Annual Report 2008

Achievements

Cambodian Communities out of Crisis (CCC) continued its programme of sponsoring students undertaking education in Cambodia. CCC sponsored 29 students in 2008, the same number as in 2007. Subjects studied included Information Technology, English Language, Business Administration, Accountancy and Law. Five of the students were children enrolled at private schools; the remainder were adults studying certificate and degree-level courses at colleges and universities. One student successfully completed her studies for a master's degree in business administration and two were studying for master's degrees in development management. All students were studying in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, but two came from a provincial town. Eleven students were male and eighteen female.

CCC maintains its vision to establish Timothy College, a college of further and higher education in Cambodia. The college will have a Christian foundation but will offer courses to students of any religion or none. During 2008 CCC continued to raise funds for this project, make it known to churches and individuals in the United Kingdom and search for a partner to execute the project in Cambodia.

In January 2008 CCC started the Dump Kids project. Fifteen children from families who make a living from scavenging on Phnom Penh's municipal rubbish dump began to attend school and receive a cooked meal each day. CCC provided funds to meet the expenses of the children attending state schools and the purchase of cooking equipment, gas and food. A local church pastor supervised the project, monitored the children's progress and organised the feeding programme. All the children made good progress at school, but by the end of the year three had been relocated to orphanages following the death of their parents from AIDS and could no longer participate in the Dump Kids project. Three other children were found to take their place.

The Chairman paid three visits to Cambodia, renewing and extending relationships with the Evangelical Fellowship of Cambodia, Cambodian church leaders, educational institutions and students receiving sponsorship. He also interviewed students applying for sponsorship and managed the disbursement of sponsorship payments.

During 2008 CCC continued its practice of giving a tithe (one tenth) of its undesignated income to causes in which it has no direct involvement.

CCC maintained contact with its supporters and donors and promoted its work in Cambodia through:

• the newsletter The Cambodian Herald, which not only features CCC but also disseminates news about Cambodia and organisations working there;
• the CCC web site at www.cambcomm.org.uk;
• church visits.

Governance

The major risks to which CCC is exposed, as identified by the Trustees, and the systems in place to mitigate those risks were reviewed during the year.

Public Benefit

Registered charities are required to benefit the public. In 2008 Cambodian Communities out of Crisis provided benefit in the form of the payment of educational fees for adults and children enrolled at universities, colleges and schools in Cambodia and the provision of meals for children participating in the Dump Kids project. The section of the public qualifying for the benefit were citizens of Cambodia, resident in Cambodia, wishing to receive private and state education in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. CCC offered full- or part-sponsorship to students who could not afford (or their families could not afford) to pay the fees for their chosen course of study. CCC considered applications for sponsorship on the basis of availability of funds, need (i.e. inability of an applicant to pay fees himself or herself), likelihood of the applicant completing the course of study and the reputation of the institution at which the applicant wished to study. CCC did not discriminate between candidates for sponsorship on the basis of their religion.

Finance

CCC's income in 2008 was sufficient to fulfil the student sponsorship commitments agreed by the Trustees at the end of 2007 and to run the Dump Kids project throughout the year. The Trustees give glory to God for His provision of adequate funds for the work that He has led CCC to undertake.

Funding for administrative and promotional activities was provided by designated gifts from Trustees and tax recovered in connection with undesignated gifts given through Gift Aid, thus ensuring that no funds given by CCC's donors were diverted from work in Cambodia.

The Trustees are conscious of the need to use as much as possible of donated income for activities of direct benefit to the people of Cambodia and elsewhere. CCC's operations continue to be conducted by volunteers in an effort to minimise overheads. Trustees and other Council members bear some administrative and travel costs personally.

Conscious of the downturn in the world economy and the decline in the value of the pound sterling against the United States dollar (in which CCC's disbursements in Cambodia are made), the Trustees considered it prudent not to take on any additional sponsorship commitments for 2009, but to concentrate on fulfilling commitments to existing sponsored students. The Trustees will monitor CCC's financial health and keep this decision under review as students complete their courses and funds possibly become available to sponsor new students.

The Future

In 2009 the Trustees' objectives are:

1. To continue the sponsorship of students and school children.
2. To continue the Dump Kids project.
3. To make the needs of Cambodia and the work of CCC more widely known.
4. To find a partner in Cambodia with whom to work in taking forward CCC's vision for Timothy College and to continue to publicise and obtain funding for the project.

CCC's long-term objectives are:

1. To establish Timothy College.
2. To help provide improved access to high-quality further and higher education for students from low-income families, particularly those resident in Cambodia's provinces.
3. To obtain funding for evangelistic, teaching, training, cross-cultural mission, humanitarian assistance and development projects initiated by the Cambodian church.
4. To encourage public interest in Cambodia and financial support for ministry to its people.
5. To mobilise prayer support for the people and church of Cambodia.
6. To respond to any direction from the Lord to engage in other ministry in Cambodia or elsewhere.

Trustees and Council Members

The following were members of the Council during 2006. Trustees are denoted by an asterisk (*).

Chairman: Mr Myers Cooper*
Director: Rev Ross Rennie*
Treasurer: Mr Tony Nixon*
Member: Mrs Jacqueline Rennie* (until September 2008)
Member: Mr Julian Reynolds
Member: Mrs Gladys Reynolds
Member: Mr Ray Dadswell

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