Thursday, October 26, 2017

The launch of EKOCENTER in Cambodia

Tin Sokhavuth



The launch of an EKOCENTER took place on Wednesday in Phnom Penh's Poh Senchey district with the presence of Michael Newbill, Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy in Phnom Penh, and H.E. Hun Many, Member of the Cambodian Parliament.

According to the US Embassy in Phnom Penh, the EKOCENTER would teach disadvantaged local residents on how to run business that would help them to develop their commune at the same time - the EKOCENTER would provide Cambodian people living in Boeng Thom commune, Por Senchey District, with access to clean water, a volleyball field, a new community center with a library, classroom and web-ready computer facilities.

"This center is part of an agreement between USAID Cambodia and Coca Cola to directly assist thousands of Cambodians vulnerable to human trafficking with entrepreneurial training, employment opportunities and access to water," wrote the US Embassy on its Facebook page.

The embassy added that the EKOCENTER represents the US Government's commitment to help Cambodian people to have a better life by encouraging US company to come to share their experiences in term of doing business with Cambodian people.

EKOCENTER was first created by the giant US company Coca-Cola with the focus on communities that are without access to basic goods and services. So far, around the world, EKOCENTER becomes a center where poor women learn how to do business and help their community to have safe drinking water, solar power and wireless communication.

"Other functionality that can be added to jump-start community development includes social facilities and entertainment; power generation for charging phones; cooling/refrigeration of vaccines; education opportunities; and much more," wrote Coca-Cola Company on its website.

According to Coca-Cola Company, as of today, over 100 EKOCENTERs were created in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Ghana and Vietnam and continue to expand globally.

The company added that about 800 million people around the world lack access to safe drinking water, and nearly half the world lives on less than $2 a day, and a quarter of humanity lives without electricity.

To help to solve these problems, Coca-Cola is cooperating with public and private sector to create EKOCENTER in the poor neighborhood around the world in order to bring basic necessities to millions of people.

"EKOCENTER represents an investment in the future prosperity and progress of some of the most fragile and at-risk communities we serve. Through EKOCENTER we have the ability to change lives by offering access to safe drinking water and other needed resources, all while empowering local entrepreneurs. What started as an aspiration is now becoming a reality as we welcome our partners across the golden triangle of business, government and civil society to scale and improve this innovation," wrote Muhtar Kent, Chairman and CEO at the Coca-Cola Company.


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