Corporate Social Responsibility
Apr
Mad Monkey Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Quarterly Report | January – March 2019
Mad Monkey Current Projects and Partner Organisations Mad Monkey is proud to support the following organisations; click on the link to learn more about their work. CBAVC (Cambodian Buddhist Association for Vulnerable Children) Mad Monkey Hostel Siem Reap, Cambodia In Siem Reap, Cambodia, private donations from the U.K. and Mad Monkey funds totaled $1,980 USD. This provided 6 new clean water wells in rural Siem Reap. In addition, we co-funded one community toilet block for $640 USD. They were all built in Trapong Phoung village, Chi Kreng District, in Siem Reap Province by the Cambodian Buddhist Association for Vulnerable Children (CBAVC). Mad Monkey Siem Reap staff joined CBAVC to see the well construction and meet the local villagers. They also made a visit to the local Kanseang Primary School to donate 450 exercise books, pens, and erasers for each child. For more information about CBAVC, go here. Cambodia Children’s Fund (CCF) Mad Monkey Hostel Phnom Penh, Cambodia In January, Mad Monkey Hostels continued its annual support for Kampong Cham Classroom at the Cambodian Children’s Fund (CCF) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. This sponsorship enables 17 children aged 8-14 years from impoverished homes to receive CCF education with access to feeding and health programs. Mad Monkey staff toured the school facilities and met the children and CCF teachers. We also handed over our annual cheque, which totaled $5586 USD this year. This money will fund the children’s education for a further 12 months. For more info about CCF, go here and to read more about Mad Monkey’s partnership with CCF, go here. Following a devastating fire in March that destroyed the homes of 46 CCF families living in Sambok Chab village, Mad Monkey hostels across Cambodia launched an emergency appeal for clothing and donations. With the support of many individuals and local businesses as well as fundraising events at our hostels, we were able to deliver over 300Kg of clothing, 400L water, and $852 USD in donations to CCF. Recognizing the power of sport to promote positive international relations and create comradery, Mad Monkey Phnom Penh also proudly supports both the Ladies and Mens teams at Riel Phnom Penh FC. Today, dozens of players are joining the training sessions and enjoying the social aspect off the pitch as much as on! Our sponsorship helps support the teams to enter leagues, tournaments, and purchase equipment. All are welcome: Khmers, Expats, Backpackers, Digital Nomads. For more information, go here. Epic Arts Mad Monkey Hostel Kampot, Cambodia Epic Arts production of Come Back Brighter came to a close in Kampot in March following a four-month successful run, with sponsorship of $1000 USD from Mad Monkey Kampot. The show was a wonderful portrayal of Cambodia’s golden era, tragic past, and exciting future through dance and film involving a cast of talented performing artists with and without disabilities. We look forward to sponsoring their next production in the fall of 2019 but in the meantime, we encourage everyone to visit the Epic Arts Cafe Kampot. Not only do they serve delicious meals, but they support this creative social enterprise, which increases work opportunities for people with disabilities and generates funds for their inclusive Arts Programs. For more information about Epic Arts, go here. Mad Monkey Hostel Nacpan Beach, Philippines Across in the Philippines, the beach side hostels have been busy keeping their local environment sparkling clean and safe. Mad Monkey Nacpan hostel employs a beach cleaner twice daily and staff and guests join together twice a week for more garbage collection along the beach. Our guests are amply rewarded with a well earned beer or two! For the…
Mar
World Water Day
Leaving No One Behind Leave no one behind this #WorldWaterDay by making a donation to the Clean Water Project run by the Cambodian Buddhism Association for Vulnerable Children (CBAVC). It has provided over 300 water wells to poor communities in the Siem Reap province. The cost of one well is $330, and with your help, we can build another well to provide clean water to communities in Cambodia. The Cambodian Buddhism Association for Vulnerable Children It’s a scalding hot day, and there is likely only one thing to help you beat the heat — an ice-cold glass of water. For many of us, getting a glass of clean water is as easy as finding the nearest refrigerator. For this reason, it may be almost impossible to imagine having to walk up to three kilometers for a glass of water — sadly, this is a reality for many Cambodians. About 4 million people lack access to safe water in Cambodia, and 6 million people don’t have access to proper sanitation. 80 percent of Cambodians live in rural communities, as well, making it more difficult to have access to clean water. Luckily, one man is trying to change all of this. Meet San Van San Van grew up in the Bak Angrut Village, a rural community in the Siem Reap Province. His childhood was anything but easy. His parents struggled to support their family, including San Van and his nine siblings as farmers. They were also dealing with the aftermath of a bloody civil war spearheaded by Pol Pot, the leader of the Khmer Rouge. After six years in primary school, San Van was forced to drop out because his parents simply couldn’t afford to send him. He started working in the rice fields. In lieu of education, San Van found himself many of nights using his finger as a pencil and writing down some of the words in the sand that he remembered studying in school. This was a reality that San Van did not want for future generations, so he started the Cambodian Buddhism Association for Vulnerable Children (CBAVC). The Need for Clean Water Most of San Van’s community lives in poverty — access to education and health services are limited, and every day seems to be a struggle for many. “Too often, children are forced to drop out of primary school to work in rice fields to support their families,” San Van said. “Even then, such local families struggle to feed their children.” San Van was all too familiar with this cycle, but he realized that one of the ways to break it was to provide education; that is where the Cambodian Buddhism Association for Vulnerable Children comes in. Every week, this non-profit organization teaches 350 children for eight hours a day, five days a week. In addition, CBAVC serves 1,750 meals a week and employs six local education staff through their educational programs. What is the CBAVC “My passion is helping vulnerable children and disabled people in my village so they can have a better future,” San Van said. “With our work, we proudly help many students through primary and secondary school; allowing them to create hopes and dreams for a brighter future.” CBAVC was created in 2012 by San Van and five other volunteer Cambodian Buddhist monks of Wat Polangka. Since it was created, CBAVC has proven itself as a meaningful charity that is greatly needed in the communities in which it operates in. The Clean Water Well Project One of CBAVC’s largest…
Mar
International Women’s Day 2019 – Thailand
International Women’s Day 2019 For the International Women’s Day 2019 Mad Monkey Thailand interviewed many of its female employees to learn about how they feel about being a woman in Thailand. We asked them about what makes them feel strong, what they think about gender equality in Thailand, and how they think it can improve. International Women’s Day 2019 – Mad Monkey Bangkok At Mad Monkey Bangkok we conducted an in-depth interview with one of our receptionists, Nicha. Her responses gave us a bit more insight into the minds of women in Thailand. They also aligned almost exactly with UNWomen.org’s summary of women’s equality in Thailand, as you’ll read below in this article. Q: What is your name, where are you from, and what do you do for Mad Monkey? A: My name is Nicha. I am from Prachuap Khiri Khan province, which is in the south of Thailand. I am a receptionist here at Mad Monkey Bangkok. Q: How long have you worked at Mad Monkey Bangkok and what is your favorite part of your job? A: I have worked for Mad Monkey Bangkok for 9 months. The part of my job that I love is check-in because I can speak with new people and I can make them happy to stay with us. I enjoy talking to them because most of them are very nice and they are happy to be in Thailand. Q: How do you feel about women’s equality in Thailand? A: It seems like it’s equal but it’s not that equal. For example when women go into a bar they are looked down upon as if they are a “bad girl.” But if a guy goes into a bar it’s fine and there is no negative stigma for them. Another example is cigarettes. If women smoke cigarettes in Thailand it’s frowned upon but if a man smokes a cigarette in Thailand there are no negative feelings toward it. Q: Do you feel like men and women are treated equally in Thailand? A: In my family, yes, I feel like we are treated equally. However there are some more traditional families with values that put men over women in many situations. These families don’t care as much about the women and think that the men are the ones who should be working and making money while the woman takes care of the family. Q: How can Thailand improve on women’s equality? A: I think Thailand needs to be more open about offering women bigger opportunities. For example, in a professional setting women are not afforded the same progression as men because they are not considered for promotions at work as often. When men and women have the same opportunities for education and work they will be more equal. This may be difficult for Thailand. It is a very big country and a lot of the people outside of Bangkok have traditional viewpoints. Q: Why should women come to Thailand? A: Because Thailand has many friendly people and also beautiful places so that’s why you need to come to Thailand! Nicha wanted to make it clear that Thailand does not currently have full equality for women yet but she believes overall that the country’s equality is better than other countries. She mentioned how both men and women are able to be themselves in Thailand and that women are allowed do the same as men. It’s more of a matter of being given the opportunity. International Women’s Day 2019 – Mad Monkey Koh Phangan At Mad Monkey Koh Phangan we…
Feb
Mad Monkey & Cambodian Children’s Fund
What is Cambodian Children’s Fund? Cambodian Children’s Fund (CCF) was created in 2004 when Hollywood marketing executive Scott Neeson saw an opportunity to affect change in a small Cambodian community. CCF is an education program that helps children and their families lift themselves out of poverty. What started as a school has expanded considerably, as CCF now helps children on every level from providing food, to medical services, to vocational training. How Cambodian Children’s Fund Started When Scott traveled around Southeast Asia in 2003, he found himself in the outskirts of Phnom Penh where he saw thousands of families living in poverty. Wanting to help, he bought a house for a family and sent the kids to school. He started flying back and forth from L.A. to Phnom Penh, helping one family at a time in an area next to a garbage dump. It was at this dump where children were searching for things to sell to help make money for their families. After seeing these kids digging through the dump day after day instead of attending school, Scott realized that it wasn’t enough to only provide a home or even help the children get an education. To really make an impact, he knew you have to start at the grassroots level — so he started a different kind of school. “The only way to provide lasting, generational change, is to ensure that whole families are lifted from poverty. CCF provides not only for the health and wellbeing of children, but for their families and community.” – Cambodian Children’s Fund The original aim of the school was to provide education for a few kids with his own money. Over the years, it has evolved and grown to two schools (a primary school and high school) with more than 2,400 students and 64 programs. Scott saw that for most families, education wasn’t a top priority. They were malnourished, without proper healthcare, and had other problems at home. His goal was to work with the entire family and to overall grow the community. It is with this intention that he created the CCF – both a school and a support system to get families out of poverty through education, community outreach, leadership, healthcare, childcare and vocational training. What does Cambodian Children’s Fund do? The CCF is so much more than just education. Because healthcare isn’t easily accessible, there’s a medical center where they see over 100 patients a day. They have a sponsorship program to match individual students with donors. Unlike most sponsorship programs, the CCF has a one-to-one model where a relationship is built between the sponsor and the child through regular communication. The CCF also has a Child Rescue Center to assist with childbirth, and a drop-in center where parents can safely leave their children while they work. The students also attend public school for half of the day, but every subject is taught at the CCF. The high school focuses on STEM subjects and even has a 3D printer for the students to use. Students are involved in leadership programs where they are required to do 100 hours of community service every year and the CCF helps soon-to-be-graduates find jobs. An Afternoon at Cambodian Children’s Fund School Every year, some of Mad Monkey’s staff make a visit to CCF primary school to present our annual donation to the class we sponsor. This year we stopped by in January. We walked up to the second floor to the computer room to see a dozen uniformed students experimenting with PowerPoint. Colorful…
Jan
Battling Disability and Winning in Cambodia
Educating children with disability in Phnom Penh Et Action, a Cambodian NGO Aide, and the Rabbit School Organization, a school for kids with intellectual disabilities in Phnom Penh, work tirelessly to provide access to a quality education. Both organizations work with potential employers to help educate those in the workforce about the talent and value people with disabilities can bring in the workplace. Veasna had the opportunity to find a job at The Mad Monkey—one of the best hostels in Phnom Penh— after having attended vocational training where he worked along side people without a disability. Work and vocational placements for those with disabilities Veasna now works as one of the managers in the laundry department at The Mad Monkey. “I am responsible for washing the customers clothes and the bed covers, drying and ironing the sheets and brining them to the clients rooms,” Veasna said. “I like this job very much.” Veasna has now become a good team member and part of the Mad Monkey family. “At first I though that working with Veasna was going to be difficult, but later on after I had taught and advised him, he was able to follow me,” said Ms. Kunthea, head of laundry at The Mad Monkey. Employment Developing Self Confidence When Veasna realized that he could do many things independently, he quickly began to gain self-confidence, and said it was important for him to get his first job at The Mad Monkey. The support and encouragement from the Rabbit School and Veasna’s family has allowed him to develop skills at a faster rate. Their expectations and trust fostered Veasna’s independence and self-sufficiency. Now he can live his life and be independent just like everyone else. “We [had a discussion] with Veasna’s parents and explained that he could attend the vocational training program that we have implemented at the Rabbit School,” said Mr. Vuthy, head of The Rabbit School Organization. “We then found him a placement at The Mad Monkey Hostel, and now we can see that Veasna works very well, and has become a permanent and valuable member of the team.” “We employ people with disabilities because we believe that they have the same rights and ability to work as everyone else,” said Mrs. Raksmey, General Manager at The Mad Monkey. This is part of The Mad Monkey core values. While Veasna had some problems when he went to work for the first time, his persistence lead him to try harder, and overtime he better understood his work. “When he would make a mistake we would explain it to him, and he quickly found his feet and followed our instructions,” Raksmey said. “Now he works smoothly and has become an important member of our team.” Family impact of disability work placements Leakena – Veasna’s Sister “My family and I are very happy that Veasna now has a good job, which allows him not to be discriminated against anymore,” said Veasna’s sister Leakena. “Before [working at The Mad Monkey] we did not have any hope for him,” she added. “[And] now we always save the money that Veasna sends home every month, and later on we want to run a small business at home for him.” Personal impact of earning a wage Veasna has worked at The Mad Monkey for over a year now and makes $140 monthly, which is far more than what an un-skilled worker in Cambodia makes, which can be between $60-$90 per month. By comparison, if Veasna were working in Chicago, Illinois with a minimum wage of $10 per hour, he would…