Child sponsorship update from Phnom Penh, Cambodia

22 Apr 2009
Source: SOS Children's Village

Update for child sponsors from the SOS Children's Village Phnom Penh, Cambodia from Summer 2008

With great pleasure we would like to share with you the latest happenings and recent developments that have taken place in the SOS Children’s Village Phnom Penh during the last 6 months. Without donations from the supporters our work would be impossible, and every money we are given is a great help towards the work we do.
A half years SOS Children’s Village Phnom Penh has been a home for 165 children among whom 125 are presently under our care in the Village. Currently, two Youth facilities are functioning nearby the village. 20 youngsters are living in the I Youth Facility, 20 youngsters in the II Youth facility where they still study at high school. At the SOS Nursery School inside the village you can hear children laughing in every group. The SOS Nursery School is attended by children from the community as well as from the SOS Children's Village. This is a place which is never quiet! Up to 120 children between the age 3-6 attend SOS Nursery School, out of them 11 are from SOS Village and 24 scholarship students whose family absolutely poor. The availability of suitable classrooms, games and toys ensures that the children are given the optimum conditions for developing their social, intellectual and creative skills and they are prepared for the primary school.

To make children’s life more interesting, purposeful and to promote their development a lot of activities and events are organized within as well as out of the Village. Education was the challenging part in the working process of children development program. We prepared for activities to educate our children. All our children from grade 3 to grade 8 were started reading book such as school, histories, joke, proverb books in our SOS library in everyday work in order to improve their basic and social knowledge which was leaded by our educator. Therefore, our educators have trained directly and smoothly cooperation with SOS mother to training the children by each family in everyday work in order solving their education problem and others additional training.

Developments at Phnom Penh, Cambodia

In addition, our children tried very hard in learning from school and others additional training classes like sewing, dancing Karate-Do and football. We have two football teams that trained by Cambodia Federation football. For football, our children’s football team under 13 years old had matched with children’s football team from High School as a result, they won second prize. This match have organise by Cambodia Federation Football especially, out of them 03 were selected to National team and they joined Asian Football Confederation under 14 Festival 2008-South East Region which was held in Kota, Sabah-Malaysia from May 31, 2008 to June 07, 2008. Additional, Our 09 children have successful finished Karate-Do with black belt and 26 children were passed Karate exam from green to blue belt.

For sure you are pleased with the information and developments that took place in our Village during last 6 months. We hope that you will continue to sponsor our Village and witness how children grow up and turn into independent happy persons only thanks to your generosity and kind will. Helping children in need is the responsibility of all the people. Your generous contribution helps us make our vision a reality, enables us to provide children with hope and opportunity for a better tomorrow. Together we can let the children know that they are not forgotten and they are still in our hearts. On behalf of all the children and the whole SOS organization we would like to express our gratitude for your help and support.

Wishing you all the best

Sincerely yours,

Mrs. Meas Mala
Senior Co-worker-Sponsorship

Child sponsorship update from Phnom Penh, Cambodia

22 Apr 2009
Source: SOS Children's Village

Update for child sponsors from the SOS Children's Village Phnom Penh, Cambodia from Summer 2008

With great pleasure we would like to share with you the latest happenings and recent developments that have taken place in the SOS Children’s Village Phnom Penh during the last 6 months. Without donations from the supporters our work would be impossible, and every money we are given is a great help towards the work we do.
A half years SOS Children’s Village Phnom Penh has been a home for 165 children among whom 125 are presently under our care in the Village. Currently, two Youth facilities are functioning nearby the village. 20 youngsters are living in the I Youth Facility, 20 youngsters in the II Youth facility where they still study at high school. At the SOS Nursery School inside the village you can hear children laughing in every group. The SOS Nursery School is attended by children from the community as well as from the SOS Children's Village. This is a place which is never quiet! Up to 120 children between the age 3-6 attend SOS Nursery School, out of them 11 are from SOS Village and 24 scholarship students whose family absolutely poor. The availability of suitable classrooms, games and toys ensures that the children are given the optimum conditions for developing their social, intellectual and creative skills and they are prepared for the primary school.

To make children’s life more interesting, purposeful and to promote their development a lot of activities and events are organized within as well as out of the Village. Education was the challenging part in the working process of children development program. We prepared for activities to educate our children. All our children from grade 3 to grade 8 were started reading book such as school, histories, joke, proverb books in our SOS library in everyday work in order to improve their basic and social knowledge which was leaded by our educator. Therefore, our educators have trained directly and smoothly cooperation with SOS mother to training the children by each family in everyday work in order solving their education problem and others additional training.

Developments at Phnom Penh, Cambodia

In addition, our children tried very hard in learning from school and others additional training classes like sewing, dancing Karate-Do and football. We have two football teams that trained by Cambodia Federation football. For football, our children’s football team under 13 years old had matched with children’s football team from High School as a result, they won second prize. This match have organise by Cambodia Federation Football especially, out of them 03 were selected to National team and they joined Asian Football Confederation under 14 Festival 2008-South East Region which was held in Kota, Sabah-Malaysia from May 31, 2008 to June 07, 2008. Additional, Our 09 children have successful finished Karate-Do with black belt and 26 children were passed Karate exam from green to blue belt.

For sure you are pleased with the information and developments that took place in our Village during last 6 months. We hope that you will continue to sponsor our Village and witness how children grow up and turn into independent happy persons only thanks to your generosity and kind will. Helping children in need is the responsibility of all the people. Your generous contribution helps us make our vision a reality, enables us to provide children with hope and opportunity for a better tomorrow. Together we can let the children know that they are not forgotten and they are still in our hearts. On behalf of all the children and the whole SOS organization we would like to express our gratitude for your help and support.

Wishing you all the best

Sincerely yours,

Mrs. Meas Mala
Senior Co-worker-Sponsorship

Retailer confidence rock bottom, new survey finds

A shopper pays at a Lucky Supermarket checkout in Phnom Penh on Tuesday. The majority of retailers in Cambodia have seen declining fortunes in the past six months, a new survey said. (Photo by: TRACEY SHELTON)

Wednesday, 22 April 2009
Written by Nathan Green
The Phnom Penh Post

Indochina Research survey finds that 87 percent of retailers think economy has worsened in past six months, but 59 percent expect improvements

CAMBODIAN retailers have been hit hard by the global economic crisis, but more than half expected conditions to improve over the next six months, a survey of retailer confidence released today by Indochina Research shows.
The company's second-quarter I-TRAK survey questioned 600 retailers in Phnom Penh, the Lao capital Vientiane, and Vietnam's two major cities, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. It covered convenience and grocery stores, other retail stores, and the hospitality, restaurant and catering sectors.

Eighty-seven percent of Cambodian respondents said economic conditions were worse in March compared with six months earlier. Only 2 percent said economic conditions had improved, and 11 percent said they had stayed the same.

Most retailers in Cambodia had suffered financially with falling customer numbers and decreasing spend-per-customer eating into profit margins, the survey showed. The decline came despite many dropping prices to boost sales.

But IndoChina Research General Manager Laurent Notin said the survey also contained good news for the sector. Of the Cambodian respondents, 59 percent said the worst was behind them and that the retail situation would stabilise or improve over the next six months.

"Yes, [retailers] are affected by the economic slowdown; yes, they have fewer customers and lower profits - but they do think the economic situation in the next six months will get better," Notin said.

"As the midpoint between manufacturers and customers, retailers are the centre of everything. They are closely connected to the economy and their confidence is a good sign for future growth."

Lam Sopheap, general manger at Sorya Shopping Centre in Phnom Penh, said April was even worse than March for retailers, with the New Year period unusually slow. "This Khmer New Year, everywhere was quiet because nobody wanted to spend money," he said.

Sales at Sorya have been down 30 to 40 percent in April compared with a year earlier, he added, but he said he expected the retail situation to improve by the middle of 2010.

Confidence among retailers in Vietnam was stronger than in Cambodia, but 68 percent of respondents still said economic conditions were worse in March than six months earlier. A further 12 percent said the economic situation had improved for retailers and 20 percent said it had remained unchanged.

Laos bucked the trend with 52 percent of respondents saying conditions had improved for retailers, compared with just 22 percent that said conditions had worsened.

Unlike in Cambodia and Vietnam where retailers lowered prices to attract customers, prices for retail goods in Laos were higher in March compared to six months earlier.

The second-quarter I-TRAK report followed a consumer confidence survey in late February that showed that 39 percent of Cambodian consumers thought economic conditions had worsened, compared with 37 percent that thought they had improved.

"By definition, retailers are always less confident than consumers so I am not surprised to see lower confidence levels than consumers," Notin said.

The retail confidence survey confirmed a Phnom Penh Post report in March that found sales had dropped by up to a half at four of Phnom Penh's main supermarkets in the first quarter of 2009. Sales at Pencil Shopping Centre had dropped by around 20 percent, Sorya Shopping Centre reported a 25 percent sales decline, Sydney Shopping Centre 30 percent and Sovanna Supermarket 50 percent, the Post found.

Chhoy Chhunly, owner of the Lovely clothing shop in Pencil on Sothearos Boulevard, also reported a sales decline in recent months, but said economic conditions were not behind the slump. Rather, Hun Sen's decision in February to outlaw sports and electronic gambling had led to a marked decline in the number of women buying clothes for work in the sector.

"Before, one girl would buy two, three or even four dresses at a time," she said. "Now they say they have no money so they maybe buy one dress or none at all."

Notin said retailers that looked to the future and understood their market would come out the slump the strongest.

"The main message is to do your homework even more than before," he said. "We know the economy is slowing down globally so take that into account, but don't be afraid to invest. It's about long-term thinking."