RISING UP TO THE COVID-19 CHALLENGE IN CAMBODIA

MESSAGE FROM OHF FOUNDER

Dear Donors and Friends of OHF,

Over these last weeks, I have been trying to understand the impact of a global pandemic to the poorest among us. In a word, the situation is crippling. Even one day without work means no food on the table. Even one day without income means that children are torn from school to work in any way possible. Many of us cannot even fathom such a situation for our own families.

We are approaching one month when the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Imagine what these men, women and children are experiencing after a month of no work, additional mouths to feed and restrictions on contact. It is a heartbreaking scenario.

Many of our neighbors in Cambodia that Operation Hope Foundation supports are facing a dire future. Operation Hope Foundation itself is sorely lacking in funds to operate – one of our main sources of funding came from our team house building program – which of course has ground to a halt with a travel stop.

We’d like to extend an appeal to you, our donor family. Please don’t forget about those who truly need a roof over their heads or food to feed their family. We know that there is a high level of uncertainty. Whatever you can spare is a blessing to us. We would love to utilize our Cambodia staff to build houses for the people that were promised one through our team building program.

We wish you and your family good health and prosperous times ahead.

Have a read below on the impacts of COVID-19 on the households and families in rural Cambodia.

Kind Regards,
Robert Kee
Founder & Chairman

Cambodia Impact: COVID-19

Unemployment is skyrocketing across the globe. In Cambodia, hundreds of thousands of Cambodians are returning home from Thailand and other places as they have lost their jobs.  They work abroad as construction workers, factory workers and street vendors and primarily are paid daily. The lockdown in Thailand and in other countries has forced many businesses to shutter.

Garment factories employ about one million workers in Cambodia. Because of COVID-19, these factories are unable to get their supplies from China. It is estimated that 200 factories may cease operations and hundreds of thousands of additional workers laid off. To make matters worse, sales from European and USA clients have also halted.

UNDP reports that 21% of Cambodians are vulnerable to poverty if they face setbacks like sickness, drought or unemployment on top of the poverty rate of 35% in the country. In the villages within the province of Prey Veng (where Hope Village Prey Veng is located), many of the children in the home were looked after by grandparents as their parents are either overseas or working in Phnom Penh. Their rice field are too small to support the family and the rice grown is just for their own consumption. Many depend on remittances sent by the parents or older children to buy even the basic necessities. This becomes a compounded problem when families grow bigger when the unemployed return home.

What can OHF do to help them? Many will return to their villages which escalates the need to build decent houses for those who are living in shacks. Living in a proper house that protects them from the weather leading to better health and lower medical expenses. It allows them to start a small business as the house can safely store cooking utensils and raw ingredients. OHF can build up 4 houses a month which cost S$250,000 a year.

The COVID-19 crisis will force many children to leave school as they have to work or cannot afford the stationary and school uniforms as their parents have no income. To help these children we need at least another 200 child sponsors for the Sponsor a Child (Non-Residential Child Sponsorship).

These grandparents are looking after their four grandchildren – 3 girls and a boy (the eldest is not pictured). Age 1, 2, 3 and 7. We appeal to you to, that if you are able, to help contribute to families like this one that have so little and need so much. Their new home is pictured below. There are so many families like this one that will suffer given the world turmoil. But if you can help, even just a bit, we can continue to make their lives and their children’s lives significantly better: safer, more comfortable, enable a greater income and support their elevation out of poverty.

You can provide solid, tangible help to poor Cambodians affected by the COVID-19 crisis.  We have used up almost all our reserves as we cannot keep up when the need is so urgent and dire. Please partner with us to reduce the drastic effects which the poor will experience from the COVID-19 crisis.

To support us, you can send a cheque, make a bank transfer (PayNow) or make a credit card donation online.

Cheque

Please send a cheque made payable to “The Operation Hope Foundation Ltd” to:

Attn: Ms Susan Teo @ 352 Tanglin Road (Strathmore Block) #02-04 Singapore 247671
Please indicate your name, contact number and indicate “COVID Challenge” at the back of the cheque.

Bank Transfer (PayNow)

(Please consider Cheque or Credit Card if your donation exceeds your daily transfer limit.)

1. Log in to your bank account to transfer funds via PayNow.
2. Select UNIQUE ENTITY NUMBER (UEN) option
3. Key in UEN no.: 200104386W
4. Under Reference, indicate: COVID challenge

Credit Card

1. Visit https://ohf.org.sg/donatetomakehopereal/
2. Under MAKE A DONATION, key in your donation amount.
3. Under ‘Donor Information -> leave a short message’, indicate ‘COVID Challenge’