Speeches
Tuesday, 06 August 2024
Reception for Sunrise Cambodia
I warmly welcome you all to Government House, in support of the work of Geraldine Cox and Sunrise Cambodia.
Raising children, either directly as a parent or indirectly as a relative or friend, is one of life’s most rewarding endeavours – and challenging ones.
We’ve all witnessed the profound innocence of young children, their joy at new discoveries, their deep need for love and support and safety.
We want to do the absolute best we can, to give them the best start in life possible.
Sadly, this can’t always be done.
As Australians, we are fortunate to live in a wealthy country. And yet, even here, 750,000 children currently live in poverty.
In Cambodia, that figure is much higher.
For Cambodian children who have been trafficked into prostitution, slave labour, begging rings and illegal adoption rings; or who are victims of domestic violence, disabled or living on the streets, Sunrise Cambodia has been providing lifesaving support and care for more than 30 years.
Currently housing more than 60 children, and providing education and care to hundreds more, Sunrise has been well known to Australians for many years.
It focuses on educating children through to the tertiary level, so they grow up to break the cycle of poverty for themselves and their communities.
Sunrise also supports poor families through community building and infrastructure projects, while also running education programs around drugs, alcohol, and protecting the environment.
I thank Sunrise for doing all it can to empower Cambodians to be self-reliant, while providing support during the toughest of times.
In recent years, the pandemic put considerable strain on Sunrise’s resources.
I am thankful that, due to the tenacity of its staff and volunteers, and the generosity of its supporters, it survived.
I also appreciate Sunrise’s ambition to keep its administrative costs low.
In the past decade, there has been considerable media coverage of the Cambodian orphanage ‘industry’ and its pitfalls.
I note the challenging context this provides for organisations seeking to operate with integrity and do the best they can for Cambodian children.
To Sunrise supporters here this evening, I thank you sincerely for your desire to help all children have the best start possible in life, and to reach their potential.
Your generosity of spirit is admirable.
Thank you to Geraldine for all you have done over the years to support Cambodian children.
As the saying goes, ‘It take a village to raise a child’. I thank you all for being part of that village.