Endorsement Of Safe Reopening Of Sihanoukville Schools

 

Prince Holding Group ("Prince Group"), one of Cambodia's largest and fastest-growing conglomerates, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Plan International Cambodia, one of the world's leading development and humanitarian organisations dedicated to advancing children's rights and gender equality, for a project that will install pedal-operated handwashing stations at all levels of education in Preah Sihanouk province. The MoU was signed alongside H.E. Dr. HANG Chuon Naron, Minister of Education, Youth and Sport, at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) in Phnom Penh.

Minister H.E. Dr. HANG Chuon Naron took the opportunity to greet Prince Group Cambodia and Plan International Cambodia delegates during the ceremony. In addition to this project, he commended Prince Group Cambodia for their active participation in previous years and expressed his enthusiasm for future initiatives that will benefit the education sector.

H.E. Dr. HANG Choun Naron praised Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen's great leadership, highlighting the Kingdom's Covid-19 preventative measures' efficiency, with over 90% of Cambodians vaccinated and rigorous adherence to the Covid-19 preventive standards (3 dos and don'ts). Cambodia has been able to reopen its economy since the end of 2021 because to the regulation of imported cases, including Omicron. However, he underlined the importance of continuing to take precautions like as washing hands often, maintaining social distance, and wearing masks when in public places like schools.

Prince Foundation, the conglomerate's philanthropy arm, will collaborate with Plan International Cambodia to implement a Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) intervention programme from March to April 2022 as part of a "Back to School" campaign. In addition, the Foundation will provide financial and operational support for a variety of activities aimed at assisting the government's efforts to safely restore schools.

“Prince Foundation, which has previously launched a national level initiative through our recent Chen Zhi Scholarship initiative, is also looking to work more actively at a provincial level. We want to ensure a sustainable recovery across provinces, and we are pleased to get a chance to work with Plan International Cambodia,” said Cliff Koh, Secretary-General of Prince Group. “We also look forward to collaborating further with the MoEYS in the new year to ensure children get the facilities they need to make education safer.”

Between March and April, officials from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, as well as provincial and municipal administration officials in Sihanoukville, will receive a complete handover of pedal-operated handwashing stations. Such programmes have had quantifiable improvements in other nations over time, and they are expected to strengthen Cambodia's pandemic resiliency.

“This collaboration between Prince Foundation and Plan International Cambodia will help ensure that children, especially the girls, can go back to school safely after the interruptions by COVID-19. Installing these pedal-operated handwashing stations is a very important intervention to help reduce risks from COVID-19 and ensure that children can access quality education which will benefit them for life,” said Yi Kimthan, Plan International Cambodia's Acting Country Director. “On behalf of the students from the schools in Preah Sihanouk province, I would like to express our gratitude to Prince Foundation for this first exciting project together. This project is under Plan International Cambodia’s Healthy Start and Lifelong Learning Strategic Programs, which is part of Plan International Cambodia’s mission partnering to empower 2.5 million girls, especially adolescent girls and young women in Cambodia, from 2021 to 2026.”

WASH interventions by Plan International Cambodia, which has been working in the country since 2002, have proven to be effective community-based solutions that can ensure well-maintained water points and sanitation facilities, empowering people to take control of their public health, thanks to the Prince Foundation's funding and corporate partnership. Over 6.6 million people in South Asia now have better access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene.

Prince Group is committed to supporting youth development, and it just created the Chen Zhi Scholarship, a financial aid programme that will change the lives of 400 Cambodian university students over the next seven years. Prince Group will cover all tuition and stipend costs, totaling more than $2 million. Read more info

As part of its ongoing efforts to support local communities as Cambodia reopens for a post-pandemic recovery, Canopy Sands Development, a member of Prince Group, which is working on Ream City, a coastal development project that aims to help transform Sihanoukville, recently distributed care packages to M'Lop Tapang, one of the leading charitable organisations in Sihanoukville.