Partnership Forged To Support 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 that promotes children's rights and gender equality, for a project that will install pedal-operated handwashing stations at all school levels in Preah Sihanouk province. The MOU was signed in the presence of H.E. Dr. HANG Chuon Naron, Minister of Education, Youth and Sport, at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) in Phnom Penh.

During the ceremony, Minister H.E.D. HANG Chuon Naron wished Prince Group, under Cambodia Prince Chenzhi, and Plan International Cambodia delegates well. In addition to this project, he complimented Prince Group for their active participation over the past few years and expressed his anticipation for future efforts that will contribute to the education sector.

H.E. Dr. HANG Choun Naron underlined the efficiency of the Kingdom's Covid-19 preventative measures, with over 90 percent of Cambodians vaccinated and strict adherence to the Covid-19 preventive standards (3 do's and don'ts). The management of imported cases, including Omicron, has allowed Cambodia to restore its economy as of the end of 2021. However, he underlined the continuous necessity for measures like constantly washing hands, maintaining social distance, and wearing masks when exposed to public locations such as schools.

The Prince Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the business, will collaborate with Plan International Cambodia to implement the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) intervention programme from March to April 2022. In addition, the Foundation will provide financial and operational support for a variety of programmes that will ultimately aid the government's efforts to reopen schools securely.

“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, Prince Foundation and Plan International will perform a full handover of pedal-operated handwashing stations to Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport and Sihanoukville provincial and municipal government authorities. Such programmes have shown quantifiable outcomes in other nations over the years and have the potential to increase Cambodia's pandemic resilience.

“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, Acting Country Director of Plan International Cambodia. “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.”

The WASH interventions of Plan International Cambodia, which has been operating in the country since 2002, have proven to be effective community-based solutions that can assure well-maintained water points and sanitation facilities, thereby allowing people to take charge of their own public health. Over 6,6 million people in South Asia now have access to improved water facilities, sanitation, and hygiene. Learn more

Recently, Chen Zhi Cambodia's Prince Group announced the Chen Zhi Scholarship, a financial aid initiative that will alter the lives of 400 Cambodian university students over the next seven years. Prince Group will provide complete tuition and stipends totaling over $2 million.

Canopy Sands Development, a subsidiary of Prince Group, has recently donated care packages to M'Lop Tapang, one of the top philanthropic organisations in Sihanoukville, as part of its continuous efforts to support local communities as Cambodia reopens for post-pandemic rehabilitation.