February has been a busy month for the Committee. You will have seen in the 12/2/25 Bulletin the formal opening of the new toilet facilities at the Kampong Thom High School in Cambodia. Whilst the project works are complete, we are compiling the Foundation Grant project report to close out the grant funding application. We have also been supporting an early learning centre in Aubedon in Timor Leste run by the Global Vaddo Charitable Trust. Through Donations In Kind, we have been able to supply a range of goods (tables, chairs, stationary, etc) that have been packed into a container for shipment to Dili which the Club has provided the shipping costs. The Trust has worked previously with the Rotary Club of Dili who will help them with collection of the goods in Dili.
In Cambodia, our student at the Cambodian Rural Students Trust, Sreypeou Mao, has been as busy as always. In addition to her studies, she has been working on their Project Trees for Life where they are providing fruit trees in the Run Ta Ek area which has been extensively cleared. She has also been working on their own WASH project providing hygiene and nutrition education at schools. She has also been involved in a Village Street Library in the Bataysrei district. This was a project developed directly by the CRST members, who had to liaise with the village chief and school director, as well as finding an ambassador to maintain the library. They then constructed the library and installed it, and then provided new books and reading material for the villages. They hope to build more of these libraries in rural areas as there are very limited opportunities for children and students to access books.
The Committee has also supported the application for a further Scoping Visit grant to the Baucau District in Timor Leste. This WASH project opportunity has arisen out of the current WASH project being undertaken. The Club will provide the matching contribution to fund the scoping trip should the grant application be accepted by Foundation. This project is likely to result in a Global Grant and a major project in due course.
Following on from the well at Plei Rolong village funded by the club last year, Sue Gray has identified another remote village in central Vietnam that does not have access to clean water. The Committee will be reviewing this potential project in the coming weeks.