Annual Report 2010

Achievements

Cambodian Communities out of Crisis (CCC) continued its programme of sponsoring students undertaking education in Cambodia. CCC sponsored 17 students in 2010, seven fewer than in 2009. Subjects studied included English Language, International Relations and Law. Four of the students were children enrolled at private schools; the remainder were adults studying certificate and degree-level courses at colleges and universities. All students were studying in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, but two came from a provincial town. Eleven students were female and six male.

Although CCC maintains its vision to establish Timothy College, a college of further and higher education in Cambodia, the Trustees decided not to raise funds actively for this project in 2010, lest this divert income away from the pressing needs of current activities. Funds already raised for Timothy College are held in an interest-bearing account.

The Dump Kids project, which CCC started in 2008, continued to make it possible for fifteen children who formerly scavenged on Phnom Penh's municipal rubbish dump 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 satisfactory progress at school.

On two occasions in 2010 the Chairman and Director of CCC lobbied the British Government about social problems in Cambodia: the activities of an alleged paedophile who was running a charity seeking to help impoverished children who reside near the former municipal rubbish dump of Phnom Penh; and the problem of the trafficking of girls and young women for prostitution in Cambodia.

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.

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 2010 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 provided 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 considers 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 wishes to study. CCC does not discriminate between candidates for sponsorship on the basis of their religion.

Finance

CCC's income in 2010 was sufficient to fulfil the student sponsorship commitments agreed by the Trustees at the end of 2009 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 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.

A major challenge faced by CCC in 2010 was the maintenance of its educational sponsorship and Dump Kids projects in Cambodia in the face of a drop in income from donors. No sponsored students were forced to suspend or terminate their studies, but although some students came to the end of their courses and CCC's commitment to them ended, the Trustees considered it prudent not to take on the sponsorship of any additional students, but to concentrate on fulfilling commitments to existing sponsored students.

The Future

In 2011 the Trustees' objectives are:

  1. To continue the sponsorship of students and school children. CCC is unlikely to take on any additional sponsorship commitments in 2011 unless a substantial increase in donor income materialises.
  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.

CCC's medium- and long-term objectives are:

  1. To help provide improved access to primary and secondary education for children from low-income families.
  2. To establish Timothy College.
  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 2010. Trustees are denoted by an asterisk (*).

Chairman: Mr Myers Cooper*
Director: Rev Ross Rennie*
Treasurer: Mr Tony Nixon* (ceased to be a Trustee on 31 December 2010)
Member: Mr Julian Reynolds*
Member: Mrs Deborah Rennie (from 13 March 2010)
Member: Mr Austin Allkins (from 13 March 2010)

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