Kick-off ceremony of Amity Torch Program in Cambodia
On the morning of September 3, the Amity Torch Program held a donation ceremony in Battambang Province, Cambodia. The ceremony was attended either online via Zoom or in-person by representatives of the Amity Foundation, Life with Dignity (LWD) Amity’s local Cambodian partner, Alibaba Charity Foundation, the China NGO Network for International Exchanges (CNIE), local authorities from Cambodia as well as students, parents and teachers of participating schools.
The Amity Torch Program in Cambodia supports 310 students from poor families in Cambodia and provides them with scholarships to help them continue their studies. At the same time, the project provides anti-epidemic kits and learning kits to help children protect themselves from Covid-19 while studying.
LWD Executive Director Sopheap reviewed the pragmatic cooperation between LWD and Amity in rural areas of Cambodia since 2019. In respect of Amity Torch Program, he said: “The school materials and financial resources showed the kindness of the people of China to care for rural Cambodian Children through the Amity Foundation and LWD. This connection reveals that the Chinese and Cambodian people are close to each other. Even though we might be physically far away from each other, our minds and hearts are still connected”.
She Hongyu, Associate General Secretary of the Amity Foundation, introduced Amity’s international projects in 23 countries around the world. The Amity Torch Programme alone provides support to around 5000 students in eight developing countries including Cambodia. She pointed out the project’s purpose: “We sincerely hope that the donation made by individual ordinary Chinese people will help the Cambodian children to continue learning while keeping good hygienic routine and learning habit to study in a safe, caring and loving environment. It is our strong belief that no one should be left behind in our strive for the sustainable development of all people.” And she also expressed her wish to the kids “that when you grow up, you will become great contributors to the construction and modernization of Cambodia, future ambassadors of Cambodia China friendship and contributors of the community of shared future.”
Meng Siyu, Associate General Secretary of Alibaba Charity Foundation further introduced that starting in 2020, Alibaba Charity platform has assisted Amity Torch Program in raising funds for educational assistance to eight developing countries. So far, the project has raised a total of RMB 5.014 million in donations from 72.85 million Alibaba users. The program has provided assistance to 4,576 students. She further wished on behalf of Alibaba that every kid enjoys a happy and healthy life and that every family embraces a more promising future.
Chen Bin, a representative from the CNIE highly appreciated the cooperation between Amity and Alibaba, which enabled the implementation of Amity Torch Program across the world. In his opinion, “every piece of donation in the project not only represents the kindness of Chinese people, but also conveys our sea-deep friendship with Cambodian people”. He also emphasized that CNIE will continue to support Chinese NGOs to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with Cambodian civil society.
After the speeches, LWD staff distributed school supplies kits, anti-epidemic hygiene kits, cash incentives scholarships to the primary school students and their parents.
