First 51 Rotary Wheels Distributed at PIO Phnom Penh Children

Lisa McCoy photos

Jan 24, 2013 Phnom Penh photos: 93 – 83 MB Public on the web (edit)

What a fantastic day our team of 21 Rotarians and Friends from District 7010 and our contingency Of Cambrian College Students had at the People Improvement Organization's School and Orphanage at their Steung Meanchay location at the outskirts of Phnom Penh's main garbage dump. Founder and CNN Top Ten Hero founded this school a decade ago, which now teaches government curriculum and English classes to over 400 children daily! This is the second year in a row that our Rotary Wheels for Learning Team has distributed bicycles and mosquito nets to these needy children. Many of them need these bikes to move on to secondary schools.After our tour of the school, our team was entertained with Traditional dances by the students. Cambrian College students and myself enjoyed giving the children a dental hygiene lesson after which, we distributed toothbrushes and toothpaste to all. We have yet over 1100 bicycles to distribute over the next 3 weeks. http://rotarywheelsforleaning.blogspot.com/

View complete album at link on left.  REad more at: http;/cambodiabiketeam2013.wodpress.com/

Our team has just arrived in Battambang where we will distribute 556 bikes over the next 4 days!

Cambrian Students and Rotary Sudbury Sunrisers with Phymena Noun

Phymena Noun - PIO Founder and CNN Top Hero with Lisa McCoy - Gravenhurst Rotary

Four Days Until Rotarians and Friends Arrive in Cambodia to Distribute 1,221 Bicycles!

Members of our 2012 team distributing bicycles in rural Battambang province

In a matter of days, 21 Rotarians and Friends from across the province of Ontario, Canada will begin arriving here at Phnom Penh airport. Their mission: to distribute 1,221 Rotary Wheels for Learning Bicycles to children lacking the necessary transportation to get to school.

Rotarian team members hail from clubs in District 7010 in Ontario.

They are coming armed with suitcases filled with donated items for schools and the needy. They will also be bringing over enough toothpaste and toothbrushes for each child who receives a bike. 

You can watch a video of bikes being delivered to Battambang, Cambodia at: http://youtu.be/PhFrW-O4EYc

This year, each child’s family will receive a treated mosquito net as well.

Some of the Hundreds of mosquito nets stored at the Battamabang Rotary Club Women's Centre

Battambang Children Receiving Toothbrushes and Toothpaste

We will have Cambodian dentists and dental students accompanying our team. At each bicycle distribution, a dental hygiene education session is provided, with our team distributing toothbrushes and toothpaste to the children.

Battambang Rotarians & Ontario Rotarians Distribute Bikes to Hundreds of Children in 2012

Bicycles awaiting our distribution at the Battambang Rotary Women's Centre

Here in Cambodia, bicycles are now arriving at the Battambang Rotary Club’s Women’s Centre. They are being stored here until our team arrives to spend 4 days preparing and distributing 556 bicycles and mosquito nets throughout several districts in the province. These bicycles are funded by a Rotary Foundation Matching Grant. Grant funding will also be providing 2 tons of rice to needy families here as well. Many thanks to Past President Nouv Saroeun and all members of the Rotary Club of Battambang for all their efforts towards this mass distribution. Our team will have a great time working side-by-side with members of this club.

The remaining 665 bicycles are funded by generous individuals, Rotary Clubs and organizations from across the province of Ontario. These bicycles will be distributed to children in target locations in the provinces of Takeo and Siem Reap, and to children living in Khan Dangkor, just outside of Phnom Penh.

We will also once again provide bicycles to children living on the outskirts of Phnom Penh’s largest garbage dump. These children are being cared for, and educated through, People Improvement Organization founded by CNN Top Ten Hero Phymean Noun.

A Big thanks goes to Director Om Chamnap and his team from Banyan Learning Tree organization here in Cambodia – they are all busy now making sure all bikes reach their target locations at the same time our team does! A monumental task!

Two of our distribution ceremonies will be recorded for Cambodian TV – helping spread the work of Rotary across the nation.

Thanks to Everyone who made this year’s distributions possible. Here are just some of the many who contributed to the cause:

John Chow of Toronto - $2,000.00
Rotary Club of Washago & Area-Centennial - $750.00
Sudbury Sunrisers Rotary Club - $1,500.00
Rotary Club of North Bay - $2,000.00
Rotary Club of Barrie-Kempenfelt - $500.00
Toronto RBC Global Banking Diversity Committee - $559.85

Rotary Club of Barrie - $2,500.00

Rotary Club of Mississauga Lakeshore - $2,000.00

Rotary Club of Barrie-Huronia - $500.00

Haliburton Easy Riders - $300.00

Rotary Club of Bracebridge - $1,000.00

Rotary Club of York -$1,000.00

Rotary Club of Brampton - $400.00

Rotary Club of Brampton-Heart Lake- $600.00

Our team members will be posting their activities and photos at: cambodiabiketeam2013.wordpress.com

Be sure to follow along and give the page a ‘Like’.

There is a distribution trip already in the making for January 2014. For more info contact Lisa McCoy, rotarywheelsforlearning@gmail.com

Rotary Wheels for Learning is an international program of the Rotary Club Of Gravenhurst, District 7010. www.gravenhurstrotary.com