July 2022 News

Message from the Chair

It has been a busy six months for us at CKC. We had our first face to face event last week in more than two years. We are so grateful for our loyal supporters, who have ensured we can re-emerge from our covid induced hiatus and welcome four new girls to Mekhala House. Now that secondary schools in Cambodia are getting through their semesters, we are hoping to see these numbers grow.

We recently applied for some grant funding and hope to share positive news about the outcome of this effort with you in our next update. Until then I hope you enjoy discovering what we’ve been up to and as always thank-you for your continued support.

Margot Hillel

Congratulations to the winners of our Mother’s Day raffle!

Thank you to the wonderful people who bought tickets in the recent CKC raffle, which raised an over $1000! The raffle was drawn on 8 May with the following winners:

·       Martina Honey won a flotation therapy session at Water Temple.

·       Saxon Barton won our wonderful cookbook featuring authentic Cambodian recipes.

·       Ung Sarat won the yacht cruise and the voucher for the Peninsula Hot Springs.

·       Mey Eng won a wine pack from Fenian Wines.

Both Mey and Ung don't live in Australia and so they have decided to donate their prizes back to us. We are overwhelmed with their generosity and will ensure the prizes are used for future supporter events to increase funding for the Mekhala House.

Congratulations to the winners, and all entrants who contributed to raising much needed funds so the inspiring young women at Mekhala House can continue their education.

Thank you to our volunteers

We couldn’t achieve what we do without the important work of our volunteers. Cambodian Kids Can is run entirely by volunteers in Australia and local Khmer staff in Cambodia. Our incredible team of volunteers performs a wide variety of tasks, from marketing and event support to providing the girls in Cambodia with English classes. We acknowledge and are grateful to this dedicated team.

Here is a little bit about Ella Perlow, just one of our talented volunteers.

What motivated you to volunteer at CKC?

I am passionate about girls’ education and was excited to hear that there was a way I could contribute, despite not working in the international development sector.

What does your role entail?

I work on the CKC Marketing and Communications Committee. We help draft social media posts, newsletter content and emails. Before this role, I used to be an administrative volunteer, and helped manage the CKC inbox, tracked donations and managed the mailing list.

What is your favourite part of volunteering at CKC?

I like learning new skills, such as editing websites, creating newsletter content and using hashtags (still a #workinprogress!). I also feel honoured that I can contribute directly to a cause that I feel strongly about.

Which three guests would be invited to your dream dinner party?

Virginia Woolf, Hilary Clinton and George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans). I’m sure we would have a lot to talk about!

If you could change one thing for for girls and women around the world, what would it be?

I would give girls the time and space to be able to grow, learn and find their passions in life, without being given big responsibilities, such as marriage and children, too soon.

Do you have what it takes to join us? If you’re interested in volunteering your skills and expertise to make an immediate impact on girls’ education? Please get in touch by contacting Cambodiankidscan@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you!

CKC Fundraising Dinner

On Thursday 23 June CKC held a fundraising dinner at the Cambodian Restaurant, Amok.more than 40 people attended the event, raising over $3,000 much needed funds for girls’ education.

It was a fantastic night, with some highlights including the pop quiz, which saw 3 attentive guests win a bottle of wine each and our regular giving draw which meant that a new supporter won the Peninsula Hot Springs voucher which was donated back to use by our Mother’s Day raffle winner.

We were especially excited about the dinner, as it was CKC’s first in person event in over 2 years.  

We thank the Amok Restaurant for their generosity in hosting our event. We also thank everyone who attended to support girls’ education.

We look forward to many more in-person events and opportunities to meet with our incredible devotees.

CKC Board