Annual General Meeting Report
1st July 2015 to 30th June 2016
Date: Monday 31 October 2016
Time: 6:30 pm
Venue: 303 Springvale Road, Springvale
1. Vision& Mission
2. Chair’s Message
3. What we have done
4. Children’s education
5. What’s next?
6. Financial performance
1. VISION & MISSION
Vision
SCCFA aims to empower marginalised young Cambodians by providing education and support necessary for them to improve their lives.
Slogan
Empowerment through education.
Mission
• To find funds for education development projects.
• To provide opportunities and support to Cambodian Children who are presently unable to access schooling.
• To offer educational resources and support to disadvantaged youth to enable them to realise their full potential.
• To organise events or activities that help community in Australia connect with children in rural Cambodia.
2. CHAIR’S MESSAGE
2015 and 2016 has been an action-packed year for SCCFA. These are the highlights for the year.
1. This financial year (2015/2016) was rather special as we hosted two series of concerts. Despite challenges, we’re pleased with the outcomes. Proceeds will be used to build two schools for the poorest of the poor communities in the Sala Krao district of Pailin and Ratanak Mondul district of Battambang.
2. In August 2015, SCCFA was successfully registered with the Australian Charity and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC) which is a step closer to SCCFA gaining full tax Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status.
3. My husband and I, accompanied by 2 filming crew recruited from Cambodia, made a self-funded trip to the Pailin school bringing along books, medicine, uniforms, T-shirts donated by P & Son Auto Repairs, as well as rewards consisting of shoes and school bags to the top 20 students of the year. I, also, held talks with the students' parents and teachers concerning the progress of the school and their participation in the school program. The students, their parents and teachers requested a free English class be set up in the area, a high school with a library where students can meet and study together.
4. While in Cambodia, I’ve made special visits without warning by following some students home after school to see how they actually live with voluntary filming crew doing all the filming, so a few short features of 3-5 minutes could be produced to show our donors the reality of life in rural Cambodia. Those features were posted on the SCCFA Facebook between December 2015 and February 2016, attracting thousands of LIKES and hundreds of comments from viewers. The LIKE on SCCFA Facebook has jumped from approx. 3000 to approx. 6000 over that period. The full footage was also shown on the big projector screen before the concert started in each state, which also helped raise awareness and deeper understanding of how appalling their lives are and how important education is if we are to make a sustainable difference to their lives, at the grassroots level.
5. A free ongoing one-hour English class was launched in May 2016, straight after the formal classes at Pailin school to enable the students to learn, as per repeated requests from teachers, students and their parents. Almost every student is happy to stay on for another hour to acquire this much needed skill.
We are sincerely grateful for our ongoing donors, namely LIM’S PHARMACY, P & SON AUTO REPAIRS, RST CONSULTING, and PALM PLAZA TATTSLOTTO, SOHO MEDIA TECHNOLOGY PTY LTD, ASIAN FOOD WHOLESALERS, CATALINA ASIAN GROCERY and the KHMER BUDDHIST ASSOCIATION IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA, JUSTIN HUGHES-SMITH, JOHN FUTCHER, and SOPHANY LY. Without their generosity and support, SCCFA would find it very daunting and difficult to achieve its goals. Thanks so much to our donors and sponsors. Your on-going support will help break the cycle of poverty in Cambodia.
Our volunteers provided SCCFA with enormous support, year after year, to ensure that the concerts ran as planned. Their people skills were fantastic, as they dealt with the patrons with smiles and respect. Thank you all very much.
Sadly, Nary Hean, Kossal Hean, Chanphala Smel, and Kunnaka Kuon have resigned from the committee due to time constraints. The whole SCCFA committee wishes everyone one of them all the best and success with their endeavour and thank them for their dedicated service to the good cause.
Meanwhile, I would like to thank our SCCFA committee members, past and present, for your hard work and dedication. Our appreciation also extends to friends and families who put up with us. Amid the departure of our committee members, we, also, see new faces in the SCCFA family with new members signing up. So, let’s welcome our newcomers, Sarim Khem, Soknath Kly, and Ratana Sar and my thanks to everyone for being here today. For more information about SCCFA activities and photos, you can go to our website http://www.sccfa.org.au and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaveCambodianChildrenFundAustralia
3. WHAT WE HAVE DONE
SCCFA 2015/2016 ANNUAL CONCERTS
This financial year (2015/2016) was rather special as we hosted two separate series of concerts, with 2 out of the 5 (of the first series) being held on the first two Saturdays of financial year in July 2015, and the second series being held from April to May 2016.
Our 2015 pop stars were Sun Srey Pich, Dourng Sokea, Sok Raksa and Kol Davy, accompanied by the 3-member Coconut Band from Cambodia, whist the 2016 pop stars consisted of Sok Seylalin, Chum Lino, Sam Narak and Prack Tepi, supported by a local band from each state. As with previous years, the entertainers captivated the audiences with their wonderful shows in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide. Audiences of all age groups had the opportunity to help these poor children obtain an education, while enjoying great food, great performances and good exercise on the dance floor with these stars from Cambodia. Every year volunteers play a significant role in the success of the event. Proceeds will be used to construct two school buildings to be commenced in late November 2016, if everything goes as planned. Both are three-room buildings. One is a primary school in Olamoun village, Plov Meas commune in Ratanak Mundol district of Battambang and another one is a high school to be built in the same 2 hectare block of land where SCCFA has already built the three-room primary school building home to 170 students.
TAX DEDUCTIBLE GIFT RECIPIENT (DGR) STATUS
In August 2015, SCCFA was successfully registered with the Australian Charity and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC). This means SCCFA is now one of the very few organisations in Australia that is registered with ACNC according us with GST exemption, and income tax exemption, which is a step closer to SCCFA gaining full tax Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status that we’re working on right now. It is a very lengthy & complicated process, but DGR status is crucial to SCCFA operations if we are to secure corporate donations. The Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies (ACPNS) reports that there are approximately 600,000 charities and not-for-profit organisations in Australia alone. Only 60,000 or 10% are registered with ACNC and SCCFA is proud to be one of the 10%.
FREE ENGLISH CLASS AT PAILIN SCHOOL
A free ongoing one-hour English class was launched in May 2016, straight after the formal classes at Pailin school to enable the students to learn, as per repeated requests from teachers, students and their parents. Almost every student is happy to stay on for another hour to acquire this much needed skill. SCCFA has agreed to provide a supplementary of U$50 a month each to the three teachers to conduct the one-hour a day English class. The English language will help the students learn more, since most study materials donated are in English and surfing the web will be easier if they have some English skills. Ultimately, it could help them gain better paid employment than farming, possibly in hospitality tourism sector.
A free ongoing one-hour English class was launched in May 2016, straight after the formal classes at Pailin school to enable the students to learn, as per repeated requests from teachers, students and their parents. Almost every student is happy to stay on for another hour to acquire this much needed skill. SCCFA has agreed to provide a supplementary of U$50 a month each to the three teachers to conduct the one-hour a day English class. The English language will help the students learn more, since most study materials donated are in English and surfing the web will be easier if they have some English skills. Ultimately, it could help them gain better paid employment than farming, possibly in hospitality tourism sector.
SCHOOL VISIT
Seda Douglas, the Chair of SCCFA, with her husband, Tony, accompanied by 2 filming crew recruited from Cambodia made a self-funded trip to the Pailin school bringing along books, medicine, uniforms, T-shirts donated by P & Son Auto Repairs, as well as rewards consisting of shoes and school bags to the top 20 students of the year. She also brought along the first aid kit donated by Helen Newman who visited the school last year together with her family.
The SCCFA Chair also held talks with the students' parents and teachers concerning the progress of the school and their participation in the school program. The students, their parents and teachers requested a free English class be set up in the area, a high school with a library where students can meet and study together.
The parents, teachers and students were very happy and grateful for the primary school built for them in 2014, however they expressed their need of a high school within the same compound, otherwise the chance of the students continuing their secondary education would be very slim, as the nearest high school that they can go to is about 10 kms from where they live. Even though the school community has a ball with us and we love them, saying goodbye was always the hardest part of our visits.
The SCCFA Chair also held talks with the students' parents and teachers concerning the progress of the school and their participation in the school program. The students, their parents and teachers requested a free English class be set up in the area, a high school with a library where students can meet and study together.
The parents, teachers and students were very happy and grateful for the primary school built for them in 2014, however they expressed their need of a high school within the same compound, otherwise the chance of the students continuing their secondary education would be very slim, as the nearest high school that they can go to is about 10 kms from where they live. Even though the school community has a ball with us and we love them, saying goodbye was always the hardest part of our visits.
VIDEO FOOTAGE & FACEBOOK
During her self-funded trip to Pailin, special visits without pre-warning were made by Seda Douglas to see how the students actually live in the Salakrao district of Pailin and Ratanak Mundol district of Battambang. She followed some students after they finished their class, with voluntary filming crew led by Sang Meng doing all the filming, so a few short features of 3-5 minutes could be produced to show our donors the reality of life in rural Cambodia. Seda was shocked and emotionally moved to hear the stories of each family’s struggle and hardship to make ends meet. Those features were posted on the SCCFA Facebook between December 2015 and February 2016, attracting thousands of LIKES and hundreds of comments from viewers. The LIKE on SCCFA Facebook has jumped from approx. 3000 to approx. 6000 over that period. The full footage was also shown on the big projector screen before the concert started in each state, which also helped raise awareness and deeper understanding of how appalling their lives are and how important education is if we are to make a sustainable difference to their lives, at the grassroots level. DVDs were also given and mailed out to donors in various states, so they can show it to friends and families.
SPONSORSHIPS AND DONATIONS
We are sincerely grateful for our ongoing donors/sponsors, namely LIM’S PHARMACY, RST CONSULTING, PALM PLAZA TATTSLOTTO, SOHO MEDIA TECHNOLOGY PTY LTD, JUSTIN HUGHES-SMITH, JOHN FUTCHER, and SOPHANY LY. New donations and sponsorships also came from P & SON AUTO REPAIRS, HAPPY TRAVELS & TOURS, MIGRATION AGENTS PTY LTD, RONION NEW YORK, CENTURY21 THERESA HUYNH, KEYINVEST LENDING SERVICES, FOOT SOLUTIONS, TE2 CORPORATION PTY LTD, PNF MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, SNA STUDIO, FARM FRESH WORLD, SONIQ, NEW LOOK FASHIONS, ASIAN FOOD WHOLESALERS, CATALINA ASIAN GROCERY and the KHMER BUDDHIST ASSOCIATION IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA, TIMLESS BEAUTY & LASER, COE MIGRATION & BUSINESS SERVICES, AJS EDUCATION & MIGRATION, MAYOR HEANG TAK, LONG LIFE GROCERY, LAOS COMMUNITY in SA, BANGKOK ASIAN GROCERY, PHOUNG NGA HAIR & BEAUTY, THUAN PHAT SUPERMARKET, PHU HOUNG PARAFIELD GARDENS, QUEENSLAND DIECASTERS PTY LTD, ASBESTOS REMOVAL QUEESLAND PTY LTD, YI ASIAN GROCERY, GLOBAL CONCERNS COMMITTEE OF ST MICHAEL’S UNITING CHURCH.
Meanwhile, personal donations have come from various families and friends who are compassionately digging deep into their pockets to help empower underprivileged children in rural Cambodia through providing education, which is the most effective and sustainable asset for improving their lives. The following are the donors who support SCCFA, either in kind or in cash, to enbale us to achieve our goals: Danne & Thi Het Tran, Tom & Lois O’Keefe, Peter & Jill Williams, Ian & Sandra Smyth, Rob & Jan Douglas, Stuart & Fiona Douglas, Peter & Kerry Douglas, Dean & Megan McIntyre, Robert & Karomy Dekort, John & Helen Newman, Kang Eang, Geoff & Sophy Coade, Sareth Souk, Samath Lim, Rogan Sar, Chenda Bin, Chantha Khun, Choeun Pen, Sothy Khiev, Ken Lee, Sophal & Anselyna Lot, Bunnalyn Dourng, Mealea Un, Sang Meng, Sophoan Sin, Ry Ung, Vathou Thong, Rose Nechwatal, Muychou Meng, Phyrom & Montheavy Nhong, Gertie Braini, Nary Sara & Suzanne Ting, Sreng Vouch, Prem Sina, Koy Sarann, Hong Phat, Ellena Lay, Houng Lor, Chap Chan Then Sithon & Lay Hong Pan and Vanda Mou.
Without their generosity and support, SCCFA would find it very difficult to achieve its goals. Thanks so much to our donors and sponsors. Your on-going support will help break the cycle of poverty in Cambodia.
ACTIONS SPEAKS LOUDER THAN WORDS
The South Australian community have become more aware of SCCFA’s Charity focus and our projects. This is due to social media posts via Facebook, and the DVD made available to community members. Moreover, when SCCFA runs an annual charity concert each year, on the night of the event people are now able to view the DVD footage which is screened via a projector. The footage shows images of the children from the rural side of Cambodia who strive and hunger for an education, along with images of the SCCFA school that has been built due to the generosity of our donors. Having seen the DVD footages, patrons who have not only sacrificed their valuable time, they have also opened up their hearts and pockets by generously making donations on the night. Every donation, whether large or small, will make a great impact on the children’s education, and help break the poverty cycle.
I have also had the privilege to work closely with the local Cambodian community and leaders who are all very supportive of our charity work. It is amazing and heart-warming to see how the community comes together, as a whole, to support the children who are in need and hunger for an education.
I have also had the privilege to work closely with the local Cambodian community and leaders who are all very supportive of our charity work. It is amazing and heart-warming to see how the community comes together, as a whole, to support the children who are in need and hunger for an education.
4.CHILDREN’S EDUCATION
Why SCCFA, I asked myself?
Children and formal education, that is the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of SCCFA. Two thousand and sixteen (2016) marks the 13th year of SCCFA (Save Cambodian Children Fund of Australia) and we’re proudly still counting. I have been supporting and joining events for most Cambodian fundraising functions particularly the ones for women and children since 2008. However, as a school teacher myself (Early Childhood Education and Care –ECEC, Primary school & Adult) I found SCCFA to be the best not-for-profit organisation most resonating my passion and values in education and children. Its mission is to provide support and access to poor, disadvantaged children to a formal education. Thus, this year when the Chairperson of SCCFA (currently Ms Seda Douglas) invited me to join the committee, I didn’t have to think twice. It was the best decision I had ever made this year. One only needs to go to the SCCFA website (www.sccfa.org.au) to agree with me. The work SCCFA committee whole heartedly put in, so far both offshore and onshore, was amazing, to say the least – the personal time and energy they all put in, voluntarily sharing the one common focus of providing for our poor disadvantaged children in Cambodia, is beyond words.
Through the committee’s tireless field work onsite – visiting “untreaded paths” where tourists and locals alike wouldn’t even have heard of, or have any intentions to go, such as the post-Khmer Rouge villages of Pailin and Koh Kong, and small villages of Battambang provinces. However, in these places dwell also thousands of poor, needy communities, living in isolation, fighting a vicious losing battle of poverty, neglect and access to the most basics of human needs, such as food, water, shelter and education is a daily challenge, particularly for many children in these regions. It is reaching out to the children living in these far corners of Cambodia that SCCFA is seeking to achieve, continuously.
Our chairperson, Ms S. Douglas and her husband, voluntarily spent out of their own pocket, giving up their valuable personal time each year seeking out these communities, determining in order of urgency/most immediate assistance required, then reporting back to our Khmer communities in Australia to raise awareness, and hence support for these communities. Whilst onshore, she continually seeks potential sponsors and donors.
Our focus and mission is our belief in the power of education both formally (school) and informally (at home and in the community as a whole). We believe that by giving access to formal education, such as language, literacy and numeracy, these children will have a fighting chance of breaking free from this vicious cycle of illiteracy, poverty and making poor life decisions. This gift of knowledge cannot be burnt, stolen or destroyed in any shape or form, facilitating a future generation of open minded pillars for our country. An educated child can develop and grow to become an open-minded adult, hence, will directly and/or indirectly contribute to the growth and prosperity of her/his community. This is our core mission. Is it just an ideology? Is it too much to ask to give these children some voice, or a glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel? Not at all, to say the very least.
So far, SCCFA has built one school in Pailin catering for nearly 200 children in the region. Our second school is on the way, on the same site, which will become a high school and the third school is also pre-imminent while the architectural work is being drawn up.
So far, SCCFA has built one school in Pailin catering for nearly 200 children in the region. Our second school is on the way, on the same site, which will become a high school and the third school is also pre-imminent while the architectural work is being drawn up.
We could achieve our mission only because all of our friends, families and the community in Australia who support us by continually sponsoring and attending our annual charity concerts. Thus, on behalf of SCCFA and the children of Cambodia, I would like to add a big ‘thank you’ to everyone for your ongoing support, in every way, both morally and financially. Please rest assured that we are an independent Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) with a pure heart and common focus of providing access to formal education and some basic supplies for the Khmer children, youth and poverty stricken families. One hundred percent (100%) of all proceeds is personally delivered directly by our committee to the needy remote communities. For example, we endeavour to obtain our own quotes for any required works and every outgoings/expenditures is receipted and accounted for (as evidenced in our annual financial report). (This is required by law, our submission to ACNC and Consumer Affairs of VIC).
(Written by Neriman Onat, also known as Kongneary Ung)
5. WHAT’S NEXT?
The SCCFA team believes that education is the most effective weapon for combating poverty and exploitation. Once these children are educated, they can use their knowledge to improve the living standards of themselves and their families, plus make better and more informed decisions in life. Many may then have the opportunity of seeking employment in various sectors.
Our immediate goal is to find enough funds to build two more schools, one being a high school in Pailin and the other being a primary school for the remote Ratanak Mundol district in Battambang. Quotations for the two school buildings are being obtained and it is hoped that the construction can commence late November, if everything goes as planned. SCCFA is also looking at ways to provide sustainable transportation for the children who live far away from the school.
Meanwhile, our long term goal is to acquire a mobile library that can be mobilised and stationed for a certain period, at various locations, in order to service the whole province of Pailin. We need to walk step-by-step to reach our goal, as the saying goes, “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. Discussion is underway to collaborate with Joy of the Reading Project in Cambodia as a way to stimulate the students to read regularly and to test the water before we proceed to mobile library.
Your donations are always most welcome.
Your donations are always most welcome.
You can contact us at:
- info@sccfa.org.au
Or have a look at our website to see our current and upcoming activities at:
- http://www.sccfa.org.au.
If you’re Facebook user, check this out:
- https:// facebook.com/SaveCambodianChildrenFundAustralia/
Or contact via our postal address:
- SCCFA PO Box 259, Springvale, VIC 3171
