Last Saturday, KCL ASEAN Society and Cambridge Southeast Asia Society (CUSEAS) came together to host a panel discussing the work that the charity, Children of the Mekong (CotM), has done - and more broadly, what it was like working as a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO).
Eugenie, who works at the CotM headquarters in London, first outlined the importance of funding and where the money goes - not only are the families that these children come from daily labourers who rarely have savings, but providing a child with education would deprive their parents of their labour and earnings. To combat this, the sponsorship offers both financial support to the child as well as an alternative funding to the family, who might be more receptive to sending their children to school.
Caption: Eugenie sharing the history of Children of the Mekong with the audience.
We then delved into how exactly they ensure that their funding and actions have an impact through a four stage plan:
Creating the right environment for learning
Enabling access to education for children
Shaping rounded individuals
Responsible involvement in society, primarily through providing networking opportunities and combatting race, working-class or background discrimination.
What was also highly impactful of their work is their priority of action for vulnerable children, whereby they recognise that these children are more in need of support to ensure they live a fulfilling and independent life:
Education for girls
Disability and chronic illnesses
Refugees (especially after the 1st February coup in Myanmar)
Rural and isolated communities
Those in slums and informal settlements
Ethnic minorities
It is at this point that Etienne and Julie, in charge of the CotM centre in Samrong, provided stories and their experience interacting with the children involved with the programme. This includes how the children have benefitted from the programme, to how excited they were to receive presents for Christmas!
Caption: Julie and Etienne describing what it was like volunteering at the Samrong centre
After these heartwarming stories, we turned to the audience for a Q&A session. Among these questions included:
How do we check that the money going into NGOs are used effectively and for their intended target?
Check their annual reports, as that provides a concise report about where expenses are going into. Nonetheless, it is still a personal decision to trust when donating, so donate however much you feel comfortable with.
Why do some people have apprehensions about volunteering?
Many volunteers - including students! - think they don’t have the skills or the time, when in actuality there is a wide range of skillsets that NGOs are looking for, and flexible timetables that can be discussed. In CotM’s London office alone, there are graduates working on social media, translating documents, and applying for grants.
How has the COVID pandemic affected your work?
With CotM being 62 years old, they already have a strong network of local programme managers who know the community well and can manage the money more effectively.
And last, but certainly not least: how can we get involved?
Online: donating to CotM via their website here
Volunteer with CotM - they are always looking for graduates who can help out with research, communication, and fundraising! If you are interested, check out the different roles and apply here!
Thank you for everyone who attended!