The WIT Charity Auction, held in conjunction with the annual WIT Conference Oct 19-21 in Singapore, returns this year to support three beneficiaries – Children of Vietnam, KOTO Enterprise, Hanoi and a Community Craft Project in North Thailand.
“Continuing with our purpose of supporting women, children and education, we have picked these three projects for our support,” said Yeoh Siew Hoon, founder, WIT. “Vietnam is a country we have yet to cover in our auctions that have been held for the last eight years and our WIT Evening event in Saigon in August opened our eyes to two organisations that have done great work on the ground.”
KOTO Enterprise is a social enterprise founded by Jimmy Pham who started a training centre in hospitality in Hanoi 10 years ago and it’s trained over 600 students in two training centres in Hanoi and Saigon, with 200 concurrently enrolled.
KOTO trains youths in hospitality
Children of Vietnam was started in 1988 by Ben Wilson and Luong Thi Huong in Danang and its aim is to provide “anything and everything a child might need”. WIT has picked two specific projects to support.
Supporting a kindergarten for Children of Vietnam
• Construction of a kindergarten for ethnic minority children in the remote Truong Son Mountains: Approximately US$17,000 needed
The organisation has built 6 so far but there are 21 villages on the waiting list that either have no facility or are attempting to teach in matted structures and mud floors.
• School scholarships for children (includes school fees, books, supplies, etc.)
COV gives over 600 children from poor families support so that they stay in school and the family has less financial stress. The cost is $55. Also, if needed, it supplies a bike at $70, study desk $35, etc. With university in mind, it also gives university scholarships – at $645 per year.
The Community Craft Project is an initiative under the Himmapaan Foundation to give women villagers in North Thailand an alternative income to burning forests for cash crops.
Chananya with the women villagers in Chiang Khong
“They make beautiful embroidery work but were unable to sell the finished products to travellers, so we have helped them create a marketplace and changed their income model,” said Chananya Phataraprasit, chairman of the Foundation. “One of the women told me, ‘If I can make enough money from sewing, I would not go and cut the forest down’.”
It has so far raised funds for a craft store, the renovation of a sewing room, 10 sewing machines and 2 weeks of sewing classes, with more than 30 women in attendance. WIT will help raise the US$10,000 needed to provide the initial investment for raw materials (such as fabrics, zippers and threads), utilities and marketing.
Last year, WIT raised close to S$100,000 for Project Hammer which supported various projects in Cambodia including Sok Sabay which sought funds to build a dormitory school for young Laotian girls on the Laos-Thai border.
One dormitory for five students in Laos
Said Nick Gundry who runs Project Hammer, “Marie Cammal, the founder of Sok Sabay and supported by Project Hammer, has investigated fives potential sites in the past year. Marie appointed Ms Lanoy, a Laotian director who has experience building schools and dormitories in Laos. Together they have located a district with female students who are in serious need of help. Plans are still being put in place for the exact location of the school and dormitory.
“From a recent conversation with Marie she affirmed, “We face considerable challenges but I am determined to persevere to bring education and safety to 100 young girls in Laos.””
In 2013, WIT supported the Phare Cambodia Circus to enable the social enterprise to buy land so that it could have a permanent home for its artistes. General manager Dara Huot wrote this week to update us on the progress, “As land owners now, Phare artists and community are excited to share with you our 2014 annual report. We say “Thank You” to you for contributing to our works.”
Phare Cambodia Circus now owns their performance site and thanks you
To date, WIT has raised more than S$300,000 and funds raised have helped disadvantaged women and children in Myanmar, Northern Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, Cambodia and Laos, and we look forward to this year’s Charity Auction to be held October 21 at the Sofitel So rooftop bar.
If you wish to donate an item to our Auction to help us raise funds for this year’s projects, email us here
