Prince Group Partners Plan International to Support Safe Reopening of Sihanoukville Schools with Pedal-Operated Handwashing Stations

MoU signing held at MoEYS between Prince Foundation and Plan International Cambodia, with H.E. Dr. Hang Chuon Naron as Guest of Honour

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 organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls, for a project that will install pedal-operated handwashing stations at all school levels in Preah Sihanouk province. The MoU was signed at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) in Phnom Penh, in attendance alongside H.E. Dr. HANG Chuon Naron, Minister of Education, Youth and Sport.

During the event, Minister H.E. Dr. HANG Chuon Naron took the opportunity to extend well wishes to Prince Group and Plan International Cambodia delegates. In addition to this project, he thanked Prince Group for their active participation in the past years and is looking forward to more initiatives contributing to the education sector in the future.

Commending the outstanding leadership of Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen, H.E. Dr. HANG Choun Naron highlighted the effectiveness of the Kingdom’s Covid-19 preventive measures with over 90% of Cambodians vaccinated and strict adherence to the Covid-19 preventive standards (3 dos and don’ts). The control of imported cases including Omicron has enabled Cambodia to reopen its economy since end 2021. However, he emphasized the continued need for precautions by washing hands frequently, maintaining social distancing, and wearing masks whenever exposed to public areas such as schools.

As part of a ‘Back to School’ campaign, Prince Foundation, the conglomerate’s philanthropic arm, will work with Plan International Cambodia to carry out the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) intervention programme from March to April 2022. Additionally, the Foundation will offer financial and operational support for a range of activities that ultimately seek to support the government’s drive to reopen schools safely.

“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.”

Prince Foundation and Plan International will conduct a complete handover of pedal-operated handwashing stations between March to April to officials from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport as well as Sihanoukville provincial and municipality administration officials. Such programmes have demonstrated measurable results in other countries over the years and stand to bolster Cambodia’s pandemic resiliency.

“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.”

With Prince Foundation’s funding and corporate partnership, WASH interventions by Plan International Cambodia, which has been working in the country since 2002, have proven to be effective community-based solutions that can ensure well-maintained water points and sanitation facilities, empowering people to take control of their public health. In South Asia, over 6.6 million people have received access to improved water facilities, sanitation and hygiene.

Prince Group has actively focused on contributing to youth development and recently launched the Chen Zhi Scholarship, a financial aid programme that promises to transform the lives of 400 Cambodian university students in the coming seven years. Prince Group will contribute full tuition fees and stipends totalling over US$2 million.

Canopy Sands Development, a member of Prince Group, who is working on Ream City, a coastal development project that aims to help transform Sihanoukville, has also recently distributed care packages to one of the leading charitable organisations in Sihanoukville, M’Lop Tapang, as part of its ongoing efforts to support local communities as Cambodia reopens for a post-pandemic recovery.

About Prince Holding Group:

Prince Holding Group is one of the largest conglomerates in Cambodia, with its various units focusing on three core areas: real estate development, financial services and consumer services.

Prince Holding Group’s key business units in Cambodia include Prince Real Estate Group, Prince Huan Yu Real Estate Group, Prince Bank, Cambodia Airways, Belt Road Capital Management, as well as Awesome Global Investment Group. Via its subsidiaries, Prince Holding Group has over 80 businesses in Cambodia operating in real estate development, banking, finance, aviation, tourism, logistics, technology, food and beverages, and lifestyle sectors etc.

Rising foreign direct investment, free trade agreements with leading countries and future participation in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership are expected to act as key drivers for the Cambodian economy, supported by pro-industry policy initiatives by the government.

Leveraging a network of industrial, business and financial professionals across Asia, Prince Holding Group has laid the foundation to be a vital conduit for local and international capital. The Group is firmly committed to the long-term development of Cambodia. For example, Prince Holding Group is developing Ream City, an upcoming tourism and residential project that will be one of Cambodia’s first sustainable real estate projects, aiming to secure $16 billion in total investment for the region. Located conveniently within a 10-minute drive from the Sihanoukville International Airport, the project aims to contribute to economic recovery in Sihanoukville.

About Plan International:

Plan International Cambodia is a development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We strive for a just world by working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners. With over 80 years of experience across the world, Plan International’s programs aim to support girls and boys to Learn, Lead, Decide and Thrive and began our operations in Cambodia in 2002. In October 2021, Plan International Cambodia launched its fourth 5-year Country Strategy, 2.5 Million Reasons 2021-2026 with an ambition, in the next 5 years, to reach 2.5 million girls and young women in Cambodia under four Strategic Programs: (1) Healthy Start integrating Nutrition, Early Child Care and Development (ECCD) and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) to ensure that girls and boys have a fair start in life and can make free and informed choices about their bodies; (2) Protection Plus addressing OCSE, LGBTIQ, CEFM, Children Left Behind including cross-border programming to keeping children, especially the girls, and young people safe; (3) Lifelong Learning focusing on IQE, skill development and life skills including ASRHR to ensure that children, especially the girls, and young women gain the knowledge, skills and confidence they need in order to realise their rights and reach their full potential; (4) Girl’s Leadership Empowerment and Leadership, Active citizenship and civic participation, ensuring girls and young women have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to succeed. Climate Change, resilience and environmental sustainability will become part of every project helping, protecting, and engaging children, especially the girls, and young people to reduce disaster risks, resilience and recover from disaster.

For further enquiries of Prince Group, please contact:

Ms. Ada Leung / Ms. Christy Pun
Hill+Knowlton Strategies Asia
Tel: +852-2894-6321
Email: princegroup@hkstrategies.com