Harnessing Opportunities through Play and Education
Summer News!
NEWSLETTER 12 June 2014
IN THIS ISSUE
2014 Fundraising Challenge
Life Skills Presentations
Voluntourism - Our Take

Dear HOPE friends and supporters

We've already passed the half way mark of 2014 and feel it's about time to update you on what's been happening for H.O.P.E and some of the projects we support.

We have been busy behind the scenes applying for grants, liaising with projects and organising our 2014 fundraising challenge, but more on that later.

It is clear that the need to support youth vocational opportunities, young adult education and skills training is still exceptionally high. H.O.P.E trustees are still as dedicated as they were when they first set up in 2008 and formulated H.O.P.E's charitable objectives.

It's these charitable objectives that we stand by and which motivate us to continue knocking on doors, applying for funding and reaching out to supporters week in week out. Despite the current state of affairs regarding food futures climate change or global poverty we believe small things make big differences and H.O.P.E's small contribution, with your help, can make a big difference to young adults in Cambodia.

We hope you enjoy our Summer news and if you have any stories, experiences or fund raising ideas you would like us to blog, tweet or talk about please contact us!

We continue to see great results across all three of our major projects (Sangkheum Centre's Ready4Life, Salariin Kampuchea's Life Skills and TLC's Internship programmes) where more of the beneficiaries are securing jobs and achieving independence.  Knowing the money we raise is achieving such positive results keep us highly motivated.

We would also love to hear your views, please complete this short survey to help with future planning... H.O.P.E Newsletter Survey
  
  
Anyone up for this year's fundraising Dragon Boat Challenge? 
      
We are!! Yes, this year's challenge is building a 16 man crew on the picturesque Bewl water in Kent this September. We're looking for oarsman, coxes, shoreline support, fund raisers and general social media gurus to help spread the word!

The challenge is an organised event, happening on Sunday 14th of September 2014. For more news click here and to sponsor the team you'll find our JustGiving Page here. We're aiming for £2,014, so please help us in any way shape or form! Contact Us here to get involved!
  
In Cambodia Dragon Boat racing is a popular activity at the annual Water Festival, called Bonn Om Touk in Khmer. Celebrated on the full moon of the Buddhist month of Kadeuk, it coincides with the end of the rainy season and the reversal flow of the Tonle Sap River. 
This is a unique phenomenon where water pressures in the Mekong River cause the river flow to change its direction.
  
Historically, the event also heralds the start of the Cambodian fishing season and dates back to the reign of King Jayavarman who believed that it may keep the god of the river happy and supply a plentiful harvest of rice and fish.
  
This year we thought we could bring a little Cambodian tradition to Kent and help raise some funds for today's youth in Cambodia. It may not be a marathon, a triathlon or a mud race but in full Khmer tradition, we hope the boat race will bring together our own community and supporters, just like villagers and farmers do across Cambodia and celebrate to help bring more opportunities for young adults to indeed harvest their own futures.
  
Please contact us if you're interested in taking part.
Dragon Boat Challenge 2014
Life Skills Student Presentations

Ever wondered exactly what our young adults actually learn during their Life Skills programme?  

 

We've often found it challenging to describe concisely what and how the young adults learn but fortunately the Life Skills students at Salariin
Kampuchea have made their own presentations to convey just that!

The below powerpoint presentations help us visually understand what they've learnt, how they've learnt and most importantly the benefits received.

If there is one you really like, then why not vote for it? By casting your vote on the Contact Us page. Simply leave your name and entry preference in the notes section.

Click on the links below each picture and open up each PowerPoint presentation and run the slide show.

 

Voluntourism - our take!
       
Cambodia is a great place to experience, and sharing your knowledge and assisting the locals is a great way to contribute to local economic development, education and other issues.
  
However, we encourage everyone to do their homework and actively research where you're going, ask lots of questions and make sure the work you do is benefitting the locals.
Jo and Tanya at SCC
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We would like to thank a few people for their time, effort and support so far this year including Kristina Bull who despite juggling being Mum and a Project Manager found the time to run the Paris Marathon and raise over £600.
Read more here...

Once again we are overwhelmed by a kind couple from Switzerland who have requested that guests to their wedding donate to H.O.P.E rather than buy a traditional gift. Thank you so very much for your generosity.

As always we're very grateful for Nathan Nelson's IT support. His recent upload, which we wanted to share with you, shows the original Sangkheum Young Adult's producing a short film about their home town of Siem Reap back in 2008, which is when we started to support the programme.
 
When we last saw them all in 2013 they all showed great promise and we're pleased to say that the next generation, with the support of Novella and her team, are back on track to following in their footsteps.

Postcard from Cambodia - GlobalGiving update
Postcard from Cambodia
  
Another date for your diary, the H.O.P.E team will be at Sandford Village fete (near Oxford) on Saturday 19th of July selling silk bags, purses and scarves alongside a tombola.
  
We  look forward to updating you again with more news soon and hopefully seeing you at one of our events. In the meantime get regular updates at www.hopeforcambodia.org.uk or Follow us on Twitter and dont forget to like our new Facebook Page which is COMING SOON.

 

Best wishes

 

Tanya and Jo
Trustees - Harnessing Opportunities through Play and Education

 SK Young Adults 

Click here to sponsor the crew