I’ve closed down my iDonate page which came to just under 2000 euro. I’ve been able to get gift matching of another 850 euro which will make its way to SBB. TFK donations were a large part of this amount so thanks everyone again, its much appreciated.
@RaymondCrotty and his gang are gonna have some party.
@RaymondCrotty long time since you’ve been about the forum. How’s all going? The media exposure on newstalk help?
The lad from there who moved over- how’d he get on? He want to come to see limk bate the brakes off Galway Sat?
High hopes all going well for you and your efforts
Hi @LionelRitchie. I hope all is well. Thanks for the question and the interest!
It has been a bumpy couple of years for us since covid. In 2019 we were working in 81 schools but we had to make some big cutbacks and trim down everything we do in the hope and belief we would survive. We have.
This year we are working with teachers in 11 schools benefitting 1,600 children. Their test scores are about double the national average. Still much lower than neighbouring countries but much better than peers elsewhere.
Next year we want to start programmes in the north of Siem Reap province. Despite tourism Siem Reap is the 3rd poorest province in Cambodia out of 26. Families emigrate to Thailand where they can earn three or four times the wages. Education is key to helping to at least partially reduce the inequality. The mean years of schooling is 3.7 years in Siem Reap. Our ambition is to work with 80 teachers for 3 years and also to start a school leaders programme for 40 principals to embed what we do within the leaders themselves. If we succeed 4,000 children will benefit directly at a cost of about $60 a child. Our goal in time limiting what we do is to ensure there is not a reliance on us but that we genuinely act as a catalyst for sustainable change. We don’t just want to ‘‘do good’’ we want to make a proper impact. Easier said than done.
Pov returned to Cambodia last month. He is now co-leading the organisation with myself. He had a great experience in Ireland but was missed here. Here he is sharing a coffee with me now. We are on our way down to Phnom Penh to meet with the Irish Embassy in Vietnam and hopefully persuade them to support our work! The support we have gotten **from Ireland** including TFK has been magnificent and helped us survive. We now need to emerge stronger. I think we can do it. Appreciate you thinking of us Lionel.
A huge thank you to all on tfk who have supported SeeBeyondBorders this year. The support we received from posters (and one school associated with a poster) is massively appreciated and moves the needle for 7,500 children in Siem Reap and Battambang.
In 2024 please keep us in mind and spread the word!
Merry Christmas one and all.
Colm Byrne
colm.byrne@seebeyondborders.org
I am 10 years in Cambodia this month. The country has come on significantly in that time. We have one of the youngest populations globally and so much potential. Education standards here however are extremely low. Out of all 81 countries who participated in recent PISA Cambodia came 81st.
I set up SeeBeyondBorders Ireland three years ago. Setting up a charity in Ireland has been labour intensive but worth the effort. Some of the best support we have received since our inception has been through thefreekick either directly (from posters who donate directly) or indirectly (posters who have reached out to their networks or employers and got funding for us). That is massively appreciated. Today we still have 11 posters who donate monthly to us.
For a small niche charity like ours we cannot and do not want to ‘compete’ against the bigger NGOs operating in Ireland or in Cambodia. We are about doing things of quality and making an impact for the 6,968 children in our programmes.
Our financial year ends at the end of this month. We can apply to the Irish Government (Irish Aid) for funding of up to 60% of our total revenue this financial year (July 1st 2023 to June 30th 2024). That is why I have established this one off fundraiser now as the value we get from donations now is greater during this window. We are by no means guaranteed this funding but are in with a decent shot.
Should any of you be in a position to donate to the below it would be fantastic. I won’t come knocking again. Thanks for taking the time to read this.
A final message for me on this thread for 2024. A massive thank you to the 10 posters who have contributed and to the now 12 posters we have who donate monthly! Cambodia won’t come knocking again. We can apply for 60% of funding from Irish government for all donations received before 30/6/24. Thanks one and all for the support. It has been thoroughly appreciated and in a time of widespread skepticism about charities (most of which is perfectly justified) it means a lot and impacts the 6,968 children we work with to change education and lives.
Incidentally am back in Ireland for a couple of weeks and had the pleasure of bringing my partner here for the first time. He even bumped into a couple of tfk members while here and is considering setting up an account on tfk. I am not sure that is a good idea. Over and out.
Abort, Abort!!
You should write a book. You’ve a mad story.
I’m fucking raging.
I spent my day today either swimming on the local beach or walking dogs on it or filling a skip about 100m from @RaymondCrotty and he never bothered to say hello.
I was never informed that he was home!
Never mind @RaymondCrotty, I realise that the UK election is coming up so your mind is on other things.
