A humanitarian organization founded by Southeast Asians living in the US inaugurated its first office in Cambodia Tuesday.
Eight members of the International Foundation for the Humanitarian Assistance and the Advancement of the People of Southeast Asia will tour Cambodia for three weeks to get to know the country better. The delegation also opened an office in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district, Boeng Tumpun commune.
The foundation plans to build schools and hospitals in remote areas, and to promote agricultural development in Battambang, Kompong Chhnang, Banteay Meanchey and Preah Vihear provinces, according to Lim Sreng, president of the organization’s Cambodian office .
Herman Taylor, executive vice president of the organization, said he is soliciting suggestions from Cambodians about how best to help the country. He said the delegation would meet with local officials to discuss possible projects.
Khambang Sibounheuang, the foundation’s Laotian president, stressed that the organization has no political identity and its only purpose is to provide humanitarian assistance to Southeast Asian countries. He said he last traveled to Cambodia in 1995 when he donated generators and equipment for digging wells in Battambang province. The foundation, launched in 1998, is based in the US state of Tennessee.
