Cambodian Community Dream Organization, Inc.

Dream Journal – March 2023

International Women’s Day

Celebrating and Advocating

Imagine being a woman in a Cambodian village...most likely you are lacking one, two, or all three. That is electricity, fresh water, and a toilet. 

Imagine having to go into an open field away from your little home to do your ‘business’! Especially at certain times of the month. Women especially need privacy and safety when they go to the toilet. Most of us don’t give a second thought when we flush. In rural Cambodia, a prized toilet is an outhouse with a squatting hole in the ground and a bucket of water to flush. A far cry from a fancy one with a warm seat and a bidet spray. 

Would you consider donating a decent, sturdy, brick toilet to a family for $360?

A partial donation towards a toilet will help, too. Together, let us provide hygiene and dignity to rural Cambodian women.

Thank you so very much!

Thanking Our Women Advocates

With a heart full of gratitude, we would like to salute Soroptimist International who have sponsored our many women’s workshops in rural villages. The marginalized women and girls are taught basic subjects such as nutrition and family planning as well as much needed lectures on building their confidence and understanding of women’s rights. They are even introduced to running a small business so that can earn money and make them self-sufficient or bring up their status in the family. If a woman takes control of her life with family planning and income generation, she can help break the cycle of poverty.

Celebrating our Female CCDO Staff

We are blessed to have a wonderful contingent of women on our Dream Team. 



Sovoan Sem (left) and Salorm Sea (right)

Sovoan Sem is our Education Coordinator and her portfolio stretches from the many preschools to English & Computer Classes and then to our Scholarship program. Recently, we asked her to add our twin program that oversees donations that help the poorest of families where the monthly Twin program matches the very privileged babies in our Western world with underprivileged babies and their caretakers born in the same month in Cambodia. They are often facing extra difficulties like a missing mother and or only the grandmother taking care of the babies. Sovoan ensures that they have enough monthly food and clothes as well as stimulating toys.

Sovoan herself has two toddlers at home and managed to complete her Master’s Degree as well as working a full schedule. She always has a smile and a kind word to say about her colleagues and students. Bravo Sovoan.

Sophorn Touch (pictured above)

Sophorn Touch is the glue that keeps CCDO running. She is our financial administrator as well as our HR and everything in between. She is currently studying for her Master’s in Business Administration as well as raising a very bright 4-year-old.

She has instigated office procedures that any international office would be proud of and takes on impossible tasks and makes them look easy. Our financial records are impeccable and all due to her diligence. 

Salorm Sea is our very good experienced community liaison and gives very interactive workshops in the field. She is enthusiastic and gains the confidence of the local women. She travels to many distant villages on bumpy roads and always has a positive attitude. She helps to inspire women to run a small business such as agricultural crops or raising pigs and chickens or making baskets. She is a true asset to the team.

Sombon Non

Phary Ton

Sombon Non started working for CCDO as a librarian and soon showed other talents and passions. She was creative in her domain and not only instilled a love of reading, but taught the kids to draw and make a colorful environment instead of the drab classroom. She was determined to get her Bachelor's Degree in English literature and has become an excellent English teacher. She has the full attention of her classes and has even the beginners having conversations with each other.

Phary Ton has been educating our preschool children in TaPang for the past 10 years. She has enthusiasm and it is a joy to see her class of little munchkins doing their exercises and reciting their ABC’s. Phary has become the model teacher for our 29 preschools. One of her daughters is in our scholarship program and another started school life in her own preschool program and is now in grade 3.



Donors

We are grateful to the Kingsley & Joni Foundation and Shann Sok from Singapore who generously donated $5,465 for 200 poor kids at TaPang School. Giving them uniforms and book supplies so they can attend school. They are also sponsoring Chea Rithy, a grade 11 student who was adopted by a single mom. He rides 1 hour to school each day. His dream is to be an IT specialist.

Visitors

Jennifer Berg, Rotary Global Grants Officer came to inspect our previous grants to ensure that there was complete transparency. Needless to say, CCDO had accomplished all that was promised. Jennifer was accompanied by two offices of the Rotary District 3350 in Thailand as well as Dr Steve Swartz, president of RC Phnom Penh Metro who is the Cambodian conduit for all our Rotary Grants.



Soroptimist Carole Rivers and husband Ken visited to see how the Presidents Appeal for ‘Opening Doors to a Brighter Future’ was conducted in the field. They visited the workshops and were impressed with the progress.