Human and Hope Association Archives

Human and Hope Association, Microfinance

Microfinance in Cambodia

March 11

Microfinance has issues. I know it can be very effective for some communities, but there are also lots of challenges in Cambodia, with more than 2.6 million borrowers owing loans of more than USD$10 billion. This has caused me to reflect on Human and Hope Association’s own microfinance program, which we began planning in 2013. A friend of mine had raised the USD$1,500 we needed to begin the program, and one of our Khmer friends who had previously run a microfinance program at a ...

Human and Hope Association

10 years of human and hope association

March 8

Today is 10 years to the day since Human and Hope Association was founded. I am not the founder. And I am so proud of that fact. Human and Hope Association was founded by a group of friends who wanted to pick up where another NGO had left off – providing English education (and at the time, Buddhist morality) to children and young adults at a Buddhist pagoda. These friends understood the power of education; many had struggled to complete their high schooling due to various issues such as ...

Human and Hope Association, Walk to Cambodia

Lace up your joggers, the Walk to Cambodia is back!

February 28

This time last year I was averaging around 2,000 – 3,000 steps a day. And then we went into lockdown. You would have expected my steps to decrease even further. However, I had a secret weapon to motivate me. The Walk to Cambodia, a virtual fundraising and fitness event that runs throughout the month of April each year. Our goal is for our participants to collectively walk the distance from Australia to Cambodia whilst raising crucial funds for children’s education programs. Over the ...

Human and Hope Association

Today is my 35th birthday and I have a story to tell you.

January 8

Today is my 35th birthday. This time last year, in the middle of the horrific bushfire season, I asked you to donate what you could to my birthday fundraiser. It was a tough ask with all the focus on bushfire relief efforts. Little did I know that it was only the beginning of what would be a frightful year for the world, not to mention our fundraising efforts. Yet, Human and Hope got through it. COVID-19 didn’t spread in Cambodia like it did in other countries, but the economic ...

Cambodia, Human and Hope Association

A Q & A with Thai San of Human and Hope Association

May 14

Many community members in Human and Hope Association’s target communes in rural Siem Reap, Cambodia have lost their jobs. They either worked in the tourism industry, or their jobs were indirectly related to the tourism industry, which has become non-existent due to COVID-19. The flow on effect from the loss of these jobs is impacting other industries, including small enterprises. The economic impact on Siem Reap has been horrendous. The team are now seeing families who don’t have enough ...

Human and Hope Association

We need your help immediately.

March 20

The world is currently experiencing uncertainty, fear and social isolation. We want you to know that we are all in this together. At Human and Hope, we are trying to navigate the need to protect our health and wellbeing and still ensure that the vital programs we support in Cambodia can continue. We need your support more than ever. Tourism in Siem Reap is down 70 – 90%. Businesses are closing, countless people are losing their jobs and the flow-on effect to the most vulnerable ...

Human and Hope Association

I know how difficult it can be to keep fit whilst working from home.

March 19

As someone who has always worked from home pre-COVID-19, I know how difficult it can be to get your steps up. Some days I don’t even make it past 1,000 steps! That’s why we are adapting Human and Hope’s virtual Walk to Cambodia so that you can still partake. If you are working from home, are in social isolation or just don’t want to leave the house, you can still get your steps up and make your health a priority, something that is critical in these uncertain times. ...

Human and Hope Association

Hygiene Workshops to Combat Disease in Rural Cambodia

March 10

I am concerned about the ramifications that the COVID-19 will have on low-income communities. The sad reality is, many community members struggle to put food on their table each day – and when it comes to choosing between purchasing soap or food, of course food will come first. Due to hygiene issues, it is a given that COVID-19 will spread in Cambodia. The government are doing what they can, but we can help protect people at a grassroots level. That’s why as soon as Human and ...

Human and Hope Association

An update on Human and Hope Cambodia

March 9

To our community of supporters, I am writing to update you on the impact of the COVID-19 on our project partner, Human and Hope Association Cambodia. In order to stop the spread of the COVID-19, Cambodia’s Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) has announced the suspension of education services in Siem Reap city. This means that Human and Hope Association Cambodia will be closed until further notice. They will wait for direction from MoEYS to open again. As for their staff, this ...