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Annual Report 2015/2016

HOPE CENTRE, KAMPOT a project of Kokkos_Resource (Kampot) Limited ***

" Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness" II Corinthians 9:10

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Contents

1. Overview ......................................................................................3

2. Profile and Attendance: ................................................................6

3. Financials :....................................................................................7

4. Children’s Welfare .......................................................................8

5. Transport .....................................................................................10

6. Education ....................................................................................11

7. Support Costs .............................................................................13

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Report of Progress @ Hope Centre (HC)

1. Overview

“Education represents the hopes, dreams and aspirations of children, families,

communities and nations around the world—the most reliable route out of poverty and a

critical pathway towards healthier, more productive citizens and stronger

societies” ………UNICEF 2015 “FIXING THE BROKEN PROMISE OF EDUCATION FOR ALL”

In 2015, Hope Centre (HC) remained focus in delivering education as a critical pathway

to reduce poverty and prepare the children for better job opportunities. We continue to

upgrade the afterschool care and education services project at Hope Centre at Prey Thuney

village, Kampot Province. We are pleased to highlight the new development and progress

made in key areas for the year May 2015 to April 2016.

a) Attendance

The number of children coming for the meals and studies has increased from a daily

average of about 35 to 65 pupils. Attendance has improved with 80% of pupils across

the different age groups registering over 70% attendance on a monthly basis. It

strengthens our belief that given the right environment, the children will make the effort

and keep their interest in learning.

b) New location

One factor contributing to the increased attendance is the relocation of the Centre to

another premises not far from the previous one. It has easy access from the main artery

road and is situated about 5-8 Kilometres from two public schools.

c) Local NGO

To abide by the laws and regulations of Cambodia, a local NGO has been set up in July,

2015 with local representations to jointly carry out the operations of Hope Centre

d) Donation and Expenditures

Donations received during the year of USD 55,047 in review is less than the previous

year of USD 64,546 (-12.8%). Besides monetary donations, the centre also received

generous donations in kind like health supplements and milk powder.

Total outflows ( USD52,004) increased 10.6% on the previous year reflecting the

increased in the number of children coming to the centre, and mission related expenses.

e) Challenges in the field :

In our endeavour to upgrade the quality of education in the rural community, we

implemented a more holistic approach towards learning. Besides basic education in

literacy and numeracy, the program goes beyond the classroom to include games, team

projects to impart values, build character and other life skills. Time is also set aside to

allow school work supervision and tuition.

Inevitably, the venture brings new challenges in :

Recruitment - The number of available teachers from within the rural

communities is very small. It will require constant effort to find and train a

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sufficient pool of 3-5 staff to run the Centre. The problem is mitigated in part by

the introduction of the ACE curriculum delivered through self learning which

will require more facilitation rather than stand up teaching skills of the teachers.

Curriculum suitability

The ACE curriculum is English based and delivered through self learning.

Because of their weak educational background, the children at the Centre required

a much longer learning curve in mastering the basic English to use the system.

Those children presently above 10 years of age will probably not be able stay in

the Centre long enough to reap the full benefit of the system - an issue which we

will address before the end of 2016.

Facilities

The new premises was renovated at fairly short notice in July 2015. We have

drawn up plans to add more classrooms and space for a small library, games and

children interaction.

Parental-Family Support

A problem that recurs within the poor farming community has been cases where

the children are pulled out of school to help in the farms, or parents uprooting the

family to find work elsewhere. The disruption in education affects mainly the

older children of 11- 12 years and of concern, is the fact that about 50% of our

present cohort belongs to this age group.

The situation has made it a matter of urgency to connect with the families and the

community, and to try find social-economic solutions for the families so that their

children will have a chance to continue with a stable and fuller education.

f) Going forward into 2016, our effort and resources will be directed at the following

tasks:

To improve the teaching skills of our present staffs AND employ 3-5 new ones to

meet present and future needs.

Consolidate the implementation of the ACE curriculum – as the implementation

of the curriculum gain traction, we will need to recruit more teachers. The

program itself will need some tweaking to address the issue that some of the

older children may not reaped the full benefits from the system.

Evaluate the feasibility of Early childhood education for the very young

Continuing improvements to the Centre’s infrastructure and learning aids

Connect with the families to support continual education for the their children

*** As the afterschool care and education program at HC gained traction, it was evident

that in parallel, we will have to address some of the family/community needs that impinge on

the program. The newly registered NGO is well placed to continue developing and managing

the operations at HC. In the second half of 2016, Kokkos Resource (Kampot) Ltd as the

“parent” NGO, will obtain resources necessary to initiate families/ community outreach

programs that will lend support and enhance our primary thrust in education. Our other site at

SEED House, presently housing the missionary couple and some staff, will have added use

as a base to launch these community activities.

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Our Appreciation and Thanks ….

All the foregoing would not have been accomplished in 2015 without the sacrifices, kind

effort and donations of resources. We would like to thank the many donors and volunteers

in committing their resources and time to this cause. Special thanks to our people in the field

- our missionary couple, Lawrence and Yue Shan and the local staff in Smael, Channy and

Nget, for their dedication and constant love for the children at HC.

We are beginning to see the faces of the children lighted up with hope and joy. We pray that

each one of us will persevere and continue the good work that has been started - to provide a

better future for these children in Cambodia.

OUR DEDICATED MISSIONARIES AND STAFF

Front Row from Left : Teaching staff Ms P Channy, Mr S. Smael, Mr. T Nyet

Back Row from Left : Missionaries Lawrence Yong , Cheah Yue Shan

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0

20

40

60

80

Average Daily Attendance

Male

Female

Av DailyAttend

Attendance - Age Group

Note : 83% of total cohort register Regular Attendance over

2. Profile and Attendance:

The attendance at Hope Centre has grown from 35

pupils to averages of 55 – 65 pupils daily. It is made

up of a higher proportion of female pupils ( 35) to

male pupils ( 26 ).

The break-down in terms of Age

groups shows a higher concentration

in the 10 – 12 years category ( 55%)

with an equal distribution in the 7 -9

years ( 15%) and above 13 years

( 15%).

One indication, that the children find the

after care and educational services useful

and interesting, is the consistent

attendance. We find that at least 83% of

the overall cohort attend the Centre more

than 70% of each month. The most

regular are in the 7 -9 years age groups

followed by the over 13 years group.

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3. Financials :

Donations received during the year in

review at USD 55,047, is less than the

previous year. (-12.8%). Apart from

monetary donations, the Centre also

received generous donations in kind such

as health supplements and milk powder.

The total outflow is USD 52,004 an increase of

10.6% on the previous year reflecting the

increase in number of children to the Centre

and missionary related expenses.

Centre running expenses, and statutory

expenses are lower this year, and should

remain about the same in the current year.

Infra expenditures, though also lower, will

increase significantly in the current year

because of planned upgrade works.

Mission support is accounted for allowances

paid for the centre leaders, and rentals for

Seed House to house the staffs.

10% 5%

22%

6%

40%

10% 7%

Expenses 2015/2016

Children'sWelfare

Transport

Education

Centre Expenses

Missions Support

$47,021 $52,004

Expenditures (USD)

2014/2015

2015/2016

$64,546 $55,047

Donations (USD)

2014/2015

2015/2016

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4. Children’s Welfare

Children welfare covers provision of meals (lunch and snacks) and health related

supplements. Although the sum spent is lower

than a year ago, the lower expenditures reflect a

more efficient use of resources than the

previous year. Unlike the previous year, our

local NGO has taken over the preparation of the

lunches and this has led to much savings.

During the year, two social events, Christmas

and Easter Celebrations were held. Parents,

community members like the school principals

and neighbours joined in the festivities and the

opportunity was taken to show case the works

and achievements of the children.

Going forward, expenditures are expected to increase as the number of meals are likely to

increase with the expected increase in children coming to the centre. Donations of health

supplements and milk and similar items may ceased.

2014-2015, 5,900

2015/2016, 5,157

Children's Welfare (USD)

WHAT A

MEAL !!!

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5. Transport

This service is provided to “bus” children to and from

school about 6Km away from the Centre. Cost has risen

due mainly to the wear and tear on the old motor bike

made to pull the larger and heavier carriage bought

during the year. We plan to replace the present bike

with a second hand bike.

2014/15, 822

2015/16, 2,329

Transport Exp (USD)

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6. Education

Hope Centre (HC) remained focus in

delivering education as a critical pathway

to reduce poverty and prepare the children

for better job opportunities.

One principal goal is to encourage

schooling and we provide educational

support that will renew the passion and

interest in learning amongst the children. It

include basic education and tutoring in

Khmer, Maths and conversational English.

Beside garnering as a new language,

spoken English is also a useful job skill in the growing hospitality industry in the province.

At the Centre, we have adopted ACE, an English- based home learning system that allow

the children to explore and self study. It demands less teaching but good facilitation skills.

As a start, we have used ACE to teach English lessons and can readily used it for Maths

and a choice of other subjects.

To enhance learning of English, we have provided laptops and tablets preloaded with self

learning lessons. The response is positive and more devices will be added in the coming

year. Together with the learning of English and Maths, it will serve the children well in

the future.

Our education program goes beyond the academics. We conduct games, team work and

projects that build character, values and self motivation. The children have fun and hands

on experience in a safe and secure environment.

Hope Centre needs good teachers to

achieve its goals. Currently its 3 local

tutors are insufficient and more is

needed to accommodate the growing

number of attendees. However, it is

difficult to find locals with English

proficiency to join.

Typically, each staff is sent for

training in the usage of ACE. Last

year, Four of them including the

centre leaders went for training

which was held at Chiang Mai,

Thailand.

2014/15, 8,089

2015/16, 11,232

Education (USD)

$1,598 $1,968

$7,666

Education 2015/2016 (USD)

Educationmaterials

Training

Tutors' salaries &related exp

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……… Learning Experiences

LIVELY

CLASSES

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7. Support Costs

Support costs essentially cover 4 items:

a) Centre Exp: the running costs of the centre

b) Missions Support: costs relating to the

people we sent across to help manage and

teach at the centre. This will remain

reasonably fixed should the scope of works

increase in the future

c) Infra Exp: improvement costs to the centre,

which is relatively low this year but should

increase substantially in the coming as there

are a lot of upgrade works planned for a

larger attendees, and finally,

d) Stat Costs: statutory costs for both the S'pore company, and local NGO.

As in previous years, none of the directors are paid; and have volunteered their time and

resources pro-bono.

In Conclusion, we are indeed THANKFUL for your good works.

THANK YOU !!!

$3,257

$20,914

$5,230 $3,885

Support costs 2015/2016

(USD)

Centre Exp

Missionssupport

InfraExpenditures

Stat Costs