Prince Charitable Foundation, the charitable arm of Prince Holding Group ('Prince Group'), one of Cambodia's largest and fastest expanding conglomerates, has provided care packages to 500 households in Ong village in Cambodia's Prey Nob province. The town is located near the Ream City Sihanoukville project, an 834-hectare development on reclaimed land near Sihanoukville International Airport that is expected to change the region. The gesture of goodwill occurred last week, when top management from Canopy Sands Development, a Prince Group company, used the opportunity to speak with community leaders to better understand their needs. The charity campaign in Ong Village is Prince Group's latest environmental, social, and governance (ESG) effort.
Each care package included 25 kilogrammes of rice, a mat, a blanket, two pillows, a mosquito net, and a Cambodian Krama (traditional scarves woven in the countryside). It will be the first of many initiatives to support the local community, all the more so given Prince Group's vision for people' involvement in the coastal project's growth. Ream City, when completed, will house up to 130,000 residents and will likely include housing estates, themed shopping malls, schools, and hospitals, boosting the local economy.
At a time when rural Cambodians face significant economic hardships, Prince Group has concentrated on giving products to assist inhabitants with their everyday necessities. “We are serious about engaging with local communities and establishing a good relationship with them – they are key stakeholders for the Ream City project. Not only do we consider it our duty as a responsible corporate actor to provide assistance in these challenging times, we believe local residents will play an important role as part of our workforce due to the scale of the Ream City project,” said Mr. Khong Weng Fook, Managing Director of Canopy Sands Development. “Currently, about 70 locals are employed at the Ream City project. In time, we will look to impart the necessary skills through upskilling and other human empowerment efforts to further engage local residents for the project.”
Throughout the aid effort, managers from Prince Group collaborated with Mr. Sor Kakada, Prey Nob's District Chief, to have a deeper understanding of locals' needs. They were advised that improved healthcare facilities are required. Prey Nob is located outside of Sihanoukville, which means that basic medical facilities are unavailable. As such, Prince Group will examine the potential of developing community-based healthcare dispensaries.
Ream City will create significant employment possibilities for Cambodians and will help the Sihanoukville International Airport expand from 3.6 million to 10 million passengers by the end of the decade. Prince Group feels that through distributing critical aid, a healthy dialogue may be built between local populations and developers, ensuring a fruitful long-term connection.
The ESG strategy of Prince Group is three-pronged, focusing on healthcare, education, and community participation. The Group made several large-scale gifts last year to aid in the battle against the pandemic and to assist Cambodian flood victims. Prince Charitable Foundation Organization has hosted over 240 charitable events and provided more over US$11 million in finances and other supplies to serve over 320,000 people. Additionally, Neak Oknha Chen Zhi, Chairman of Prince Group, has personally donated US$3 million to assist Cambodia in purchasing 1 million COVID-19 vaccines.
