Welcome to Supporting Cambodia

…where lives are being changed daily and whole communities are being lifted out of generations of exploitation, neglect and persecution. We are unashamedly proud of what our humble little organisation has been able to achieve, proud because it's founded on a very simple principle - Cambodians helping Cambodians.

Our in-country team deserve all the accolades and credit for the remarkable achievements that we have had the privilege to be a part of and at the top of the list is the architect of it all, our inspiring in-country director, Pastor Hang Abrahamsimting, or Abe to his friends (which if you've taken the time to read this far, now includes you).

As with Andong, Abe's vision to provide a long term solution for these families, is focussed on providing a comprehensive and professionally delivered Khmer education to their children to slowly but surely and irreversibly lift them out of poverty. To this end the beautiful local hardwood Trampoung primary school emerged from the jungle in 2011 and today is a real beacon of hope to the over 500 eager young students who attend each day and the families they come from. Just like Andong, a free food program provides these children with a nutritious meal before classes commences, for most the only one for the day.

At both school facilities we have an amazingly dedicated team of teachers (some of them past students) who go above and beyond to deliver a first-class, Cambodian-government endorsed Khmer education that really is second to none. Their commitment to the cause is unwavering and this was especially evident at the height of the Covid 19 pandemic when all schools in the country were forcibly closed, however, our teachers took to the road to deliver an at home curriculum to each and every student.

In addition to nurturing these children through primary school, we also have a boarding facility 30km down the road called the House of Hope where our aspiring graduating primary students can call home while they attend the nearby public high school. With parents working over the border in Thailand or in other far flung corners of Cambodia, this house is the only real home they know and it's more than just a roof over their heads, we have a dedicated husband and wife team on site who provide mentoring, teach life skills and support them in their studies.

So successful is this holistic model in OM it has underpinned some incredible outcomes for these largely uneducated families where we are now seeing and financially supporting students from really impoverished backgrounds realising the potential that has always been there and going all the way through to tertiary university studies in downtown Phnom Penh. One of the stand out products of this system is a really gifted youngster called Ponleu who scored in the top five of all year 12 students across the entire country (including the well-funded private schools) in 2019 against all the odds. So significant was his achievement he received a personal invitation to meet the Cambodian prime minister. He has become a great role model for all of our OM families and whenever he gets back to the province is always quick to support, encourage and tutor the next crop of students coming through.

The diversity of project activities is ensuring we are providing for a broad set of needs in OM and Andong and has become a great blueprint that even the Cambodian government is starting to take an interest in. In addition to operating two very successful primary schools for 1200 children and the OM House of Hope, we've also provided countless latest technology wells to access clean and safe drinking water, rolled out a Covid 19 emergency food program (that continues today), established an avocado and aquaculture farm, undertake housing and other infrastructure projects, mentor and accommodate university students in Phnom Penh, the list goes on and on.

One of the key aspects of our projects that I'm most proud of is the fantastic return on investment that every donor gets when they decide to entrust us with their hard-earned money. As well as all contributions being fully tax deductible, we have a great framework in place to trim back our administration overheads to maximise the on-ground works. Unlike a lot of the big well-known and well-funded charities that are often criticised for high donation retention rates, we proudly utilise 92.5% of every dollar contributed to educate and feed our students and support thousands of families to restore hope and a future for themselves. But we haven't compromised on our oversight and reporting responsibilities both in Cambodia and Australia. I think you would struggle to find a humanitarian project on the planet that delivers greater outcomes dollar for dollar than this one.

As pleasing as it is to take stock of our achievements and celebrate the successes, there is plenty more work to do and now is definitely not the time to squander the great momentum that has been built up over the past decade-and-a-half. There is great demand on us to accommodate hundreds more children at both schools, install more fresh water wells, help facilitate employment opportunities for still struggling OM families, explore and expand in-country income generation projects, roll out more emergency aid and a whole lot more.

We would love for you to consider partnering with us in this great work and share in the amazing journey along the way. In this fast-paced world that we all seem to live in and the uncertain times of the past few years, it is such a wonderful encouragement to witness the power that one group of compassionate people still has to fundamentally transform the lives and reignite the hopes and dreams of countless thousands of others. Please join with me in Supporting Cambodia.

Rob Ellson,

Chairman, Supporting Cambodia