President’s Report 2019

Australian Collaboration Cambodia Inc.President’s Annual Report as at 30 June 2019Presented to the Annual General Meeting held on 17 November 2019

ABN: 16110642025

Running of the Charity

ACC has continued to be run solely by volunteers. Financial support has come through donations and some fund-raising activities.

We were thrilled to be registered as a Charity in May 2018 and to receive DGR status. This has helped to attract more donors to assist with our projects.

A. Projects Conducted During the Financial Year 2018/2019

  1. September Project with The Unaccompanied Association (UNACAS) in Kandal Province, Cambodia.

    Seven self-funded volunteers travelled to Cambodia to work with 25 secondary school students at UNACAS during the Cambodian school holiday period. The team:

    • worked in the UNACAS gardens to clear weeds and prepare the ground for growing vegetables.

    • met with the University students in the UNACAS dormitory and we gave a new computer to four of the university students

    • supervised the older UNACAS students to conduct a head-lice program in Svay Village where about 100 children were treated for head lice.

    • Supported the medical fund at the Holy Church.

  2. January Project at Char Kraom (near Siem Reap) and at Kandal Province. Twelve self-funded volunteers travelled to Cambodia for this project. The team:

    • Worked for four and a half days to continue with the building and development of a new school for Char Kraom village, near Siem Reap. Char Kraom is one of the poorest areas in rural Cambodia. The new school enables students to study in a properly constructed school with flushable toilets. The team painted the outside of the school building as well as the inside and outside of the newly constructed library. We also painted the school desks in bright colours and painted over 40 recycled tyres that will be used to construct a playground.

    • Conducted a head lice program for the 150 school students at Char Kraom.

    • Purchased the items for, and prepared hygiene bags to be distributed in Ang

      Srey Po village – a very poor village in Kandal Province. Purchased new polo shirts for the children in Ang Srey Po village. Conducted a head lice program for the children of Ang Srey Po village.

    • Helped to finish build six simple village houses in a poor village in Kandal Province through the NGO Tabitha Cambodia.

    • Purchased two computers for new university students in the university dorm.

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3. Sponsorship of Poor University Students

During the financial year, up until September 2018 five university students were sponsored to attend university. In September 2018 one graduated and two new students commenced. They were:

Leng Lena Thon Sopheap Thon Sal
Seth Ly Hure Keo Sarun Chun Srey Nich Leng Vanara –

(Teaching English) – finished Sep 2018 (Teaching English)
(Tourism)
(Teaching English)

(Agriculture),
(Tourism) – from Sep 2018 (Teaching English) – from Sep 2018

The cost of sponsorship per student was:

  • -  University fess US$500 (approx.)

  • -  Living allowance US$90 per month

  • -  Accommodation US$450 per annum

    Each student is progressing well.

    We are most grateful to the sponsors who have been, and continue to sponsor the students. I am pleased to report that Leng Lena continues to teach English to the children at UNACAS each weekday evening. Lena also has a fulltime job working with the NGO “Meta” that works with street children and their families.

4. Support of the Unaccompanied Association (UNACAS) centre for the care of orphans and widows.

For a number of years Australian Collaboration Cambodia Inc. (ACC) has partially supported UNACAS, a residential facility that supports children and widows, and some orphans. Our role has been to provide financial support and at times provide maintenance work on the grounds. The Director and Board are not under our direct control, nor appointed by ACC. We work in collaboration with UNACAS to provide funds for staff wages; education, food, clothing and medical supplies for the children in this facility. UNACAS was asked to provide regular monthly financial reports to account for use of money donated by ACC.

In August 2018 ACC transferred AUD$17,000 for the support of UNACAS. This money was raised by the Annual Fund-Raising dinner held in May 2018.

In September 2018, an audit of the UNACAS finances was conducted by the President and Treasurer of ACC. At this time, it was discovered that some money (US$100 - $200 per month) had been used by the Director for personal unauthorized expenditure.

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Monetary support of UNACAS was immediately ceased and the Director informed that this was not acceptable behaviour. The Director ceased to undertake his normal duties at UNACAS and was asked to leave.

Three other staff members continued to run the facility. From February 2019 to June 2019 inclusive, ACC paid US$450 in wages to three staff members who were continuing to operate UNACAS. This money was paid directly to the staff and not paid through the UNACAS bank ( because the former Director still had some signatory authority over the UNACAS bank accounts).

4.1 Ongoing Support of UNACAS

The former Director of UNACAS believes he has some claim to the land on which UNACAS is situated. The existing staff at UNACAS and Board are in the process of investigating the matter concerning the name on the land title on which the UNACAS centre operates. This matter is in progress in Cambodia. The ACC committee has agreed that until this “land matter” is resolved, ACC would not support UNACAS financially.

B. Fund Raising Activities

During the reporting period, ACC conducted a number of fund-raising activities including Sausage sizzles outside St Paul’s Cathedral, “work for a donation” projects, a Church fund raising lunch, a fund-raising dinner and a number of small activities. We are most grateful to all who have worked so hard to make these activities successful.

C. Committee

I thank each member of the ACC Committee who has worked so tirelessly during the year.
In particular I thank our Vice President, Caroline Bui, our Minutes Secretary, Robin Teed, and our Treasurer, Peter Hingston.

Christopher Carolane,

President

2019