After spending a year in Cambodia as a volunteer, Prue fell in love with the country and its people. When Prue returned to Australia to start FLATOUTbear with her sister Sarah, it was important to keep that connection and support going.
Over the years FLATOUTbear has supported CEDAC, a local, non-government organisation and Australian-run Sunrise Children’s Village.
Through CEDAC, FLATOUTbear has built two childcare centres which run education programmes for both adults and children. The centres, run by local staff, provide a place where pre-school children can play, learn, borrow books and local families can meet for health education and to discuss local issues with their community.
In 2020, in partnership with CEDAC we funded the building of 4 wells, to provide households with clean water for their homes and land. One well usually benefits around 15-20 households. Building these wells made such a big impact on a several small communities. Prue visited some of the wells in 2023 and it was a privilege to be there and see the impact these wells have made. Here is a little video of Prue’s visit.
2023 and beyond: We are currently fostering a great partnership with Human and Hope Australia (HHA) which is an organisation based in Cambodia with strong Australian ties. We are super excited about working along side Human and Hope and have committed to the following two projects.
Menstrual Project: With funding from FLATOUTbear, HHA will provide 100 young Cambodian girls with a menstrual kit that is both safe and hygienic, enabling them to manage their periods with ease. The girls will also attend an interactive workshop on the advantages of using the menstrual kit, cleaning, and drying techniques, and the potential risks associated with single-use pads.
Each kit includes three reusable cloth menstrual pads, soap, and a discreet carry-on pouch for washing and storage.
Local female teachers will implement this project in collaboration with HHA’s newly established social enterprise, called the HOPE Sewing Enterprise. The enterprise employs graduates from the sewing program who make the menstrual pads and pouches.
The goal is to support 100 girls from vulnerable families in rural Siem Reap. After the workshop, the project team will monitor the girls’ use of the menstrual kit and solicit regular feedback. They will also offer mentoring and support sessions to address any issues the girls may encounter.
Sewing Project: The sewing project is a new project supporting 6 women with sewing lessons for 12 months. This project will also proved these 6 women and their families with basic food supplies, petrol stipend and business skills. They will also get the change to buy their own sewing machine with a Microfinance loan at the end of the course.
The aim of this project is to move these 6 women and their families out of poverty, re-skill them and improve their standard of living. We can’t wait to share this journey with you.
It’s really exciting to see these projects making an impact and we are proud that each FLATOUTbear purchased supports such a worthy cause.
