Hope Villages started its activities at the Zero Carbon Resettlement Village in Sdock Chrey, Kampong Speu in 2012. Over the last three years, our volunteers have seen a significant improvement in the lives of the villages there.

The village grew from the 76 to 116 families with more than 1000 people living at the site. Check here for the views of the villagers at the new village. With the increase in population, the village is now renamed Chrey Senchey Village.

Eighteen volunteers left Singapore on 3rd December 2014 for the annual Hope Villages Goodwill Trip to the project site. They were joined by thirteen undergraduates from the Pannasastra University in Phnom Penh and Dr. Sokrey, a Cambodian doctor who has been a regular volunteer. A Singapore volunteer, Ms. Sakina Jinia from MKAC gave a detailed account of the four days trip. She found it meaningful.

As the village matured, Hope Villages recognized that priority should be given for health and education services. During the visit, the Hope Kindergarten project was launched. With the help of the University students, we communicated to the villagers the importance of English education for their children. We encouraged them to register their young children to attend the kindergarten.

English classes for the older children continued to be held at the community centre built by Hope Village in 2013. We also sponsored fifty top students from our Hope Centre in Phum Trea to visit Phnom Penh and the new village. The confidence of our Phum Trea students stood out – amply demonstrating to us how investment in education could make a positive difference to the lives of these young Cambodians.

A medical team from Singapore attended to 161 patients. Check here for Dr Saleha Johari’s account on the medical services provided to the villagers. Student medical team from St John’s Brigade, Singapore and NUS NGO ACTS did follow up treatment of the patients.

This year, Hope director Nathalie Frojd Lefrancq invited two newcomers to join the trip. Ms Karin Esmaeili, an experienced midwife in Sweden and Catharina Leivdal, a qualified nurse. They held classes where the importance of good personal hygiene and family planning were robustly communicated to the villagers and on the proper ways for hand washing and tooth brushing. Read Nathalie’s account here. They also conducted a family planning workshop specially for young mothers. This was right up Karin’s alley, and she wrote about it here.

We wish to give our heartfelt thanks to our volunteers, and especially Ann Phua, Dr Sokrey and the Pannasastra University students – see the letter of thanks to Dr Phallack, the Dean of the University. We also give thanks to all our donors. Your generosity allowed us to accomplish so much at this new village.

Our 2016 Goodwill Trip will be held from 2 to 6 December 2016. Do mark these dates on your calendar and do continue to contribute generously to Hope Villages Fund Pte Ltd.