UCSS Distributes Donations to Orphanages

By Chhay Daroth

The University of Cambodia Student Senate (UCSS) visited two orphanages to deliver donated shoes and school supplies. Chanty Pisal, UCSS President, and Lay Sophanith, UCSS Second Vice President, led a group of 20 students to Orphans Care and Training Organization (OCTO) in Kampong Speu Province on June 11. The following day, Pay Chheng How, Director of Center for English Students (CES) and Associate Dean of College of Arts and Humanities, and Chanty Pisal led a team of 10 students to Riverkids Foundation, an orphanage organization in Sangkat Toul Songker, Khan Roeursey Keo, Phnom Penh.

UCSS members were excited to visit the orphanages and deliver the donations.

For the 116 orphans living at OCTO, UCSS brought 130 pairs of shoes, 130 bags filled with school and personal hygiene supplies, and notebooks. For the nearly 400 orphans at Riverkids Foundation, UCSS distributed 380 pairs of shoes, 370 bags with school and personal hygiene supplies, and packages of instant noodles.

The main objectives of the project were to build a stronger relationship between UC students and the community; promote the spirit of charity and helping others, especially young children; and to serve as role models for the orphans, other youth, and society.

UCSS members posed for a picture with staff members and orphans from Orphans Care and Training Organization (OCTO) after the donation ceremony.

We hoped that when orphans saw UC students doing good community work, they would also want to help other people and become role models for others. We also hoped the orphans would be inspired to believe that they, too, could achieve their dreams. Moreover, we hoped that other people would be inspired to do good things for their communities.

Keo Sophorn, President of OCTO, Mr. Meorn ChamRearn, Vice-President of OCTO, local authorities, and roughly 100 orphans greeted the UCSS members and expressed their appreciation for the donations.

UCSS members sat on stage during the donation ceremony at Riverkids Foundation.

Mr. Sophorn said that he was very happy to see UC students because OCTO does not have many university student visitors. He also said that orphans in OCTO are not only part of the organization, but are also a part of Cambodia, so helping orphans should be a duty of all Cambodian citizens.

Pisal told the orphans at OCTO that UCSS was proud to bring the donations to them and thanked the generous sponsors who helped make this project a success. Afterwards, members of UCSS played games with the young orphans.

UCSS was also warmly welcomed at Riverkids Foundation. Phy Sophorn, Executive Director, said that he was very happy to see UC students helping orphans. The gifts would help to improve the lives of the orphans and would help them study, he said. The foundation currently has four communities and wants to expand in order to be able to help more orphans in Cambodia.

Pay How, Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities and Director of Center for English Studies, received an appreciation certificate on behalf of UCSS for the donation to the Riverkids Foundation.

 During his remarks at the orphanage, Pay Chheng How said that he was very happy to see the orphans and encouraged them to take care of their daily hygiene. He also added that the University of Cambodia (UC) encouraged students to work on projects that could help the orphanages and called on companies and other institutions to help orphans so they could continue their studies.

Afterwards, Chanty Pisal said that UCSS was delighted to see the orphans at Riverkids Foundation and that he believed they could be great learners and contribute to Cambodia’s development.

Chanty Pisal, UCSS President, and other UCSS members gave bags filled with school supplies and shoes to the orphans.

UCSS is very proud of this project and believes that it was very successful. It would like to extend its sincerest gratitude to the following organizations and businesses for supporting this important community service project: Cambodia Children’s Fund for donating shoes; Yamaha Motor Cambodia for donating bags and supplies; and UC students for donating notebooks and instant noodles. Other generous sponsors included SEATV, The Southeast Asia Weekly, OKF, Coca-Cola, Smart Mobile, SPK, and Blue Pumpkin.

The orphans were very appreciative of the donations.

UCSS organized the donation run as a part of its Khmer New Year celebration in April 2011. Students sought donations for the two orphanages from local businesses and organizations and also hosted a charity concert during the celebration. A donation box was passed around during the concert, and all proceeds from the Khmer New Year celebration were donated to the orphanages.

Source: UC Bulletin June 2011, Page 16