Summer Arts Camp 2014 for Disadvantaged Youth

>>>Global Giving Bonus Day is Oct 15<<<

If you are considering making a donation to this project, Global Giving will conduct a Bonus Partner Match day October 15 and your donation can receive  a  30%  match  while matching funds are available.

Mark has just returned from Cambodia at the end of September  and so it is a great time to update you on the 2014 Summer Arts Camp.

This Camp session  remains under funded for 2014 , with deficits  made up ( temporarily we hope !)  from general funds. It is our hope that we can complete the remaining 2014  funding. The only way that we will be able to  continue to offer this wonderful program to  children in the future  is through sustainable funding.  Although $ 4,430 is a lot of money, it breaks down to an expenditure of just $ 44.30 per student over  the entire 6 week period of time  $44.30 x 100= $4430 and this equals  an amazing cost of just  $1.27 per day per camper for an experience that builds life skills, teaches various arts, music  and art history and  which provides weeks of fun for disadvantaged children.

The children at Champey  have  now finishrf  the Summer Arts Camp program. Summer Arts Camp is  an annual program that we open to  both regular students and selected “outside” kids who consist of medically fragile children with a host of issues who come to us from the National Orphanage in Phnom Penh and some of our own children from our AIDS Patient Family Support Program (FSP ) in Phnom Penh during the annual two month long school holiday period which runs from  August through September. Our 2014  Camp session had a roster of 100 kids, 75 from the local neighborhood and about  25 of kids from the Orphanage and FSP programs. This was a  lower number of " outside" kids  that we wanted, but  this was necessary  due to lack of funds to provide transportation to many of   our FSP kids  are dispersed widely through the city. With no public transportation available,  tuk-tuks or other transport  must be hired.

As funding was not in place , we  also opted to run a shorter  program  rather than just cancel the session and disappoint so many children. Camp was thus set for   6 weeks vs the 8 weeks we had  hoped for this year to save on costs.Due to  combination of the shorter number of  camp weeks  , changes to the Camp outing which saved about $  350  and keeping an extremely tight rein to limit/prohibit  any extra expense,  our actual  direct expenditures came in at $4430  for 6 weeks vs the full 8 week budget projection of $ 7505 in direct expenses. To date, we have raised $ 1255.75  for this program on the GlobalGiving site, leaving us with a net  $3174.25  yet to fund.

This year the Summer Arts Camp offered campers  an exciting time filled with growth and challenge  as the regular dance students and campers focused on something new:  producing a new and different  version of an original work that we  had commissioned in 2000,  “ Our Friends in the Forest” which focuses on the damage done by poachers.  This story has been performed many times in past years by our students in our former Apsara Arts Program, the historic platform from which Champey has evolved. 

“Our Friends in the Forest” is presented in a traditional format called "Mohori Theater.” All of the characters in our story are animals and every version of “Our Friends in the Forest” seeks to convey some sort of socially significant theme. This year’s  new and updated version focused mainly  on the wide impact of corruption in society.    We are now waiting to receive the photos which we hope to post to show you the results of the terrific effort and work that our students and campers put into the project.

Our heartfelt thanks to our supporters and to the team and staff at Champey who gave these children a wonderful summer experience. Our sincere thanks to Globalgiving for the June  Bonus Day Matching funds. Together, we have  made a wonderful difference in the lives of these 100 children during these past 6 weeks.

The project budget summary is below.

Barbara & Mark Rosasco

Summer Arts Camp

Actual vs 2014 Budget

Actual                                                  Budget

100        Anticipated census: 100 campers ages 4 to 16

$   250   T-shirts $ 2.50 x 100          $ 250

$   450   Art Supplies                      $ 200

                  >funds for supplies ( $250) to paint and stage mura/props for Friends in the Forest

$1,500    Snack estimated $0.50 per child  $2,400  ($0.50 x 100 kids x 6 days = $ 300 x 8 weeks = $2400)

                  >6 weeks not 8 weeks , 20 campers attended 5 days per week, not 6.

$    75     Certificate $0.75 x 100      $  75   Completion certificates used in end of camp ceremony

$1,200    Transportation                 $1,920 (2 tuk tuk for 30 kids $ 20 r/t x 6 days = $240 wk x 8 wks = $1920

2 tuk tuks for 20 kids r/t $20x 5 days=$200 x 6 wks =$1200 ( these kids attend 5 days not 6 days to cut costs)

$   480    Transportation                 $  960   ($20 round trip est. 10 kids from FSP x 6 days x 8 weeks = $960

$   200     Party supplies & Food    $  200    ( estimated 150 persons)

$   200     Buses for water park       $   300    (estimated 3 buses) vs 2 actual

$     75     Entry fee water park       $   300    ( estimated at $3.00 per camper)

                >trip changed to Wild Life Alliance Rescue Center with $0.50 admission charge)

$     0        Misc expenses 8 weeks    $1,000   ( covers unanticipated expenses, supplies, transportation etc)

$4,430  direct expenses 6 week program

               vs

$7,505 original projected budget for 8 week program

Funds raised from GlobalGiving:  $ 1095 -$164.25 GG fundraising cost)  + $325 Bonus Day Matching Funds=$1255.75

Actual Program expenses: $ 4430 - $1255.75 = ($3174.25  ) program cash flow shortfall