Generous donation enables purchase of bicycles for disadvantaged children in Cambodia.
For years, ngo avec and the WeCare Association have been working closely together. For some time now, go avec has been running a school project in two schools in Battambang. These two schools are regularly visited by representatives of ngo avec, who then distribute relief supplies to the parents of the supported children, who are also present. The goal is to create an additional incentive for the parents to send their children to school regularly. This project is very successful, and the author of this article has been present on site several times during the distribution of the supplies.
At the end of 2021, the WeCare Association received a generous donation from the Diethelm Foundation and, in consultation with Theavy Bun and Patrik Roux, we agreed to provide some of the children supported by the school project with additional bicycles.
The school project supports a total of 100 families, but Theavy Bun decided to give bicycles only to those students who regularly attend school and work hard there.
This resulted in a need for 77 bicycles plus 12 bicycles needed for the children of the Safe House in Battambang. Furthermore, all 89 bicycles were equipped with locks.
In addition, 2 mopeds were purchased for two older girls from the Safe House who are already attending university.
Nowadays, a bicycle is not necessarily something special for children in Switzerland. Not so in a third world country like Cambodia.
What does a bicycle mean for a Cambodian child?
- The child gets to school faster.
- In Cambodia, a bicycle is not only a means of transportation for a child, but it can also be used to take a brother/sister or another child from the same village to school.
- The recipients of the bicycles have a low absenteeism rate. This makes them role models for the other children, who hopefully produce fewer absences as a result.
- Owning a bike also makes it easier for these children to attend the additional English and computer training offered by ngo avec. The training center on the grounds of the ngo avec is very remote and can only be reached on foot, by bicycle or by car. There is no public transportation there.
- The bicycles then allow the students to later attend a secondary school in Battambang, which is also not accessible by foot because they are too far away and no, there is no public transportation there either.
- Having a bicycle in the family benefits the whole family. For example, the mother can use it to go to the market or to town to do shopping or to get medicine for a sick family member.
Giving these bicycles also reinforces ngo avec’s message about the necessity and usefulness of regular school attendance. Those who try harder and work harder in school get more than the others who do not.
Giving these bicycles also reinforces ngo avec’s message about the necessity and usefulness of regular school attendance. Those who try harder and work harder in school get more than the others who do not.
The official handover took place in the presence of parents and local political celebrities on the premises of the ngo avec in a ceremonial act.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Dietrich Foundation once again for their generous donation. Without this contribution, the implementation of this project would not have been possible.
