Maria Cammal
I was curious to meet Marie Cammal. I had heard of her work in Cambodia rescuing young children from prostitution, abuse and rape. Her organization, Sok Sabay which means “happiness” in Khmer, has done such good work that in 2004, Time Magazine singled her out as one of 27 European Heroes.
Mention the word “hero” to her though and she dismisses it. She’d rather not talk about herself, rather what she wants to do and the children. “They are the heroes,” she said.
And what she wants to do now is to build a secondary school and a dormitory for girls in a distant Akha hilltribe village in northern Laos. “Young girls living in remote villages have no chance for education and hence no opportunities for a better life. We want to bring education to them.”
Meeting Cammal was a humbling experience. I am always in awe of folk who dedicate their lives with such resolve and purpose to a cause they believe in.
And she is very much a hands-on operator. No sitting behind the desk and pushing paper. Cammal, who first visited Cambodia in 1983 as a nurse working in refugee camps, is constantly out on field trips ensuring work gets done and funds raised are well used.
Marie Cammal on her recent visit to Louang Nantha village in Laos to hand out 29 scholarships
Last week, she was in Laos, visiting six remote villages in three days, and offering a total of 29 scholarships, starting September 1. Giving me an update on her plans, she said, “I just came back for my Laos trip from August 16 to 22 where I met my 29 scholars from six different villages in the Northern part of Laos in Long district (Louang Nantha). We are supporting ethnic female Akha students as they are the least privileged in their community.
“We are now waiting for the engineers and contractors to give us a quotation for the school. Things are moving forward for Laos and I am most pleased indeed,” she said.
It is this Laos project that got WIT interested in working with Project Hammer, which has been raising funds for Sok Sabay and other Cambodia-based organisations, since 2004.
Laos, due to its small size relative to its neighbours Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam, often gets overlooked. Yet it is one of South-east Asia’s loveliest destinations and its people, gentle, hard working and humble.
We’ve also not supported Laos before with our annual WIT Charity Auction, which is held in conjunction with our conference, and so this seemed a golden opportunity to do so. Last year, the WIT Charity Auction, supported by Dorsett Hospitality and thanks to generous donors and bidders, raised S$100,000 for the Phare organisation which supports Phare the Cambodia Circus.
This year, together with Project Hammer and the evening sponsor Circos Brand Karma, we hope to outdo last year’s total. The Charity Auction and WIT Closing Party will be held at Sofitel So on Oct 29, from 7.30-9.30pm, and is by invitation.
Donate prizes
To donate prizes to the WIT Charity Auction, please contact Clara So or WIT.
About Project Hammer
Project Hammer is run by a group of volunteers. Since its establishment by a group of hotel executives, Project Hammer has built over 100 houses for families in the outskirts of Phnom Penh, supported the completion of a four-storey school to educate 300 children who would otherwise be working on the city garbage dumps for USD1 a day to support their families.
In addition to fund-raising activities, Project Hammer also undertakes a four-day Mission to Cambodia to work directly with underprivileged children, women and families and this year’s trip is from October 15. Enquire with Project Hammer.
The five organisations Project Hammer is supporting in 2014 are:
1) Tabitha Organisation – Founder: Janne Ritskes
2) Sok Sabay – Founder: Marie Cammal
3) New Hope for Cambodian Children (NHCC) – Founders: John and Kathy Tucker
4) People Improvement Organization (PIO)
Founder: Phymean Noun
5) Friends International
Founder: Sebastien Marot
See the full WIT Conference programme
