It is with immense pleasure and pride that I present to you the annual chairman’s report for Kangaroo Island Supporting Cambodia this evening. This day each year has become an occasion that I look forward to with much anticipation as we take the chance to pause and reflect on the latest chapter of this amazing journey that we have all been swept up in. 

For some of you, like me, the path is now a well-trodden one that has snaked through the sands of time for nearly 14 years, while others have joined the trail more recently and are still on their first set of Cambodian sandals. 

Either way, your support, encouragement and contribution to the projects in Andong slum village and remote Oddar Meanchey are equally valued in my eyes. For the stalwarts your tireless devotion to the cause has underpinned so many amazing highlights over the journey, while the fresh faces bring renewed enthusiasm and energy that you can’t help but gain great emotional nourishment from. 

Turning our attention to Cambodia, the projects have once again delivered much needed hope and dignity to some of the poorest and impoverished families on the planet under the wise and compassionate leadership of Pastor Abe and his dedicated team. 

The primary schools in Andong and OM continue to provide a first-class free education to well over a thousand enthusiastic youngsters who more often than not go on to well and truly outperform their middle-class peers in public high school, which is testament to the ongoing diligence, dedication and professionalism of our teachers. 

A key component of the education model at both schools is the provision of a nourishing meal to each and every student before they hit the books, which for many of them is the only time their bellies are full each day. 

In the past 12 months, both schools were once again put under the Ministry of Education microscope where every aspect of their operations were scrutinized in great detail and I’m pleased to report they again passed with flying colours. Without this government endorsement our students would be unable to continue on to high school so it’s always a nerve-wracking time for the teaching team. 

Covid class size restrictions continue to place extra pressure on our resources as the number of kids permitted remains capped at 25, down from the previous allowable 45. In Andong this has resulted in over 100 past students being turned away due to lack of space. Fortunately, there is now a public primary school nearby for them to attend, however, disappointingly, many of these pupils are dropping out of school altogether which is a sad indictment on the chasm that exists between a public education and the one being offered at Andong. 

In OM we have been able to accommodate the same number of students as pre-Covid times, but Abe’s team are having to be a little creative in what constitutes a learning environment. We have also allocated some additional funds to construct some new modest classrooms in the coming months to ease the pressure. 

Still in OM and the House of Hope is going from strength to strength with the major upgrade to the kitchen and bathroom facilities now completed. We have also been able to secure the services of a lovely compassionate local Khmer couple from the village who live on site and provide mentoring and some semblance of normality for our high school kids who spend the majority of the year separated from their parents and siblings. 

Many OM families are still really struggling and barely living from day to day as they remain unable to access any form of meaningful local employment as a result of stricter entry requirements into neighbouring Thailand where most of them previously went for work. 

We have been able to provide another $16,000 in emergency food aid for these families over the past 12 months and are also taking steps to assist a number of them to acquire the necessary documentation to re-enter the workforce over the border. 

Some other project activities we have assisted Abe to deliver over the past year have included the installation of new fresh water wells, power to the OM farm, Christmas celebrations at both villages, a new computer and printer in OM school, upgrading of the paint work on Andong school, sponsoring students who have gone on to tertiary education, a variety of transport requirements and a number of families here in Australia personally support Abe, Sophin and their three children. 

Once again the generosity of our supporters that enables all of this to be possible continues to inspire and amaze me and this year was no exception. In round figures our expenditure for the past year was around 681 million riell or just over AU$262,000. This was slightly down on the previous year’s AU$286,000, but does take our running tally for the past four years to a mind-boggling AU$1.4 million. 

And this has come about as a result of some great fundraising initiatives that don’t just put much needed money in the coffers, but also raise awareness for our projects. These included the canteen at the Kingscote Show where the $50 notes seemingly breed in the cash tin, the Kangaroo Island Racing carnival clean-up, 10c refund collection bins and community group presentations. 

But surpassing that by a very long way is the contributions that an ever-widening group of very generous Aussies make from their own personal financial resources. At a time when there is still great uncertainty in the world, this is a very real demonstration of the power and compassion of humanity and is a great encouragement to me and the team on the ground in Cambodia. 

Just this past month we have been able to roll out a wonderful fundraising initiative thanks to one of our generous regular supporters that sees donations made between now and the end of next month matched dollar for dollar up to $100,000 combined. I’m very pleased to be able to share that as of today this has already yielded in excess of $52,000 for our projects which is a remarkable result. Many who have responded to the call are infrequent donors and some are donating for the very first time. 

But of course in a place like Cambodia vast sums of money alone will achieve very little for those who need it most, or do more harm than good, without an effective advocate on the ground to manage how it’s spent. We are so privileged to have Pastor Abe, his wife Sophin and their dedicated team diligently and compassionately nurturing literally thousands of families in OM and Andong. I’m aware of many other NGO’s in Cambodia that receive far more funding than our projects but deliver a fraction of the outcomes and praise for this should be entirely directed at Abe and his team. 

Speaking of teams, what a fantastic experience it was for the 12 of us who headed to Cambodia in March this year to connect and reconnect with the villagers in Andong and OM. 

After a Covid-induced absence of more than four years it was such a delight to once again get alongside these beautiful and humble people and offer our support and encouragement to Abe, his family and the dedicated project staff. 

There were so many highlights, it’s extremely difficult to do them justice here. The official opening of the $500,000 Andong slum village primary school was an amazing occasion and an incredible milestone I never thought possible only a few years ago. 

Handing out awards to the top students at OM school and serving breakfast to hundreds of youngsters who turned up on their day off was something that will be etched in my memory forever. Visiting the OM House of Hope later in the day was uplifting as usual and it was hard not to be affected by the sense of unity of the young people who call it home. 

But I think for almost all of us the time that imprinted most deeply on our hearts was that spent delivering emergency food aid to OM families who really have their backs against the wall. What an absolutely humbling and privileged experience it was to be given the opportunity to pour some love into the lives of these people. 

Armed with 50kg bags of rice and cooking oil and sauces we went from house to house where most were not expecting us and it was quite confronting how often upon our arrival they rushed inside to get their rice storage containers to reveal just a handful of grains in the bottom and no plans how they would feed their families beyond that day. 

Inspiringly, during the food drop some of the top student awards from the day before re-surfaced which was a great encouragement and hope for the future for these families that despite their harrowing situations their children can still excel in their studies and one day pave the way for greater prosperity for themselves and their community. 

I have to offer my heartfelt gratitude to the team on this trip who were all just wonderful ambassadors for the cause and showed great compassion and enthusiasm throughout our stay. I was particularly proud of the way our four young people conducted themselves from start to finish. Give yourselves a big pat on the back. 

In moment we’ll elect a new committee for the coming year, and while this administrative body has a really important function in the life of Kangaroo Island Supporting Cambodia, I consider everyone who donates, volunteers their time and shares with others about Andong and OM are equally as vital to the ongoing success of the projects. I do need to single out the good wife who fulfils the role of treasurer, caterer and regular sounding board with much wisdom and compassion. 

Thank you once again for entrusting me with the responsibility of steering the Kangaroo Island Supporting Cambodia ship these past 12 months and it is with much anticipation I look forward to seeing where the journey takes us in the years to come.

Rob Ellson, Chairman, Kangaroo Island Supporting Cambodia.