|
Chances4Cambodia |
News Detail
Title: Directors Meeting Cambodia
Directors meeting Report
Cambodia, Phnom Penh
3rd January 2010.
Attending:
Mr Fabian Emmen Founder and Chairman Chances4all
Mr Steve Chika Country Director Chances4cambodia
I arrived in the evening, checked into the hotel, then met with Steve
Points covered:
-set program for the coming days
-news updates from C4A and C4C
-discuss problems re late student reports and emails
-arrange a meeting with Jack Horowitz about the possibilities of combining a secretary school with an English school
-discuss the needs of better computers for the students
-C4C’s possibilities about local fundraising in different fields with local NGO’s and involved persons to support general costs or sponsoring a student, especially with organisations sponsoring children until they are around 15-18 who have the capacity to complete a University degree.
- Agreed that Steve will start to approach contacts previously put on hold until our registration was completed, but were interested in giving us financial or other assistance. I will pick up the idea to find professional fundraising companies in the Netherlands again to establish a deal with one of them.
4th January.
At 12am we had a meeting with the 4 students completing the Banking and Finance degree.
The students were looking fine, healthy and happy to see me. They apologized for their late final reports but explained that the administration is slow and made many mistakes several times then having to correct them first. The students now realise that emailing now is a high priority for many reasons though it cost them money for an internet café since the university internet is very slow and they have to pay for it as well. Their English was much better than the last time I saw them. We agreed all students will email at least once a month to me and Steve and they will write any results from tests in advance to the late annual reports. Also Steve will have a meeting with all students each month so any subject can be discussed as well. Due to a rearrangement at the bank the students were charged $2:50 admin. fees to their ATM card, but we explained they will get it back soon after ANZ have corrected their mistake. Their living situation was acceptable to them, the use of laptops and sharing them is not happening enough. The best would be to have one more. Their study results are splendid.
At 4pm we had a meeting with the 6 students at the Royal University of Agriculture.
These students are more united since they are living together on campus which makes them more of a study group as we preferred in our original concept of the C4C student project. They support each other more and their English has improved tremendously. As it is with the Banking and Finance group it seems they are fully occupied with their study activities and it is amazing they still have time for some volleyball and even Mr. Kosal is teaching some rich kids English a few hours a day! All subjects such as annual reports, emailing and the US$2,50 annual fee problems were the same and are now on track. Their living on the campus was quite satisfactory and their study results are marvellous as well. Their laptops where a hot issue since the capacity is not sufficient for the programs in land graphics as they have to bring them on locations for surveys.
7pm. we had a meeting with Pises Sao (Projects Abroad) and Jack Horowitz a consultant friend.
-Jack mentioned there is already a secretary school in Phnom Penh and explained his idea for a high quality English school for those who can afford it. I have tried to inspire him to combine it with students who can’t pay for this, which might open possibilities to get some funds to establish such a school which I would like to combine with a skill such as secretarial or another separate group in that school connected to the C4C organisation. Though Jack appeared to be very perceptive and skilful in this field and in producing a proposal to a matching organisation to get funding, he seemed to be not yet open to my ideas also because he is to be married soon.
-It was good to meet Mr. Pises Sao again always very helpful to us providing foreign teachers for our students but as in this meeting also very helpful in advising about the idea of a secretary school, he thought the need was not very sure and likely their salaries quite low.
5th January.
11.30am. meeting with Steve at his house
-to learn more about using the DW mail- email system
-discuss ideas for better computers for the Ag. Guys combining with the business students.
12.30 we visited the Billabong hotel on the off chance of meeting Ms. Sue Davies and her husband Peter, Steve had booked them there after an email contact. Sue, had planned to come to Cambodia from England to teach our students through Projects Abroad directed by Mr. Pises last year, but had to cancel the agreement after the sudden news that her daughter was severely ill, she instead did a fundraiser and raised a total of US$1542 this was used to buy second hand computers for our students plus further work on the website. We and the students are very grateful for her assistance.
At this time Sue and Peter were doing an Asian tour of 4 months and as they were passing through Cambodia expressed a desire to meet the students, this was discussed in previous emails and organised by Steve, after meeting Sue and Peter felt the spontaneous wish to meet the agriculture students and see their environment to have a better idea of their situation and see what improvements could be achieved in respect to their computers with the idea to see either they need something else subject to another fundraise party once they got home in March again.
On very short notice the 6 agri-guys welcomed the 4 of us and showed Sue and Peter the campus and explained the way they live every day. Sue became very familiar with them on the spot and miraculously relaxed every one. Though proudly thanking Sue for providing the computers, laptops, study books and their annual reports the subject was discussed that their computers are not powerful enough for the school requirements especially the graphic programs which are too big for the present capacity. This encouraged Sue into making a promise to do her very best to get all her friends together on another fundraising party again and gave the expectation to get enough funds to buy better computers for all of the Ag.students. The time we had with each other was used to practise English and after overcoming some shyness all students appeared to be quit entertaining conversationists.
Around 6:30 pm. We had a very friendly goodbye after some photos were taken to show at the proposed fundraiser and to assist Sue to have a successful party, a half an hour ride in a tuktuk back to the hotel made an unforgettable day.
Sue with the ag.students
6th January.
11.30am I met up with Steve to have brunch and to review and discuss the previous day’s items we had covered during the last few days. Steve said the problem with ANZ was solved as they promised to refund the annual fee (US$2:50) as agreed in the beginning (it has to be a manual act overruling their automatic administrations).
We agreed to comply with our policy of full transparency by putting the monthly financial reports on the website. Steve will create for this an extra page under About Us as Our Financials. Also copies of bank statements scanned and uncensored shown and a publication on that page of the annual report. The possibility for a public blog where anyone can comment or question C4C about the financials, where Steve can also publicly reply on, has to be the challenge of our management.
1pm.We met up with Mr. Sim in a local coffee shop, as one of our loyal volunteers at the beginning, participating in the think tank which created the concept for students aid as we perform now, he excused himself being so busy with his own career, but showed that he is still very involved in C4C since he knew most of the details in our progress. Sharp as ever he suggested keeping critical to the conditions of the students’ loan contract for the future and reminding us it was our original idea to have all financial details on our website. He urged us to keep the money flow visible. He also suggested to start with fundraising in Cambodia and even came with some ideas to further discuss with him: Publishing an article in the Phnom Penh daily connected with a kind of open bank account for a new student people can donate to or approaching other NGO’s in a similar field or even embassies having funds available for students such as ours. To make a strategy for fundraising is the first step.
At 3:30pm we said goodbye promising to keep in contact and I took a break until 5pm. mostly for the reason I felt ill from the food consumed yesterday evening. But I felt it was too important to meet Ms. Veasna, our legal support and volunteer at the beginning of the think tank as well, after a long time not to attend at 6:30pm.
We made arrangements for Sue and Peter to meet Veasna as we were sure that they would like to meet this inspiring woman to learn more about the struggle for Cambodians starting from poverty who can with hard work dedication and support be successful because this is what C4C is all about., I met Sue and Peter at their hotel since they would love to meet this special lady then picked up Steve, we finally ended up with 5 in the tuktuk eventually arriving at a coffee shop for an informal meeting.
Unfortunately the fever forced me to leave after an hour and Steve updated Veasna about our progress and plans for the near future. Sue and Peter enjoyed Veasna’s company and were more motivated all the more by the live stories from Veasna.
7th January.
1pm.Having had a long sweaty night my fever was gone and I was ready for the final concluding meeting with Steve we met at 2pm, an hour was enough to review my visit and come to some important highlights:
-There are enough chances to get funds from sources out of Cambodia itself to create more study financing for our students and new students. Writing proposals to them when focussed on a bigger amount and knocking at doors with emails and phone calls to get a meeting could do miracles. Steve kept plenty of addresses from his former network efforts to start with.
-When we look ahead to more students we face the problem of boarding near the university except the agriculture university may provide plenty of beds on the campus. Again I urged Steve for a proposal that asks for funds to build a dormitory such as Harpswell house or similar since we might still be able to use the land offered by Ms. Veasna. I could approach building companies and other institutes for money with this. Also I asked him to find his friend in construction to ask for any assistance if we want to design a bigger plan not copying this project. When we combine the building project to the C4A concept, that is that each bed brings in a monthly return back into a special reserved saving bin growing to such an amount that after a few years enough funds are realised to construct a new building, C4C can then be active in housing realising our second field of social activities.
-Law students and medical students would be the next options though engineers I remember are most needed as well. Alternative ways to get housing for our new students have to be researched. We have found that the time we have is shorter than expected: The study year this time stops at July and it is likely that the next year will start a month earlier too in August/September.
-Finally in conclusion now that the registration is finalised, the fundraising in the Netherlands are on track, the fundraising in Cambodia can start, the students are more united and we have sorted out all of the small problems they had, we have the annual student reports now so the students are a true example for the next group and a motivation for any donators, all of our volunteers are highly motivated to create spin offs for C4C. Steve will put more time on this, keep more in contact with the students, and will keep on doing the good work he has already completed. I will focus to a fundraising strategy for C4C in the Netherlands and building C4A as a stronger organisation.
