Cambodian Community Dream Organization, Inc.

Dream Journal – February 2023

Return to Cambodia

After a 3 year absence from Cambodia, our President & Founder, Jenni Lipa, was overjoyed to return with an entourage of supporters.

30 Singaporeans from Rotary Club Sentosa with their Charter President, Michael Quek and current President, Abe Jacob and many generous donors plus Steven Swartz, President of RC Phnom Penh Metro descended on Siem Reap for an exciting 4 days of giving.



They visited 3 of the schools where they had built toilet blocks and gave out bicycles, study materials and clothes. Another highlight was the visit to the Khunream school where they planted fruit trees to expand their orchard, gave sports equipment as well as 25 bicycles.

The main event was giving out 1,035 bicycles to students coming from 183 schools in the Siem Reap rural area. The ceremony was attended by dignitaries including the charming Deputy Provincial Governor, the Director of Provincial Education and the Head of Provincial Primary schools.

It takes an army to coordinate all the minute details of this visit and a special thanks goes to our team on the ground headed by Nue Gnab, Sovoan Sem, Pin Sok and Leangseng Hoy, who not only sourced the correct saplings to plant, but coordinated the arrival and safekeeping of the bikes. They also had their hand in arranging meals and sightseeing for the Singaporeans.



Preschool Celebration

Maurice Kondo and Deborah Quigley, who donated our 6th newly built preschool in Top Svay 2, came to visit their preschool and latrine/washstand on 15th February. 

They came bearing gifts for the children and proceeded to give out balloons, masks to be painted plus lots of toys. A grand time was had by all playing with the kids.

Preschool Dedication

There was a dedication of the first preschool built which was attended by 75 people, including the Commune Chief, Deputy of the District Governor and the District Council for Women & Children. Plus the 11 preschool teachers in the Angkor Thom District.  

After the speeches and certificates were presented, we had a ribbon cutting ceremony where all dignitaries and donors were asked to help cut the ribbon. The kids loved their new playground. This particular preschool was donated by Cordelia Chang in honor of her mother.

Jenni’s Impressions of Progress

WOW, seeing first hand, the progress on the ground in the past 3 years was totally awesome. We went from 11 preschools to 29 preschools, and we increased our local staff by 20% to 26 in our Dream Team. We started 9 new projects which include: Women Empowerment in different villages, Digital Literacy in 61 schools, Teacher Training in two provincial colleges, English Proficiency Training in 2 new districts, 2 Mobile Libraries plus 45 school libraries, Microloans to help the farmers, Food Production to sustain our breakfast program, Medical Health check-ups in 91 schools with over 40,950 students, Dental & Hygiene services in 35 schools distributing over 20,000 toothbrushes and adding new computer labs, and the list goes on. Water wells and latrines are continued to be built.

I couldn't possibly imagine all of this when I donated funds to build my first well 16 years ago.

A huge respect for our dedicated Dream Team who tell me they are there for the long haul.



Scholarship Student Gives Back

We are very proud of our scholarship student Kvy Sarith who is studying 3rd year in English Literature at USEA University.

She has secured a job and she can now support her university fees and her family expenses by herself. Furthermore, she runs her small business in her hometown by selling food and has stable profit from her business too.

She informed us that she would like to request to leave her scholarship under the support of the CCDO Scholarship Program and will donate $500 to the CCDO to show her gratitude for the support she had received since high school. Thus she can give back and help other students to continue their studies and reach their goals, too.

Donors

A shout out to Rotary Club of Hong Kong Central who continue to support the breakfast program at Bongkoung Primary School with $2,000. The kids have increased in numbers and attendance with excellent school records. They are no longer hungry and can concentrate on their studies with a full stomach.

Thanks to Louise Williams for generously donating $5,000 for our scholarship program.

Beth & Kevin Hoffman keep the water wells flowing by giving birthday gifts of wells and latrines. Some 20 plus friends have been honored by the generosity. 

Do you have somebody with a special birthday that would appreciate a gift of a well or latrine in Cambodia?