The IM Group (Isuzu and Subaru Distributors) sent a team of nine employees with us to Cambodia, joining Home Leone in its goal to make a radical difference in the lives of some the world’s poorest slum dwellers.
Five years ago, the Cambodian government sent tear gas, soldiers and bulldozers to a Phenom Penh slum, destroying hundreds of homes and dropped over 400 families in a field in the middle of the night. One lady had 2 children and sold all she had – her hair for $20 to get going. Manna4life has lived and worked among these people and in the last 3 years have been instrumental in building homes for each of the remaining 92 families. A school has just opened, a water treatment centre is nearly ready and the people’s dream for a farm is being fulfilled with land donated by Habitat for Humanity.
The IM Group raised significant funds. The team joined the local people in building a sewing and vocational training room that will bring sustainable livelihoods to many in the area. The empty local homes are testimony to the need for jobs. More importantly, the hope this corporate group has brought to the village and its people is profound.
The team, visited Tuel Sleng and the Killing Fields understanding the context of Cambodias genocide and how the poor live in this nation, they physically helped build, taught in a school and washed children’s hair from lice in a slum where its residents scavenge for a living from the Rubbish Dump. As they looked at the world through the eyes of others it raised emotions, insights and understanding.
Significantly, the team members were impacted personally and corporately as they walked through cross culture shock to places of self-discovery. One said “you have opened my eyes and my heart – I am truly in your debt.”
This amazing Win-Win for all, has seen a company deliver practical and personal Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). They have left a legacy of hope for a community and walked through extraordinary personal and team challenges.
We are grateful to the IM group and the team for their willingness to demonstrate the power of this work in action and encourage others to let us enable your staff to do likewise. This is effective CSR.