Chinese charities donate bicycles, school bags to underprivileged students in Cambodia

KAMPONG THOM, Cambodia -- Chinese charities on Monday donated 2,000 bicycles and 12,000 school bags from the Panda Pack project to primary schools in Cambodia.

A ceremony under the theme "Hearts Connect along the Silk Road" was held at the Balaing Khang Lech Primary School in central Kampong Thom province's Stung Sen town.

The bikes were donated by bike-sharing service provider Hello Inc. and shipped to Cambodia by the COSCO Shipping Charity Foundation.

In Cambodia, the China Foundation for Rural Development (CFRD), through the Civil Society Alliance Forum (CSAF), handed out the bikes and bags to underprivileged students in 130 schools across nine provinces in the Southeast Asian country.

Speaking at the event, Kemreat Viseth, secretary of state at Cambodia's Council of Ministers, and also CSAF's chairman, praised Chinese charities for their contributions to supporting the educational sector in Cambodia's rural areas.

He said that since 2018, the CFRD has donated a total of 5,026 bicycles and 167,534 school bags to rural students in 22 Cambodian provinces.

"This mission has not only contributed to deepening the bond of friendship between the peoples of Cambodia and China, but also encouraged students to study hard," he said.

Im Vanny, deputy director of Kampong Thom Provincial Department of Education, Youth and Sports, expressed his sincere gratitude to the Chinese charities for donating the bicycles to primary schools in Cambodia, saying that they were crucial for poor students to ride to school.

CFRD's representative Zhang Shenyue said the organization was pleased to help rural students in Cambodia, hoping that the bikes and bags would motivate them to study hard for themselves, their families and the society.

"These bikes not only carry love and care, but also symbolize our pursuit of a better life and persistence in public welfare undertakings," said representative of Hello Inc. Zhang Rong.