraldine x
sunrisecambodia.org.au • PAGE 5
MOVIE SCREENING
Mentor the teachers so Cambodia's kids get an education worthy of the best schools in Australia
THE DUNNY MAN
DRUM ROLL! World-famous film director Bruce Beresford will attend a charity screening of cult surfing and comingof-age film Puberty Blues in Sydney in October. Bruce will give a keynote interview with presenter, journalist and social media legend, Lee-Lin Chin as guest interviewer. Bruce has directed many films including Mao's Last Dancer, Paradise Road, Double Jeopardy and Academy Award winning classic Driving Miss Daisy. Film buff Lee-Lin is best known as the weekend presenter of SBS World News and more recently for her comedic talents on The Feed. What a duo. A sell out event will raise more than $50,000 for desperately needed health and education for some of the poorest people in Cambodia.
Only eight percent of Cambodians living in the countryside have access to a toilet. Imagine if you and your family had to share a home with no toilet. Or worse, imagine if you and the five neighbours either side of your house all had to share one squat toilet? You'd all venture into the fields instead and then the water supply would be filthy, you would all get very sick, the babies would die. Sunrise Cambodia has found a local supplier, affectionately known as the Dunny Man, who installs a composting toilet into a Cambodian home for $AUD350. What a bargain! Donate now and flush us with cash!
BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM The Australian national under 17s football team, the Joeys, played a friendly match with the Sunrise kids at Kandal recently. The team visited on their day off from the ASEAN Football Federation Youth Championships to learn about our community development and sports programs and kick a few own goals in their game with the Kandal kids. What a thrill for the kids and staff! The Joeys also made a generous donation. Joeys, you rock! PS. If you and your famous friends would like to visit Sunrise Cambodia at Kandal or Siem Reap please let us know by emailing hq@sunrisecambodia.org.au or complete the online form.
Thank you Umbrella Entertainment for making the film available for this special screening.
PUBERTY BLUES CHARITY SCREENING WITH BRUCE BERESFORD + LEE-LIN CHIN Thursday 20 October at 6.45pm Ritz Cinema, 45 St Pauls Street, Randwick Tickets $55 per person • 10 tickets for $500 sunrisecambodia.org.au/pubertyblues
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LAST CALL TO RUN AMOK WITH SUNRISE! The adventure of a lifetime starts this November and this is your last call to be part of the first ever Run Amok trip to the Kingdom with Sunrise CEO, Lucy Perry. There are only two places left. Raise or donate $10,000, cover your travel expenses and you’re in. Or register as a team of two, raise $15,000 and double the fun! You'll see how your funds are working and we'll show you some of the most beautiful places in Cambodia. Visit the TRAVEL section of our website to find out more. Chop chop!
Do you have some time and talent ro share? Consider the mentor program
Kei is training to be a chef at Mday Thom in Siem Reap
CHOW DOWN AT MDAY THOM Sunrise Cambodia opened the doors of Mday Thom Cafe and Training Centre earlier this year at Sunrise Siem Reap. This trailblazing social enterprise is run by Sunrise Cambodia young adults and their Khmer hospitality trainers.
TEACHING MENTORS Are you ready for a major life experience which makes a real difference? Sunrise is looking for skilled teaching and sports mentors to build the abilities of our staff. The Sunrise Mentor Program is an opportunity to bring your expertise to Cambodia and make a long lasting impact. Beyond teaching one child, or even the whole classroom, mentoring invests in the professional development of the teachers and coaches. This development feeds back into their work and benefits the kids and whole community long after you return home. Volunteer programs which displace the locals from meanful employment are not a good way to help Cambodia. That's why Sunrise developed the Mentor Program. So if you have the skills and time to spare, read the full program on our website and apply. What are you waiting for?
Pictured above is 22 year old Kei. He's had a serious illness since he was a baby, needing regular blood transfusions and other specialist care. Kei's family was too poor to care for him and abandonded him as a child at the hospital in Siem Reap. Eventually he was referred to Sunrise Cambodia and he's been with us ever since.
Kei is one of the star recruits training under the chefs at Mday Thom. Kei tells us that his favourite dishes to eat are grilled chicken and fried cricket and he whips up a mean Tom Yum. Mday Thom is right in the heart of Siem Reap city just a minute's walk from Pub Street. Visitors can make a booking to do Khmer cooking classes and experience Traditional Khmer dance shows performed by Sunrise and community youth dancers. Pay Mday Thom a visit next time you are in Siem Reap and Kei may well be on the team who cooks your meal and shakes your cocktails.
sunrisecambodia.org.au • PAGE 7
FUNDRAISING HELP Long time Sunrise supporters Hilary and Don Reid have created a unique way to fundraise for Sunrise Cambodia - they're offering up their home, Air BnB style, with all proceeds going to Sunrise. We have been supporting Geraldine for over 16 years after hearing a heart wrenching radio interview. Since this time we have been dedicated to fundraising for the important work Sunrise does for children and the community in Cambodia. Don and I just retired and moved to Busselton, WA which is a popular beach side holiday town outside Perth. We are offering holiday accommodation in our
two story home for friends of Sunrise to help raise funds and support the important work they do in the country. It is about 5 km south from Busselton Centre, in the famous Margaret River wine and surfing Region. The house has a selection of rooms, with private or shared facilities, and we provide breakfast. With views of the famous Brusselton Jetty, you're just a short stroll from the beautiful beaches of Geographe Bay. For more info and to make a booking, send an email to hilary.reid@live.com.au. Orkun Hilary and Don!
AND a big juicy thank you to Geraldine's sister Sandra Powell and Adelaide supporters of Sunrise Cambodia for hosting a screening of Queen of the Desert recently, raising more than $3000 - enough to fund a home for a Cambodian family. The efforts of local supporters make such a difference.
PLEASE DONATE •
Make a credit card donation online at sunrisecambodia.org.au
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Post a cheque made out to the Australia Cambodia Foundation to PO Box 2266 Clovelly NSW 2031
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Donate by calling us on 1300 894 591
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Drop into Sunrise Cambodia HQ in Sydney and make a cash donation and meet the team
“Our most urgent need is funding for lifesaving community development in the poorest provinces of Cambodia. Your generosity literally changes lives. Please make a donation, or even better, consider a regular monthly gift. A reliable income from monthly donations helps us plan for the future to support at-risk kids, struggling families and poor communities in Cambodia. Every little bit makes a difference. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.” Geraldine Cox AM, Founder
Sunrise Cambodia is a world-class charity on the ground in Cambodia giving much-needed help to at-risk kids, struggling families and poor communities in some of the most poverty-stricken provinces of the country. The charity is one of a number of projects in Cambodia which are funded by the Australia Cambodia Foundation Inc (ABN 37 730 989 411); a DFAT and ATO approved Deductible Gift Recipient charity, registered to raise funds in all states and territories of Australia. Any excess funds will be allocated to approved projects in Cambodia. Figures throughout this newsletter are in Australian dollars. Your donations to Sunrise are applied where they are needed most urgently. Thank you for reading the fine print.
The Sunrise Cambodia fundraising team would love to hear from you. We are on deck Monday to Friday, 10am to 6pm. Our website works 24/7 and you can email us anytime and we'll respond to you pronto. Phone Email Visit Social media Snail mail Pop in
1300 894 591 hq@sunrisecambodia.org.au sunrisecambodia.org.au @sunrisecambodia PO Box 2266 Clovelly NSW 2031 39 Burnie Street Clovelly NSW 2031
Images by: Tony Lewis, Richard Lyons, Aidan Brown, Liam Champagne, Melinda Hird, Simone Heydon, Imogen Champagne, Carmen Huehn and Lucy Perry