Support Cambodia
Support Cambodia is looking for a grant to go towards a new Sewing Centre located in Pailin, a large but remote town near the Thai border. Garment making is one of the main industries of Cambodia, and this project was requested by local women who want to learn a skill, earn an income and become independent to support their families and benefit their local community. Having already funded the set-up and training, the money would help to keep the centre running whilst it works towards self-sufficiency in three years.
This independent Norfolk based charity is run by volunteer Trustees and makes a point of taking no administration costs out of charity donations, so every penny reaches those who need it most.
The work of Support Cambodia is currently focussed on remote rural areas in northwest Cambodia, providing help for economically and socially disadvantaged communities. They assist small groups who for the most part are entirely bypassed by the larger charities. Their aim is ‘small money, big difference’ and ‘help people help themselves’.
A grant from the Matthew Good Foundation will go towards a new Sewing Centre located in Pailin, near the Thai border – a large town serving the very remote hinterland around it. This is a project that was requested by local women who want to learn a skill so they can earn an income and become independent to support their families.
Garment making is one of the main industries of Cambodia, much of it done from home, so the long-term aim of the project is to empower rural women and girls, and in turn enhance the local community. The training they receive will also include basic finance and bookkeeping skills, to give them the best possible start in their own business.
The charity has already funded the initial set-up of the Sewing Centre, including purchase of the sewing machines and salary for a trainer. They have committed to raise money to fund this centre for the first three years by which time, hopefully, it will become self-supporting by selling garments including school uniforms, dresses and bags at a reasonable price to the local community.
This is just one project the charity is currently working on. They also have a number of regular projects including providing borewells, handwash and toilets for rural communities, food packs and rice feeding programmes, formula milk for under 2s (when mothers are too malnourished to provide breast milk), women’s programmes (health education, pre/ante natal care, underwear), toiletries and basic necessities, and bicycles for children to get to school community building
"We are over the moon with excitement and gratitude for our small charity to be shortlisted! We continue to run fundraisers, but they only bring in so much money. A donation from the Matthew Good Foundation would go a long way to helping the women in Pailin to become independent productive citizens, to the benefit of their family and community, whilst enabling our charity to continue other essential projects."
Projects like this that work directly with communities that often go under the radar of the larger NGOs make a huge difference, and this project in particular will empower women to create sustainable incomes.
